Belief in Miracles (completed)

Chapter 19: Summer

19 Summer

The worship was nothing like what I'd seen in my childhood church where everyone sang a boring hymn in a robotic tone from a falling-apart songbook. All around me, people had their hands raised in the air, and some were shouting and dancing, including Sebastian. He'd taken several steps away from me to approach the altar/stage, and had both hands raised in the air as he bounced on his heels. I'd never seen anything like it.

Though I was quite obviously the only person in the room not moving, I tried to keep my mind focused on the music, and less on worrying if I was being stared at. I recognized a few of the songs from childhood church camps, and lip-sang quietly along to them, feeling a little more of my discomfort break away with each one. I didn't think I'd ever be ready to jump like a lunatic like a lot of the others were, but I did find myself swaying to the music. My heart was thumping with a bizarre warmth that I couldn't place, and out of nowhere, my eyes started tearing. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. It was almost as if I could feel God's presence in the room.

I was almost disappointed when the music ended, and I lowered back into my seat. Sebastian sat with me for just a moment, then excused himself. I watched him as he rounded a corner and disappeared back into the entrance.

Tom stepped up on the stage and began addressing the audience, taking up a full five minutes with announcements about upcoming events for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I mostly tuned him out, my eyes still watching down the hall for Sebastian to return. He'd been gone for quite a while.

"Alright, Sebastian," Tom began, and my head whipped forward. "You know I'm gonna do it, buddy. Get up here." He shielded his eyes from the stage lights as he looked around. "Bas, where you at?" His eyes landed on me, and I shrugged, shook my head. "Bassy!?" He called out, and just then, my phone dinged in my pocket.

Pulling it out, I glanced down to see a single word from Sebastian. "Help."

My eyes found Tom again as I grabbed Sebastian's backpack and rose to my feet. Something about my expression must have alerted him, because he inclined his head subtly, then asked someone else to take over the announcements before following me out to the foyer. He went immediately to the men's bathroom on the right, and I followed.

Sebastian was sitting on the floor of an open stall, his head resting on the forearm that was draped over the toilet seat. He was gasping and choking, with blood dripping down his chin. His eyes were closed as he wheezed.

Tom knelt beside him and took Sebastian's arm around his shoulders. "Come on, buddy, come out of here so we can get you breathing."

Sebastian grunted as Tom lifted him, then dove away from his friend to choke into the toilet again. The bowl, I noticed, was full of blood. Tom seemed to notice, too, because his face paled, and he swallowed hard as he pulled Sebastian out again, and took his backpack from me as he set him on the floor to lean against the wall. I knelt in front of him and used a paper towel to clean Sebastian's mouth before Tom fixed the mask over his face and turned on the machine.

Through the thin walls, I could hear the mumbled announcements still being made, then whoever it was calling for Tom to come back. He pursed his lips as he looked at the door, but didn't make a move to leave.

Sebastian was still gasping, his hands balled into fists at his sides, the splint sticking straight up like an authoritative finger. Tom laid a hand on his shoulder, then reached into the backpack to turn up the oxygen.

"Deep breaths, Bassy." He said, but Sebastian shook his head.

"It's... not working..." He gasped. "I can't... breathe."