Warning: Mention of suicide attempt

4/17/2040 (Continued)

Patrick sat dumbfounded on his bed. His best friend and love of his life had just told him that if they couldn't be together, his life wasn't worth living. His body was filled with anguish, fear, and pain. Patrick retrieved two duffle bags from his closet and placed them on the bed. Patrick opened all of his dresser drawers and emptied everything into the bags. He emptied the closet once the dresser was empty. Patrick zipped up the bags after everything had been emptied from the bedroom and bathroom.

Patrick snatched the bags and draped them over his shoulders. He needed to get to Luca as soon as possible or he'd lose him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ken, his father, sternly inquired.

"To my mate," Patrick yelled angrily.

"Let him be," he said, "he's the enemy."

"I'm sick of this stupid war," he says. "I'm going to see my mate and I'm not coming back," Patrick raged.

Patrick took his keys from the wall and made his way to his car. He opened the backseat door and tossed the bags inside.

"Come back here!" his father exclaimed as he stepped onto the porch. Patrick ignored his father's rants, climbed into his car, and drove away.

"I don't want to lead a pack if I can't have my mate beside me," he said. "Can't they see what they're doing is wrong?" Patrick grumbled as he drove away from town. Patrick's thoughts were flooded with Luca's words, "If we can't be together, then I don't want to live in this world."

Patrick's phone rang as he was traveling. When he saw the caller ID, his breath caught in his throat.

He immediately pushed accept and said, "Luca."

On the other end, a woman said, "Excuse me, is this Patrick Brown?"

Patrick asked himself, "What is that woman doing answering Luca's phone?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "Now, please tell me who you are," Patrick demanded. She introduced herself as Alina and said, "I work with Luca." She paused before continuing to speak. "Your boyfriend attempted suicide," Alina said in a dejected tone. "He's being taken to Richford General Hospital."

"Send me the address," he yelled in a panic, "I'm on the road heading your way."

Patrick put the address into his GPS when he got to the edge of the city. When his father's number appeared on the caller ID, he muttered, "Fuck," and "I don't need this right now." When Patrick got to the hospital, he turned off his phone. Once inside the building, Patrick went to the front desk. He said, "Excuse me, I was told Lucas Hodges was brought in." The receptionist said, "Let me check," as she entered data into the computer. Patrick took a seat on a nearby bench and waited. He was about to start crying when gentle footsteps approached him. A blonde woman could be seen in front of him when he looked up.

She said, "Excuse me, are you Patrick Brown?"

He nodded after taking a deep breath to settle his already tense nerves.

Alina Holden introduced herself as she took a seat next to him. "I am Luca's coworker and friend."

"How did you discover him?" Patrick asked. She sighed dejectedly as she cast her gaze to her feet.

"I knocked on the door to deliver his paycheck, but there was no response," Alina said. She described how dejected Luca appeared. "This might be my fault," she said.

"Why?" Patrick glanced at her with a puzzled look and asked.

"We were talking about you before his shift," "I may have triggered bad vibes when I asked him if he ever wished that you could come and see him," she explained.

A male physician in his forties emerged from the double doors that led to the emergency room. The doctor approached them, and Alina and Patrick got to their feet.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Luke Caldwell," he said."I am Mr. Hodges's doctor," he said.

Alina enquired, "How is he?"

"He was extremely fortunate that you located him," The doctor said, "We pumped his stomach so he'll be sore." He questioned, "Does he have any family?"

Patrick said, "Sir, I'm his boyfriend." I just learned what happened," he said, adding, "I rushed over when I sensed something was wrong."

With a worried expression on his face, the doctor turned to face Patrick. The doctor said, "I believe we should discuss this in my office,"

Alina said, "Go ahead, I'll wait here." After saying "thank you" to Alina, Patrick went with the doctor down the hall and into his office. They took their seats on the desk's opposing sides.

Do you please know if he will be okay? Paddy enquired.

Your boyfriend had great luck that help arrived quickly. He claimed, "He downed a number of sleeping pills." Patrick's eyes start to tear up. The doctor asked, "Why would he want to take his own life? "

After wiping away his tears, Patrick took a deep breath.

He paused, "You see, doctor." He explained, "Me and my boyfriend are from different packs that are at war with each other. Three years ago, it all began, Patrick continued. The doctor's blue eyes radiated sorrow and understanding after Patrick had finished explaining everything.

"It's not fun to be in the middle of a war zone," he explained. "I'm sorry you had to go to such lengths to stay in touch with each other," the man said.

"But is he okay?" Patrick inquired.

"Physically, yes," the doctor said, "but emotionally, he's a wreck."

When their conversation was finished, they went to Luca's room.

"He needs you right now," said Dr. Caldwell.

"I'm not leaving his side," Patrick stated firmly.

"That's great to hear," the doctor said with a smile. While Patrick entered the room, the doctor returned to his work. Seeing Luca hooked up to machines and IVs broke his heart. Luca's breathing was slow and steady, but he was really pale.

"Babe, why did you think this was the only way to get rid of your pain?" he asked, gently lifting Luca's bandaged hand and wiping his tears.