26 – It’s Over (2)

 

Axel drifted in and out of consciousness. A steady beeping sound pierced his ears. At one point, he heard someone shout something about a code. An argument over who would administer a blood test. Apparently, nobody wanted to go near his blood-soaked body until they knew he was “clean.” Axel had a sinking suspicion someone ran a quick background check on him.

He drifted back out until someone tugged at his wrist and called his name. Tied something rubbery around his arm, and demanded he make a fist. Something sharp dug into his vein. Soon after, people poked and prodded at him. Someone wiped his face with a wet cloth. Another person pressed something above his hip. They must have found out he was AIDS-free.

“We need to run some tests on you to make sure your head’s okay,” a voice said.

He grunted, and couldn’t remember anything after that.

 

Axel opened his eyes to find himself in a small hospital room. The walls were dingy, and the curtains old. Sunlight streamed through the window. There was another bed a few feet away from his, but empty. At least he had the room to himself.

His body ached. Why did his body ache? His brain felt hazy. Why did his brain feel hazy? And the biggest question- why was he in a hospital? He rubbed his forehead, noticing a thin tube hooked into a vein under his wrist- along with something bulky taped to his pointer finger.

A man in scrubs walked into the room, and wished him a good morning. “You’re finally awake. How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been hit by a truck.” For all he knew, he had been.

The nurse chuckled. “Let’s help with that.” He walked over to Axel’s side, near the IV drip. Axel couldn’t see what he was doing, but guessed it involved easing his pain. Something he was more than okay with.

Right then, a familiar face peeked through the doorway. Sebastian? Axel smiled at him. Sebastian smiled back, and walked up to him. The nurse left them alone.

“How are you feeling?” Sebastian asked.

“Like shit. Do you know what happened?”

“I should ask you that! You don’t remember?”

Axel furrowed his brow. He remembered going to the bar with Jake and Sebastian. But what happened after?

“We went to the bar, with Jake,” Sebastian prompted. “We were leaving because my asshole ex-friends showed up. I had to use the bathroom first. You and Jake went outside to wait for me. When I was done, I found you and him knocked out unconscious, covered in blood.” His face grew pale. “Wait… those assholes… did they…?”

Axel’s eyes widened as the memory finally hit. “They did! Because they saw Jake…” He clamped his mouth shut, lest anyone in the hallway overhear. “They attacked us.”

A fire blazed in Sebastian’s eyes. He stood next to the bed, fists clenched, glowering and seething. “I’ll kill them for this!”

Axel flinched. He’d never seen Sebastian so furious. Hopefully his emotions wouldn’t drive him to do something that would land him in jail. “Don’t worry about it.”

“They nearly killed you!”

“How’s Jake?” Axel asked, purposely changing the subject.

Sebastian folded his arms tight, biting his lip, clearly not finished with the subject. But after a moment, he relented. “I haven’t checked in with him. But he looked as bad as you did. Do you want me to find out?”

Just then, a group of doctors wheeled in a patient on some sort of bed. They transferred the patient onto the empty hospital bed, and hooked him up to various machines. So much for having his own room.

“If you can,” Axel said. “Are you coming back?”

“I might have to, to take you home.”

Home? Axel bolted upright. His home was in the parking lot of that bar. Unattended for the past… who knew how long! Could it have been towed?

“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asked.

“I need you to do me a huge favor.” Axel looked around for any sign of his belongings. Where were his keys?!

“Anything.”

“I need you to go back to the bar, get my van, and drive it to my work. Leave it in the parking lot.”

“Wouldn’t you rather it be at your house?”

“My boss won’t care.” It was where he normally kept it parked. “I just need you to get it before it gets towed.” If it hadn’t been already.

One of the doctors headed for the door. Axel stopped him. “Excuse me? Do you know where my things are? I need to give my keys to my friend right away. My van’s gonna get towed.” His home.

“Of course. Let me get that for you.” He left the room.

Another nurse finished up attending to the new patient, looked at something behind Axel, and whistled. “Everything alright? Your heart rate is high.”

Axel breathed in deep. “I’m fine.”

“If you say so…” the nurse left the room.

“Do you know when they’ll let you go?” Sebastian asked. “Are you gonna need me to give you a ride?”

“I don’t know, and maybe.” Axel obviously needed a ride from someone. But how could he tell Sebastian to drop him off at his van without it being awkward?

After what felt like ages, the doctor returned with a plastic bag, and handed it to Axel. Axel opened it to find his blood-stained clothes. That would be fun to get out. He dug into the pockets of his jeans, hand grabbing his phone, which he pulled out. (He needed something to entertain himself with.) Then fumbled in deeper to get his keys.

“When can he go home?” Sebastian asked the doctor.

“We want to keep him longer for observation. Maybe around 4?”

“Sounds good.” Sebastian waved at Axel. “I’ll be back later. Call me when you’re ready.”

“I will.” Axel returned his wave, and watched Sebastian leave. He strummed his fingers on the mattress, praying his van was still in that lot.

 

~~~~~

 

After visiting Axel, Sebastian went straight to the bar. He’d much rather track down Berkley and friends, and do to them what they did to Axel. But Axel sounded far more concerned about his van than seeking revenge. So Sebastian would respect his wishes. For now.

At first glance, there were several cars in the lot, but no van. He circled the small lot just in case he somehow missed it among the three sedans. He did catch a “no overnight parking” sign though.

Axel’s van must have been towed. What were you supposed to do in this situation? Sebastian didn’t know, but he did notice a phone number on the sign. Maybe he should start with that.

Sebastian dialed the number. A man’s voice answered. “Hello, this is Todd’s Towing Company. How may I direct your call?”

“I need to pick up a towed car.”

“What is the make and model of your vehicle.”

“I don’t know. It’s… a van.”

“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

“I don’t know.” Was this a stupid robot? The voice sounded so real. “Can I speak to a person?”

“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

Sebastian focused on his steering wheel, struggling to remember what exact type of van Axel drove. But he knew nothing about cars, and he couldn’t remember any logos on the van. He’d always been too distracted by Axel’s presence. “I think it’s a Ford?”

“Model?”

“I don’t know!”

“Please hold.”

Sebastian gritted his teeth as a new voice spoke. “Hello, this is Todd’s Towing Company. How may I direct your call?”

“I need to pick up a towed car.” Sebastian struggled to keep his voice calm.

“What is the make and model of your vehicle?”

“A Ford… van?”

“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

With a groan, Sebastian hung up. Maybe he should look up the address of the place, and go directly there to talk to someone. He tapped his watch. “Todd’s Towing Company address.”

“Todd’s Towing Company is located on 1288 Church Street in Jacksonville, Jefferson.”

Jacksonville! That was over an hour away. Sebastian put his face in his hands. Should he go now? Or wait until he had Axel? They probably needed to prove ownership, which Sebastian obviously could not do. Besides, the car had already been towed. It made no difference if he picked it up now, or picked it up tomorrow.

He should probably tell Axel about this. But he didn’t want to worry him. Axel needed to focus on healing. Stressing out over his towed van would do him no good, especially since he couldn’t do anything about it until he was released from the hospital.

Besides, Sebastian needed to see how Jake was doing.