Hospital Visits || Ariella & Josh
Josh was standing outside the hospital room's door with a little teddy bear in one hand. He felt bad for the girl; never did he expect for one of his friends to get into an accident like the female did. When he had read the newspaper about it, all Josh wanted to do was her - but he didn't want to seem like a bother when she wanted peace and quiet. Running a hand through his hair, Josh knocked softly before turning the knob and entering, a small smile on his face. "Hey, kiddo.." he said quietly, shutting the door behind him. The male walked over to the small table besides the bed and placed the gift he brought on it before turning his complete attention to Ariella. "How're you feelin'?"
Ariella had been awfully lonely at the hospital and although she had a tv and her parents brought all her favorite movies she still didn't feel too well. So knowing that Josh would come to visit made her really excited. She had been sleeping a lot and had just woken up when she heard a knock on the door. She was feeling better, not too sore just a few headaches here and there and the bruises and scars. When she saw the familiar face though she lightened up and sat up. "Hi." She waved enthusiastically and she waited for him to sit down before answering. "I'm....better." It was a bit of lie for reasons but she was feeling more awake and that felt nice. "How are you?"
Josh chuckled at the enthusiastic wave and took a seat on the chair by her bed. "Better's good," he nodded, the smile on his face growing ever-so slightly. The male took a look around the room and leaned back in the chair, sighing. He hasn't been in the hospital in a long time, but he sure wasn't complaining. Her question brought his attention back to the brunette and Josh gave her a small shrug of his shoulders. "I'm okay. Nothing really happens in my life nowadays, except for the few bruises I get from the little ones," he replied, giving her another shrug. Suddenly, Josh remembered what she said about her not receiving many guests. Just the thought made him frown. How could anyone not want to visit someone they knew? "So.. did, um, anyone new come to visit you before me? You know, besides Ryker and your parents."
Ariella looked at him and nodded as he spoke so he knew that she was paying attention . "They're still around? I still wanna play with them! " She tried to sit up more so she could feel more comfortable. As he asked her a question she looked down and shook her head. "Nope.I guess people don't know I'm here or don't care." She shrugged and tried to smile at him. :It's cool though I guess people are giving me space and time."
Josh nodded at her question and beamed at the female. "Yep! They'll be glad to have you play with 'em. They loved everyone else, so I'm sure they'll love you too." Josh eyed her carefully as she sat up, making sure he didn't see any signs of pain or such. "Don't say that, kiddo. I'm sure they care," he frowned. The smile he received automatically made Josh realize it was pretended, but he decided against on calling her out on it. "Yeah.. that's what I was doing, but then you said you were lonely - so I thought this could be my chance," he laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit.
Ariella smiled, excited to have something to do but then felt absolute guilt as she thought of how just a week or so ago she was supposed to be having her own child to play with. She sighed, thinking of how many things had changed before returning her attention to the boy. "That's perfect! It'll be a lot of fun." Ariella tried to not show that it hurt that certain people had come to see her. And she had been really furious to know Josh hadn't but then she remembered. She was just another friend to him. No biggie. "Yeah well I've been gone from reality for a few days and Jake hasn't even tried to call. Or Kenny. Or Kelsey and Piper. You know people who I always talk to but whatever...I'm really glad you're here. The nurses here keep treating me like a little kid and not in a fun way." She made a face and then smiled for real. "I really can't wait to go home."
Josh heard her sigh and he frowned deeper. Something was bothering her; he didn't know how he knew, but for some reason the male just.. well, had a feeling. "It definitely will be. Though they're biters, so just a head's up," he warned, cringing at the memory of being bitten by his nephews and niece. Josh was about to say more when Ariella beat him to it, causing him to close his mouth and listen to her words intently. Hearing that no one tried to call made him upset, but also made the feeling of guilt wash over him because he's included in those group of pople. "Well, Jake and Kenny are.. you know, Jake and Kenny - probably doing their own thing. I'm sure Kels is just overwhelmed with work right now, and Pipes is occupied with surfing," he reassured, trying to sound convincing. "I'm glad I'm here too. And don't worry -- next thing you know, you'll be outta this place and on your comfy bed in no time!" He exclaimed, giving the female two thumbs up.
