Madison stared down at her phone, aimlessly scrolling past the endless stream of selfies and memes on Instagram. Beside her, Luke's own phone lay forgotten in his lap, his gaze fixed on the white double doors that led to the patient's rooms. The hospital waiting room buzzed with hushed conversations and the occasional shuffle of feet, but to Madison, it felt like a vacuum - silent and suffocating.

The sliding doors swooshed open and Matt walked in, his eyes darting around until they landed on them. He approached with heavy steps but chose a chair across from Luke.

"Have you heard anything?" Matt's voice broke through the stillness.

"Nothing," Madison replied without looking up. "Just what his mom said earlier."

Matt scrubbed a hand over his face, frustration creasing his brow. "I can't believe he'd... do something like this. After everything... I mean he should have known we still care about him."

"Matt, stop," Madison's voice was firm, almost annoyed. "There is nothing we could have done."

"I don't believe that, and why are you being so calm about this?" His eyes sought hers, searching for an answer.

Madison finally locked her phone and met his gaze. "I'm not calm, I'm mad. It was selfish of him, and—" Her voice wavered, betraying her composure. "I don't want to talk about it,"

Her face started to turn red and she began to shake, Luke reached out and placed his hand on hers. Their fingers intertwined, without either of them saying a word, and Madison let out a shuddering breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Matt's eyes shifted between the two, and a small smile spread across his face.

Their moment was interrupted as Sasha appeared, she quietly approached them.

"Rodney's awake," Sasha announced softly, "but he's very tired. You can see him, but keep it brief, okay?"

They all nodded, rising in unison, and making their way down the hall. Entering Rodney's room felt like stepping into a church. They entered silently, no one knowing if they should say something or not.

Matt surged forward, unable to contain himself, he embraced Rodney. "Rodney, you scared the hell out of me. I'm so glad you are ok,"

"Sorry," Rodney whispered weakly, lifting his shaky arms to return the hug. "Wish I could take it all back."

Madison lingered by the doorway, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if to hold in the emotions threatening to spill. Luke gently nudged her forward, a wordless encouragement that she needed more than she'd admit.

As she drew nearer, tears pooled in her eyes, blurring Rodney's figure into a mere shadow. "Rodney, that was... it was so stupid," she choked out, the anger and relief intermingling in her voice.

He looked up at her, his eyes glassy. "I know," he murmured, "and I'm sorry, Madison. I totally understand if you're mad at me, I'm mad at myself."

She hesitated, she wanted to be mad, but seeing Rodney ok made her anger waver. Then, slowly, she closed the distance and enveloped him in a gentle hug. "I'm not mad. I want to be, but I can't. I'm just... glad you're here."

Luke watched the scene from the back of the room, leaning against the wall. Finally, he spoke, his voice steady but soft. "Glad to see you made it, Rodney. You gave us all a good scare."

"Thanks for coming," Rodney managed, his friends released him from their embrace. Rodney's eyelids fluttered as he tried to stay awake for his friends. Madison exchanged a glance with Matt, knowing Rodney needed to rest.

"Rodney, we're gonna head out," Matt said, his voice low and steady. “But we'll be back ok?”

"Thanks for coming. I am so sorry about everything I said before, I didn't mean any of it," Rodney mumbled, doing his best to keep his eyes from closing.

Madison squeezed Rodney’s hand one last time before she stepped back, "None of that matters now, just get better ok," They left the room and Rodney faded back to sleep.

Once outside in dim hallway lighting, Matt whipped out his phone, thumbs flying as he texted Jordan the update on Rodney's condition.

"Have you heard anything from Derek?" he asked, turning to Madison.

"No, but he is on his brother's boat so he's probably not going through his emails," she replied, her gaze fixed on the tiled floor. "I guess I could try him again,"

Matt shook his head, he had a different idea. "No, I'll make a group so we can just post updates to it. That way no matter who is visiting they can update everyone else."

"Good idea," Madison said watching him already get to work. Within minutes, Matt had created a group and added their circle of friends, detailing Rodney's status to the group.

"Alright, well Luke and I are going to grab some dinner if you want to join," Madison announced, shooting Luke a smile. "And I'll take the first shift tomorrow,"

"Oh no, I'm all good. You two enjoy," Matt didn't want to be a third wheel. "And I can come tomorrow too, check in on Rodney. In case you two have a late night."

