CherrySeries #1: Bad For My Health [MxM]

3| Wiggling Toes

The lights are too bright when I first open my eyes. So I close them back and attempt to open them more slowly.

"You're awake," says a nurse. "Hey there!" She smiles radiantly at me.

Everything hurts and I feel like I can't move. The nurse holds a bucket right in front of me and immediately I look at it, I puke my guts out.

My energy is completely spent by the time I lie back down, staring at the ceiling, but mostly trying to get my strength back.

I'm in a hospital. I finally realize. No wonder there was a nurse holding a bucket in front of me.

Then I notice the other person in the room. My head threatens to split open but I recognize him. And her.

Erik is right next to Penelope looking like he's spent a day in hell. After the nurse checks up on me, she steps out for a while.

"How could you?" Penelope asks me. Erik is just quiet right next to her. I can't mistake the tears in her eyes.

I try to remember, but everything is coming back to me in bits and pieces.

Just keeping my eyes open is painful enough. My entire body hurts. Everything is bleak, so much that I don't really understand what she is trying to ask.

It finally hits me, at the same time that Erik speaks. "I told you to wait for me and I'd come get you," he sounds frustrated. "Why couldn't you just listen?"

"I'm sorry," I immediately say, but I don't really mean it, even if I feel guilty. "How bad was–"

"You almost bled to death, Aidan," he cuts me off.

"The doctor will be with you shortly," the short nurse from earlier says before she checks a few things.

"That video you made..." Penelope starts.

"What video?" I ask.

"You still don't remember?"

"Well, you did make a video, but we'll talk about it when you get better. It's easier that way," she says.

It makes me really wonder what I did. I notice Erik looking worriedly at me.

I wonder why he does. I get it, he doesn't have to pretend I'm that important to him. "You don't have to..."

"I know what you want to say, don't say it. Because it's simply not true."

Just then, someone comes in as I notice from my peripheral.

"Hello sleepy head, good to see you're finally awake," he says.

My eyes locate the source of the voice in a heartbeat. He holds a clipboard. And as he walks towards me, I notice how his built frame fills out his scrubs perfectly.

I start to feel weird, but before I can ponder over it longer, he is suddenly rushing by my side.

"His vitals are unstable! Heartbeat is abnormally fast. Aidan, can you hear me?"

I can hear him loud and clear. It's his fault my mouth can't move and everything feels so hot.

I try to focus on his face for the longest time but my eyes seem to have an agenda of their own, they start to give out.

Until I see nothing.

•••

The next time I wake up, my eyes are groggy while my mind tries to recollect how and why and where I am.

I vaguely remember speaking to Erik and then next thing I know...

My thoughts pause as my heart literally skips a beat.

Who was he?

Your doctor you dimwit.

Yes, they said that but from what I know, doctors shouldn't look like that. It wasn't fair. I hadn't really focused on his eyes but I bet they were the type you could get lost in.

The way he held the clipboard, made me want to trade places with it.

No patients would be leaving the hospital if all doctors looked like that, honestly.

It's dark and since I'm awake and alone in my room, I'm hoping he walks in through the door.

I know I know, it's the old me speaking but I can't wait to see him again.

The pain forces me to push my thoughts at the back of my head because everything hurts.

From what I can guess, some things are broken and I can't move so well without it being painful. My leg is in a cast but I can wiggle my toes.

That should be good right? Relief washes over me, regardless. And then I start to understand what Erik was talking about.

I can't deny that he cares about me. So I try to put myself in his shoes. If the roles were reversed, I'd be really pissed, furious and freaking hurt.

Thankfully, I start to feel sleepy. The pain recedes just a little and before I know it, I'm asleep.

•••

I trust you guys to pretend that this is not a little bit unrealistic 😌

(I mean, I'm not really sure I got the dynamics right but that's where the pretending comes in alright?)