Patient Privilege by Allison Cassatta Read Free Book Online

Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. Tears fell harder as his eyes lowered. "You looked dead, Angel. My whole fucking world crumbled." At that point, Jon cried so hard his shoulders shook. "Please, Angel, don't fucking do this to me. Don't kill yourself."
    Angel wrapped his arms around Jon's trembling body and pulled him toward him. He held on to his only friend with every bit of feeling that somehow managed to break through the numbness of his soul. That's when Angel finally shed his first sincere tear. He hadn't meant to put Jon through all the mess of dealing with a fucked-up junkie. He would've never wanted Jon to find him half–dead in a bathtub.
    "Baby, listen," he whispered. "Stop crying. Please stop crying."
    Jon sniffled back his tears. "I'm trying."
    "I can't promise I'll ever be clean. I can't promise I'll be anything more than I am now, but I don't want to hurt you anymore."
    Jon's head lifted from Angel's shoulder. He looked at his friend, but Angel looked away. "What are you saying?"
    "I don't know, but I don't want to hurt you."
    "You don't understand, Angel." Jon wiped his cheeks as he snuggled against Angel's side. Angel didn't mind the closeness, not this time, in this situation.
    "Hurting me isn't the problem. What you're doing to yourself is. I mean, I've come to expect certain things from you, but I… I can't watch you slowly kill yourself. It's too heartbreaking," Jon said.
    "I know." Angel kissed Jon's temple. "I want to do better, but it's so fucking hard."
    "Are you ready to hear what Dr Daniels has to say?"
    "I don't know. I just… don't go yet. Don't let go of me."
    Those were probably the first real emotions Angel had ever let Jon see. He'd always closed everything off before. He'd always been so devoid of anything that tapped his feelings, he often wondered if he could feel anything at all—if he still had a soul.
    "I won't let go of you," Jon said. "I promise I'll never let go of you."

Chapter Nine
     
    Erik peeked through the crack of the door and saw the boys hugging each other. A small smile curled his lips. If Angel wasn't yelling and cursing and demanding that Jon go away, maybe there was hope for him. Maybe Angel could be healed.
    Eventually, after a lot of talking and prodding from both Jon and Erik, Angel decided he wanted help. Erik definitely considered that the best news he'd heard all day. It even made his smile widen a little, made it a little more sincere. The news made Jon throw his arms around Erik's body. The kid thanked him, hugged him and cried, then hugged tighter, cried harder, and thanked him some more. Erik could be really patient with the kid. After all, he had reason to be so relieved. He let Jon unload that heavy heap of emotion on him. Parents and friends often did that to him once he helped their loved ones, so it was something he had grown used to. In fact, he kind of liked the warm embraces from the dearly relieved almost as much as he loved seeing a patient rise above their addictions. It was rewarding.
    He patted the kid on the back and told him everything would be okay. "West Clinic will do the best it can for Angel."
    Jon thanked him again. "I doubt I could've convinced him to go without your help."
    "But it was you ," Erik touched the tip of his forefinger to Jon's chest, "who convinced him. I just gave him the facts."
    "Yeah, but all the stuff you told him was… scary."
    "I doubt that's what convinced him to get help, Jon." Erik gripped Jon's shoulder, looked him in the eyes with a weighty seriousness and said, "The hard stuff isn't over yet. It's going to get worse and he may not make it, okay? He may leave the program and run straight back to the drugs. What he needs from you is strength and companionship. He needs to know you love him and will do anything to help him through this. Can you do that?"
    Jon nodded.
    "Good." Erik patted Jon's shoulder and looked over at Angel—who'd finally fallen asleep again. He then turned back to Jon, who seemed almost as