"Right, I don't think it will be that late," Luke looked a little disappointed as she finished her sentence, "I'll see you tomorrow, Matt," She gave a hug before leaving with Luke. Matt smiled as he watched them go, his phone started to buzz as Jordan responded to the chat drawing his attention back to his phone as he wandered home.

---

"Thanks for coming back," Rodney croaked when Madison and Matt pushed their way through the door, Matt came bearing a plush cat and Madison had baked some lemon squares for him.

They placed their gifts on his small tray table and tried to get comfortable in the stiff hospital chairs, Matt's phone chirped as he sat back. Without hesitation, he opened a live-streaming app and began to speak to the camera.

"Hey, everyone. Just arrived in Rodney's room, he is looking so much better today, give them a shoutout Rod..." Matt turned the camera to Rod, who offered a small wave.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Matt, what are you doing?" Madison interjected, the surprise evident in her voice as she watched the steam of hearts float across Matt's screen.

"Well I thought about it and I think this is way better than a group chat, I mean now they can actually be here with him when they can't physically be here," he explained without pausing the stream. "Honestly I think this will really get the discussion going about mental health support,"

"Matt, only Jordan and Derek are away right now, they don't need a stream or a discussion on mental health," Madison's brows knitted together, her discomfort clear. "Unless you opened this stream up to the general public. But that would be a huge violation of Rodney's privacy." Madison's face had turned bright red.

Matt's mouth hung open, he tried to form words but nothing came out. Matt ended the stream, locking eyes with Madison. "Look, Rodney's story could really help people, I am just trying to make people more aware," he reasoned, though now less sure.

"It's ok, really I don't mind Madison," Rodney tried his best to defuse the situation.

"Rodney you don't have to be some display for people to pity" Madison explained, trying to keep her voice level, she turned back to Matt. "Look, Rodney doesn't need randos, he just needs us. I know how you feel, but no matter what we do now, we can't change what happened,"

The silence stretched between them, no one sure what to say next. Finally, Matt spoke again, his voice quieter.

"Look maybe a live stream wasn't the best way to go about this," he admitted, pocketing the phone. "I've just been wanting to do something to make a difference, you know. I mean there has to be something good that comes from all of this right?"

"The good that comes from this is Rodney, the fact he is still here with us should be enough," Madison said, crossing her arms.

"guys, seriously I am ok with it, all I want is to hang out like we used to," Rodney looked between the two of them, "I know what I did has changed things but I just want to talk about stupid school stuff and dumb TV shows,"

Matt and Madison let out a long sigh, looking into Rodney's pleading eyes. "You know they totally dropped the ball on the final season Space Rangers," Madison reported.

"Oh right, I totally forgot about it. It was a nightmare, I heard the reason they cut the episode count down was because Melissa wanted to do a movie and was threatening to quit," Matt added. They exchanged a grin and Rodney settled back into his bed, slowly falling asleep as they continued to discuss the six episodes that ruined their favourite series.

---

The sterile scent of old hand sanitizer lingered in the air as Jordan breezed through the sliding doors of the hospital. He rounded the corner to Rodney's room, clutching a small plush rainbow dog close to his chest, pausing to take a breath before he entered.

"Hey, man," Jordan said softly, offering a sheepish smile to Rodney who lay propped up in bed, looking tired but awake. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it here sooner. Steven's family had this whole trip planned..."

Rodney lifted a hand. "It's okay, Jordan. Really, you didn't have to cut your trip short." His voice was faint, most of his lunch was still left on his tray. "I... I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Friends worry about each other, Rodney," Jordan replied as he placed the plush toy on the bedside table. "That's part of the deal, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," Rodney murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips as he glanced at the rainbow dog. "thanks for the dog."

Jordan leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You like it? Sam sewed it herself, we are all thinking of you."

There was a pause; Rodney looked over the small dog. "I appreciate that. A lot."

"Rodney..." Jordan hesitated, searching for the right words. "I've been thinking—about what happened. I mean there is always a reason... Was Ally your reason...?"

