Changing With The Tides (A TommyInnit Au)

Chapter Twenty Four: Hospitals and Guilt

It took seven minutes and twenty four seconds before the police arrived. Techno had counted. The officer dispatched took one look at the room and the mess of crying members and immediately called for backup. It took another twenty minutes for the new officers to arrive. Phil and Kristen left with Tommy for the hospital as soon as the first officer arrived, leaving Wilbur, Techno, and Purpled to speak with the backup officers. After much debate, the statements for the police would be made after Tommy was better, or in the worst possible scenario, after he died.

Wilbur was guilty. He felt awful. From what Purpled had said, Tommy had just sacrificed himself to save Wilbur and the rest of SBI, the very people who had ignored him for the entirety of his stay so far. All they had done was criticize him, talk behind his back, and envy him. Wilbur had actually given him a panic attack, and the boy still sacrificed himself. Wilbur didn't understand a lot of things, and only Tommy could answer his questions. Why hadn't the tranquilizer worked on Tommy? Why hadn't Tommy told them about his panic attacks? Why had he sacrificed himself for SBI? How had he known about the attack on the house? Since when was he friends with Purpled? How the fuck did he get a bracelet that would send out 75,000 volts of electricity, and why did he know how to use it? Where the fuck did the hologram come from? All these questions and more ran through Wilbur's head, but they remained unanswered. Purpled refused to talk about his and Tommy's friendship without Tommy, stating that he was uncomfortable talking about Tommy behind his back. A subtle, but dutifully noted hint that both Tommy and Purpled knew about Techno and Will's late night conversations, which only made Wilbur feel more guilty. Purpled had barely left Tommy's bedside at the hospital since he had arrived earlier that morning. The doctors had assured them that Tommy would wake up soon and that there were no fatal injuries, but Purpled had refused to leave all the same. It just showed how close Tommy and Purpled had become without anyone from SBI noticing. It was sad, really. Wilbur vowed to be a better friend and housemate to the blonde as soon as he was able to come back home.

Techno was also feeling guilty, though not in the same way as his brother. He was feeling guilty for not noticing the signs. From what Purpled had said at the house, Tommy had an eating disorder, as well as frequent panic attacks. How had he not noticed? How had he not been there for the blonde? And how had he never seen Purpled and Tommy together? He distinctly remembered his conversations with Wilbur about Tommy late at night, and about how much he envied the kid, but after seeing him take all those punches without a single wince, he realised this kid must have been through a lot. It had not gone unnoticed the way Tommy curled up into the best possible position to reduce the pain and chance of broken bones as he was punched and kicked by the attackers. Only someone who had been through some shit knew how to do that so instinctively. And what really got to Techno was the way the boy hesitated before he yelled to them to cover their eyes. There was no doubt in Techno's mind that Tommy had experienced the pain of a shock with large voltage such as that before, and it pained him to think about how the blonde was so willing to go through that hell again to save his friends. If you could even call them that. He hadn't said more than two words at a time to Tommy since their original conversation the first day he arrived, yet the boy was one hundred percent willing to inflict such pain on himself to save him. He didn't deserve to be saved, he deserved to be in the hospital bed right now, but instead, he was left staring at the young blonde who had saved his life.

It was a sad sight to see. Tommy was hooked up to many wires and tubes, and he looked pale and sickly, though it could have just been the lighting in the room. He was covered in bruises from the attackers, and he lay motionless on the white hospital bed. The only sound in the room was the dull beeps from the monitor next to the boy, the only sign that he was alive. Techno had hoped he wouldn't have to see the kid like that again ever since the panic attack, but he hadn't kept an eye on the kid like he should've, and it led to this. It was all his fault. Why hadn't he been a better friend?

Phil reached over, placed a hand on Techno's shoulder, and sighed. "Don't blame yourself mate. It was my job to make sure he was okay. I adopted him. I'm his legal father, and I don't know shit about him. I didn't even take the time to make sure he was okay before going back to streaming. Without him, I might not be here right now, and other than at dinners, I haven't taken the time to properly speak with him. Techno sighed. "I think we all messed up, Phil." He gestured for Wilbur and Kristen to join the conversation. "We should have been there for him, and we weren't. We can do our best to make it up to him, and all we can do is hope he accepts our apologies." Kristen nodded in agreement. "We can't do anything to change the past, so let's make sure he knows how appreciative we are of him. Let's make him feel welcomed like we should have from the very beginning." Then, she turned to Purpled. "Purpled, thank you for being there for him. I'd hate to see what might have happened if you weren't there, and I don't think I can ever truly repay you for keeping him safe." Purpled glanced up from Tommy's bed. "Tommy needs me, and I need him. I will always look out for him, and he will always look out for me." He turned back to the bed, and the room turned to silence. Then, all of a sudden, Tommy shifted in his bed, his eyes slowly opening. "Woah Toms, take a second. It's going to be really bright for you." Purpled stated. "Purp!" Tommy croaked. "Yeah, I'm here. You're alright. I'm here for you." Tommy squinted his eyes open, facing his friend. In an instant, he wrapped his arms around Purpled. "Did it work?" He whispered into Purpled's ear. "Yeah. Yeah it did." Tommy smiled. "I can't believe I did it." He celebrated quietly. 

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Almost done! I can't believe it's almost over. After this, be sure to check out You're Better Off Without Me, my newest book. Once I'm done with that one, I'll be taking a month or two break, so enjoy this! My next book will be a vigilante book, whether it be a sequel to Black and White, or a completely new book. I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you all later, yeah? Bye! <3