Secrets that Kill (boyxboy)

In Love and Death

"You've gotta move back and give us some space to work here, kid."

Nate bit down on his, not wanting to let go of Erik's hand as the paramedics swarmed around him, taking his vitals and doing all sorts of other shit.

Fuck. He didn't want to let go. What if this was the last time he'd ever hold Erik's hand? What if he was letting go forever?

No. Not forever. This couldn't be forever. He needed to do what was best for Erik right now, and let the paramedics do whatever the hell they could to save him.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Nate asked, the words coming out in broken fragments as he forced himself to let go of Erik's hand and take a step back.

"What happened here?" One of the paramedics asked, though by the look in his eyes Nate was willing to bet he'd already figured it out.

"He- I don't know for sure. I found him like this. But- I think- I'm pretty sure he tried to-"

Chist, he couldn't even say it. Because saying it out loud would make this real. And this couldn't be real. The paramedic seemed to get the jist of it, though, his eyes drifting back to Erik.

"Do you know what he took?" The paramedic asked, appraising Erik and seeing that was pretty much the only thing that could have transpired since he didn't have any other marks on his body.

"No. I- I'm sorry- I don't know. I tried to ask him-"

"Alright. Are you his brother? "

"No. I'm- I'm not. I'm not related to him. But, you can save him, right? I mean, he's going to be-"

Nate voice's falter, his face paling as he saw one of the paramedics pull out a defibrillator.

"No!" Nate yelled, lunging forward and trying to throw himself at the paramedic with the defibrillator in his hands. The paramedic he'd been speaking with stopped him, though, holding him back. "What are you doing! You're going to hurt him! He doesn't-"

"Calm down. You need to calm down-"

"No! You're going to hurt him. He's not-he doesn't need those-"

Nate flung wildly as the paramedic held the defibrillator to Erik's now bare chest, his whole body convulsing and his chest arching upwards.

"Stop! You're hurting him!"

"Kid, I know this is scary, but I need you to take a deep breath, alright. We're only trying to help your friend. I promise."

Fuck. He wasn't helping. And he wasn't thinking clearly. Taking a deep breath, Nate eased up a little, his whole body going limp as he tried to reason with himself. He felt like the room was spinning, with everything moving way too fast as the paramedics attached some sort of breathing device to Erik, carrying him out of the apartment and loading him into ambulance.

The second he could, Nate was back at Erik's side, a death grip on his hand as he tried to think clearly enough to answer the questions the paramedics were asking him.

"Does he have any family you can call?"

"He has a brother. Sean." Nate muttered, his eyes never leaving Erik. He hadn't opened his eyes, not even once since the paramedics had arrived.

"You should call him." The paramedic said, the ambulance slowing as the hospital came into view. "It would be nice if he had someone with him. You're not going to be able to come back and see him anytime soon since you're not family-"

"What- no. Please. You can't- he needs me. He needs me there with him. I can't leave him alone right now." Nate could hear the panicked hysteria in his own voice, fear ebbing into his words as he tightened his grip on Erik.