Altered States
+Chapter Fifteen+
Seems Like Old Times
To my suprise, AJ showed up at my house promptly at 6pm, just like I had
specified. When I came down the stairs, he was sitting in the living room,
watching Aaron and Angel playing a video game. He always seemed odd to me,
definately not a family type person. Maybe it was from the unusual way he
grew up.
“Hey, glad to see you’re ontime for a change,” I remarked as I entered the
room, buttoning the last few buttons on my shirt.
“Well, it was the least I could do, dumbass.”
That word wasn’t allowed in my parent’s house and AJ realized his mistake
immediately when Angel turned and looked at him, her mouth hanging open.
Then she threw him a look that could have easily put him six feet under.
Aaron on the otherhand, was used to hearing those type of words and let it
slide and continued on playing the game.
“Oops, sorry,” he quickly apologised.
He looked sheepishly at my mother, who gave him a disapproving look.
“I forgot my manners, I’m really sorry Mrs. Carter,” he stated and then
added a wink for good measure. My mother, never one to be fooled or bought
out by charm (god knows I’ve tried) rolled her eyes at him and then breezed
on through towards the kitchen. He shifted nervously on the couch and
cleared his throat. “So you ready to go?”
“Yeah, but you did remember we’re stopping to see Bri before we go
anywhere,” I softly reminded him as I grabbed my ballcap and put it on.
“I know,” AJ sighed as he followed me out the door leading to the garage.
“Should I drive or are you?” As I looked at his car, I felt a cool breeze go
over my skin. I quickly rubbed my arms.
“I’ll drive, it was my idea to go out in the first place,” he stated as he pulled
the keys out of his front pocket.
“Yippeee,” I mumbled under my breath as I climbed into the passenger seat.
“So what shape do you think he’ll be in when we get there?” AJ asked as he
fumbled with the radio dials, the car drifting over the centerline in the road.
He looked up before I said anything and quickly jerked the steering wheel to
correct the car.
“With your driving, probably one hell of a lot better than us,” I replied as I
tightened my seatbelt.
Neither one of us spoke the rest of the ride to ‘Brian’s home.’ Not any of us
were able to call it the nursing home, it was just called ‘Brian’s home’ in the
rare times any of us talked about it.
“Here we are,” AJ announced as he pulled the car into a parking spot and
killed the engine.
“Try and be pleasant and positive please,” I asked AJ as I undid my seatbelt
and got out of the car.
“I’m always pleasant and positive, dumbass,” AJ spat back.
I chose to ignore the remark as I pressed the intercom button to announce
our presence at the door.
Stopping at the receptionist’s desk, I asked if Brian was still in room 22 and
after spelling his last name for her she smiled and told us yes.
“This place gives me the creeps,” AJ stated as he looked at the various
residents of the home wandering in the hall. “The smell has to be the worst,
god, how can anyone live like this?”
I stopped in midstride and turned to face AJ. “Probably because they don’t
have any other choice!”
AJ put his hands up as if to deflect any advance I were to make. “Okay,
okay, I get your point, god, don’t go postal on my ass now.”
I shook my head as I turned and continued down the hall towards Brian’s
room. I surmised from AJ’s remarks that he hadn’t come to Greenville to
visit him. It was something we all hated to do, not the actual visiting but the
fact that Brian could be okay one minute and then totally not with it the
next. That sucked.
I knocked softly on the door to his room. He was laying in his bed and I
wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or watching tv. He stirred quickly when I
knocked. He stared at me for a moment, blinking his eyes.
“Nick?”
“Yeah, hey how ya doing, Bri?” I asked as I pasted a smile on my face,
entering the room. “Look who I dragged along with me.”
Brian looked past me at AJ, his eyes started to fill with tears.
“AJ? Oh god, it’s good to see you!”
AJ smiled nervously and was caught completely off guard when Brian jumped
off the bed and wrapped him in a tight hug. AJ’s arms hung limply at his
sides as if he were afraid to return the hug.
After Brian pulled back, he looked him over. “No new tattoos, are you giving
it up?”
AJ looked puzzled for a moment and then slowly smiled, not replying to
Brian’s observation. This was confusing him, Brian was acting like Brian.
Okay, now the akward silence started to enter the room, only the snoring of
Brian’s room mate cut in every now and then.
Brian tugged nervously at his sweatshirt. “Hey, how about we go to the
visiting room? It’s a little better than standing in here.”
“Good idea,” I replied.
Better than last time, Brian led us directly to the room, no mistakes were
made this time and he seemed to act as if he had never gotten lost before.
“So,” he began as he down on the couch that faced ours, only a coffee table
separating us. “tell me what brings you to this god forsaken place.”
I really felt stupid when I realized that I had been depressed about the
situation. Here my best friend was in this nursing home and I was out walking
around freely. I honestly had nothing to be depressed over.
“To visit you, ya dork,” I replied.
Brian smiled.
After we visited for roughly 45 minutes, AJ sprung an idea that floored me.
“Bri, would you like to sneak out and go clubbing with me and Nicky?”
I elbowed him hard in the ribs.
“Hey! What the hell was that for?” AJ protested, rubbing his side.
“Yeah that sounds like fun, sure I’ll go, anything’s better than sitting around
here rotting to death,” Brian replied.
“No, Brian, you can’t do that,” I advised.
“Why not?” he stared at me, his blue eyes nearly going through me.
“Yeah Nick, why not? He’s fine, he’s really doing good,” AJ rasped.
I sighed. It was like trying to reason with two eight year olds. “Because,
what would we do if he goes Dr. Demento on us?”
Brian narrowed his eyes at me and then raised an eyebrow. “Dr. Demento?”
“Yeah, you know, blank out on me.”
“Nick, I’ve been fine all week, besides, if I get wacked out on you, you can
just bring me back here.”
“I dunno Brian, kidnap you?”
“They won’t miss me, I’ve already had my pm meds so the nurses won’t be
around again anymore, just give me a few minutes to put on a pair of jeans
and my Nike’s and I’ll be good to go. I can blend out of here with you guys.”
“I’ll go start the car,” AJ announced, smoothing the jeans out on his thighs
as he stood up.
“AJ, we’re not robbing a bank, stick with me!”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Brian called out as he left us in the room, the
only other people in there was an elderly woman with a doll buggy, acting as
if she were tending to a newborn baby and a man sitting at a table, shoving
checkers in his mouth.
“Oh this is just classic,” AJ stated as he stared at the man putting yet
another checker into his mouth.
Chapter 16