Rodney's expression shifted, a shadow passing over his face. "No, Jordan. It's not Ally's fault. If I'm being honest, I felt way off before that," he looked out the window, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think it started when Dad died, everyone told me I had to be strong... for my family. And yeah Ally really confused me... we were best friends and then all of a sudden we weren't."

"Rodney," Jordan interrupted, his concern evident.

"It's ok, they have me talking to someone, it helped a lot," Rodney insisted. "You know I learned that I kept trying not to feel things, to push everything down until I felt numb." He sighed deeply. "Until I didn't know what real happiness felt like anymore,"

"Rodney, I had no idea," Jordan said firmly, leaning in closer. "Feelings like that... they're heavy. I'm so sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't share them."

"I didn't know how," Rodney said, "But I'm learning to."

Unseen by either of them, Ally stood frozen outside the door, holding a get-well-soon card. She had overheard their entire conversation, her card slipping from his fingertips. She heard about Rodnet from her mom, who had run into Mrs. Thompson on a walk. Hearing Rodney imply she added to his depression made her feel sick.

With a stifled sob, Ally turned sharply on her heel, tossing the card into a nearby bin. She couldn't face him, not after what she'd done, not after what she'd heard. How could she ever apologize for what she did?

---

Hunter casually thumbed down his feed in his ski chalet. His feed, which was the usual cover of selfies and holiday pics suddenly changed halfway through to photos of Rodney. Post after post, heart emojis mingled with earnest prayers and well-wishes. Hunter raised an eyebrow as he read through the comments under the photos.

"Rodney, stay strong, we're all here for you!" one post read, with more heart emojis than Hunter thought were necessary.

"Thinking of you, buddy," another offered, beneath a snapshot of Rodney from last year's talent show.

"What is this all about?" Hunter muttered to himself, a frown etching deep lines on his forehead. He fired off texts to his buddy Micheal, who had replied to one of the pics. It was only a minute before Micheal responded, but it felt like an eternity to Hunter, his mind racing with the worst possible outcome.

"Dude haven't you heard? Your academic rival just tried to end it. He's locked down at the hospital,"

Hunter didn't reply back. He leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight, and the image of an orange pill bottle on a plush grey run flashed in his mind. He shook it off, wondering why the thought came to his mind, Micheal hadn't said anything about how it happened. The unease he was feeling stirred another memory, his mother floating face down in their indoor pool. His father's strained voice insisted she had merely slipped to the younger version of himself.

"Mom's scared of the water," he whispered to an empty room, not sure why these memories were creeping into his thoughts now. "I must be confused,"

He stood up from his chair, scrolling through his phone until he found Rodney. But he didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to feel about it all. He paced the chalet lost in thought until found his mother in the study, she was reading a romance novel on the faux fur couch.

"Mom?" He started as he entered the room.

She looked up, her eyes softening at the sight of her son's troubled expression. "Is something the matter, dear?"

"I just found out a friend from school... Rodney... He's in the hospital." Hunter faltered, unsure how to navigate the conversation.

"I don't think I've met that one," her expression changed as she tried to recall the name, "What happened? Is he sick?"

"No, he tried to kill himself," It still didn't feel real and drew his mind back to his strange memories.

"Oh, Hunter..." She rose from her seat and placed a caring hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's just... weird, you know?" Hunter couldn't get the memories to leave him. "It made me think about something... about when I was little."

His mother pulled back slightly, holding him at arm's length. "Oh honey, I didn't think you would remember that," she said softly. "It was the biggest mistake of my life. I was overwhelmed and depressed. Back then no one talked about mental health like they do now, I thought... I thought you boys deserved better than me."

"But you're okay now, right? You don't feel that way anymore, people can come back from this?" The fear and worry in Hunter's voice caused his mom to pull him into a hug.

"Yes, sweetheart, I am ok. And in time and with support, I'm sure your friend will be too." Her voice was firm, reassuring.

"Do you think, maybe I could fly back to see him?" Hunter murmured, with tears welling in his eyes.

"Of course," his mother agreed. "We'll all go back together. But before we do, why don't we get him a little something to show we thinking of him."

Hunter nodded, still feeling slightly off as they began to brainstorm gift ideas for Rodney. But Hunter had hope now, that things would be ok.