WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS DEPRESSING/SAD PLOT AND ALSO HAS A SLIGHT TOMATT TO IT BUT NOT REALLY!!! ALSO HAS A HOMOPHOBIC MOTHER, GAY SLURS, AND THIS STORY IS JUST DEPRESSING OVERALL SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!!!

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3rd person

The year was 1981. Thomas Regan was a nurse at a hospital. The AIDS was spreading like crazy and the hospital was filled with people with it. Some people were unfortunate women who got it. Others were gay men who had gotten it. Thomas couldn't stand the job at all because of the death and the outcomes of the people who got it. The hospital reeked of death and sickness. Most nurses wouldn't come in for their shift due to the fear of getting it. Thomas had to admit, he was scared too, but the hospital had to have someone working. Thomas wasn't about to be a pussy and bailout on all the innocent people.

Sadly though, Thomas knew of their fate. Some of the patients did too, but they kept hoping for a cure. It never came. Thomas sometimes wondered why he even tried to reassure these people who got it. He could never figure out why he kept trying. But he did. He wanted the people to have hope when he didn't. He wanted them to keep fighting to survive even when he knew they wouldn't live. Every day, Thomas questioned if he could continue doing his job. He was risking himself and giving false hope to others. Thomas would soon learn why he would be working at the Hospital.

It was a Sunday morning and Thomas was showing a new recruit around when a young, ginger man was walked into the hospital. He was accompanied by an older looking woman he seemed to be guiding him. Thomas stopped when he was doing as walked up to them. "How may I help you today?" He said looking into the older woman's eyes. She looked scared but hopefully of Thomas' presence. "M-My son isn't feeling too well. H-He has been having high fevers and rashes. C-Could you please check him over to make sure he is alright?" The mother said anxiously with worry. Thomas nodded his head. "Yes ma'am. Just please sign the forms over there and wait patiently till someone is ready to see your son. The lady sighed with relief and nodded with a smile. She guided her son over to the counter where she started filling out the forms. Thomas continued on with the new recruit with the tour. After along 20 minutes, Thomas was finally able to come up to the family.

As Thomas tried to take the young boy, the other stood up to follow. "Ma'am, do you mind staying here. " Thomas asked. "No sir, I can't. My son is blind and lost his walking stick in his room somewhere in his room. I need to guide him around so he isn't walking into people or walls or anything important." the lady said politely and with hope that Thomas would understand. Thomas finally understood why the lady was holding her son so close and nodded. "Okay ma'am. I'm sorry for my mistake." He said with a bit on sincerity. "Please follow me. " He said calmly. The lady quickly but gently grabbed her son's arm and guided him and herself to Thomas.

Thomas walked into an office as the small family followed him into. He did the usual checkups and found nothing unusually. He looked over the clip board's info to see if anything in the family could cause this, but he found nothing. Thomas completed ever test that he could think of. He checked for stomach bug. Nothing. He checked for colds. Nothing. He checked for the Flu. Nothing. Thomas checked for absolutely everything. He was stumped. He asked the family to wait while he asked other doctors and nurses who asked the same questions Thomas did. They were stumped as well. All except one doctor. Dr. Tord and his assistant Nurse Edward. Thomas had bad blood with Tord, but he wasn't about to let that get in the way of solving the case of what the child had. After Thomas explained the situation to Tord and Edward, Edward suggested the something Thomas was afraid of. "Have you tried checking for AIDS. That's been going around pretty quickly so he could have it." Thomas shook his head lightly. He slowly turned and walked back to the room with fear in his black eyes.

As he walked in, he noticed the mother look up hoping Thomas had an answer and cure for her son. Thomas gulped as he softy spoke. "I-I need to test your son to see if you might possible...-h-have AIDS." Thomas said. The mother at first looked confused, then shocked, then enraged. "WHAT!! You think my precise, angel son might have AIDS! I know for a fact my son wouldn't have it because he isn't gay, and he is 100% virgin!" the mother practically screamed at Thomas. Thomas looked at the son as he saw him looking away with a saddened and guilty look. "Ma'am, have you actually asked your son, or has he even told you?" Thomas said trying to calm the mother as well as calm her. "W-Well! I-I! Tell him Matthew! You're not a faggot, right my child! Tell this man you are a virgin and not a stupid faggot!" she said with hope and worry hinted in his voice. Matthew looked away even more as tears pricked his eyes. He quietly sobbed as he refused to 'look' at his mother. Her smile dropped as rage took over. "You are one of those filthy faggots aren't you, huh. And to think you were my son." she said softly with rage as she left. Thomas watched the mother leave before looking over to the crying male. He walked over and patted his back softly. It had been what felt like 30 minutes before Matthew stood up carefully and 'looked' at Thomas's general direction. "I-I know this m-my s-sound strange b-but could you please p-preform the t-test?" He asked with shakiness to his voice. "Y-yeah" Thomas said nicely as he escorted the young boy to the testing room.

