Please, Take the wheel.(Mr. Smith)

[Aureolin Sky Meadows]

It was all going by so fast.

The white lines of the road had blurred. He knew he was going too fast. But he couldn't stop. He didn't want to stop. This wasn't his car- someone had left their keys in at the parking lot. He didn't mind the little feathered ornament, or the bumper stickers, he just wanted to get away. 

The small boy couldn't see the road. 

Tears blurred his vision, his hands shaking uncontrollably on the steering wheel. He was going way too fast. His brown eyes were fixed on the road before him. He felt every bump, every shake of the car as he sped down the old road. Nobody drove through here. It was great fun- flying by, clocking one-hundred mph. He hit rabbits sometimes. Sometimes dogs, too. Coyotes- mean, viscous things that had gleaming eyes and horrid teeth. Aureolin wondered what would happen if he ever came across one. Would it remember him as the one who hit it's brother? 

But he didn't care. 

He was driving home- on his way back to Old Crow, on that cool, crisp autumn eve. Cleo, the calico cat he loved so much, was in the backseat- sleeping like a rock. He was exhausted. He didn't know how many miles there were until he reached his house. He didn't even know what roads to take. But, god damnit, he just wanted to go home.  He couldn't take this anymore. He liked his counselor, his choir, but, it wasn't home. It wasn't right. Misfit, they had called him, that one outing to the shopping center. Even though Mr. Jester had shielded him from their insults with soothing words, it hurt. Misfit. Outcast. Loner. Nobody.

He was nobody. Why would they care?

Sirens. 

He should have known. He should have known the police would be following him.  He only pressed the pedal further. "I want to go home." he sobbed, closing his eyes, turning to the darkness of his cries instead of the road. His hands were shaking so badly, his bones were visible. He held the steering wheel in a vice grip as he accelerated down the road.

He didn't pay attention- he was going way to fast. And before he knew it, he was spinning off a loose rock that had been on the road.

Aureolin's hands flew in the air. He didn't look. He couldn't look. The world around him was spinning, blurring of browns and greens, and blacks. He was reminded of that rainy night- the vicious coyotes had come out of nowhere and taken his lover from him. They had ripped his flesh with their teeth and claws of metal, filled the air with their horrid howls of triumph, and didn't give a single shit about it. 

"LARKIN!" Aureolin screamed, his voice cracked by sobs, "LARKIN, PLEASE!" 

He was shaking all over. Scared. Frightened. He felt those strong arms around him for a brief moment- it reassured him. He swore he Heard his name on those lips, a gentle caress, wiping a tear from his cheek. When he opened his eyes, he had stopped, upsidown, in a roadside patch of grass. Everything around him was ringing, still moving. He felt wetness around  his legs, but it didn't matter. He was alive. Oh, god, he was alive...

Son, do you know how fast you were going?

"I-I do-Don't  know," Aureolin whispered, closing his eyes. "I don't care. Be-get me out of here," He couldn't move. He couldn't move! He began to break into hysterics, "Get me out of here! P-please... Please... Take me away..." 

The officers managed to open up the car door. Aureolin's legs were soaked in blood- as well as urine. In his terror, he had soiled himself. But that didn't matter. One lifted the sobbing boy carefully, though it had taken twenty minutes of untangling his legs from wires and shrapnel before he could be lain on the ground. An ambulance arrived on scene, the paramedics rushing out with their blue uniforms and stretcher.

I need you to stop crying for me, okay? Can you do that

"La...lark...Larkin...in..."

Sssh, Shhh, it's okay, sweetie. It's okay. Calm down.

Aureolin looked up wearily to the woman who was speaking. She had pretty blue eyes... Like... Like Larkin. And blonde hair, too. She smiled crookedly at him and stroked through his hair, tripping to calm him down, while the officials contacted the school.

Yes, is this Trinity High? This is Officer Lawrence. One of your students is being taken to the hospital....

The roadside catastrophe rolled on as the paramedics prepared Aureolin for departure. He cried out as he was lifted onto the stretcher, fighting the restraints. They tried to reassure him once more, but it was no use. He was crying, in hysterics, begging for Larkin to save him. With severe trauma, amnesia was beginning to set in...

