Skips A Beat ::Wattys2016::

Chapter 19

I wake up to a loud thud. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter before opening them up. I'm still at the hospital, leaning against the window I had just been looking out. My neck hurts slightly, but I ignore it.

"Kitten, what was that?" I ask sleepily, assuming that it was another patient or a doctor out in the hallway. A gagging noise coming from inside the room slaps me awake. "Michael?" I say, jumping up and flicking on the lights. I look over at his bed, expecting to see him there, but he isn't. My eyes travel to the floor, going wide in shock. Michael is flat on his back. He gags as the blood flowing from his nose runs down his throat. I quickly rush to his side, propping him up against my chest. He coughs, sputtering blood across the sheets hanging down from the bed. His back is wet when I touch it. I shudder. Sweat is so gross, including my own.

"Let's get you cleaned up." I say softly. There's something eerie about the way he's leaning against me. It's like he can't support himself. I pull the shirt he's wearing over his head, tossing it to the ground before realizing that I probably should have gotten him a new shirt before taking that one off. He shivers, slumping down. "Here, hold on." I quickly take my pullover off, leaving me in just a tank top.

There's something in Michael's eyes as I turn him around to face me. It's almost like embarrassment. I stick his head through the hole, dressing him like you would a toddler. I have a feeling that I'm going to have a toddler as a boyfriend towards the end. I take the already bloody sheets and wipe his mouth for him. I kiss his forehead.

"I'm getting a nurse." I start, and Michael pulls a pained face before coughing again. His hand snaps up to the middle of his chest. I cover his hand with my own. "Does it hurt?" I ask. He nods. "We'll get you some pain medication. Stay right here." I kiss his forehead again, before standing up.

Michael's room is in the middle of the hallway. I have to push open a set of doors to get to the nurses' station at the end of the hall. I'm starting to panic, like normal. I have no clue what's going on in that room because I'm not there. I skid to a stop in front of the giant desk.

"Joy!" I say louder than intended. She shushes me, looking up. The instant she see's my scared expression, she gets up. "He's coughing blood again," I say quickly, following her as she scurries down the hall. "I know that it's normal, but he-."

"Luke, honey. I'm sure he's okay." Joy says, opening the door to Michael's room. "Hi, Mikey. Good morning." she heads straight over to him. Good morning? I glance over at the clock. 5 in the morning. She takes her time, helping him up and into the bed. I stay at the door, much like I did the first time he was in this room, when I was too scared to actually go in to the room. I watch as she asks him questions. He tells her everything that hurts, which is...everything. He points it all out with his finger. His mouth is open slightly, probably from the pain.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, what is it?" She asks, taking an estimate of the total pain. Michael closes his eyes, holding up nine fingers. "9? Are you sure it's just a 9?" She asks. He nods. "I'm going to hook you back up to the IV for today, sweetheart. You know that if there's any discomfort to tell someone."

Michael nods, and Joy lets him lay back. I wait for her to put in the IV for the medication. She pats his head before leaving us alone, telling me he's a tough cookie if it was a 9. Either tough, or insane. Michael stays with his eyes closed for so long that I think he's fallen back asleep. He's breathtaking. His collar bone shows from under my pullover.

"You're creeping me out." He mumbles. I jump, startled.

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking." I say, shutting the door and heading over to him.

"What about?" He questions, cracking his eyes open. I lay down beside him, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I stare down at his side, tracing the print there. When we were at the church... I was wearing this shirt. Not for long, but I was. He wore it afterwards. "Lukey?"