One Week (Ianthony)

Forever

Anthony stared down at the shiny linoleum flooring of the sanitized hospital as he waited. The nurse had already given him the news, but he still waited.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

His eyes slowly lifted from the ground as he stood from his residence in the generic metal chair in the corner of Room 512. The numbness in his legs from sitting still for so long gave him an unpleasant tingly feeling when he put pressure on them, but, rather than easing into it and feeling slight sensations, he threw his entire weight onto them in one blast of discomfort. Then, the weird feeling was gone.

Stepping towards the mechanical hospital bed, Anthony felt a sense of dread wash over him. He didn't want to see him like this. He had been so full of life...

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The machinery that kept pace with the man in the hospital bed's heartbeat was all that assured Anthony that he wasn't dead. It was also what quelled his hopes that he would suddenly open his eyes and inform everyone that it was a prank, they didn't have to worry, they could live their lives normally again, it wasn't anyone's fault.

It was so, so far from the truth that it made Anthony physically sick to think of it.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The fight, the separation, the tears... This was Anthony's doing. He had left him for his own purposes, but they didn't justify leaving him anymore now than they did before. He had been reluctant... The whole ordeal felt like a scam that he had been forced to play a part in. It wasn't real. This had to be a nightmare.

This whole thing was Anthony's fault, whether he was ready to admit it openly or not. He was gone because of him.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

And yet, Anthony was the only one willing to fight for his well-being. He was the solitary figure between the doctors and the plug on the life support machine.

Did it make him feel special, to know that he was the only one left? Everyone else had run for the hills as soon as they caught to news about him. It didn't seem right that even his mom had been rendered powerless by professional opinion.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Comatose. That was what they called him. It was unlikely as ever that Anthony's best friend had left for good, so he would wait, like the good friend he was.

Pull the plug. Yeah, right...

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

They had found him in their old house, lying on the couch, looking like an overused prop from a horror movie. The way he was... There were no signs of brain trauma. In fact, the doctors had announced that it appeared as if he had just been sleeping.

He just forgot to wake up.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The one thing that bothered Anthony more than all other frames of depression was a small, insignificant detail that even the doctors had neglected to mention. Anthony had seen it with his own eyes. Hell, he was looking at it right now.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

It was the fact that comatose Ian was smiling as if he was having the time of his life in that hospital bed.

Author's Note:

Yes, that was dark. But, I warned you. Anyways, let's get to the point... The contest mentioned in the last chapter (if you didn't read about it, go back for the details) ends in a week. So, if you want a part in it, send me a private message with your OC details to enter!

Hope you enjoyed reading One Week. I know I had fun writing it.

                                                                  - totallycheesey