*23. The talk*

                                    

                                          

This was a step that, if possible, Gawin would not have wanted to take. He didn't know Krist's mother, and he didn't know how she would take those two people meddling in her relationship with her son. But what could they do? Even if she didn't completely forgive Krist, if only she were willing to help him in some way, the effort would be worth it.
Unlike what had happened the day before, the house wasn't empty when they arrived. It took a while for Mrs. Perawat to answer their call. She looked dejected and it was visible that she was still recovering from the accident. Perhaps there were emotional scars as well, such as the physical ones they could see on her body.
"New?" The woman addressed Krist's friend. She knew him, he had slept in that house several times. Gawin was a stranger to her, but New was a familiar face.
"Can we talk to you for a bit, Ms. Perawat?" New asked, sensing the woman's acknowledgment tone as encouragement for the conversation to come.
"Was Krist who sent you?" The woman looked distrustful, and eyed Gawin suspiciously.
"He doesn't know we're here, but I can assure you it's an important matter." The boy answered. 
New's urgent tone made the woman relent. She backed away, making room for the duo to enter. It wasn't the first time Gawin had been in that house, but it was the first time he'd set foot there without Krist present. The first time they slept innocently in the same bed came to his mind, a memory of better times for the one he was in love with.
The woman asked the boys to sit on the sofa and made them some coffee. Neither of them was really interested in drinking anything, but they accepted it out of politeness. Maybe that's what they needed to break the ice before starting the conversation. Gawin felt that he should try to keep himself in the background, leaving the initiatives to New, who already knew the woman and could make her hear better what they wanted to say.
"Did something happen to Krist?" The woman asked, looking seriously at the two visitors.
"Krist is in very bad situation. He can't forgive himself for the things he said to you before the accident..." New began but was interrupted by the woman.
"I don't know if he told you exactly what he told me, but it was pretty harsh stuff. He must really feel bad because I still hurting about it. I'm not ready to forgive him and, frankly, I don't wanna discuss the matter with you or your friend. This is a private matter and if he wants to talk to me, then he should man up and come to see me and begin for forgiveness. Maybe, that way, I'll forgive him." Her tone was final, as if she was expecting more than what she got from the boys.
"You don't understand..." Gawin had promised himself he would remain silent, but desperation got the better of him. Krist needed him, New and his mother to take action right away. He couldn't wait her time to heal. "If things continue the way they are, you might not have time to forgive him at all. He doesn't eat right, he doesn't sleep, he barely gets out of bed... He's wasting away. Me, New and all of our friends, we've tried everything. We think that maybe you're the only person who can help him, who can give him a hand to get him on his feet..."
"It's true. We're here because we're more than worried about Kitty. We're desperate." New agreed, trying to maintain his desperate tone. 
The woman looked shaken. She certainly hadn't expected that news. Gawin felt that she was not only taken a back, but really worried about what she just heard.
"Is it really that serious?" the woman asked.
"Perhaps you can look at the situation with your own eyes..."
Krist didn't feel sad. He felt nothing. The closest he had come to feeling anything was after seeing Gawin after a long time. Still, he continued to feel lethargic. He didn't even think about whether or not he deserved some happiness or that attention, because he didn't have the strength for that kind of thinking anymore. And that made him afraid.
Gawin's recent presence had given him the tiniest shot of hope, but it wasn't enough fuel to make him stir, to want to get out of that bed, get out of that feeling. Was there anything that could wake him up from that feeling? Would he be happy again? He was so tired...
Then his mother appeared in the doorway. If there was any shock that could wake Krist from that feeling, it was certainly that image. Was it that possible? It wasn't that he felt better or that his problems were simply gone, but the shock and surprise were enough to wake him up even a little bit from that state. Judging by the expression on his mother's face, the woman didn't imagine meeting the boy so miserable like that. Maybe she didn't believe much when they told her about his situation, or she had arrived there without knowing absolutely nothing about his condition.
"Get out of that bed, Krist." She said, but it wasn't an angry tone.
Krist looked at her not knowing what to say, then he started to cry. Seeing her in a still weakened condition, being certain that she was like that because of him made his heart ache - in the future he would understand that it was better to feel that than not to feel anything at all.
The boy looked at his mother, trying to process her words. He had waited for this moment, until he waited for nothing. Still, he was stagnant.
"I'm your mother and I'm telling you to get up. You're going home with me. We are going home; do you understand me?"
She was now starting to cry too. Krist didn't quite know what to do, but he started to get out of bed. Lately, he had been doing less and less of that. He still showered and went to the bathroom to do his biological needs. But this time, he was getting up with another purpose; a bigger one.
"New told me you're blaming yourself for my accident. That's bullshit. What you told me hurt me like hell. It's still done. But what kind of mother would I be if I saw my son in these conditions and did absolutely nothing? We're going home now, and we're going to find a way to help you, just like they helped me when I had the accident. And, I don't know how, but we're going to fix our relationship, okay? But I need you to be here so that we can do this, right?"
It was then that Krist finally found the words he wanted to say: "I'm sorry, mom... I didn't mean to..."
The woman didn't let him finish. He would need to apologize; she would need to apologize. But that would happen another time when they were strong enough to handle it. One problem at a time, that was always her motto. And so, perhaps, the two could save that relationship.
The next day, Krist began treatment at a psychiatric clinic. Since his mother still had to rest because of the accident, it was New or Gun or Off or Mike who accompanied him. He was still very reluctant to get out of bed, but things got better as the days went by - as the medication started to take effect. He also began to undergo treatment with a psychologist, so that he could treat his heart pain.
Despite not being one of the people who drove him to the clinic, Gawin also visited Krist almost every day.
He had already been in treatment for almost two weeks. The conversations with the psychologist and the medication were clearing his head again and getting rid of the mess his mind was in. He began to understand that that feeling of guilt and failure came from a long time ago, but only now had he succumbed. Not every day was good, but things were looking up. He knew he had some issues to settle, but that could wait. Everything would wait until he was well again.

N/A: Only 2 chapters left.