Jeremy frowned and looked down at himself. “Oh, shit. You’re right.” He saw my look and shrugged his shoulders. “What? I’m allowed to say that now. I’m sixteen.”
Just as I was about to tell him how young he still was, Nurse Rachael came over with some clothes. “Hi, Tyler. How are you today?”
I smiled, happy in the knowledge they all knew me around here. I was becoming such a regular feature in the ward.
“I’m fine, thank you, Rachael. How’s Fluffy doing. Any better?”
Rachael smiled, nodding. “Much better now, thanks. I took her to the vet and it turned out she had cat flu. She’s been on medicine for the past couple of days and is getting much better already.”
“That’s great,” I said, smiling.
I knew that was a big deal for Rachael. She was young and let it slip to me that, apart from her job, her cat, Fluffy, was the only other life support for her. It was amazing how much information on a person’s life you can get just by asking a couple of questions. I suppose being a journalist helped me be that much more forthcoming. People just seemed to open up to me for some reason. In just a few days of knowing Rachael, I learned she was twenty-four, recently single from an abusive relationship, and all she felt she could rely on now was Fluffy. I knew she was extremely important to her and that’s why I had to know how the cat was.
“Hold up,” Jeremy suddenly piped up. “You named your cat Fluffy?” He raised his eyebrow and Rachael blushed.
Once I saw her embarrassment, I cut in. “Leave her alone, you.” I gave him a reproachful look and turned to Rachael. “Are those Jeremy’s clothes?”
She nodded. “Yes. I knew you would be coming in soon, so I got everything ready for him. I checked on him earlier. His blood pressure is a little low, but as long as Jeremy is feeling okay, he’s good to go.”
He grabbed the clothes. “Thanks, Rachael. I’m so ready to go.”
I frowned. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want to push you too far if you’re not up to it. I can always cancel and rearrange for another day.”
Jeremy vehemently shook his head. “Please don’t take this day away from me, Tyler. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Wherever you take me, I’ll be up for it.”
I smiled but, in my dazed state, I didn’t move. Jeremy stared at me for a moment. “What?” I asked.
“Well…unless you want to see a bit more of me, I suggest you turn the other way while I get dressed.”
Snapping myself out of it, I moved. “Oh, sorry,” I replied, laughing.
Rachael smiled and pulled the curtain to give Jeremy some privacy. “You know, you’re the best thing that’s happened to him in a long time,” she said, moving away from his cubicle. “Before, he used to just sit during visiting hours and read. I used to watch him. He would always say he was okay with it but, deep down, I knew he wasn’t. Sometimes, with a hint of sadness, he would look up at the others in the room. But since you walked into his life, he won’t stop laughing and joking. He watches the time like a hawk and when it gets to be four, he constantly looks up to see if it’s you that’s heading in. He would see something in the corner of his eye and snap his head in that direction, secretly hoping it’s you.”
My heart swelled. I knew Jeremy really must have felt this way. No one wanted to ever be alone. I just wished he would talk to me more, instead of hiding his pain through jokes and flirtation. But, then again, now that he knew he had me, he was able to talk whenever he liked. When he was ready, if he was ready, I was here for him.
“You know, I’m right here and can hear everything you’re saying about me. Just because you close the curtain doesn’t mean it shuts out the sound.”
Jeremy pushed the curtain to one side and came out with a big smile. With his clothes on and standing tall, he looked different. At five foot, seven inches, he was about two inches taller than me. He was wearing a pair of trainers with dark denim jeans and dark navy hoodie. I kept my little chuckle inside thinking about the hoodie. It was similar to my stranger’s hoodie, except my stranger’s was darker. That could be because he visits me in the dark all the time, though.
Jeremy also had on a baseball cap. He looked every part the sixteen-year-old now. “Wow, you look... How can I say it? Cool?”
“Dashingly attractive?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Always got an answer for everything, don’t you, Jeremy?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Tugging at his cap, I chuckled. “Are you ready to go?”