Chapter 29

                                    

                                          
Josh took a deep breath, head between his knees. Annie slid down to the ground next to him too and there they remained for a good hour, just staring into nothingness.
                          
"They're not, Josh. They can't replace you and Connor with that kid, whoever that kid is," Annie tried reassuring Josh but she knew it was pointless. His heart had already started to break.
                          
"How could they be so heartless? I'm not even dead yet," Josh muttered with clenched teeth.
                          
***
                          
They heard his mother leave the room but she didn't stop to comfort him when she saw him by the door, slumped on the floor. She simply walked away. His father followed after that and he looked away too, as if he was disregarding a stain on the wall. Annie stood up. 
                          
"What in the world?" She said with a look of disbelief, watching Josh's parents turn a corner and disappear out of sight.
                          
Josh choked out a laugh, "So it is true, huh?"
                          
His parents were easy like that. They kept complications out of their heads by doing what they did best with broken things, they bought new things to replace it. He thought of when Connor passed away and how his mother grieved for a month or two, then she got herself into pottery. He thought of his father's irregular visits after that too, knowing his father was keeping extra busy at work. They ignore and ignore everything shitty in their lives until it gets too big a pile to hide. 
                          
With a heavy heart, he stood up and took Annie's hand. "Let's get out of here," he said.
                          
"You just woke up, Josh. Getting out of here is not a good idea," she told him.
                          
"Then humor me, Annie. Humor me and let's leave. I'm not strong enough to deal with whatever is in there," he pointed his thumb to the door behind him. "I'm neither strong nor ready to face that."
                          
"Josh..." Annie sighed, reluctant to let him go about with his crazy idea. He could barely step out of his room without feeling dizzy, now he wants to run away? But she thought, to hell with being safe, she could take care of him enough. 
                          
Josh let go of her hand, frustrated. "I'll go by myself then," he said, dejectedly, turning his back towards her. Annie rolled her eyes but she went along with him anyway.
                          
She went to get him a change of clothes from his drawer in his room, avoiding all eye contact from both Lucas and Kayne. Hurriedly, she plucked a shirt and a pair of jeans from the drawer and retrieved his shoes from beside his bed.
                          
"Where are you two off to?" Kayne asked, pretending to seem like he couldn't care less.
                          
Annie ignored his question and walked out, feeling their dagger-like stares against her back. They couldn't know because she didn't know either.
                          
"Did they say anything?" Josh asked when he had changed into his proper clothes. Annie shook her head.
                          
*** 
                          
With careful steps, they sneaked out of the building; tiptoeing pass security and familiar nurses. When they passed the entrance to the hospital, Josh breathed a sigh of relief. Together, they made their way to the nearest bus stop.
                          
"I want to go back to our river," Josh said quietly. Annie sat next to him on the bus, her head on his shoulder. She was playing with his fingers. "I miss it. I miss all the beautiful things we used to be able to do before this happened," he sighed, brushing what was left of his hair with his other hand. 
                          
"I miss it too. But that was then and this is now. You're here. That's enough for me," Annie told him and kissed him on the cheek. Josh only smiled. She couldn't tell if he agreed with her or if he was allowing himself to feel unnecessary guilt.