The Leather Jacket

“Alex, hey earth to Alex!”
Matt had been trying to get his attention for nearly ten minutes but the musician seemed bend on ignoring him.
“ALEX!” he finally snapped.
Alex finally looked up from his phone to a very pissed off Matt staring at him.
“Sorry I was miles away”
“What is with you today?” Matt asked.
They were on their way to the third interview of the day and Alex had barely been with it the entire time. Constantly staring at his phone and just fidgeting, like he was waiting for something.
“It’s nothing” Alex mumbled.
“It’s obviously not, so are you going to tell me?”
Alex sighed and played with the ends of his hair sticking out from under his beanie.
“I saw Jack again. We had dinner and just talked, he ended up staying the night at my place and we just talked and talked. I know I probably had some twisted view of him because of all he’d done for me but he’s everything I thought he’d be. He’s kind and sweet, and so funny.”
“So basically you love him”
“Pretty much” Alex admitted. “What am I going to do about it?”
“Tell him” Matt answered.
“I can’t....”
“Why the hell not? You’re obviously... Excuse the term but head over heels for him. Are you really going to pass up on that?” Matt asked.
“I don’t know... But what if I fuck everything up? I’ve spend so long looking for him, I don’t want to lose him again”
“Alex, wasn’t the whole reason you went looking for him was so you could tell him everything? Now you’ve got your chance, tell him”
“How?” Alex asked. He kind of wanted to kick himself because Matt was fucking right. He was always telling people to live their lives and fucking dance when they want to dance but yet he wasn’t following his own advice. It was time he stopped being scared.
“That’s down to you, I suck at all the love stuff”
Alex laughed and went back to staring at his phone. He opened the conversion with Jack and typed out a message asking him if he was free for the night but he didn’t press sent. His thump hovered over the button, if he sent it he’d have to do it, to say everything that he’d been holding onto for so long. Alex closed his eyes and pressed send. Jack replied within five minutes, he was free for the night. There was no backing out for Alex now.

Alex busied around his apartment trying to make sure everything was ready, he didn’t know why he was bothered so much. Jack had spent enough time there the night before and he hadn’t been bothered but this night was important and everything had to look right. He was cooking for them, Alex wasn’t too bad of a cook despite never getting much of a chance to be in the kitchen. Alex fiddled with the edge of his shirt nervously as he watched the clock, only a few minutes to go before Jack was due to arrive. He’d gone over everything he wanted to say in his head about a hundred times and for once in his life he felt vaguely ready for what was to come.
The clock ticked by, Jack was late. Alex checked the food it would still be good for a little while longer. He figured Jack had gotten held up somewhere, he checked his phone but there was nothing. Alex sat on one of the stools in his kitchen and waited.
The clock continued to tick by until long after the food was ruined. There was no message from Jack he’d just not turned up. Alex sank down in his seat, burying his head in his arms. Once again he’d been abandoned.
Alex had no idea how long he’d been sat there, half way between tears and anger. He wanted to text Jack to demand an explanation but he couldn’t form the words. He’d put everything into finally being able to tell Jack he loved him but Jack had found something better or worse someone. Alex knew he liked a drink and wondered if Jack was out somewhere with a girl hanging off of him. The thought made him shudder. Alex got to the point where he just wanted to drink himself into a hole for the night, to forget everything. He was half way to getting the vodka out when his phone bleeped, it was Jack.
Can you meet me at Lincoln Memorial hospital?
Alex stared at his phone. Jack was at the hospital? Did that mean he was in trouble? He couldn’t be that bad if he was texting Alex but when did anyone ever go to hospital for a good thing...
I’ll be right there
Alex replied
I’ll be out the front doors, please hurry
The last text scared Alex, please hurry. What could have happened?

