Chapter 48

~Jerome~

       Sometimes when I was at work, I just wanted to hide in a corner and pretend I was doing my job. I would be easy if I was a floor staff but right now, I was assigned to the cash register. It wasn't that bad, but there were always customers that made my job extremely hard.

       There were some customers that demanded discounts when there were none, tried to blame me because the store was out of what they were looking for, even got mad when they were reminded that we didn't have plastic bags anymore.

       A customer once yelled at me for looking at my phone. I was using a barcode scanner.

       I totally loved getting paid minimum wage and having to put up with customers like them.

       I could feel my phone buzz a few times while I was trying to work, so I had to try my best to ignore the call. I kept forgetting to take the device off of vibrate if I kept it in my pocket. I know I should be keeping it in my locker, but I didn't trust a certain coworker of mine. He had been accused multiple times of stealing some cash and change from lockers so he could buy a meal, but no one was able to prove it was him. 

       We all knew it was him.

       Throughout my shift, my phone would buzz on and off as if someone was really trying to get a hold of me. The more it rang, the worse I began to feel. Of course, I started overthinking. What if something happened to someone? What if it was my mom trying to get a hold of me despite not being able to?

       Finally, I was able to take a break, so I took my phone out of my pocket as I walked to the break room. An unrecognizable number was the one that had been trying to call me and sure enough, they called once again right as I was about to call them back. I accepted the call and held the phone up to my ear. "Hello?"

       "Hi, is this Jerome Roy?" a soft voice on the other line asked.

       "This is."

       "I'm calling from Yellowwood General Hospital. Your husband has been admitted here."

       My heart dropped the moment I heard that news. "I-Is he okay? What happened?"

       "He's currently being treated for smoke inhalation, but he'll be okay."

       I released a sigh of relief upon hearing that he would be okay, but I still couldn't help but think exactly what happened to him. "Thank you. I'll be on my way."

       I hung up the call and first found my manager, asking if I could leave early because Nolan was in the hospital. She was actually quite familiar with Nolan after all the times he would study here and I would hang out with him on the break, so she let me leave as well as hoping he got better soon. Though even if she didn't know him, she would definitely let me leave early. 

       I went to the break room and grabbed all my stuff before leaving the store. I had to try my best not to speed to the hospital because the last thing I needed was to get arrested when I was trying to see Nolan.

       When I got there, I asked the receptionist about Nolan and she told me what room he was in. I quickly went there, feeling even more relieved when I saw the state he was in. He was just sitting on the hospital bed with a nose tube connected to him. He was keeping himself entertained by watching videos on his phone.

       "Nolan," I said. He looked at me and smiled, and I couldn't help but hurry over to him and hug him tightly. "Are you okay? What happened?"

       "I'm okay," Nolan said. "I'm just a bit more shaken up if anything."

       I pulled away so I could look at him, running my hands through his hair. "So...?"

       "I was at the recreational centre working on the mural," Nolan said. "It caught on fire. The recreational centre, not the mural. I was in the bathroom when it happened so by the time I realized there was a fire, there was a lot of smoke. A firefighter helped me get out and... Yeah." He pointed to the tube. "This is just to give me oxygen. But yeah, I'm okay. I promise."

       I kissed his head. "I'm glad you're okay." I then realized something. The hospital called me since I was Nolan's husband. They probably didn't get in touch with his parents, otherwise they would be here right now. "Oh, God. I need to call your family."

       Nolan furrowed his eyebrows. "Normally, the hospital calls them."

       I took my phone out of my pocket. "Yeah, but they don't have to now that I'm your husband. They called me first."

       "Oh. Right." Despite being in a hospital bed, he smiled at me and said, "I liked you saying you're my husband."

       I chuckled before calling Poppy since she usually answers the phone faster than Grayson. Grayson would literally take a few moments to register his phone was ringing.

