He groans. “Ryder?”
“Hey, Lee. I’ve got you, okay? Come on, let’s get you to the hospital.” I bend to pick him up, but he grabs my wrist.
“No! Can you get me home?”
“Lee, mate, you really should—”
“No, please.” He squeezes my wrist. “Please?”
“Okay, come on, let’s get you home.”
I slide my arm under him, and he winces as I pick him up. Gripping him against my side, I throw his arm around my shoulders and take some of his weight. He hobbles with me around the corner till we find the taxi rank. Getting Lee into the back, I climb in after him.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“I’m taking you home. You need help, Lee. Just let me help, okay?”
He nods and gives the taxi driver his address. We head in the opposite direction to the track and further into the town centre. We pull up outside, a small block of flats. I pay the driver and climb out.
“You don’t have to. I can get myself in from here, thanks, Ryder.”
“Hey, let me get you inside and cleaned up. You’re pretty banged up, so come on.”
I slide my arm around him and help him up the stairs. He’s on the third floor. He opens the door, and I push through it into a single room with a kitchenette on one side, a two-seater sofa in the middle of the room with a TV on the far wall and a door off to the right. I’m assuming that might be a bedroom or a bathroom.
“Is the bedroom through here, or…?” I trail off as he shakes his head. I nod. “Does this pull out?” I gesture to the sofa, and he nods.
“Look, Ryder. I appreciate you bringing me back, but I’m fine, thanks. I can take it from here.”
“Don’t be a dick.” I walk round to the front of the sofa, feel under the cushion for the strap, and pull. Stepping back, the sofa slides open. “Where’s the bedding?”
He sighs but hangs his head in shame, possibly embarrassment. But it’s actually a nice space, clean and homely.
“Bathroom cupboard.” He nods towards the door.
Pushing through the door, I open the cupboard and grab the bedding. I take it back in and make the bed up. “Thanks, I can manage from here.”
I step past him, grab his wrist, and pull him into the bathroom with me. Closing the lid on the toilet, I point. “Sit!”
He sits down, and I open the cupboard under the sink, looking for a washcloth or first aid kit, but there’s nothing. “Do you have a first aid kit?”
He shakes his head. I nod and run some water in the sink. I kneel down in front of him, take the corner of the towel in my hand, and dip it into the water. I gently wipe his face, and he winces. He has a cut along his eyebrow, one on his cheek, and his lip is split, and his face is dirty and tear-stained from being on the ground. I clean him up as best I can, then smile.
“You’ll live.” I’ve had my fair share of fights over the years, especially knowing I was gay in my early teens, but Jay always had my back, so I never came off worse than the other guy. We saw to that.
I glance down at him, and he’s holding his ribs. I gently slide my hand down to the hem of his shirt and glance up at him. He meets my eyes, then looks away. I slide his t-shirt up. The bruising is already dark. I gently run my fingers over the ribs, and he winces. “I’m just gonna check if anything’s broken, okay?”
Lee nods, and I gently press. He winces away, “Lee, let me take you to the hospital. You need to get these X-rayed. Please, mate, come on.”
“I’m good, thanks, Ryder, but you can go now. I will be okay.”
“Do you have a friend who can come and stay with you?”
He looks away but nods.
“Don’t lie to me, Lee. Do you have anyone who can come and stay with you?”
I pinch his jaw between my thumb and my fingers and tilt his face to look at me. He darts his eyes away. I stand and pull him up. Come on, let’s get you to bed. Do you have any paracetamol or ibuprofen?”
