So, Apparently, I Find Fairies Hot

Chapter 6: Is it gay to go to a concert with a guy?

Daniel's head was light but his heartbeats carried the weight of a stampeding wildebeest's footsteps. He hobbled out the door using his crutches, his newly-fixed leg still numb even though a few hours had passed since the operation.

His nostrils widened as fresh air graced them with its presence. Several people were sitting in their wheelchairs and smelling the small selection of daffodils, roses and some strange native flower that Daniel couldn't recognise. He made sure to keep some distance from the flowers to avoid triggering hay fever symptoms but they smelled lovely from where he was. He limped slowly so as not to arouse suspicion, looking for an exit. He saw a carpark in the corner of his eye and grinned.

'You there, where are you going?'

Shit. Daniel turned and saw a nurse. He took a deep breath to give himself time to think. 'I want to have a smoke with my friend. He's in the carpark.'

'Aren't you a little young to be smoking?'

'I'm of age.'

'Do you have any proof?'

What was this man's problem? 'I don't know if you realise this, but I'm in the hospital. It's not like I have my ID on me. Would you like me to limp home and get it for you?'

The nurse pursed his lips. 'Very well. Have fun with your friend.'

Daniel resumed his journey, holding in a sigh until he was sure the nurse was gone. It took him half an hour to limp home. He had to ignore the strange looks and refuse the offers to help take him back to the hospital. He had to say he wasn't crazy so many times he started to wonder if he really was crazy.

He patted himself on the back when he managed to get up the stairs to his room within five minutes. The numbness started to fade but he still limped as he made his way to his wardrobe. No way was he going to go to the date wearing the white t-shirt and tracksuit pants his mother brought to him before the operation. She was supposed to take him home but received a call from work.

He gulped. Wait, date? What the hell am I talking about?

He pulled out a leather jacket and put it on over a grey shirt. He chucked some jeans on and shook his leg in the hopes that he could get rid of the remaining insensateness.

He laid his crutches on his bed and walked back down the stairs, a tiny bit of numbness still there. His light head got to him and he had to clutch the rail until his dizziness subsided. However, he continued moving forward, even if it was in incremental steps.

He caught the train to the city, trying his damndest not to vomit as the train swayed back and forth harsh enough for Daniel to feel like soup being stirred in a pot. He kept looking at the time on his phone.

Suddenly the train stopped. It wasn't at a station. It just stopped. The announcer's whoops-I-spilled-some-beer-at-the-barbie voice made Daniel's hand curl up into a painfully tense fist.

'Unfortunately, the train ahead of us is delayed. Sit tight and we should be ready to continue in a few minutes.'

'A few minutes' passed. Then another few. 'It looks like we'll be here for another half hour,' the announcer said. 'It might be a good idea to call your workplace if you're heading to work. Sit tight and we should be ready to resume shortly.'

Groans and cries of, 'Bloody public transport' poisoned the air. Daniel finally realised how sweaty and humid the air was with everyone packed together like chickens in a cage farm. Loud, perpetually groaning chickens that swore every five minutes.

Daniel stared at his phone again and took a few deep breaths to stop himself from hyperventilating. 6:30. It was going to take at least half an hour to get to the city, not to mention the time needed to catch a tram from the station to the venue.