As Close As Strangers

Twenty

"Michael." His name was all I could say.

"I'll go get Luke." Ashton said.

"Ella, okay. Here sit down. You don't look so good." Calum told me.

Within minutes, I was up again as Luke walked out of the room.

"Luke." I said.

"Hi." He greeted me.

"Luke, what happened?" I asked.

"He's banged up pretty bad." Luke said.

My eyes began to water as Luke sat me down.

"He was driving and he just didn't see the other car. So he swerved off the rode. The car. It, um, tumbled a bit and his head the windshield. He's been out ever since." Luke explained.

"Oh my god." I cried.

Luke pulled me into a hug as I cried into his shoulder. Michael was hurt. He was hurt really badly and I couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Can I go in and see him?" I asked.

"Yeah, you can go in. We'll be right outside if you need us." Luke smiled.

I walked past the three nervous boys and into the room. I was taken back by the sight of him. Of all the years I had known Michael, I had never seen him so banged up.

I walked towards the bed slowly. There was a bandage above his eyebrow. He was covered in bruises. I pulled a chair over to his bed and grabbed his hand.

"Michael," I said. "I know you can't hear me. But I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I just feel like this is all my fault. You wouldn't have been alone if I was with you. I should have been with you. God, I'm just so sorry."

Michael

Ella. She was here. She was talking to me. She was crying. "Don't blame yourself." I wanted to scream. This wasn't her fault. It wasn't Luke's fault. It was my fault. Everything was my fault.

I had to do something. I had to let her know that I was gonna be okay. My hand. She was holding my hand. I had to let her know I was alright.

Ella

I was about to get up and leave the room when it happened. He squeezed my hand. Michael squeezed my hand.

"Luke!" I screamed.

He and the other two burst into the room seconds later.

"What? What's wrong? What happened?" He asked.

"My hand!" I said.

"Your hand?" Calum questioned.

"He squeezed my hand. I was holding his hand and he squeezed it back!" I exclaimed.

"Oh my god." Luke smiled.

Somehow he managed to give us a a sign. Michael was a fighter and we knew he would fight his way through this.

Authors note

Yay, Michael is gonna be okay :)