Matthew took the test before being escorted back to the office. As Thomas checked the tests, they all came out positive. Thomas felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he walked back to the office. As he walked in, he noticed Matthew look up. Those glossed over ocean blue eyes caused him to feel tears prick his black eyes. "I-I'm sorry but the results came o-out p-p-positive..." Thomas said trying his hardest to keep his composure. Matthew looked down as tears started hitting the ground. He thanked, Thomas as he tried to leave but Thomas stopped him. "I-I'm sorry sir but you have to stay here..." Thomas started as he set Matthew back in the chair. He ordered that a hospital bed in the PT rooms be made and set up for Matthew. As that was being done, Thomas tried to comfort Matthew. Matthew, though, wouldn't stop crying for his mother. His silent sobs for his mother made Thomas feel more and more guilty of ever choosing this job.

After Matthew was checked into his hospital room, Thomas took off from work though. That didn't mean that Thomas stopped seeing Matthew though. Every day since the diagnosis, Thomas would take the duty of taking care of Matthew. Thomas told others that it was because all the female nurses refused to go and take care of Matthew. Sometimes he said the male and female nurses were just too busy with others. Nobody believed Thomas's lies though. Who could when it was obvious that Thomas was comforting the young boy? Matthew was blind, alone, gay (which was uncommon and disgraceful where Thomas lived) and he had AIDS. No one wanted to be around him. So, Thomas took up the role to spend time with Matthew as well as take care of him. From 9-5 Thomas took care of Matthew. He never would leave the room unless he was told to do so. Thomas would even go as far as to take up over time so he could spend time with the lovely ginger. Sadly, this all came to an end when Matthew showed signs of his decreasing health. This made Thomas sad and anger. Why? Thomas let himself become attached and now was about to witness his best- close companion die. Thomas continued coming to see Matthew everyday though, even if it was heart breaking to see Matthew's health become steadily worse by the minute.

Soon came the day that it was obvious that Matthew's time had come. He looked skinny with his bones being noticeable, his dark eye bags made him look dead, his slowing heartbeat, his dying organs, even his luscious skin became paler then a ghost's. Thomas almost busted into tears at the realization of the condition of Matthew. Thomas came in as usual but with slow movements. He refused to leave Matthew's side the entire day. Soon, Matthew's time was coming close to up and death was coming near. As Thomas started straitening up to room and setting a clipboard on the table so he could writ e the time and date of Matthew's death, Matthew whispered quietly in a soft, angelic voice. "Can you stay...please?" Matthew asked looking towards Thomas. Thomas felt tears run down his face as he walked over to Matthew's side. He softly grabbed Matthew's hand and rubbed his knuckles comfortingly. "It's okay son. It will all be over soon." Thomas said as he shut off the beeper. He cried softly as he smiled as Matthew tried to talk to Thomas like old times. As Matthew talked, Thomas answered him and called him son so he would feel like he was with his family for his last moments. Matthew's grip got weaker and weaker as his raspy voice got softer and softer. Matthew softly whispered out, "Thank you Tom..." as his eyes closed softly. Then, like a flash, Matthew was gone. Thomas looked down at Matthew softly. "Matthew?" Thomas called hoping his best friend wasn't dead yet. "Come on buddy wake up. Please. Don't leave me here. Wake up." Thomas said with a sob as tears ran down his face and onto Matthew's lifeless body.

Thomas weakly looked up and tried to read the time through his blurry vision. "8:48 pm." Thomas said softly. He let go of Matthew's hand as he stood up. Matthew's hand fell limp to his side as Thomas wrote down a time and softly walked to door as if he was trying not to wake Matthew up. As he was about to open the door, he paused at Matthew's lifeless body. He looked peaceful like an angel. "By Matt. See you around." Thomas said as if Matthew as still there. He walked out the room and told a nurse of Matthew's death. As soon as the nurse left, Thomas slide down the wall next to the room and cried softly. Tord and Edward happened to be walking by as this scene played. Tord left, but Edward walked to Thomas and comforted him. Thomas curled up to Edward as he cried into his shoulder. Thought the moment didn't last as Edward was still on the clock and Thomas was supposed to be clocking out. As Thomas walked to the faculty room, he noticed all the other poor souls who had caught the deadly disease that killed his best friend. All he could imagine was Matthew. Thomas soon clocked out and left a small note of notice of his departure of the business. He walked out the building as he headed home.

The End

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Oh, my lord. I am crying and I literally never want to write something as depressing as this ever again. I know I will end up doing it again though. Well I hope you enjoy reading this and I hope you have an amazing day/evening/night!

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Time taken: 2 days (because of writer block)

Word count: 2056

Author's rating: 4/5

Acknowledgements: @DamagedEcho helped when I was writer's blocked.

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