Guardian Angel - Cake AU

Chapter 7

Slowly, Calum flutters open his eyes. He squints into the bright light, the ceiling of the bathroom starting to focus in his vision. He furrows his eyebrows just as electric blue eyes pop into view.

"Oh god, he's awake," he breathes. He keeps talking but Calum ignores him when his head starts to pound. He hisses instead, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his head as if he's trying to claw out the monster inside.

"Calum..."

He slowly opens his eyes to a squint, watching as Luke locks his phone and throws it in his pocket. He grabs a glass of water and helps Calum sit up just enough to take a small sip.

"I called the police and they're on their way with an ambulance right now."

Calum can only manage a nod as Luke just stares at him. He closes his eyes again, still feeling sick. He feels Luke's hand running through his hair gently, trying to help him relax.

The sick boy reaches up a shaky hand and holds onto Luke's wrist, guiding it to his cheek. He gasps, "Calum, you're burning!"

He just nods, dropping his hand. Luke removes his jacket and socks, probably trying to cool Calum down.

Finally, finally, he hears sirens growing louder, and soon Luke is picking Calum up and running downstairs.

He throws open the front door just as they're pulling out a stretcher from the back of the ambulance.

Luke sets Calum on the stretcher quickly (but carefully), keeping pace until they're both in the back of the ambulance as the sunlight fades from view.

He opens his eyes and watches as Luke talks to one of the paramedics. He looks worried, and Calum doesn't like how he has to be caught up in this.

"Luke," he chokes out, ignoring the people scrambling about around him. He turns mid-sentence and Calum starts to cry because this is all so scary for both of them.

Calum feels an overwhelming need to assure Luke that he'll be okay. The only pain is in his arm and head; nothing serious. It's happened before. He just ends up sick sometimes, he guesses. He doesn't really know how to explain it, other than it is what it is.

"I'll be okay. I promise, Luke. I won't leave you." The blond starts crying, too, and he nods frantically, honestly wanting nothing more than to hold Calum. The brunette smiles sloppily, his eyes slipping shut. He feels one more light touch on his shoulder before he falls unconscious.

***

A beeping sound and soft humming fills Calum's ears a short distance away when he comes to.

The headache is gone and so is the pain in his arm, but now the throbbing is in his fingers and toes. It's an odd feeling, but he decides that it's a thing and that's all. It just exists and he doesn't have the energy to feel like questioning it.

He doesn't open his eyes yet as he squirms under a thin sheet tucked around him. He already knows he's in the hospital and in a hospital gown, mostly remembering what happened while he was still conscious.

He remembers Luke.

What Calum hadn't noticed before he opened his eyes was that Mum and Dad are here. He recognizes Mali slung over a chair, sleeping. All of them are sleeping, it seems, except Luke, who has his eyes closed, quietly humming to himself.

Calum admires him a bit while he can. It's then that he recognizes his dad in the corner.
His dad. The one who had died years before. Calum sees him sometimes. And no, he's not crazy. His dad just stands and smiles at Calum until he smiles back, and he feels he has a little more light in him. He makes Calum feel better. He knows he's there all the time, watching over him, even when he can't physically see him.