They returned from Matt's CT an hour later. The doctor seemed pretty satisfied that he would recover fully and that he only sustained a minor concussion.
"You need to be more careful of what and how much you eat. Anemia can turn pretty serious if you don't look after yourself." the doctor said as he was getting Matt's paperwork ready for us to leave.
"Don't worry; he won't get the option of neglecting his diet again." I said firmly. I didn't care if it made me sound like an overprotective boyfriend, I was going to make sure he stayed healthy and strong.
"Good. Now the concussion is only minor, but I wouldn't recommend you sleeping alone tonight. If you start to feel nauseous and have to throw up more than twice, you need to come back in here. Also, I would strongly recommend that you don't drive for at least a week."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Matt was quiet on the drive over to my house. His eyes were drooping and he looked exhausted. As I parked the car, I suggested he go up to my room and take a nap. We don't have a spare bedroom and I had to get the mattress down from the attic, so he'd have to take his nap in my bed. Normally he would have insisted that it could wait until we'd wrestled the mattress downstairs together, but today he just nodded his head and went to my room.
I decided I could get the mattress when dad came home, so I wouldn't have to do it by myself. Instead I went to the kitchen and got a glass of water for Matt, along with the bottle of aspirin. I found him curled into a ball on top of the covers on my bed. He seemed more alert now, although he looked just as tired. He looked up at me as I put the glass and the aspirin on the nightstand.
"You know, it feels really weird to be so tired after sleeping so well last night." he said quietly.
"I'm sure it does. You've been through a lot since then though." was all I could say in response as I didn't know if we were still pretending that we didn't share a bed last night.
"I think another sleep like that would really make me feel better." he said and shifter over a little bit, making room for me.
I guess we're done pretending then, I thought and silently laid down next to him. I could hardly believe it as he wrapped his arms around me and moved my head to rest on his shoulder the way it had this morning. It was pure bliss and it seemed that he felt the same way; less than five minutes later he was snoring softly. I, however, was way too pepped up to even contemplate napping.
Laying this close to him was pure bliss and my chest felt like it wasn't properly up to the task of containing all my emotions at the moment. Knowing that he had purposely initiated this made all the difference in the world and I was free to enjoy the moment without worrying about him waking up.
Much too soon, I heard my parents come home. Every other Sunday, they would walk over to visit some friends that lived just a few streets away. Knowing they would notice our shoes in the hall, I made myself get up and tell them what the doctor said.
"There you are! Where's Matthew?" mom said as soon as she spotted me.
"He's sleeping in my room. He was really tired."
"What did they say at the hospital?" dad said to my surprise.
"They reckon he's anemic and that he may have sustained a minor concussion when he fainted. They won't know for sure until they get the blood-work back, but a healthier diet should do the trick."
"Oh good, nothing to worry about then." dad said, clearly putting the matter behind him.
"Anemia can be very serious, Phil!" mum chastised. "That boy needs someone to look after him. He may look and sound all grown up, but he can't always be the one who takes care of everyone else."
"His parents are thinking about moving into an apartment in the fall. Matt's not sure they'll get one with room for him." I told her, my anger creeping into my voice. "I told him he can come home with me for the holidays. I hope that's okay."
"Of course it is, honey. That boy has been part of this family since the first day of school. Good thing too, those parents of his don't deserve him." Mum sounded unusually fierce, and I loved her for it.
Hugging her, I said; "Thanks." I would have thanked her for being nothing like Matt's mum, but I was a teenage boy after all; I had to stay somewhat in character or she would die of shock.
"What do you think he would like for dinner?" she asked.
"Not sure, it probably doesn't matter as long as there's plenty of it. Make it something healthy?"
"Steak and veggies it is, then."
"Sounds good. I'm gonna go check on him." I said and headed upstairs.
"I'll start on dinner in an hour or so." she called after me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When I got to my room, Matt was awake and sitting on the bed.
"You're up. How are you feeling?"
"Better." he replied. "I heard you talk to your mom. She's very kind."
"She worries about you." I hesitated before almost inaudibly adding; "Almost as much as I do."
Trying not to blush, knowing it would only make my statement that much more revealing, I sat down on the bed next to him.
"Dinner should be ready in an hour and half. You wanna try and get some more sleep before then?"
