Be Your Everything

n i n e t e e n

I woke up around 3:30am feeling absolutely starved. I slowly sat up on the stiff hospital bed and took hold of the stand that my IV solution was hanging from. The ground was cold under my bare feet, but I didn't really care too much at the moment. I buttoned Luke's shirt up the rest of the way to warm myself up and grabbed a couple of dollars from the pocket of my shorts so that I could get something from the vending machine.

I found my phone sitting in the chair that had previously been occupied by Luke. When I grabbed it from the seat, I had collectively about 50 missed calls and messages, half of them from Calum alone. Luke said he'd be back in the morning to come pick me up and that he hoped I would get some rest. From what I could gather, everyone that had been at dinner came to the hospital to check on me, but since I was asleep, the nurse told them to head home and that I would be fine in the morning.

I followed the signs down the hallway and found the machines in a small alcove. There weren't many choices for me that didn't contain something I was allergic to, so ended up opting for Skittles. I tore into the package immediately and held the bag in my IV'ed hand while feeding myself with the other.

As I got close to my room, I noticed someone sitting in the waiting area outside my door. Calum was fast asleep in an uncomfortable-looking position on one of the small plastic chairs, so I walked over to him and gently tapped his shoulder to wake him up.

"Calum... babe..."

Calum squints his eyes as he wakes up, and as soon as he registers that it's me standing in front of him, he shoots up from his seat and wraps his arms around me. I release my grip on the IV stand and wrap my arms around his back, relaxing in his embrace while he buries his face in my hair and pulls me into his chest like his life depends on it.

"Thank God," he mutters with a tremble in his voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm honestly fine now. I passed out pretty soon after we got here." I pull back a bit and look him skeptically when I realize that I was expecting him to be at home asleep right now. "The nurse to sent Luke and the rest of you guys home so you could get some sleep."

"She did, but I came back an hour later." Calum explained. "I tried to go back to your room and see you, and she wouldn't let me, but she told me I could stay here."

"Babe, you should be asleep right now."

"So should you," he countered, "besides, did you really think I'd be able to sleep knowing that I put you in the hospital?" The sadness behind his eyes outweighs his exhaustion, and right now, all I want to do is tell him that he shouldn't feel guilty.

"Come on," I tell him as I offer him my hand, "my hospital bed isn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but it has to beat that chair."

He smiles and silently follows me into the room. I set the rest of my Skittles down so that I can situate myself on the bed once again, but Calum picks them up and starts eating them with a smile.

"So," he says before popping a purple candy into his mouth, "I brushed my teeth three times and drank a shit ton of water to get the cheese out of my mouth. Am I allowed to kiss you now without you dying?"

"I think it's worth finding out," I answer as he closes the distance between us. He set the Skittles down and stands with my legs resting on either side of his waist while I sit on the bed and face him. He's several inches taller than me from my seat on the bed, so he ducks his head down slightly to kiss me. His hands slowly find their way to my waist while mine rest on his arms. The kiss is timid and sweet, but once again, my instincts are telling me to take it further.

I wrap my legs around Calum's waist and use my new position to pull my hips up against his. He smiles into the kiss but continues his slow, gentle kisses, so I thread my fingers in his hair and tug, eliciting a low groan from him. He responds by sliding his hands underneath me and lifting me off of the bed. As soon as I'm suspended in Calum's arms, I begin to place little kisses under his jaw while he rolls his head to the side.