Alice

a fathers worst nightmare [massive tw]

the same trigger warnings as the last one, especially sh.

August's POV.

I can hear Mikey crying through the door. It would be weird for me to just walk into the bathroom while he's in there, even if he is just crying. I sit with my back against the door. Lonny is sitting on his bed, looking at his laptop. 

"You alright? You kind of dramatically slid down the door, there." he says. 

"Yeah, I just..." I stand up and walk over to him. "I can hear Mikey crying in there and I just want to comfort him but I don't know how to and with everything that happened I just want to make sure he's okay." I say.

"Everything that happened?" Lonny asks. Shit, he doesn't know about Mikey's situation. 

"His dad kicking him out? That the whole reason he's staying with Spencer." I tell him, remembering what I've heard Mikey tell some other people before. 

"Oh shit, really? How long has he been staying with Spencer for?" he asks.

"About two months before the tour, I think. His bio-dad was an awful person. He's still hiding from him, that's why Mikey is basically never by himself." I say. 

"I can't imagine half the shit that kid's gone through. I'm sure Andy knows most of it, I haven't seen him be that protective of a kid since he met you." Lonny says. My dad treats Mikey pretty similarly to how he treated me when I first met him. 

I hear the bathroom door lock loudly and walk back over. I can hear Mikey hyperventilating and pacing back and forth across the room. I hear the sink running for a moment followed by the sound of paper unwrapping. 

Paper unwrapping? I try to think what could make that sound in the bathroom. Lonny asks me something that I don't hear. My heart sinks to the floor as I remember the single-blade razor and extra razor blades in that bathroom.

I stand up quickly and try to open the door. The handle doesn't even move in my hands. "Mikey? Mikey are you okay?" I ask. No response, he's crying and breathing too loudly for him to hear me. 

"Everything okay over there?" Lonny asks. I shake the door handle harder, my mind immediately going to what I would've used those for if I locked myself in a room with razor blades.

"No, no it isn't!" I say, trying and failing to not panic. Lonny comes over and takes my hand away from the handle. There's silence for a moment, that's the last thing I wanted to hear right now. I hear a small clattering sound, like a small piece of metal against tile.

Lonny's expression changes quickly as he get the master key that they gave him for the bathroom. "Mikey? Mikey please open the door." I say, shaking the handle again, knowing it will do nothing.

Lonny runs back over and unlocks the door. He opens it and I'm met with the worst thing I could've imagined. 

Andy's POV.

I sit on my phone, scrolling mindlessly through social media when I hear August scream in the room next door, followed by Lonny yelling. I get up and immediately run to the door of their room. 

I knock on the door and Lonny answers it quickly. He has blood on his hands. 

Oh God no.

"Andy, holy shit you have to call someone, 911 anyone. It's Mikey he's--" 

"Let me through." I say, pushing past him and seeing the bathroom door wide open. I run over and see August kneeling by the bathtub, holding a rag over Mikey's arm.

"you'll be okay, you'll be okay, I promise. Please. You'll be fine, you'll be fine." August is mumbling.

Mikey is slumped over in the tub in what looks like boxers and a chest binder. He has the words "whore" and "toy" carved into his leg and arm, deeply. There's a pool of blood beneath him, and blood is still pouring from the words carved into his skin. 

Thin lines of red trailing down into any crease or pool they can find. Thicker lines opening up in the middle and connecting in places. 

"Dad, please help him, it won't stop bleeding." August says through tears. I take another clean rag and slowly remove the towel that August was holding. I see the word "doll" carved into his arm, the last two lines directly over his wrist. its deeper than the others, you can almost see the layers separate.

I press the clean rag against his arm and hold it up so its above his heart. "August give me a phone. Don't let Lonny call anyone." I say, trying to keep composure. I know people in this town, I have more than a few doctors who owe me favors. Big favors.

My heart feels like it's about to beat out of my chest, and it takes everything in me not to break down crying. I've barely known this kid a few weeks and already he's like my nephew.  I have to stay strong for August right now.

"Who are you calling?" she asks, handing me my phone.

"First the hospital directly, then Spencer." 

🦋🦋🦋

Spencer's POV.

Justin, Patrick, and I are sitting at the table, eating our food, when my phone rings. I pick it up and see Andy's name. Why is he calling me?

"Hold on, I should probably take this one. Yo yo, what's up Andy, you're on speaker." 

"Michael is in the hospital." Andy says seriously. My heart starts racing. Is he hurt? Clearly he's hurt but how badly? what if he's dead, god please don't be dead.

"What? What the fuck happened?" Justin asks immediately.

"It's a lot to explain. If you guys are on speaker in public, I don't want to say it. Just come to hospital. It's okay, I know people here." Andy says.

The thought of Mikey being taken away didn't even pass my mind until he said that. I have a kid that I can never take to a doctor, or a hospital, or an ER, or call an ambulance for. If he gets hurt, I can't help properly.

"Which hospital?" I ask. Andy says the name and I stand up immediately. I grab my things and run out the door. We all pile into the small minivan that Shea brought along and go to the hospital as quickly as we can.

When we get to the hospital, Patrick is the first one to the front desk. "We're here for Michael," he says. 

"Michael Charnas, he's my son, please." I say, not far behind Patrick. The lady at the front desk's eyes go wide. My heart skips a beat, and I'm hoping that Andy knew what he was doing bringing Mikey to a hospital. 

"Yes sir, right this way. Unfortunately its restricted visitation right now," she says, standing up from behind the desk and telling Patrick and Justin they can't follow.

As I follow the nurse down the hall, we turn into an empty hallway. "Some of the staff working on your son have been informed of your situation, at least partially. You two are damn lucky Andrew was here, and that we owe him massive favors," she says.

"Honestly, even if I knew he would've been taken away, I just care if he's alive. Please tell me he's alive," I say.

Her expression changes to one of genuine concern and pity. I hate being pitied. "He is alive, I know that much," she says, walking down another hallway. I follow her until she turns into a room.

"It may not be best for you to see your son in this condition," she says. 

"What do you mean?"

"We have a team of people trying to close up multiple very deep wounds, and he's getting a double blood transfusion. Don't worry, it is a universal donor," she says. I see Andy and August not far down the hall. 

"August, hey kid, are you okay?" I say, walking over to them. August looks up at me, visibly shaken. 

"I'm sorry spencer, I heard him crying but the the door was locked and I didn't know what to do and I then heard the- heard the-" she starts to choke on her words. She stands up as she tries to explain and I just wrap my arms around her in a hug.

"its okay. You're okay, he'll be okay."