       Nolan's entire family showed up shortly after I called. As soon as they walked in, William started crying when he saw Nolan in the hospital bed. "Awe, Will," Nolan said, holding his arm out towards him. Orchid put William down on the hospital bed. "I'm okay. See?" Nolan smiled.

       William wiped his tears away. "Okay." Nolan sat William down beside him before pulling up a video on his phone that William liked watching.

       "What happened, Nolan?" Poppy said since I didn't give her enough details. But to be fair, I didn't have the chance. The moment I told her Nolan was in the hospital, she hung up the phone, probably to get her as soon as they could and not waste any time listening to me explaining things.

       "There was a fire at the rec centre when I was working on the mural," Nolan said. "I didn't get out fast enough so I inhaled a lot of smoke. I really am okay, though. I'm just here to get enough oxygen back in me."

       Poppy released a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's good. I mean, bad that it happened but when Jerome called..." She cut herself off, but Nolan figured out what she was thinking.

       "You thought I relapsed," Nolan said.

       Poppy nodded. "I'm sorry that it's the first thing I thought of, but--"

       "No, don't be sorry," Nolan interrupted. "It's probably the first thing any of you would think of. I get it. But I promise, I haven't relapsed since I got sepsis for the second time. It was brutal, and I really don't want to go through that again, so I'm trying my hardest."

       I smiled and ruffled Nolan's hair as Poppy said, "That's great."

       "We're glad you're okay, Nolan," Grayson said. "Do they know how the fire started?"

       Nolan shook his head. "No, not yet. They're probably investigating it now. Tamala thinks it was probably just a faulty wire or something since the building was old. That's why she wanted to touch it up. Though if I had to guess, I'd probably say that Alan had something to do with it."

       Alan sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

       Ryder furrowed his eyebrows. "Alan, you were home all day."

       "So?" Alan asked. "Maybe I left my hair straightener plugged in there one day."

       "Why would you bring your hair straightener there?"

       "I don't know. Get off my back."

       "I'm sorry, but there's something I just thought of," Poppy said. "Nolan, how come the hospital called Jerome and not your father and I?"

       "Uh..." Nolan looked at me, but I just shrugged. I knew we were keeping our marriage a secret, but if he wanted to tell his family, then he could. Just like how Nolan wouldn't mind when I decide to tell my dad. "Because... They tried calling you but they didn't answer so..."

       "Nolan, two things," Poppy said. "One, you're a horrible liar like me. And two, nobody called me until Jerome did."

       "Oh? Then they lied when they told me they did."

       "Nolan."

       "Okay, okay. So technically, Jerome is, legally, my next in kin. Lawfully."

       "Boyfriends don't count as next in kin, Nolan," Ryder said.

       "Y-Yeah, I know," Nolan said. "Th-That's why I said lawfully."

       "As in... lawfully wedded husband?" Grayson asked. "Are you indicating you got married?"

       "What? No, that's... that's ridiculous," Nolan said, but it really was obvious he was lying.

       "Nolan."

       Nolan sighed. "Fine. We... We got married."

       "When?" Poppy asked. 

       "Uh... About two weeks ago?" Nolan said. "We were bored, so we eloped."

       "Oh," Poppy said. "Well, it's your life and you're eighteen now, so there's nothing I can really do about it. Not that I would do something anyway. You two love each other. That's all that matters."

       "So... You don't think we're too young?" Nolan asked.

       Poppy shook her head. "No, of course not. I was sixteen when I started dating your father, but twenty when we got married. I don't think it would have made a difference in our relationship if I got married at eighteen instead."

       "So since I'm eighteen, can I get married to Brandon?" Alan asked.

       "If you want," Grayson said. "It's not our choice." He looked at me. "But Jerome, if you ever hurt Nolan, just know that I know where to hide a body and I won't hesitate to do so."

       "Come on, you know me," I said. "I'll never hurt Nolan."

       "I know," Grayson said. "It's still a warning though."

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i love poppy and grayson. they find out nolan eloped and they're just like "ok."

honestly, they would be more upset that they didn't get to eat a wedding cake tbh. big mood.