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Chapter Ten.


AJ and Nick slowly made their way to the canteen, the older teenager still holding Nick’s waist for support. Nick led them to a small table for two people in the far right-hand corner and helped AJ sit down. Nick placed himself opposite AJ and watched as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

“Aje? Want something to eat dude? Sandwich? Burger and fries?” Nick asked while hand gesturing and looking sympathetically at his friend. AJ nodded and began to think of something to eat that he wouldn’t throw back up, his head was killing him. Nick waited quietly, for AJ to come up with what he wanted to eat and drink, and looked about at the tables of the canteen. It was pretty large, about 10 two-seater tables, same amount of four-seater and a few larger ones, the serving bay and fridges with the bottles and cans in. There we quite a lot of people in the canteen, a few visitors and patients and then there were some doctors and nurses and what looked like four or five surgeons all eating their lunch. Nick was brought back to the person sat opposite him when AJ tapped the table with his fingertips.

“Um, Nick?” AJ asked, removing his shades at the same time. Nick had only ever seen AJ without his shades when the boy was sleeping so this was a shock. ‘Those eyes are amazing, beautiful. I wonder if he knows that? If he did, he’d take the bloody shades off more often’ Nick thought while gazing at AJ for a second.

“Yeah Aje?” Nick watched him as the older teen placed his shades on the table and leant back in the seat.

“What you gonna eat man? I’ll just have the same if that’s ok, I got a headache and I don’t really feel like thinking hard right now. I’ll have a coke as well if that’s ok? And, how you gonna pay for this?” AJ asked out of curiosity and cocked his head to the side as Nick smiled back at him. The 14-year-old pulled out a small dark blue wallet and waved it slightly, still grinning.

“I got money man, Kevin gave me a bit yesterday while you lot went out, just to keep me occupied if I wanted to go buy some snacks from the shop in the hotel lobby, ya know? I’ve got…” he trailed off as he opened the wallet and flicked through the green slips of paper, “…$50 and about $3 in change.” He smiled at AJ who just grinned and shook his head slightly. Nick looked at AJ and stood up.

“Dude, I’m gonna have some fries and a ham salad roll with a Pepsi. You want the same with a coke?” Nick said softly as he cracked his knuckles and AJ simply nodded.

“Nick, man, why ham salad? And with fries?” He asked as Nick began to walk towards the fridges.

“Both junkie and healthy, Kevin thinks we should eat something that’s good for us everyday so…I’m having something I like and something that’s good for me. Besides, ham salad is nice, won’t kill ya you know Aje so stop pulling a face.” Nick said as he closed the fridge door and walked towards the serving bay with a bottle in each hand, leaving AJ sighing and shaking his head again.

Nick pulled out a tray from the rack and placed it on the bars that ran all the way around the bay and stopped at the payment counter. He put the bottles on the tray and walked along until he was met with a very friendly face.

“Hello dear, what would you like today?” a sweet old lady asked, adjusting her green cap at the same time. Nick smiled and looked back and forth, already knowing what he wanted but wanted to seem interested at the food on offer today.

“I would like two plates of fries please and two ham salad rolls if you wouldn’t mind?” he said softly, the old lady grinned at him and began to dish out the fries. She handed him the plates and he set them on the tray as she pulled out two ham salad rolls and handed those to him as well. He smiled at her and said his thank you before walking over to another lady to pay.

“Hey there young man, going for the mixed option today?” she asked and he blushed while she began to tap in the prices and bring them to a total for him.

“That’ll be…$3.95 please.” She said and he gave her the money, retrieved his change and made his way back over to AJ who was chilling in his chair, eyes closed lazily and arms folded behind his head. Nick set the tray down on the table and sat down. AJ sat forward and picked up his bottle of Coke and opened it before taking a long guzzle from it.

“Eat up man.” Nick said before he started to eat a few fries at a time, AJ grinned and did the same but threw fist full after fist full of fries down his throat. Nick almost choked from laughing with food in his mouth and AJ just winked at him. Soon they were both eating away at their rolls and talking about basketball and baseball, AJ occasionally standing up and pretending to be a batsman and swinging his arms as if he’d hit a home run, placing his hand on his brow as if he was watching it fly all the while making Nick laugh.

On their way back to the floor Brian was on, Nick and AJ kept cracking jokes and laughing. AJ never put his shades back on because Nick insisted that he left them off. Reaching the waiting area on the ward, Nick found Kevin and Howie sitting there, chatting away. Kevin noticed them and smiled, Howie turned around and smiled as well as thee two boys joined them.

“Hey, how’s Bri?” Nick asked and AJ plopped down in a seat next to him. Kevin smiled and nodded towards his cousin’s room. Howie was entertaining AJ at that minute, telling him about something to do with something back at the hotel.

“He’s asleep now kiddo, he’s fine though,” Nick sighed and Kevin ruffled his hair, “…Enjoy your lunch?” he asked and AJ spoke up.

“Yeah! Very different from what I’d usually eat but, man, Nick knows his food!” Howie and Kevin both laughed slightly.

“I suppose it’s different from what Brian was given, poor man had to eat mushy potatoes, mashed chicken and vegetables with a bowl of custard and some grape juice. He didn’t like it one bit but he had to eat it.” Kevin said and Nick smiled. Poor Brian, eating mushy food because of his nose…he was missing out!

“We had fries and a ham salad roll with a bottle of soda.” Nick said and Kevin gave him the ‘nice one’ look. AJ was now goggling at one of the passing nurses, Howie taking the piss and Kevin went to look for the toilet. Nick sighed a leant back into his seat, maybe things would be ok? Maybe they wouldn’t? You can’t choose you fate, it comes to you how it’s supposed to.