2. Numb

As soon as the car rolled to a stop, I leaped out as if my ass was on fire. The car was still slightly moving as I jumped out, and Connor's parents shouted for me to stop. Oblivious to their shouts, I instantly ran into the waiting room of the hospital, and I slammed my hands down on the help desk.

The woman working jumped, and she looked up to meet eyes with my chocolate brown ones. "Uh, how may I help you?"

"My name is Benjamin Grayson and I was informed of my parents death earlier today!" The woman grew wide eyes, and she began to type on her keyboard slowly. "Could you go faster?"

"Yes sir. Go to floor five, room 575. We need the machines in 15 minutes; there's a new patient coming in on an ambulance at that moment." At her words, I sprinted out of the waiting room, and I ignored the shouts of Connor's parents once again.

As I sprinted down the hallway, tears began to leak from my eyes. No, I'm not supposed to cry! Boys don't cry, right? I got to the elevator, and I slammed my hand on the up button over and over again until the large metal door finally opened. I got into it glad that it was empty, and I smacked the fifth floor button. The elevator was taking way too long for me, and my body was quivering from the nerves.

As soon as the door chimed, I ran off of it and briefly looked at the signs before running away looking at door numbers. As soon as I caught sight of a room 575, I took a single steadying breath before pushing open the door. My heart fell down in my chest, and my hand went in front of my face on instinct. I walked forward to stare at their bodies, and I nearly vomited. There were bandages on them making it obvious that the doctors had tried to save them, but the blood soaking through made it clear; they will not make it.

"Mama," I breathed as I walked up to her, and it hurt me that she didn't respond to me. She was so vibrant this morning, but now she's stuck there with hardly any life left in her body. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you... Goodbye."

My eyes began to leak a bit of liquid as I moved over to my dad, and I grabbed onto his large hand. "I remember when I came home at age 15, and I wasn't okay. It was like you could tell that I was suffering, and you lifted me back up. I don't know if you ever knew it, but you saved my life that day. Thank you, and I love you so, so much."

As my feet moved over towards my brother, I couldn't take the emotion, and my knees gave out beneath me. Part of his face had been taken off, and it made me ill to think of him in that much pain. I just hope that he felt little of it before he passed out. "Hey Sammy, it's been a while. I don't know if I can go on without you, and I don't know if I ever told you how much I loved your smile. You were always able to keep me from getting too sad, and I'm going to miss you."

At that moment, a nurse came in, and she smiled at me. "Are you ready? We need the machines for the next people."

I stood up with her help, and I stood back a bit. "I'm ready." I'm not really, but they need the things keeping them alive to give someone else hope. I can't take that from someone else by being selfish. The nurse smiled reassuringly at me before going from person to person pulling their plugs, and I managed to hold it together until I heard the flat lining on the monitors. I began to sob uncontrollably, and I tumbled to my knees while my body shook. I felt arms curl around my shoulders, and I leaned blindly into the comfort being offered. I put my face in this person's neck, and for a brief moment I stripped down my guard. I allowed myself to become weak with the man in front of me, and I could hear his quiet reassurances. Then, I snapped back into reality. I'm hugging an unfamiliar man in a hospital room.

I pulled away, and all I got was a grounding smile. Suddenly, the door opened, and a woman in a suit entered the room. "Hi, my name is Melinda Goldsberry, and I'm a social worker with the state of Georgia. I understand that you've recently had a tragedy, but we must figure out where you are going to live since you're still 17. If no one is willing, we will have to take you to an orphanag-"

"We'll take him," Connor's papa answered before she finished, and his hand rubbed my shoulder gently. There's probably a reason he answered so quickly, but I didn't dig too deep.

"I'll get the papers."

As soon as the woman left, I whipped around to face the two men that would soon become my parents. I would have loved this if it didn't mean mine are dead, but I would have to live with this. Think of all the pranks I could do with Connor! "I know this must be hard for you, Benji. Your parent were amazing people."

"They were, but they're gone now. I'm sad, yet they wouldn't want me to stay that way. My mom and dad would want me to move on with my life; to take challenges like I own them. I guess this is my next challenge."

"Listen, a lot of things at our home are slightly... Out of the ordinary. I'm just going to warn you now."

"What does that mean?"

"Well you see–"

"I've got the papers for you both to sign," a voice interrupted from the door, and my curiosity didn't decrease in the slightest. I was forced to sit through hours of boring paperwork, and I would have fallen asleep if they didn't decide to do it right next to my dead family. Like seriously, do you have any brain?

"Oh my God are we finally done?" Connor's papa complained, and he got a dirty look from the social lady.

"Yes, the signing is completed."

"Gosh I don't remember it taking this long last time!"

"Babe that's because you were zoned out for it last time."

"Oh right!"

"You're pretty." The two men looked at each other with jokes alight in their eyes, and they turned to look back at me. I was just sitting there picking at a scab on my wrist, so it took me a moment to look up at them.

"What?"

"It's time to go, dear. I know it's going to hurt, but we're both here for you, okay?"

I sighed and allowed them to help towards the car, and I got settled in the seat. I miss my parents, but I get to have a new start. This might just be me being numb, but I'm happy to continue forward. For them.