10

[Hospital]

Edmund Eyris

As Claudio sleeps, his face is quite cute. What a beautiful man... My hand reaches towards his face and brushes a thin, shining hair from his face. It was almost like a dream. A lovely man in front of me.

The doctor comes back, startling me, whipping my arm back to my side. She looks at me suspiciously for some reason and starts to ask some quite detailed questions, such as his medicine intake, exercise, and his sleep-structure. I don’t know any of them. But I could have guessed that he hasn’t been eating as much as before, seeing his body become weak.

Then a sudden question came out. That daring doctor. “Has he been drinking lately?"

I don’t believe so. I never see him drink any alcohol whenever I’m with him. I look over to Claud as he slept. His frail body never should be ruined by alcohol. The doctor stares and waits for an answer.

“I don’t know.”

She nods and tells me he needs more rest. Maybe until tonight. I’ll stay with him to keep watch.

The doctor leaves. He’s there. His hand twitches. I reach over to his hand, trying to calm it, but when I did so, he starts to speak.

"Mama... Mama?"

Mamma? Is he calling his mother?

I want to speak to him.

"Please don't leave me..." Claud frowned, seeming to cry in his sleep.

The desperation in his voice is saddening. Has he lost his mother recently? I move closer, gently grabbing his small hand. He must be going through something at home. "D-don't worry Claud..." I say softly. "I'm here for you... I promise..." Claud’s eyes start to drip. It shines from the dim, white light surrounding us. Oh, how I wish to hug him in his dreams. My heart melts in sadness as I watch him. 

He starts to squeeze my hand in a strange, almost simultaneous pattern, and his body twitches around. But suddenly, a few twitches, and he jolts up. His eyes widening terror. He screams, “MAMA!!!”

"Claud!” I put my hand on his chest, pushing him back to his bed. The nurse comes in, hearing the noise, quickly, but I motion her back outside. He looks at me. He breaths heavily as tears start streaming down his cheeks. His eyes, empty even though he was in deep despair. He softens his grip.

"Edmund! I'm sorry..." He whispers, covering his mouth. I look at him reassuringly, rubbing his shoulder, "It's alright. You need a lot of rest."

He looks down at himself, his frail hands, and he touches his face again. He’s silent, as if he is remembering something.

Then suddenly, he shakes his head as if he‘s scared of something. "I don't want to..." He tries to get up, but I hold him down.

"No, you have to rest! You’re body is weak right now-"

"But I-"

"No buts!"

His tears continue, wetting the sheets of the bed. His frown is so far down, and his eyes are as angry as a deep sea creature.

"B-BUT I HAVE TO SEE MAMA!!!" He screams, slamming both his hands on the bed. He panics, holding his head and shouting at me. I try to calm him again. He is like a little raging child. A little monster in he ocean, trying to catch something. Frustrated, I grab his hand but he whips his hand out from mine. I have no choice but to pin him down on the bed by the shoulders. I yell out his name. He stops completely. His beautiful rainbow eyes are blurred by the tears. The look on his face scares me, but I have to do this.

He looks away slowly, covering his face with his shaking hands.

"I'll go see your mother for you, alright?”

His eyes widened looking straight into mine as if he is surprised.

"I need you to rest here and calm yourself. I'm sure she's alright now, so I'll check on her for you, alright?" I look right into his eyes.

There is a short pause, then he nods. I feel relieved, sitting back in the chair. He looks away again with that empty look in his eyes. He wants to hide, pulling the sheets up to his face.

I realize he must have had quite a difficult life when he was little or just recently.

I let go of him, gently lifting my hands off his shoulders. I sit back down, running my fingers through my hair.

“Tell her a I’ll be alright.”

“I will.”

He writes something down on a torn piece of paper and hands it steadily to me. It has his address. Then he turns his head to the side, closing his eyes. I suppose he will rest now.