Bad News

The morning after, the boys sleeping in the living room are awakened by Will's phone ringing. He immediately gets up to answer.

"Can someone silence that phone..." Brayton says, irritated by the ringing, while Briar and Ghalen continue to sleep. Ken is woken up by Brayton's voice.

"I have to take this one, it's from Nora." He accepts the call and opens his mouth to greet her, but he freezes, his mouth hanging open.

Ken gets up to go to the bathroom but seeing his best friend's shocked expression, he decides to stay and listen to his conversation.

When it's over, Will starts to get ready in a hurry.

"What's happening, dude?!" Ken asks, seeing him so shaken.

"On the phone was Nora's father. He said she was in an accident last night. She was hit and was in a coma all night, but fortunately, she woke up this morning. Her parents didn't want to tell me earlier to keep me from worrying... I can't stay here explaining more for a second, I have to go."

"Where do you think you're going in this weather?" Briar, just waking up with their eyes still half-closed, points to the window. The rain has stopped, but there still seems to be a lot of wind that sways the trees at its whim; the sky is still filled with gray clouds.

"Doesn't matter." He heads for the door, but Ken grabs him by the shoulders, forcing him to look at him.

"You won't be able to change my mind." Will says firmly, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I won't. But it would be crazy to go there alone." Ken smiles at him, and Will does the same.

"Thanks, dude."

"You'd be even crazier to go without a car." They all turn to Ghalen, who grins while playing with his car keys.

"Alright, let's go!" The three boys run toward the door as a confused Rebecca enters the room.

"Tell my mom what happened. I don't want her to worry unnecessarily." Ken shouts.

"W-what's happening? Why are they in such a hurry?" Rebecca asks the two remaining boys.

"Come here, I'll explain everything." Briar pats the spot next to them, motioning for her to sit down.

* * *

After almost an hour, they arrive at the hospital where Nora is being treated. Strangely, there are no free parking spots, and Ghalen is forced to park where he shouldn't.

"I won't be able to come with you for obvious reasons, so be very careful because you're still minors. If something happens, call me immediately, and don't do anything too rash. I'll be waiting right here, and if I have to move for any reason, I'll call you, clear?" Ghalen speaks slowly and enunciates his words carefully, though it seems like Will is barely listening. The two exit the car, and Ken approaches the open window on Ghalen's side.

"You're like my second father." He says to him with a poker face.

"Keep an eye on your brother; I rarely see him this agitated." Ghalen playfully retorts, nodding toward Will, who has already started running toward the hospital entrance.

"Roger that!" Ken runs after his best friend.

"Take care, my sons..."

It's early morning, Ken hasn't had breakfast, and he's trailing behind his friend who is running non-stop.

S-sometimes I hardly ever regret anything... but right now, I'm regretting four years of friendship...

He stops to catch his breath when he sees Will approaching the first nurse and asking for information about Nora's room. The nurse suggests he ask at the reception, and she walks away. Will clicks his tongue in annoyance, leaving Ken dumbfounded as this side of Will rarely surfaces. Will starts running again, and Ken reluctantly follows suit. Fortunately, they find the reception quickly, and Will asks for the information he needs.

"Please calm down; running is not allowed inside the building." Ken hears one of the receptionists say to his friend as he catches up, panting.

"Ugh, yes, fine. Please, can you tell me where her room is?" The receptionist's expression softens.

"Of course. Room 208A on the second floor."

"Thank you very much." He tells her before starting to walk towards the stairs, with Ken right behind him.

"Come on..." After waiting for a few futile minutes, Will presses the elevator button repeatedly, and both of them wait. It's early morning, and apart from a few nurses and employees, there's not much foot traffic.

"Use the stairs; maybe some patients are using it."

"I don't have time for this. Let's take the stairs." Ken looks at the probably endless flight of stairs before glancing at his friend.

"Did the lack of breakfast impair your ability to make logical decisions?"

But Will immediately starts running up the stairs without even bothering to look at him, let alone respond. Ken kneels while balancing on his toes, looking at his friend's energetic figure as he charges up the stairs without any sign of wanting to stop. Ken sighs before begrudgingly starting to run after him.

At some point, Ken loses track of how long they've been climbing stairs because he's been trying to focus on something else to keep his willpower from dissipating. He's so disconnected from reality that when he finally realizes they don't have to climb any more stairs, he feels like he's witnessing a mirage. He leans on Will's shoulder as he catches his breath, both of them panting.

"Dude... you owe me after this..."

"I didn't force you to follow me..." He says before spotting a nurse a little further ahead and quickly walks over to her.

Goddammit... He thinks, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Excuse me, I need to ask you something." The nurse nods, smiling at him.

"Do you know where I can find room 208A?"

"Oh, are you a friend of Miss Anderson's? Or perhaps her boyfriend?"

"Yes, yes... can you tell me where it is?" The nurse's expression becomes somber.

"Of course. It's one of the last rooms at the end of the corridor, on the right."

"Thank you very much!" He starts walking quickly again.

"You're welcome, and my condolences. I'm terribly sorry about what happened."

"Condolences...? Is Nora okay?" Will stops and turns back to her, confused. Ken stops a short distance from them, as bewildered as Will.

"Yes, she's okay now. I meant condolences for the child."

"What...?"