The Piano || 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬

|36| You don't have to worry about them.

They kept chatting and eating fries until around midnight when the front desk lady told them they could go see Jerry. Ashley and Nick immediately jumped up from their chairs.

"Just go down the hallway until you reach room 120 on the right," she instructed them. "There will be a nurse who explains the medical details."

"Thank you," Ashley said before quickly leaving the room, not before turning around and searching for the boys' reassuring looks. Sam quickly smiled at her; Colby nodded with his lips pressed to a tight line.

And so, she walked down the hallway with Nick Sturniolo, nurses and doctors walking past them, other visitors talking and chatting in hushed tones. Some of them looked at the two YouTubers but were respectful enough to stay away.

"I wish we would've met differently," Nick sighed, brushing his hand through his hair. Ashley let out a tired chuckle.

"Yeah, me too," she muttered. "But hi, I guess. I'm Ashley, Jerry's best friend and roommate for the last... I think it's over nine months now."

"What is he like when he's just chilling at home?"

"Oh, I love living with him, he's so chill. We've never argued seriously, he always finds good solutions to any problem. There's never any drama. I've lived with a ton of different people and he's definitely my favourite of all of them. We have an agreement; he cooks several days a week, and I pay more rent because he's a magnificent cook," Ashley chuckled. "Oh, and he hates Stranger Things but still watches it with me if I have a bad day. He's super organized, and always forces me to clean my room when it's messy. He never pressures me to tell him anything if I don't want to talk about it. He couldn't hurt a fly but wouldn't hesitate to beat someone up if they hurt someone he loves. And sometimes he just says shit that makes you think for hours. Even though he's four years younger than me, he's a lot wiser. He's the best friend I could've ever wished for."

Ashley glanced at Nick. "You're lucky to get to call him your boyfriend," she said. "And I swear to god, if you hurt him, I'm going to hunt you down." She said it as a joke, but there was a seriousness in her tone that hinted that she still meant it.

"I won't," Nick said, sniffling slightly. Only now did Ashley realize that there were tears streaming down his cheeks. She sucked in a breath as she felt herself start to cry too.

"Aw fuck," she sighed, brushing away the tears. "Let's just go see him."

They reached room 120 quickly, knocking on the door. A nurse opened it, and Ashley swallowed as she saw Jerry lying on the bed. His right leg had a cast, and his left arm was packed in thick bandages. His face fortunately didn't look too bad, but his skin was as pale as it was possible with a dark skin tone like his, and the look in his eyes was groggy as he stared at the newcomers.

Ashley swallowed a sob, rushing to his side. "Hey," she whispered.

"He's currently under heavy medication. A car hit him from the side, fracturing his right arm's bone. Additionally, he has a concussion, and his right leg is broken." the nurse narrated, reading it from a paper in her hands.

"And the other arm?" Nick asked silently.

"It scraped over the ground, causing severe damage to the skin and nerve ends. He was lucky to be wearing a good jacket, we didn't need to transplant any skin." Then she glanced at Ashley and gestured to a thin mattress next to Jerry's bed. "One of you can stay overnight, the other one has to go." Nick nodded, and the nurse left the room.

"Hi," Jerry said. Ashley smiled, taking his hand.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

Jerry scoffed. "Mh," he said, "what do I look like?"