His Decision

After Preston exited the room, a deep and stifling silence fell over those who were left behind.

Lance did not know whether he should console his friend who was just threatened or curse his elder brother who would not even show kindness to a patient.

Therefore, he chose to remain silent just as the other two men standing in this room with him.

Boston's mind was spinning with all of the startling information he had just received whereas Jacob, their reticent friend, simply stared in the direction of the patient in bed.

"We are here if you ever want to talk about it." His low voice rose in the hospital room, attracting the attention of those around him.

Boston and Lance were surprised to find that it was Jacob, the very man who disliked talking more than what was necessary, who was now extending his support through this method.

However, they too hurriedly nodded their heads, indicating that they would do the same.

Aaron's mind had been fixated on the words that Doctor Preston had said before leaving.

Therefore, hearing his friends offering their help and discovering that it was Jacob who had taken the initiative, his throat felt choked.

He knew that even speaking a single word right now would destroy the dam of emotions that he was doing his best to hold in right now.

Thus he lowered his head and nodded slowly, gesturing that he would keep their words in mind.

Noticing his afflicted state of mind, Boston gently patted his shoulder as he was closest to the hospital bed.

Thankfully, it was the other shoulder that had not been under the vice grip of Doctor Preston so Aaron did not mind his actions.

"We'll talk in the morning. You should rest now." The man patting the patient's shoulder suggested and gained a second nod.

Under their watch, Aaron reclined on his bed and turned his head away to avoid their gazes.

The three friends did not wish to make things difficult for him so they took a step away and decided to leave him alone for the moment.

Thus the patient was left inside with his thoughts while the three friends made their way out of the hospital room one after another.

The ambiance in the corridor outside had gotten worse once these three men assembled next to the same window they had been peeking from earlier.

"I hate to say this but my elder brother is right," Lance spoke in a tone that did not reflect his usual playful attitude.

Preston's method could have been questionable but everything he had said was undeniable and made sense to him.

Therefore, Boston and Jacob nodded in acceptance upon hearing what their other friend had to say.

Lance was terribly frightened of his elder brother who was nothing but a big bully when they were younger.

However, Preston was a big brother figure not just to him but also to the boys he was closest to.

Therefore, he never would have acted this way if he did not have a valid reason for everything that he had done.

No matter how much Lance disliked his elder brother who always found ways to bully him even now, he still trusted what Preston had said.

"I hope this helps Aaron realize that he's still living in the past…" Boston chimed in with a sigh as he too found it difficult to watch his friend ruining his health in this way.

In the past, this group of friends had envied Aaron who had found the love of his life and was able to even gain the approval of their families.

However, what was the use of it all when his soon-to-be bride had chosen to end things only a few weeks before their wedding and even fled the country as though she was avoiding the plague?

Aaron had thought that everything was moving in the right direction but when he was at the happiest moments of his life, he was shaken out of his illusion.

She left him without any proper explanation and until now, he was unable to cope with the tragedy that struck him.

Their group of friends had been understanding all along but they could no longer watch him ruining his life, especially for someone who did not care for him one bit.

She not only left him after blindsiding him with her abrupt break-up but also found someone else to love.

However, their friend was still stuck in the past, hoping for her return and waiting for her with his arms open wide to welcome her into his life once again.

This was what had always irked them about their friend who became a lovesick fool when it came to this woman.

"But everything depends on him." Jacob muttered as he stared out of the window.

No matter how they felt or what Brother Preston had to say, nothing would change if Aaron did not have the willpower to change.

It all boiled down to his determination, whether he wished to continue dwelling in the past and find himself on a path with no return or if he would choose to let go of the past and move ahead with his life.

Either decision was his to make and there was nothing they could do if he chose the wrong path for himself.

Hearing Jacob's simple but extremely meaningful words, Boston and Lance both let out sighs as this truly was not their decision to make.

The three men then fell silent as they wondered which path their friend would choose.

__

Inside the hospital room, Aaron's eyes were fixed on the door outside which his three friends stood discussing something related to him.

Though he was weak, he still could hear the faint voices which now sounded like whispers to him.

His eyes felt heated as he averted his gaze which now landed on his hand that had IV needles stuck to it.

The voices of his friends outside and the words Doctor Preston used to threaten him once again resounded in his head.

On one hand, he had the precious memories he had of the one he loved, and on the other hand, the worried faces of his friends who stared at him with blame in their eyes reflected in his mind.

He knew what the right thing to do was but he could not bring his heart to do so.

However, when he thought of all of the people he was letting down with his reckless actions, Aaron's chest felt heavy and suffocated.

The memories he held precious were both his poison and his antidote as they gave him both pain and joy.

She and every memory related to her was addictive to the point that he did not go a single day without thinking about her.

This love made it impossible for him to ever let her go.

Nevertheless, his love for her did not nullify the truth that she left him even though there was nothing he had done wrong.

His love which had not diminished was what was causing him this massive heartache.

However, he was the one who was causing his friends and family to be worried for his sake.

He had been so engrossed in his pain all along that he was never able to comprehend that he was also inflicting pain on his close ones with his actions of self-harm.

Therefore, now laying in bed and wiping the hot tears that slid past his cheeks, Aaron had finally made up his mind on what to do next.

Just as Jacob had said, he needed to be the one to make this decision and stand by it.

No matter how much it was hurting him right now, Aaron was determined to not waver now that he had decided the path he would walk on from this moment forward.