‹ Prequel: Going Bush

Going Bush 2: Suburbia

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Taylor was jolted awake by voices talking over his bed. When he opened his eyes he saw Nate arguing with a nurse.
“But he looks fine! We came to you for help, we got it, and now we can leave!”
“Just because your brother looks fine on the outside, it doesn’t mean he’s healthy on the inside,” the nurse was trying to explain.
“You’re lying. You’re trying to keep him here!”
Realising Nate was getting agitated to a dangerous point, Taylor sat up in the bed.
“What’s going on?” he asked, blinking the sleep away.
“Your brother is trying to get you released prematurely,” the portly nurse said scornfully.
“But we talked about this,” Taylor was confused, “they said it could be a couple of days-“
“I don’t care!” Nate exclaimed, making Taylor jump, “we’re leaving this morning and that’s final! Get up and get dressed, now!”
Taylor looked to the exasperated nurse, hoping she could help him somehow. But anything she said just seemed to get Nate riled up, and while he knew he’d probably bear the brunt of his anger at a later time, Taylor knew he had to at least try to pacify him and get him out of the hospital.
“Okay! Okay,” Taylor held up his hand as he tried to calm him down, “we’ll leave, okay? I’ll get dressed and we can just walk out.”
The nurse threw her hands up in surrender and walked away as Nate turned back to him with a glare on his face.
“Hurry up!” he demanded, making Taylor jump again.
Taylor carefully pulled the IV out of his arm, holding his thumb over the wound as it bled a little. As he sat up Nate put his clothes onto the bed, indicating for him to go to the bathroom to change.
When Taylor had gotten over the slight dizzy spell from sitting up so fast he complied, taking the clothes to the bathroom and quickly getting dressed. By the time he stepped out again the nurse was nowhere to be seen.
“Come on,” Nate grabbed him by the arm and led him to the door.
Figuring he’d find out what happened later on when he wasn’t so agitated, Taylor was silent as he was led out to the truck. As he sat in the passenger seat he happened to look up, seeing a few people staring in his direction. He couldn’t dwell on it for long before Nate reattached the chain to his collar.
“Turn,” Nate ordered, shoving Taylor’s shoulder forward.
He felt Nate pull his hands behind his back, slipping a cable tie around his wrists before pushing him down onto the seat again and closing the door. He heard his footsteps walk around the vehicle to the driver’s side before seeing him get in.
“Stay down,” he ordered as he started the truck and pulled out of the parking space.
Knowing it wasn’t a good time to test him, Taylor did as he was told. In his head he was cursing that he couldn’t have stayed at the hospital just a little while longer, so that maybe the nurse could have gotten the word out in time.
Closing his eyes he tried to shrug it off. But he’d been so close…
It was a while before he heard them pull off onto gravel, and when they came to a stop he was able to sit up again. They were back at the trailer.
Nate came around to collect him, fetching the chain from under the seat. He was soon led back inside and the chain was secured to the wall again, Taylor left on the bed as Nate shut the door.