My uncle is standing at the window in the hallway, hands linked together behind his back. Josh had instructed me to tell his dad to get lost. As much as I wanted to do just that, I can't bring myself to do it. Instead, I stand there and watch. This is the first time I'm seeing him so quiet and defeated.

"He doesn't want you here. You should leave," I say to his back. He tenses but doesn't turn around.

"I kind of figured," he replies.

It's early in the morning and the sun is just starting to peek out from the horizon. My aunt and I had been with Josh for the past three days. The two of us had claimed various chairs in the tiny room where Josh was staying. Our bodies are stiff and sore this morning. After talking to my uncle I'm planning on heading down to the cafeteria in hunt of caffeine.

"I don't know when it got this bad," my uncle says, collapsing in the chair beside the window. He looks like he didn't get much sleep last night.

"Not sure what you're referring to, actually." I spent the last few months terrified of my uncle's temper, always threading carefully around him at home. Sitting there with his head in his hands, my uncle seems a lot less intimidating. More similar to a mouse than the lion I always saw him as.

"What do you mean, kid?" he asks roughly, glaring at me.

Looking up at the ceiling, I take in a breath of air. The scent of disinfectant floods through my lungs, reminding me of the day I woke up at the hospital without my mom. That feels so far away now. The painful memory is starting to become blurry around the edges.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I grab a chair and take a seat in front of my uncle. "Are you referring to your crappy behavior towards your family or Josh's suicide attempt?"

His eyes flash with anger as he shakes his head. "You know nothing about me," he mumbles. His response actually surprises me. I was expecting him to blow up on me or just flat out ignore me.

"I obviously don't. You have been nothing but mean to me since I arrived." I sit back, waiting for him to speak. As a kid, I always wanted a cool uncle. Uncle Peter is so far from cool that he has steam rising out of his nose.

My aunt rushes past us without even glancing up. The only thing on her mind right now is her son, nothing else. "We used to be so hopelessly in love. Things fell apart when the twins were born." His eyes search for his wife but she has already disappeared around the hall.

There is not much I can say to my uncle at this point. He burned all bridges leading to his family as soon as he lay a hand on them. Things are so far beyond repair. I sit quietly and let him talk. Even though my uncle is a terrible person, he doesn't deserve to deal with the pain of Josh's suicide attempt on his own.

"You're right. I should leave." He closes his eyes for a heartbeat. When he opens them again, they're red and glassy. "Tell your aunt that I will sign the divorce papers and mail them to her." His words are unexpected but also come as a relief. I'm happy that my aunt made the decision to separate from her husband. It's the best thing for her and her kids right now.

My uncle pushes against his knees and stands up. "You should apologize to them," I blurt and he pauses at the elevators. "Not right now but sometime in the future. It might not fix anything but it will be good for closure."

"Tell him I love him. I had a shitty way of showing it. But I really did love him." The elevator dings and slides open. My uncle shuffles inside, shoulders slouched and hands in his pockets. I never thought I would feel bad for a monster like him but I do. Though it's very faint like a whisper and easy to ignore.

Someone steps out from the elevator, their head hung low and a basketball held in their hands. My stomach is suddenly in free fall. Blake salutes my uncle but his mouth is in a scowl. When his eyes find mine, his face lights up.

"Hey," he says, coming to stand in front of me. He's wearing the same shirt from the day I found Josh unconscious in his room. There are bags under his eyes and a familiar gloominess in his gait.

"Hey," I say, suddenly feeling self-conscious in my ratty old hoodie and pajama shorts. My breath smells horrible and my hair is no doubt a mess. Despite this, Blake seems happy to see me.

"How's he holding up?" he asks, glancing down the hallway.

Things had been chaotic and scary the first couple of hours at the hospital. The doctors and nurses were able to handle the situation really well. We would have been lost without them. Josh is also scheduled to meet with a mental health worker later today.

"He's awake and doing better. My aunt hasn't left his side for the past few days." My chest tightens at the thought of my aunt. "I can't even imagine what she's going through."

"She's been through a lot. All of you have," he says, reaching out for my hand. I feel my cheeks warm at the contact. "Where are the twins?"

"My aunt arranged for a baby sitter. I'm going to drop by later to check on them." He pulls his hand away and I want to grab it back. Instead of doing that, I point at the basketball he's cradling. "Is the basketball also signed?"

Blake grins and spins the ball around. As expected, it is in fact signed. My heart swells with affection for the boy standing before me. "I was waiting for Josh's birthday. I figured that Josh might need this now more than ever."

"Have I ever told you how sweet you are? Because this is adorable," I whisper.

Blake tilts his head, feigning a look of concentration. He drops the ball to the floor and leans towards me. "No, you've never mentioned it before. But please continue to shower me with compliments."

Someone clears their throat and Blake steps away from me. A guilty expression graces his features even though we weren't doing anything. Josh looks at me and then Blake. He's wearing a hospital gown and has one hand wrapped around an IV pole. The nurses refer to it as a buddy on this wing. It's slightly callous but also endearing.

Blake looks like a deer caught in the headlights. "We were just...I was...."

"Flirting with my cousin while I lay lifeless in the room next door," Josh finishes, giving us a pointed look. His tone is cold and curt. Suddenly, guilt settles over me -heavy and nauseating. He's right. The hospital is no place to be making goo-goo eyes at a boy.

"Relax, lovebirds. I'm kidding...mostly." He gives us a wide smile and I let out a sigh of relief. "I heard you two got up to some trouble the night of the dance." Wiggling his eyebrows at us, he shuffles forward, completely ignoring the fact that he almost died a few days ago.

We stare at him in shock, at a loss for words. He flashes his hands at us, wincing at the pain caused by the IV. "Seriously, guys. You two need to chill. I'm really happy that you guys got together. I've been rooting for you two since day one," he rambles on, completely unaware of why we're so quiet and wide-eyed.

Blake steps forward and gives his friend a big hug. "Damn. What's with all the hugs today?" Josh mutters. Blake laughs but there is a hollow sound to it.

"You scared the crap out of me, man. I honestly thought I lost you," Blake says. This wipes the goofy expression off my cousin's face. The past few days were unbearable for all of us. We were feeling something between anger and sadness. Seeing Josh up and about, cracking jokes did little to calm our worries.

"I'm here for you." Blake glances back at me. "We all are. Whenever you need to talk, I'm there for you." He pauses and grips Josh's shoulder. "Just like you were there for me when things got bad." Something passes between them that is lost on me.

"Thanks, man. It was a shitty thing to do. I get that now." His voice is low and full of remorse. Blake hands him the basketball just as my aunt walks into the waiting room. She is trying desperately to keep it together but her pale face betrays her weariness.

"When you're ready, we're going to play a game of ball. The loser has to buy the winner lunch for an entire week," Blake declares. This makes Josh smile and hug his friend again.

It's decided that I head home for the day to check on the twins. Blake offers to drop me off and also invites me to have dinner at his place.

My aunt wraps her arm around her son's shoulders, leading him towards his room. Josh throws us a wink over his shoulder, whispering to use protection. His mom is appalled at his boldness and slaps him lightly. My face burns as Blake rolls his eyes.

"I'm going to get him back for that comment someday," he says, shaking his head and walking backwards towards the elevator. "I'm just glad he's okay."