Boys Will Be Boys

*The Next Morning*

Whispers. All I can hear are hushed words.

Someone says, "He's going to be all right then?"
"Yeah, dad. He is." That's my baby's voice. I know it is.
"So.... What I've been told. Is it true?"
"Yeah, dad. It's true."
My body allows me to finally open my eyes. "Wa-ater."
Afton rushes over to me with a cup of water in his his hands. "Here. Drink." He holds it to my lips and wipes my face when I've finished. "Good morning."
"M-mor....ning." I croak.
He strokes my cheek and I flinch. "Did I hurt you?"
"N-no. Your.....fath-er." I say. Not wanting to upset his father.
He grabs my hand. "Don't worry about him. I've already told him about us. And surprisingly, he's pretty accepting. He told me he kind of knew that I was... y'know?"
I try to laugh but it turns into a cough. "Don't do that." He holds the water to my lips again.
"D-don't y-you worry about m-me." I say. "I'll be.....okay."
He strokes my forehead and cheeks. "I know you will. But I'm going to stay by your side and make sure."

I smile. The I let my eyes slip shut. I'm going to sleep, but keeping my eyes opened is too my work for me. I can only move so much. Speaking of which, I can talk, open and shut my eyes, and uhm, move my fingers and toes. I think that's a pretty darn good improvement. Afton crawls into the tiny space beside me on the hospital bed. He runs is fingers through my hair and I smile again. I feel something wet press quickly against my forehead. It's his lips.

"You should rest, baby. I'll be here when you wake up."
Someone else steps in and clears their throat. My eyes open suddenly. It's Afton's dad. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, dad."
"Hello, Mr. Aimes."
He walks to the other side of my bed. "Hi, Raegan. I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry for what happened. No kid deserves that."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Aimes."
"You're welcome. And if you ever need anything, never hesitate to ask. Okay?"
"Okay."

His dad then exits the room and Afton goes back to stroking my scalp. My eyes flutter closed and a sigh escapes me. It feels good to know that someone in this world cares about me.

"You can sleep if you like, Raegan. I'm not going anywhere."
"Okay. But Afton?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"I know this is going to sound weird, but when I wake up again, can see about getting me some food?"
He chuckles. "Anything for you, sugar. Anything for you."

He continues to play with my hair and he hums softly in my ear. And the sound of Afton is what I fall asleep to.

Afton

-Flashback-

Tears were streaming down my face. I'd just gotten off the phone with my dad. I needed him at the hospital with me. I couldn't handle that by myself. I was so scared. Not ten minutes after I'd called, he busted through the front doors.

"Afton!"
"Over here!" I choked out through tears.
"What's wrong, Afton?"
"My friend Raegan. He's here. His dad beat him up. He might not make it." I looked up at my father. "Dad, I'm scared for him."
"Son, it's gonna be okay. I promise."
"Dad, you don't understand. That's my boyfriend in there. I love him."
"W-what? Your boyfriend?"
"I'm bisexual dad. Raegan is my boyfriend." I cried.
"It's okay, son. It's okay."
"Daddy, please."
"I'm not mad, son. Who you love is who you love. But right now, that's not the problem at hand. We need to find out where his father is."
"You.... you're going to help?"
"Yes. I may not know that boy from Adam, but he means a lot to you."

I felt a rush of happiness shoot through me. My father was okay with Raegan and I dating. And he promised to help us. For the first time that night I felt optimistic. If Raegan made it through, then I might have a chance at having a happy family.