Running To You (A Kellington Fanfiction)

Chapter Three: You Can't Help But Smile

Rocky was staring at the analog clock on the wall that read 10:30AM. He sat in a hard hospital chair beside the bed where his very best friend lay sleeping. An IV connected to his arm and a breathing mask over his face made him look seriously sick. Which scared Rocky because he’d never seen Ratliff have anything more than a chest cold. His mom had been going back and forth between Ratliff’s room and the waiting room where his dad and siblings sat worried beyond belief. But Rocky refused to leave his best friend’s side.

He decided to turn on the TV for some background noise, and found a station that was playing today’s hottest music videos. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, listening to “Just Give Me A Reason” play softly throughout the room. He thought about how Ellington loved this song, even though he and Kelly were just as happy and in love as they were- Oh no. He thought as he quickly grabbed his phone out of his pocket. Kelly had no idea what had happened within the past hour. He hated to have to tell her over the phone when they were across the country, but what other choice did he have? He dialed her number and hit the “Call” button. She picked up after the third ring.

“Hey there Rockstar! What’s happening?!” She greeted him in her chipper voice. She was always so happy.

“Hey Kelly,” Rocky started. “Listen, I need to talk to you about something important and I need you to stay calm while I tell you.”

She heard how serious his tone was and pressed the phone harder to her ear. “Okay.” She whispered, not trusting herself to say much more.

Rocky took a deep breath. “Ellington is in the hospital.”

Her breathing hitched and she gripped onto her phone tighter.

“I know you’re freaking out, Kell, but listen to what happened.” He told her, knowing she was quite obviously freaking out. “We found him in his bunk this morning and he had a fever and was coughing a lot. He was having a difficult time breathing so we called 911 and brought him to the hospital. He’s okay now. I’m looking at him right now and he’s sleeping. We’re waiting for him to wake up so the doctor can come on and see what exactly the problem is.” He paused for a minute, knowing that it was a lot to take in in a matter of 20 seconds, and wanted to make sure she was okay.

“What hospital are you at.” It wasn’t a question. Her voice sounded monotone, almost like she was completely numb. Which she probably was.

“Lancaster Hospital in Pennsylvania.” He told her.

“I’ll be on my way in 3 hours.” She said.

“Now don’t do something crazy, Kelly. I’m sure he’s going to be just fine. There’s no way I can let you fly across the country when he’s probably going to be getting out soon.” He tried to talk some sense into her, but he knew once she had her mind set on something, there was no talking her out of it.

“Rocky, you just called me and told me that my boyfriend-- who I may add is never sick-- is currently in the hospital because he couldn’t breathe.” her voice was getting louder, and he voice cracked a few times.

Rocky just let her go, he knew it wasn’t easy getting a call out of the blue and not being able to do anything. He could hear her ragged breathing and could tell that she was crying. “Kelly he’s going to be okay.” He tried reassuring her.

“He’s never sick Rocky.” she whispered as more tears fell down her cheeks.

“I know, sweetheart. But you know Ratliff; he’ll be back to his usual self and entertaining all the staff here in no time.”

She laughed a little, knowing it was true. Her boyfriend was such a clown. One of the many reasons she fell in love with him. “Listen, Cheryl and I are flying out to be there for his birthday next week anyways. And I’m not just going to sit around and wait to hear something from you guys. That’s the love of my life there, and I need to see him.”