Dreams Only Last for a Night

Jack opened the door, gently, not to wake anybody up, if they were sleeping. Jack's heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach when all of his eyes just met with an untidy bed, with crumpled bed sheets and spilled over medicine bottles. Jack clutched the cold doorknob, and put his free hand to his feverish forehead.

After all this, Alex Gaskarth was still far away from him. He wanted to cry right on the spot, sob like a little child and just hope that some responsible adult would console him and give him a cookie. Unfortunately, Jack realised he is probably the oldest in Room 209. He his fingers through his whitened hair, his head searching for other solutions.

"Um, sir, do I know you?" a voice asked from behind Jack.

Jack nearly jumped, whoever that was caught him off hand. He cursed under his breath, an odd sight for somebody as old as Jack. He turned around, ready to mutter an apology, to the person. Until he realised, who that person was.

Although he may have added wrinkles to his face, his white hair hiding away what used to be a beautiful shade of deep brown. His eyes grew darker, but it was the eyes that Jack can remember, looking into them and getting lost into them. His lips, not as pouty as it was a few decades back, but it was the same lips Jack got crazy to kissing on it. He shrunk slightly, maybe by a few inches, since Jack towers over him slightly, even in old age. He was clad in a hospital gown, a far cry from his different band shirts and tight skinny jeans.

Jack looked over Alex's left arm, just in case he got the wrong person. Sure enough, Alex's skeleton tattoo is shown prominently onto his wrinkling arm. His left hand had the striking rose tattoos that Jack loved to trace his finger over in the past.

The person standing in the hallway was the long lost Alexander Gaskarth.

The younger did not know how to react, he simply smiled so huge, and went up to the elder and hugged him tightly. Tears welled in his eyes, he finally met Alex. Jack pulled away, still smiling, he looked at Alex for a reaction, but was replied with none. Alex looked really confused, if anything. Jack started rambling on how everybody missed Alex, and that they're making a reunion for everybody, and the younger was so happy, he could jump around Alex, even with his weak bones.

Alex shook his head, and stared into Jack's eyes, his face full of questions.

"I'm really sorry..." Alex mumbled, his eyes scanning over Jack. "But do I know you?"