Ariella laughed. She remembered she had been one when she was a kid. "Aww tough Josh can't take a few bites?" She just imagined it and it made her laugh . " But I think I can take it. My dog bites sometimes, it's you know playful stuff but I think I got it." She knew he was trying to reassure her and it was really sweet but she couldn't help but wonder. She knew everyone had their own thing going on but she would have attempted to visit or call or something. "I guess so...I just sort of expected at least Jake would. But then again he was complaining I was an awful person so whatever." She shrugged and focused her attention on him and getting out of the awful place. "I do hope so! I heard the doctor say that nothing's broken or fractured so I don't know why I'm still here. I guess my mom's worried , you know how mom's are...." She wanted to say something else but closed her mouth, trying to find the right words for it. "So uhm how's the family?"
Josh scoffed playfully at her comment. "I can! It's just, you know, they bite me when I'm sleeping and that's a cheap shot," he huffed, feigning offense. Though he couldn't help but to laugh along with her. Someone his size being bitten by children? It was definitely amusing. Hearing that someone was telling the girl that she was an awful person made confusion and slight anger bubble up inside of him. Who does that nowadays? "Seriously? That's rude of him; you're far from an awful person," he spoke, biting the inside of his cheek. Josh paid complete attention to the female in front of him and nodded in all the right times to let her know that he was, indeed, listening to her. "Yeah, moms are easily worried - believe me, I know. And the family is alright. My mother is working as hard as ever, I haven't heard from my dad still.. you know, same ol'." He shrugged it off, acting like the last bit about his father had no effect on him.
Ariella laughed . "Well yeah that is. But that's children for you. You should probably lock your door though." She was the baby so she wasn't too sure how it felt ot have other kids around but she could imagine it was a bit of a hassle after a while. "Yeah...it was really Aiden who said all of it and then Jake kind of confirmed it but I guess he had a reason, I left for Paris and didn't tell him. " She knew it wasn't fair what he had done to her but then again she wasn't the greatest person. "I guess some people see me as an awful person and some see me as a good one and I could be both you know." She listened to him tell her about his family and wished she could say more about it but she still had no clue how to tell him that she had known him much longer than he imagined. "Ah yeah..." She knew he wasn't okay with the subject so she reached out and touched his hand. "You know you can totally talk to me about it."
Josh tilted his head to the side as he thought about her suggestion. "Probably.. but mom would scold me for trying to keep the kids away," he sighed, scratching the back of his head. The male didn't know how to respond to what she was telling him. Just because she left on a spontaneous trip to another continent doesn't give anyone a reason to make them feel like shit. Right when he was about to say something, Ariella cut him off and beat him to it - again. "Well I'm not sure how much my opinion matters, but I think you're a good person; nothing's bad 'bout you in my eyes, kiddo," he reassured, giving her a smile. Feeling Ariella touch his hand made a sense of comfort wash over him. He bit his lip, debating if he should talk about it, but then decided that it was probably best to get whatever resentful feelings out of his chest. "It's just -- I don't know. I never did liked my father, not even when I was a kid. I barely talked to him when he was still living with us. Heck, I was so upset about him neglecting me that I even tried to cut off my friends because I didn't want them to pity me! It's pathetic, I know, but at least now I'm still talkin' to some of 'em."
Ariella nodded, she understood that well. "Hmm...that's true. How long will they be there for ?" Ariella was on a roll with talking about her feelings but she noticed that the other boy wanted to get some words in and felt bad for interrupting. "It matters a lot...and thank you." She smiled back at him. "Also sorry for interrupting....feel free to say anything whenever you want." She waited for him to talk and was glad that he was. She nodded and kept her eyes on him as he spoke, some being things that she already knew. "I know....." She didn't know what else to tell him. "But I understand ...pity sucks more than anything. But cutting people off isn't fair." She knew it was stupid of her to get mad over something like this but it still hurt.
Josh looked up at the ceiling as he thought. "I'm not sure. It depends when my uncle and aunt come back home, I guess," he replied, scratching the side of his head. He wasn't sure when they'll return, but he knows that even with all the complaining - he'll miss his relatives. "No need to thank me, Ari, just tellin' it like it is. And it's all good - I don't mind. I'm used to it be now," he laughed, more so to himself. When Josh was done speaking, he gave the female a confused look when he heard the 'I know.' "You know? Did I tell you this story before?" It was odd to him; surely he would've remembered if he did or not. Maybe his age was starting to get to him after all, despite being only eighteen. "It may not be fair, but it was better than having them look at me with stupid pitiful eyes," he mumbled, leaning forward to put his elbows on his knees.
Ariella wasn't too sure what to say. "Oh okay..." She laughed a bit . "Well thank you for listening. And sorry though, that's not fair of me. " The girl so badly wanted to tell him. He seemed so sad and alone and that was exactly how she felt and she wished she could just tell him that he wasn't. That they had each other . She didn't respond to his question, this time she just let him talk. "I get it. But it's better than being alone. You know you aren't alone and I won't pity you. I'll try to understand."
