Pain - A TommyInnit Angst

Chapter 17

(A/N: This chapter is kinda graphic, so check the trigger warnings in the beginning of the book to make sure you're okay to read - if you're not, then that's completely fine, you can skip this chapter, you'll work out what happened. We've almost hit 300 reads which is so so cool, thank you all so much! If you could leave a vote that would be amazing <3)

Wilbur became increasingly worried about Tommy over the next couple of days. He spent all day in his room, and Wilbur had to practically carry him downstairs for mealtimes. He had also noticed an unnerving pattern of Tommy always rushing to the bathroom after meals. He didn't appear to be putting on weight anymore; all of this gave Wilbur a horrible suspicion that he was purging after meals. But whenever he tried to talk to the boy about this, Tommy avoided the subject and said that he was tired and wanted to sleep.

Wilbur knew that the news about Tommy having to testify would hit him hard, but he hadn't anticipated that it would completely impair his ability to function properly. He was stuck, completely unsure of what he should do in this situation, especially considering the court case was only two months away. He considered taking Tommy back to the hospital, but he didn't want to break the boy's trust.

Sighing, he headed upstairs and into Tommy's room, where he turned the lights on, expecting to see him lying in his bed, asleep. But the bed was empty. Where was he?

Wilbur looked at Tommy's bathroom door. It was closed. He tried the doorknob, but the it was locked so he began hammering on the door.

'Toms? You in there?'

No response.

'Tommy? For fuck's sake, please let me in.'

No response.

'Tommy? TOMMY?'

No response.

Panic overtook Wilbur and he stopped pounding on the door for a second. He could hear water running. His heart dropped to his stomach. Without hesitating, he whipped his phone out of his pocket and called 999.

'Please, I n-need an- an ambulance, please come quickly. My b-brother... I think he's... I think he's k-killed himself. I can't get in, p-please help.'

He shakily gave the dispatcher his address, and stared helplessly at the locked door. He had to get in somehow. Running to his room, he grabbed a chair and lifted it up, slamming it against the door.

Nothing happened.

Sobbing in frustration, he began continuously smashing the chair into the door until, at last, it swung open. He dropped the chair and rushed into the room.

What he saw was his worst nightmare.

Pink water was spilling out of the bath onto the floor. Tommy laid limp, his eyes closed in what was quite literally a blood bath. Wilbur let out a cry of anguish and ran towards the boy, pulling the plug out of the bath and grabbing Tommy's wrists, pulling them out of the cloudy red water and desperately looping bandages around them. Anything to stop the bleeding.

He couldn't breathe.

Where was the ambulance?

Why were they taking so long?

Did they not know his brother was dying?

What if he was already dead?

Wilbur was hyperventilating, cradling Tommy's head in his arms and screaming at him, begging him to wake up. He finally came to his senses and placed his hand on Tommy's neck, letting out a sob of relief when he felt a pulse. It was faint, but it was there.

He continued weeping, trying to talk to the boy as much as possible, telling him how much he loved him and how strong he was.

He couldn't breathe.

At last, the sound of sirens could be heard approaching the house and Wilbur lifted Tommy out of the now-empty bath as gently as possible, carrying him downstairs to meet the paramedics.

'H-he has a pulse, he's still alive.' He told them shakily as they placed the limp boy on a stretcher. He quickly climbed into the back of the ambulances and, for the first time in his life, closed his eyes and began to pray.

How had he let this happen?

How hadn't he seen the signs?

An overwhelming thought swept over Wilbur as he sat in the back of the ambulance, the deafening sounds of the sirens filling his ears, staring at Tommy's unmoving body as the paramedics worked on him.

He had failed Tommy. He had fucking failed him.