Don't Want To Go Home

"There, just give it time to heal." The nurse said as she got up and picked the tray containing all she had used.

The door went open and closed as she stepped out, leaving only Riley and Natasha in the room.

Riley looked remorseful and was going to apologize to Natasha. Natasha took notice of that face of his. The last thing she wanted to hear was Riley apologizing and then advicing her to stay away from him.

"Excuse me." she said as she got up "let me go get those drugs that were prescribed."

Not giving him a chance to say a word, Natasha walked out of the room. She walked down the corridor with an angry look. She was fed up of him apologizing.

'Why the f**k does he even apologize when he's not in the wrong. Is he trying to make people feel guilty the more, I just don't get it.

Damn yes. This is only making me feel more guilty. If I hadn't asked him out for lunch, he would be at his home. I never should had chosen the alleyway to get to that street, we could had passed the normal way, but the alleyway was shorter,so I guess I decided to use a quicker route. I see I'm repeating the same mistake, but I couldn't even think about it, I really was not expecting people to come for him. Whatever, that doesn't matter right now. I was the one who got him into this mess, I should be the one apologizing, not the other way round.'

Riley sat on the bed and took a deep sigh

"She must be fed up of being my friend. Afterall, ever since she became friends with me, people have been avoiding her and she is also being attacked. This is all my fault, if only I wasn't such a..."

"There you go again, it's always your fault."

Riley looked up to see who came in. That sounded like something Natasha would say, but he was surprised to see his big brother. Well, a little bit surprised, he knew Richard's voice, he was just surprised Richard could say such.

" Why are you here? "

That sounded like a stupid question, and Richard was not planning to answer such a question.

"How did you know?"

Now, a better question.

"Natasha."

"Oh" he said in a sad voice "she told you what happened?"

Richard sat on the chair that Natasha sat on just before she left the room.

"Yes." he did sound tired.

"And she also told me 'you look like shit'"

"Me?" he felt a bit confused "Why?"

Richard took Riley's left palm and held it in his.

"Cause you won't stop blaming yourself. She's fed up of you blaming yourself whenever such a thing happens. And I am hundred percent sure you would end up ruining your friendship with her if you keep on blaming yourself."

"But it's all my fault."

"It ain't your fault"

"It is, if she didn't befriend and protect me in the very first place, then they would not even think of targeting her."

"Do you then blame her for befriending you?"

"Of course not, do you think I do? I very well appreciate the fact that she even thinks of me as a friend. I just don't want her to end up like Cole."

His voice starts to break as he remembered all that happened to Cole , his once best friend.

"Fine, blame yourself all you want, I no longer care. I'm here to take you home."

Riley froze upon hearing this. Home was the last place he wanted to be.

"I don't want to."

*****

Natasha was on her way back to the room, she had gotten the drugs, and she also got him a replacement of the foods he had gotten before which got wasted earlier on. She smiled as she walked back to the room, she was definitely going to make him happy, and take that apologetic look from his face.

She took a stop by the window when she heard a voice she believed to be his father, but she was wrong, it was Richard whose voice she heard. She was just about to go in, when she heard or maybe she felt there was something weird about Riley's voice.

"But it's all my fault."

Hearing Riley say that, she shook her head, a bit disappointed in him. 'There he goes again, blaming himself, just when will he learn to stop blaming himself.' she thought to herself.

Hearing him mention a name, she found herself repeating it as she finally found someone else worth studying. Hearing Richard say he was taking Riley home, she expected Riley to be relieved, happy, but no, it was the very opposite way he reacted.

*****

"I don't want to go home." Riley said and curled himself up in a tight hug.

"Your parents are waiting for you." Richard said as he got up from the bed and sat beside Riley on the bed. He pulled Riley closer to himself.

"You know I don't want to be in that room Richard."

"You won't, trust me, you are very conscious, there's no way your father would leave you there."

"But I still don't want to go."

"You have to Riley."

"Don't you get it, the way they look at me, I hate it."

"Your mother is....."

The door flinged open and they both looked in that direction.

"Natasha" Riley said in a voice screaming 'help me'

"Natasha" Richard said in aa voice saying 'I know you are on my side, if Riley still insists on not going home, you would give him a very good reason as to why he should return home.'

Natasha stepped inside and placed a bag beside Richard.

"There, Riley got that for you."

Still holding the other two bags, she moved to the other side of the bed.

"What's in it?"

Richard asked as he got up from the bed and sat on the chair.

"Don't know, you should check it yourself."

She placed the other bags on the bed, then proceeded to pick up Riley's shoes and wear them for him.

This behaviour of hers became confusing to the two boys.

"Natasha." Richard called out.

"Yes."

"Is there somewhere Riley has to be?"

"Yes, it's getting late, he has to go home to get some rest."

Richard just smiled as he watched Riley's lost face. Natasha had actually planned to have him not return to his house, if he didn't want to. But on second thoughts, she realized that won't be of help to Riley, he himself had to be sure of what he wanted and remain adamant until he got it. So she decided that the best way to help was to not help, and see if he would come out of his shell.

She looked at Riley and gave him a sweet smile.

"Come on, you should have your brother take you home."

"I don't want to go home."

He was not sure if there would be a chance that she would support him, he really wished she would.

"Why?" she asked, a bit puzzled

"Cause I just don't want to." he grumbled.

Richard stood up and held Riley's hand and gave Natasha a look of 'don't worry, I will deal with him, he's just being childish as usual'.

"Let's go Riley, they are waiting."

He tried to pull Riley up, but surprisingly, Riley pulled his hand back. He seriously didn't want to go home.

"Do you think this is funny?" Richard was beginning to lose his cool, just why was Riley making things hard for him.

"Leave him."

They both heard Natasha say.

"Will you come home with me?" she asked with a smile.

"I don't want to go to my house."

Seeing him get shaken up as he mentioned his house, Natasha could not imagine just why he didn't want to return to his home.

"No," she said as she placed her palms on his shoulders in a comforting manner. "You won't, you will stay at my own house, how about that?"

Of course, Riley was willing to stay even at the hospital, so long as he didn't return to his house, anywhere was fine.

"I will love to."

He got up from the bed and with a smile, he said

"Come on, let's go."

They both approached the door, completely ignoring Richard's existence.

"Where the hell do you two think you are going?"

Natasha turned back with a smirk on her face

"At least, my hell is far better that the hellish room you would put him in if he goes home."

She turned back and held Riley's hand

"Let's go Riley."

Richard stood still in shock as he watched them both step out of the hospital room. He was left lone to wonder just how she knew about that room.