Josh nodded his head in understanding, giving her another small smile. "That's okay. I'm all up for listenin'. Again, it's all good. No need to apologize," he reassured. When the boy received no response to the question he asked, all he did was raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Something was going on, but he just didn't know what it was. "I rather be alone than bringing everyone else down because of me. I appreciate you being there for me, but seriously - I'm fine."
Ariella was glad he was and was ready to take her turn. "I know but you know in case. Just take the sorry silly." She laughed and then turned to look at him with a more serious expression. She noticed his raised eyebrow and ignored it. As much as she wanted to tell him, she didn't know. She just wanted him to know he wasn't alone. And she wanted to know that she had him and he had her. "Josh...its not fine. I mean by pushing away people you hurt them too you know. Your real friends won't be brought down if you tell them the truth." She tried to maintain her voice calm and normal but she knew that with certain words her tone got harsh or her pitch went up and she knew he would be able to tell something was up.
Josh chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Fine, fine. I accept your apology, kiddo." The sudden serious look she gave him caught the boy off guard. He knew something was off about the girl since he met her, and with what she just said proved it. The slight harsh tone caused Josh to flinch and give her a bewildered look. "And how would you know? I know how my friends are. They'll just pity me and my problems, and I don't want anything to do with that crap," he quipped, scrunching his eyebrows together in frustration. It was a touchy subject with him; he still isn't comfortable with the topic such as this considering all it does is make him upset.
Ariella had a feeling she shouldn't have brought up the situation and gotten so offended. She knew it wasn't entirely his fault. She crossed her arms and thought it over before saying anything. "If it was that easy to forget then forget I said anything right now ok. I just think you should have more faith in people that really, really care about you." She knew it was a touchy subject but she was tired of pretending. And it sucked.
Josh silently thought to himself as to why she would be telling him all these things. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was one of those friends he dropped when he was younger. The male ran a hand down his face as he closed his eyes due to the frustration growing inside of him. "I do not recall ever saying it was easy to forget, Ari. What's your deal anyways? The past is the past; I don't get why you're being persistent on telling me that I should have faith, which I do have, in my friends."
Ariella nodded at him as he spoke. She tapped her fingers on her hospital gown and bit her lip. "Yeah, it was obviously easy for you to forget about me then waltz back into my life after everything that happened to us." Her voice sounded bitter mainly because she was and also because she didn't want to feel sad. "The past may be the past but that doesn't mean it didn't happen and didn't affect things. I would have been there but you just left and disappeared and I needed you and you needed me." Her voice got higher and more bitter.
Josh looked at the girl incredulously. What was she going on about? "What are you even talking 'bout? I didn't 'waltz back into your life' or whatever, and nothing happened to us." He spoke, the bewilderment evident in his tone. Why was she becoming hostile towards him all of a sudden? This whole situation was just confusing him even more. "Left? Disappeared? What the fuck are you even saying? I never disappeared!"
Ariella was fuming now and couldn't help it as a hot tear fell down her face. "Just forget it okay. But uhm you know you can always tell me anything you know, we've been friends for a while right.." She tried to wipe her face without him seeing her and then looked at him and gave him a thumbs up, not sure if she was being sarcastic or trying to be normal.
Josh softened when he saw that she was crying. This entire thing was just confusing beyond belief, and just seeing her cry was -- wait.. friends for a while? "Friends.. for a.. while?" He mumbled to himself, frowning. He looked at the floor as he racked his mind, trying to figure out what she meant. Then -- it hit him. The familiar talk of mermaids, the familiar way she spoke to him, and the way she would act weird whenever he brought up someone from his childhood. With this sudden realization, Josh stood up and moved closer to the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Holy shit.. that was you?"
Ariella didn't say anything and it was silent. A bit of an eery silence really but she wasn't planning on breaking it. She was deep in thought of it all and how well she had kept it together to just loose her shit suddenly. She jumped a little when she felt his hand on her shoulder . She was close to swatting it away but she heard his words and looked up at him. She bit her lip and nodded slowly. She figured he remembered but didn't want to say anything.
