PENALTY by Annika Sturm (best contemporary novels TXT) 📕

in Alex’s face. He took a deep breath and Alex noticed the sadness in his eyes, 'I'm fine,' Alex said smiling, 'don't you dare worry about me right now. I know what you're like!' He laughed at Tom, who tried to smile as well.

Doctor Schwarz touched Alex’s shoulder again. 'Mr Hanisch, please.' He said quietly. Alex looked at him briefly and nodded. He turned back to Tom. 'I must let you sleep now,' he explained gently, 'but I'm only in another room. Waiting for you to wake up again,' Tom looked at him, 'and as soon as you're awake I'll come back to see you. Okay?', Alex kissed his hand. Tom made an effort to nod and smile, 'I love you very much.' Alex whispered quietly and carefully kissed Tom's lips. Tom squeezed Alex’s hand again. 'Me too.' He mouthed at him. He hardly had any energy left and Alex beamed at him gratefully, stroking his cheeks. 'That's lucky,' Alex smiled cheekily and winked at him, 'sleep now Tommy.' He whispered into his ear and pressed his nose into his hair. Tom took a deep breath as he closed his heavy eyes and Alex watched him fall asleep. He felt scared and lonely again for a moment. 'He will be alright Mr Hanisch.' Doctor Schwarz said quietly and Alex nodded and sighed. Then he carefully got up and followed them out of the room.

'How is he?' Felix asked Alex with concern in his voice as he was leaning against the wall opposite Tom's room. Kai had jumped up from a chair as soon as Alex appeared. Alex buried his hands in his trouser pockets and looked at them both. 'He was conscious for a little while and could hear me. He's asleep again now.' Felix nodded. 'How bad is it?' Kai asked. 'He's been beaten up and stabbed, what do you think?' Alex couldn't help snap at Kai, who was getting angry. 'Wow, you have a nerve to...' 'Stop it. Both of you,' Felix intervened, 'we should all be grateful he's still alive.' He said and sat down.

'Mr Hanisch?', two police officers had approached the boys, 'we can appreciate it's late and you are probably still in shock. But do you have a few minutes for us?' Alex stared at them. 'Sure.' He said quietly and nodded. Before he was about to follow them, Felix grabbed his arm and looked at him. 'Alex, Tom's parents and Marco are on their way here. Just so you know.' Alex nodded and gulped. 'Will you stay here?' Felix took a deep breath. 'Of course.' Alex hugged him carefully. He was still in agony. 'Thank you,' he smiled at him. Then he turned to Kai, 'I'm sorry man. I didn't mean to snap.' Kai sighed. 'We're all exhausted. Don't worry about it. Let's make sure the police catch those fucking animals.' Alex nodded and gave him a thumbs up before he slowly followed the police officers.

They interviewed Alex for about half an hour, asking him questions and details about the sequence of events and the four men. He told them everything he remembered and tried to describe the men as accurately as possible. He shivered thinking about it again. It all felt so surreal, he still couldn't quite believe what had happened. 'Would you recognise them Mr Hanisch?' Alex stared at them. 'I will never forget those faces. Please find them. I will do anything to assist you.' The police officers explained that they would make a statement to the press that night and would ask the public for help in finding the attackers. Alex dreaded the attention of the press again, the reactions of the fans, the interviews he'd have to give and suffer through. He wondered how the media would react to this attack. All he could hope for was for people to realise how wrong all this was.

By the time they had finished the interview it was almost 3 o'clock in the morning. Alex was about to ask the nurses if he could sleep for a couple of hours when he spotted Tom's parents and Marco speaking to Felix and Kai in the corridor outside Tom's room. His mother was in tears and kept wiping her eyes with a tissue. His father and Marco looked pale and concerned as they listened to Felix explaining what had happened. His brother was the first to notice Alex staring at them from a distance. Marco was frozen on the spot, his face expressionless and exhausted. Alex decided to ignore him, he felt too traumatised to have an argument.

As he slowly approached Tom's family and the boys, he took a deep breath. He was trying to move as carefully as possible, biting his tongue to hide the pain he was in. 'Did you manage to see him?' He asked them hesitantly once he had reached them. His mother started crying again. 'He was asleep, we couldn't even talk to him,' Marco's eyes filled with tears of anger, 'he's been butchered man,' he shouted looking at Alex, 'I wish it had been you instead.' He added more quietly. Alex cast his eyes down and tried to remain calm despite the hurtful comment. He cleared his voice. 'The doctors have assured us that he is over the worst now and that he will recover,' he gulped, 'it will just take time.' 'This is all your fault,' Marco hissed at him, 'if he had just listened to me and left you to rot outside mum and dad's house the other day, he wouldn't be fighting for his life right now!' Alex shook his head tiredly. 'Marco, the story would have still been published and he may still have been attacked,' he felt intimidated looking at their hostile faces, 'but I can of course understand your anger and worry.' 'Marco,' Felix said gently, 'Alex saved his life. Do you realise this?' Marco stared at him in tears. 'I know he did. I know.' He whispered and cast his eyes down. 'Saved his life?', his mother shouted, 'if you hadn't lured my son into this sinful existence, none of this would have ever happened!' She spat through her teeth. 'You should be ashamed of yourself.' His father added and hugged Tom's mum, who broke down in tears again.