Alex pulled up at the hospital not twenty minutes later, having abandoned his car in the first space he could find. Alex ran to the front doors to find an exhausted looking Jack waiting for him.
“Hey” he said.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked, worry evident in his voice.
“Not really”
Jack walked back inside and Alex followed him, the smell of disinfectant making Alex scrunch his noise up in disgust. Jack led Alex through the waiting room to a pair of chairs in the corner where he slumped down. As Alex sat beside him he had to resist holding Jack’s hand, he looked so sad and miserable.
“What happened?” Alex asked quietly, he was afraid to ask but the question was eating him up inside.
“Mum has a heart condition caused by diabetes and she can get really sick really easily and normally I’m there to make sure she’s okay but I wasn’t and now...”
Apparently talking about his mum was the last straw and Jack just broke down. Alex wrapped his arm around Jack’s shaking shoulders and pulled him as close as he could.
“Hey I’m sure she’ll be alright, they know what they’re doing here” Alex said, they weren’t exactly the most comforting words but he was at a bit of a loss.
“But it’s my fault, I should have been there” Jack sniffed.
“No, no it’s not your fault” Alex tried to reassure but Jack cut him off.
“But it is! She had texted me but I hadn’t seen it and when I finally did it was too late, I went out for medicine and I thought she’d be okay. She always texts me if something’s changes. B...but when I got back she was worse. I’ve... I’ve been here ever since”
Alex hugged Jack tighter. It all made sense, Jack’s constant checking of his phone and the way he ran out at such short notice. Alex felt like such a fucking asshole for questioning Jack the way he had.
“I’m sorry Jack, I’m sorry I questioned you and I’m sorry about last night. You shouldn’t have stayed with me”
“Don’t apologize, it was the best fun I’d had in a very long time”
Jack smiled tired eyes and all, Alex couldn’t help smiling back.
“Mr Barakat?”
The pair was interrupted by a nurse, an older lady whose greying hair was pulled into a bun at top her head.
“That’s me” Jack replied, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.
“Your mothers doing okay, stable but not awake. Would you like to see her?” she asked.
“Please”
Jack stood up and Alex figured he’d probably wait there but Jack’s hand gripped his and pulled Alex to his feet.
“Can Alex come?” he asked.
“Is he your boyfriend?” she asked.
Both boys looked at each other, Alex had to try not to laugh but he figured it wasn’t the time.
“No, just a good friend” Jack replied.
The nurse nodded and led the boys through the hospital’s winding corridors. Alex rubbed his thump over Jack’s fingers in attempt at comfort as they walked further into the hospital Jack began to shake and Alex ended up putting his arms around the other’s shoulders just to keep him stable.
“She’s gonna be okay” Alex whispered and Jack just nodded.
Finally they reached the ward, lots of beds all next to each other with Jack’s mum in the very last one.
“As I said she’s stable and she should recover in time but these illnesses can be a worry for diabetic patients”
Jack just nodded, the information not really going in. He was too busy staring at his mum lying on the bed. Wires attached to her hand pumping liquid into her veins and machines beeping as they tracked her heart. Jack’s lip trembled, it was all his fault.
“Thank you”
Alex spoke to the nurse, she nodded and left them. Jack collapsed into the chair beside his mother and burst into tears again. Alex didn’t know what to say and just sat down next to Jack and put his hand on the younger’s back.
“She’s going to be okay”
“But it’s my fault she’s here in the first place, it’s my job to take care of her” he sobbed.
“Oh Jack... You’re twenty three and you’re taking care of your mum. You’re amazing and this is not your fault it’s just a thing that happened”
Jack sniffed in reply and buried his face in his hands. Alex frowned, he didn’t know what to do or say. He just wanted to help.
“Come here”
Alex pulled Jack toward him until the boy was sitting in his lap. Alex wrapped his arms around the boys waist and let Jack bury his head in his chest.
“It’s going to be okay” Alex whispered in Jack’s ear.
Jack just cuddled more into Alex, he was warm and comfortable and just having Alex’s arms around him made him feel a bit better. Alex smiled, his heart felt all warm and fuzzy with Jack so close. He began to run his fingers through Jack’s messy two toned hair.
“I love you”
The words slipped from Alex’s mouth before he could stop them....