"I won’t let you down

I will not give you up

Gotta have some faith in the sound

It’s the one good thing that I’ve got

I won’t let you down

So please don’t give me up"

Kian sighed as he stood up to leave. It had been a week since Shane came into this place now, a week and he hadn’t responded to anyone. Not the doctors, the counsellor, his parents, his brother, the lads, Louis, Anto or Graham who had come down to see him. All he did was sit in bed and stare right ahead all day.

He didn’t even eat so they had had to fit an IV and a drip to give him the essential nutrition. Kian knew that within a week they would start him on tube feeding unless he started to respond, or at least eat.

"Kian?" Kian spun around in the door way. Shane had turned his head, his eyes were unfocused as if he couldn’t see Kian, but at least he’d moved. And spoken.

Kian slowly made his way back into the room "Yes?"

"Don’t… don’t go. Don’t go yet." Shane reached his arms for Kian like a baby in need of comfort and Kian carefully sat beside him on the bed and embraced him, mindful of the IV running into Shane’s hand.

There were no tears, although tears might have been just what Shane needed right then, the medication that calmed him numbing all his emotions, but at least he had trusted Kian. Made the first step on the road to beating the demon inside him that wouldn’t trust people.

They sat in silence as Kian rocked him, gently stroking his back. He was painfully aware of how much weight Shane had lost.

When the doctor came in some 20 minutes later Shane was fast asleep in Kian’s arms.

The doctor smiled. This definitely looked like an improvement. "I hate to do this, but we’ll have to wake him for his medication."

Kian nodded and gently shook Shane. "Shane… Shane? Time to wake up."

Shane opened his eyes and blinked a few times. For a few seconds his gaze actually focused on Kian, but then it returned to the far away look he’d had the past week.

"It’s time for your medication Shane." The doctor said softly and put the glass of water and the two tablets down on the bed-side table. "You’ll make sure he takes that?" Kian nodded and the doctor left.

Shane obediently took the tablets and settled back in Kian’s arms, drifting off again. Kian stroke his hair. "Keep fighting Shane. I don’t know what’s wrong but please don’t give up. I couldn’t live without you."

Chapter 7 >>