Alex thought of their first ever night together in Hamburg. The evening Tom had finally dared to make the first move. Alex’s heart racing at his touch and kiss. The taste of his lips and the magic they had both felt with each other that night. He almost smiled thinking about it. It seemed like a lifetime ago at that moment. He looked at Tom's parents again. How would they react if he told them that it was Tom who seduced him in the first place. 'No point bringing that one up.' He thought to himself.

'I really hope one day you'll be able to understand,' he said eventually, 'how we feel for each other. How special this really is,' Alex hesitated, 'and how much I love your son,' the family stared at him, 'but I appreciate it's perhaps a little too early for that yet.' He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. 'You are nothing but scum,' Tom's father said angrily, 'leaving a wife and child to run off with a man! We don't want you anywhere near Tom, do you not understand that?' 'Dad,' Marco said suddenly and put his arm around him, 'let's get a coffee somewhere, come on.' Alex, Felix and Kai exchanged a look.

'Do you believe in God?' Mr Stiller asked the boys after a long pause. Felix was the first to react and laughed out loud in despair. 'No, as a matter of fact I don't.' 'I do.' Kai said quietly looking at Tom's father. 'Then you will know and believe in his word. The holy bible,' Mr Stiller said. Alex just wanted to run away from this whole conversation. Kai looked at Tom's father with questioning eyes, 'a man shall not lie with another man.' Mr Stiller said and gave Alex an angry look. Felix and Alex shook their heads. 'Oh that bit.' Kai said and waved his hand in the air as if he was playing down the importance. 'Yes. That bit.' Tom's father was fuming. Kai looked at him with gentle eyes. 'It also says one should get killed for eating shellfish and working on a Sunday,' he paused as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, 'I assume you support the death penalty for those sorts of devilish acts too?' Alex nearly choked. Mr Stiller was only getting angrier provoked by Kai's words. 'It is a deadly sin!', he shouted at him, 'Tom will go to hell for it if we don't stop it and make him repent.' 'Dad,' Marco started pulling him away from the boys, 'come on, let's not get into this.' 'What a lot of nonsense,' Kai shook his head, 'you see, the God I believe in isn't as petty and pathetic as your God. My God is all about love and kindness. And he doesn't give a shit about gender.' Felix nodded in agreement. 'Your son is in love with someone who worships the ground he walks on. Alex and Tom are the closest friends and soul mates I have ever met,' Felix looked at him sadly, 'what on earth could be so wrong about their relationship?', he paused, 'you will lose Tom if you don't at least try to accept it.' Tom's father took a deep breath and stared at the boys with angry eyes. 'We shall see about that.' He finally said and Marco led him away without saying another word.

Felix exhaled deeply and shook his head. Alex hugged both boys tightly. 'Oh man,' Kai laughed out loud, Alex and Felix looked at him in surprise, 'seriously. You wouldn't believe any of this if anyone told you, would you?' The boys chuckled quietly together. 'Come on, you need some rest as well now Alex. Let's put you to bed for a couple of hours.' Felix said and supported him, slowly taking him to the room he was treated in earlier. 'I'll head home,' Kai said and yawned, 'I'll check back on him tomorrow. Get some rest Alex.' Felix and Alex waved and continued to walk towards Alex’s hospital room.

Alex sighed with relief and pure exhaustion as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Felix smiled at him and brushed over his hair. 'Come on, I'll help you take your jumper off but the rest you're going to have to do yourself,' Alex laughed quietly but the pain hit him again. Felix carefully took Alex’s jumper and T-Shirt off. He pulled a face when he saw his injuries again, 'nasty.' He mumbled. Alex checked his upper body. 'Nothing compared to what they did to Tommy.' Felix looked at him. 'You're a hero Alex,' Alex laughed out loud and shook his head. Felix smiled at him gently, 'you saved his life. Don't ever forget that.' Alex took a deep breath and he started feeling sad again. 'But in the end I couldn't protect him from getting stabbed,' he gulped, 'you know, when they started hassling us I shouted at him to run away. Twice! I wish he had just listened.' Alex shook his head in agony. Felix sat down next to him. He put one arm around his shoulder. 'Would you have run?', he asked him gently. Alex stared at him, 'would you have run away and left him Alex?', Alex hesitated. Then he shook his head. Felix smiled at him and nodded, 'see,' he hugged him carefully, 'sleep now. I'll head home as well but I'll come back again tomorrow too. Give me a shout obviously if you need anything.' Alex looked at him with grateful eyes and watched him leave the room. He exhaled deeply and let himself fall back