Josh was fidgeting a bit where he was standing. The silence that followed was uncomfortable, to say the least. Though he was surprised; he had no idea that one day he would speak to that same person again, and yet - here he was. Josh patted the top of her head when he saw her nod, and gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm.. er, well, sorry. I'm sorry I.. abandoned you and all. I just wasn't in a good state of mind at the time, and you probably don't forgive me -- that's okay though! I wouldn't forgive me either," he semi-rambled, scratching the back of his head. "I promise, from now on we're goin' to do whatever the hell we can together to make up the lost time, yeah?"
Ariella didn't know what to say so she wiped her tears and looked at the boy. "It's okay....it just sucked. You don't have to be overly friendly with me. It's still me. But I missed you." She looked up at him and wished he would sit. She patted a spot next to her bed and looked at him. "I didn't wanna tell you but you had to know you have me."
Josh was at a loss of words at the moment. He honestly didn't know what else to say. "Yeah, I can't imagine how much it sucked -- I'm sorry. I missed you too, kiddo," he smiled, ruffling her hair a bit. The boy took a seat on the spot on the bed she indicated to and beamed at her. "I had you before, and still have you now, huh?" He laughed, shaking his head.
Ariella smiled at hims softly, not really being able to help. She smiled wider as he played with her hair and she remembered how it felt before. Josh had kind of been like that big brother that wasn't ridiculously protective. She leaned towards him and nodded. "You can't get rid of me easily."
Josh couldn't help but to feel a sense of pride seeing a genuine smile on the girl's face. It made him feel less guilty, and actually quite happy. He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and let out a sigh of content. "Yeah, yeah. I don't think I could if I tried."
Ariella opened up her arms to hug the boy. "We do need to make up for lost time though. Feel free to watch the little mermaid with me and that'll get you some brownie points." She chuckled as she pulled away. "I'm glad you don't want to, I would be so sad."
Josh rolled his eyes at her comment. "The Little Mermaid? Gee, not surprised 'bout that. Though I'm all up for it whenever you are -- but save that for when you're at home, yeah?" When she pulled away, so did he. Hearing what she said caused Josh to give her a side-smirk. "Well.. at least there's no more sad Ariella for now, right?"
Ariella laughed. "Yeah of course. I'm hoping that's soon cause I bet you can't wait to watch it huh?" She raised an eyebrow at him before leaning back to her spot. "Yeah well...I mean honestly the Jake stuff is really getting to me but I have you and you've never said mean things to me so you're kind of my favorite person right now." She nodded to add emphasis to what she was saying at the boy.
Josh blew out a breath as he shook his head. "Yeah, totally. Just thinkin' about it has me all excited and whatnot," he joked, snickering. The statement she made made a slight frown appear on his features. "Whatever you're going through with Jake.. it'll be okay. I mean -- it's Jake, we're talkin' about. It'll be better soon, though I'm glad I'm your favorite person."
Ariella laughed at his expression. "I can totally tell, like honestly that's how I lure people in you know." She was glad that she felt better now and having someone who was such a big part of her life there only made it better. But she did wish that things were better with the two boys she loved. "I hope so. No matter what we are I wouldn't want to loose him from my life. But I'm glad and I better be your favorite."
Josh bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying any sort of witty remark. "Whatever you say, kiddo. Whatever you say," he chuckled, the amusement evident. He was happier now that he was, officially, reunited with one of his best friends. Hopefully nothing would happen to ruin it for a long, long time. "Maybe the next time you see him, you tell 'im that. He'll get it, hopefully. Eh -- you're a close second to my favorite, sorry," he teased, shrugging his shoulders. Just then, the door to the room opened slightly and he saw one of the nurses pop their head inside, mumbling something about how visiting hours were almost over. With a sigh, Josh slowly started to get up and stretched. "That's a bummer."
Ariella shrugged. "He hasn't called or texted. That says something. but yeah. And ouch that kinda hurts." She laughed and then stopped when the nurse came in and she groaned. As she walked away she made a face. "Do you know how freaky it is to sleep here at night. Like scary movie status." She saw him get up and groaned again but knew he had to go. "Thanks for coming....I really appreciate it."
Josh frowned at what she said. "Just give him some time; he'll come 'round soon enough. Apologies, Ari, but no one can beat Anne Hathaway in my eyes," he sighed dreamily. The eighteen year old couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him when he heard what she said next. "Oh, man up, will ya? I've spent my fair share of time here and it ain't all that bad." He nodded his head at her thanks, beaming. "It's no problem at all. Whenever you need me, just call me, yeah?" He winked, giving her a small thumbs up.
Ariella smiled. "Thank you and I guess so." She waved at him. "I will try to man up and I'll let you know when I get home." She waved again and tried to get comfortable in the scary room she was in all alone.
