The Road Ahead (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 4 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Three

❝hurt (pronounced həːt or hert), verb
to cause pain to something or someone.❞

Spencer opened his eyes again.

He didn't want to wake up again. Every time he woke up, there'd be another nurse with a painful injection, or another doctor asking how he felt, or more people saying words he didn't understand. His mother was always there, but the look on her face of desperation and sadness overwhelmed him more than any of the pain did. He found it was easier to just sleep through it all.

He hadn't seen Papa since the truck had hit them. He hadn't asked. He didn't know if Papa had gone to Heaven or not, but he was scared to ask, in case he had. He had been close to seeing Heaven, Robin had told him. He had almost gone to Heaven. Mama wouldn't talk about Papa much. Sometimes she cried when she thought he was sleeping.

He wasn't alone in the room. He looked and saw Mama sleeping in the chair, looking exhausted. "Mama?" he said feebly.

She woke with a start, rubbing her eyes. "Hey, baby," she said softly. "What are you doing awake, hmm?"

"I'm a bit thirsty," he said.

"Alright. Give me a moment, I'll get your cup," she said, going to the sink and filling his cup with water. "Are you feeling okay?"

"A little bit. Not really."

"I'll get a doctor for you, okay?" She pressed the big blue button beside his bed, and a nurse walked in, beginning to talk about his legs and his brain. He didn't like it, so he closed his eyes and slipped back under.

He woke up again, opening his eyes to a dark room. There was a woman sitting on the end of his bed, smiling at him. She had red hair, and grey eyes, and she seemed younger than Mama and Papa were. He didn't know her, so he closed his eyes again, believing that she must have been some sort of doctor.

He opened his eyes again, feeling a giant headache. He was alone in the room, and he stared at the ceiling, counting the tiles on the roof up to a hundred- that was all he knew how to count up to. Eventually, when he got tired of that, he fell back asleep.

The next time he woke up, Elle was sitting there. She didn't notice that he was awake, she kept talking on the phone.

"Drew, I-"

There was an angry outburst, and she sighed. "I knew I shouldn't've told you about it. Y'know what? Forget it. Forget I ever told you. You're every fedora wearing neckbeard out there right now." She turned off her phone angrily, groaning, before noticing that Spencer was awake.

"Hi Ellie," he mumbled.

"Hey! Ma- Ma should be here in a b-"

"No, stay!" he said, beginning to cry. "I want you to stay! Don't get a doctor!"

"I won't, I won't!" She sat back down, trying to hush him. "Be quiet, or a doctor will come in!"

That shut him up. He sniffled quietly. She looked sorry for him, and moved closer. "Do you need anything?"

"It hurts," he said. "I don't like it."

"What do you want me to do? Call a nurse?"

"NO!"

"Would you stop yelling, Spence?!" she snapped. That scared him- no one had snapped at him for a long time. He stopped yelling and sat and looked at her. She sighed, rubbing her temple. "Look, I... I'm sorry. It's been a long couple of weeks."

"Where's Papa?" he finally asked.

"He's here. He's getting better. Do you want to see him?"

"Yes!"