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Rain in San Diego was rare, but for days like this, Jude thought it was oddly fitting. Connor’s foot, still broken, permitted them from seeing each other outside of the hospital and therefore left Jude alone on a Saturday afternoon. Not that he wouldn't jump at the chance to see Connor every chance he got, it was just that the blinding white lights and nauseating undertone of bleach ruined the excitement of intimacy and the painkillers often left Connor cranky and taciturn.
Connor had also gotten his phone back after Jude came to the hospital to visit him and faced Adam for the first time, so they communicated over text and call often. However still, on days like this, when the rain poured down the windows in sheets and thunder made itself apparent in the distance and they couldn’t have gone outside anyway, with Connor’s injury, Jude still found himself wishing his best friend (and now boyfriend, unfamiliarly) were here to watch him beat his high score on their favorite game, do homework together, hold his hand, and maybe kiss him like they hadn't done since their kiss on the floor of his bedroom not even two weeks ago.
So Jude said “Screw it,” and tossed the video game controller onto the couch with a groan as he realized his foot had gone numb after resting in such an uncomfortable position for a long time. Lena, who had been hiding in the kitchen awkwardly keeping herself busy with wiping down the countertops, called out to ask him where he was going, to which Jude replied, bluntly, “To see Connor,” half expecting her to calm his nerves by denying to let him go.
But instead, inconveniently or conveniently to Jude, (he couldn’t decide), all she said was to be home by seven for dinner and to remember to lock the door.
So Jude hopped on his bike (after locking the door) and embarked on the ten minute drive to the hospital without thought. He knew the route well, as it was only a few blocks away from Anchor Beach, and he had been there after Stef had been shot and Lena’s miscarriage. But thinking of that just brought up memories Jude didn’t care to think about and didn’t need to. He knew Adam was going to be there guarding Connor’s door, and to be honest with himself, his boyfriend’s vigilant father was the only reason he was so apprehensive about visiting.
Thoroughly soaked at this point, Jude pulled the hood of Jesus’ old raincoat to cover as much of his face as possible without blocking his eyesight. After securing his bike to a post outside, he approached the entrance and opened the heavy door. The offbeat familiarity of the stuffy waiting room threw him off guard, which he chose to ignore, instead choosing to be grateful for the warmth provided by the surprisingly luxurious heating systems. An uncomfortable elevator ride took him up to Connor’s floor, where he checked in, giving the same excuse of being Connor’s cousin as the secretary eyed him with suspicion but not enough to want to get involved.
Adam spotted him instantly down the hall, and his composed yet somehow still threatening stare was enough to make Jude wish he could disappear. The confidence he retained on his last visit, powered by anger and frustration, was completely gone, replaced with worry and fear of rocking the boat even more than he already had, if it was possible. However, Jude didn’t know if it was pity or fatigue, but all the adults in his life today had been surprisingly easy-going towards his current situation. The extent of their encounter was that Adam made eye contact with Jude for a second and proceeded to walk down the hallway scowling, which he wouldn’t have done if Lena was there, but Jude thought it was considerably better than denying him access to Connor’s room and calling his mom. He reached for the door handle and took a second to notice that his blue nail polish, chipped and faded on most of his fingers, was still smooth and without a flaw on his right pinky. He laughed to himself at the cheesy sentiment of that thought and twisted the knob.
Connor sat on the creaky hospital bed, probably thankful for the lack of drama compared to Jude’s first visit. He had heard Jude coming from down the hallway, but Connor feigned surprise because he knew it would make Jude smile. He was right.
“Hey!” Jude grinned and walked through the door. The tension he retained before washed away when Connor sat up and grinned, looking him in the eye.
“Hey, yourself. Did you bike all the way here?”
“Yeah.”
“Come sit.”
That was all that was said, and all that needed to be said, because Jude looked out the window and realized how grateful he was for a moment with Connor where his head didn’t pound and his hands didn’t shake. Their conversations were never deep or long, but Jude usually had a million thought-up points and different ways he could jab at Connor. For once he was content with saying nothing. Water droplets tapped a gentle rhythm on the windowpane.
//
When Adam returned with his coffee and found them both sleeping, and when he looked outside to find the rain still pouring down the windows in sheets and the thunder still making itself apparent in the distance, he closed the door and decided he would leave them be for a few more minutes.