[John Smith]

"Yes, is this Trinity High? This is Officer Lawrence. One of your students is being taken to the hospital...."

Another one? John's heart sank. First a suicide attempt and now this. A car crash. A student had been speeding and hit a dip in the road. His car had flipped over. Why was he even out unsupervised? Someone was going to get it for this one, John could see it already. It was a wonder the boy was alive going the speed he was going, according to the man on the telephone. Was that supposed to be reassuring? John didn't know.

He told the man thank you, that he'd head over to the hospital after he contacted the boy's parents. Parents. What was the point of contacting parents? He'd already done that once today. He'd called asking for the parents of Simon Gallagher, and spoken to a woman who sounded like she could care less about the boy's well being. She'd actually had the nerve to ask if the school would be picking up the medical bill, since he had been in their care at the time of the incident. He'd been tempted to yell at her, but he knew that telling the woman what he thought wouldn't help the poor boy.

Now, there was this. Another family to call. He'd have to call Alaric too, since he was the boy's counsellor. He'd been meaning to talk to Sama'el about Simon too, but his concern for Ciel had overruled that instinct. He'd make that call too. The counsellors might want to visit their patients at the hospital. He knew he'd want to visit if it was one of his own. It'll be like a big work outing. He thought grimly, as he dialled the number of the Meadows' residence. There was no answer from Lillian Meadows, so he left a brief and painfully official message. Then, he phoned Alaric.


The drive to the Saint Luke's was not a long one, but it always felt like hours. When he finally arrived at the hospital, John had to drive around in mad circles for ten minutes before he found a parking spot. What was this, a shopping mall? He was never comfortable in parking lots here, or really, driving at all in the states. He'd learnt to drive in the UK and it had taken some time to get used to the flipped over version of driving once he left. It was particularly distressing to drive when he was pressed for time. And, though it didn't sound like Aureolin Meadows was going to die from his injuries, he didn't want to keep him waiting in there, alone in such a strange place. Once he finally parked he practically flew into the lobby. It was either by luck or the kindness of the hospital staff that the two boys were to be put in the same room once the doctors were done doing whatever it is they were doing to Aureolin.

Waiting for Alaric to arrive, waiting for news of the boy, waiting for anything... it was going to drive him mad. John was pacing around the waiting room like a caged animal, and it was beginning to irritate the other people in the room. But, he couldn't help it. He was full of nervous energy and if nothing happened soon he was going to start making forts out of the empty chairs in the room. Mind you, there weren't a lot of empty chairs, so it would be no easy feat.

There was a pretty nurse who seemed to sense that John's agitation was rubbing off on the rest of the guests, so she strolled over to him from behind her counter and regarded him with honey coloured eyes. She had a rich ebony complexion and perfectly formed, white teeth. "Would you like a cup of coffee sir?" Coffee wouldn't calm him down, but the nurse knew from experience that high strung people could usually sit still for a moment when they were having a cup of coffee to take their mind off of things. Americans and their coffee.

"That would be lovely." John said, gratefully. "Where could I find one?"

"Just this way sir, I'll show you." She said. Her accent wasn't one of the many American ones that he'd heard since coming here. He wanted to ask where she was from, but she beat him to it.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but where did you acquire that accent?" She said.

"Oh, I'm originally from around London." He said, his nerves calmed slightly by the small talk. He knew that was her intention, to keep him from worrying, and he appreciated it. He wasn't a fan of hospitals, in all honesty, and any distraction was welcome. "And, how did you come by your accent?" He said, good naturedly.

"Jamaica." She said, with a smile. "I've been here four years now. How long have you been here?"

"Oh, about three hours, I'd say." John said, though he knew it couldn't have been more than an hour. "Well, maybe not three hours."

The nurse chuckled at that. "I meant in the United States." She had a warm laugh.

"Oh." John said, reddening slightly. "Some time now, on and off for the last fifteen years I suppose." He checked his watch, hoping that it wasn't rude to do so. Where was Alaric? He must have been fighting for parking. For a hospital of it's size, Saint Luke's was severely lacking in parking.