Who: Dale Allen & Open What: Getting some air Where: The streets of NY When: Backdated to Monday
He didn't have a set destination in mind once he excused himself from his mother's grasp, only that it had to be as far away from that waiting room as he could get. Dale promised that he wouldn't go far to 'stretch his legs', but he found himself walking past the bathrooms to the elevator. From there, he found himself pressing the button down to the lobby instead of the cafeteria. As he'd hoped, there was no visible trace of him left as he walked past the front desk and the security detail.
Once the building was a few blocks away, he made himself visible again. He was within running distance, so technically he was keeping his promise to Josie. Dale just needed a break, a break away from the know-nothing doctors and all of the crying. He couldn't be angry at Adrian for getting himself badly hurt, but he was, if only for how upset it was making everyone in their family. Even Dale fucking cried at the thought of losing his stepdad, and when that asshole got better he was going to have to answer for that.
Dale didn't want to call Toby, he had his own crap to deal with, and he didn't want to bother his uncles. By now they would be holding Josie together in his absence. He wondered what he should do in this situation, but all he wanted at that moment was to be away from it all. Away from the smell of too much bleach, some untraceable disinfectant smell and Lysol that made the hospital air seem thick, it felt like that entire building carried sick around with it. How could anyone get better in a place like that? The last thing he wanted to do was sit around and wait for a family member to die, but he felt anchored by his promise not to run away. So he stayed put.
Dale took a seat at the bus terminal, not intending to go anywhere but needed a seat, then pulled his earbuds out of his front pocket. He turned his iPod on and dialed up the music volume until it hurt, then set it back just a notch. Then waited, waited for his nerve to run off to get the better of him or a GUARDIAN agent was sent out to retrieve him; whichever came first.