Page 37 of The Road Home
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tired and ready for the day to be over, Jared rolled his shoulders as he kicked off his shoes and changed his clothes, glad that he didn't have to work the next two days. He needed a break. He would probably still be taking Orson in to check on Harry, but at least he didn't have to deal with anything official at the hospital.
As busy as the day had been, it went by fast. He'd taken Orson downtown to talk to the other homeless who were worried about Harry. He wished they'd had better news for them, but Harry still wasn't waking up and there was no reason they could find why he wasn't. It made him wonder if there was something to Orson's theory about his mind taking him someplace safe and not letting him return.
They'd talked to a psychologist at the hospital, and while he agreed it was possible, there wasn't a way to treat it. Harry would wake up if and when he wanted to. It was hard to watch Orson sit for hours by his bedside. Jared wanted to find a way to make everything okay, but there wasn't one. All he could do was be there for Orson, but even that was getting harder and more confusing.
Somehow in just a few days, he'd found himself looking for reasons to hold Orson, to hold his hand or hug him. His reasons were always valid, but it went even deeper than that. Maybe he'd been too long without sex or just affection of any kind. Being hugged by Orson caused him to feel things he'd forced away for so many years, sexual things that he had no right feeling for Orson, especially after all he'd been through.
Orson was the only person in the world besides Daryl who knew he was gay, and he wondered if that was why the feelings were suddenly stirring, but the more he thought about it, it wasn't that. His growing feelings for Orson were more than sexual. He looked forward to their time together. When he was at work, he couldn't wait to get home where they would spend an hour talking. It had only been a few nights, but he'd come to enjoy having someone else around to talk to about things. Life wasn't so empty and lonely with Orson in it.
He didn't regret asking Orson to move in. It felt right having him there. Orson had yet to give him an answer, but he hoped he would agree. He didn't want to think what it would be like to worry about him going back out on the streets again. It was something he'd have to leave up to Orson, but he'd do whatever he could to convince him it was a good idea.
As he walked back out into the small area he called his den, he found Orson on the couch, already in the sweats he'd loaned him. The TV was on, and Jared was happy to see Orson was getting comfortable enough to make himself at home.
"Anything good?"
Orson shrugged. "It's been so long since I've watched TV, I couldn't tell you. I was just flipping through the channels honestly."
"What did you used to like watching?" Jared flopped down on the other end of the couch.
"I like action movies and stuff." Orson grinned. "And Disney."
"Really?"
"Don't judge." Orson blushed.
"I'm not. I've enjoyed a Disney movie or two in my time."
"I've missed a ton since I left home."
"We'll have to catch you up on all of them. Maybe this weekend if we have time, we can watch a few." He hoped that would hint that he really did want Orson to stay.
"Yeah, that sounds good. I still want to go into the hospital for a few hours, but I won't stay as long as I do when you're at work. I just feel like I need to check on him every day." Orson leaned his head back on the couch. "I keep hoping that I'll walk in there and find him awake."
"I'm hoping it happens soon." Jared hated the sadness he saw each time Orson thought about Harry. He still wondered if there was more between them than friendship. He didn't think it was sexual. He didn't see Orson being sexually active after all he'd been through recently, but that didn't mean it couldn't have been a mental thing.
The wave of jealousy that hit him each time he thought about that left him feeling uncomfortable. He had no right to be jealous of anyone. Orson didn't belong to him, and there was nothing going on between them, but still, the thought of Orson connecting with another man didn't sit well with him.
"What happens if he doesn't wake up?" Orson asked.
Jared turned so he was facing him on the couch. "He'll go to a care center once he's healed. He still has active brain function and the tests don't show anything that should be a lasting issue. It's just a matter of wait and see. He's breathing on his own and all his other injuries will heal. We just wait."
"I wish there was more I could do." Orson stared at the TV. "He's been on the streets since he was fourteen. His parents locked him in his room and forgot him. When a neighbor started to question things after he hadn't seen Harry for a few months, he called the police to look into it. They found him nearly dead from malnutrition in his bedroom. I guess he was in foster care for a few years before he ran away."
Jared shook his head. "He hasn't had an easy life at all then."
"No, but he was happy. He said that the streets gave him freedom. He didn't have to listen to anyone anymore. I never asked why he ran away, but I'm guessing foster care was bad. He said it was worse there than it had been at home. Unlike me, he was comfortable on the streets. It was his home. I think he liked helping people like me who aren't streetwise and have a hard time making it on their own. Just in the few weeks I've known him, he was always bringing new people to where we were. He helped teach us how to get things, how to stay safe. He knew how to survive. That's why it was so hard to believe he'd been the one to get attacked."
"It can happen to anyone, especially at night in that area of town." Jared frowned. "It wouldn't matter how careful he was. Shit just happens. I see it nightly in the E.R.."
"I don't know how you do it. I couldn't see all that every night. It would eat at me. I'd lose my mind seeing all the bad that happens."
"Not all is bad. Accidents happened too. I treated an eight-year-old girl for a broken arm the other day. While the broken arm wasn't a good thing, she did it at her birthday party. She fell off a pony her parents had hired. She was mad at me for taking so long because she wanted to get back home to ride more. She was a fun patient. I guess I've learned to just turn off my emotions as much as I can and do my job. I try not to think about what happens to get people to the hospital. I focus on my work, what I can do, then most of the time, I try to let it go and not think of it again."
"Most of the time, what about the other times?"
"It's someone who leaves such an impression on me that I can't forget. Then I invite them to come to my house and stay with me." Jared grinned at Orson. "You're one of the few I couldn't stop thinking about once you left the clinic."
