Michael Clifford Imagines

Facing the Inevitable (Part 5)

You stepped off the elevator, heading in the direction of your room. You're just had another meeting with Dr. McAndrew, this time with your parents. You spent your hour listening to your mother cry and your father complain about the treatment you'd been receiving. While all Dr. McAndrew tried to calm both of them down, you sat in the corner, keeping your head down and trying to tune out everything they were saying. Your father would keep shouting, your mother would follow it up with a louder sob, and Dr. McAndrew would sprinkle in some medical jargon that we thought might calm them down. It didn't. After about an hour you couldn't take it anymore. You left without saying a word, or any of them realized you'd even stepped out of the room.

You were hoping he'd give you more time before you needed to make a decision. It's not like it was a simple surgery, its brain surgery! That was at least ten times riskier in your opinion. How could you be expected to make a decision by tomorrow about whether or not your were going to do it? There was no possible way that you could weigh all your options over night. It's not just something that you sleep on. It's a life altering choice. The biggest choice you've ever made. That alone was terrifying.

When you approached your room, you noticed it was empty. Normally after your appointments or tests you'd find Michael attached to his x-box controller. Not today. His wheelchair was still parked beside his bed and his prosthetic was in the same space he left it the night before, but his crutches were missing. "He couldn't have gone too far." Wondering where where he could be, you decided to check next door. Maybe Luke had seen him.

"Hey, Luke." You said, popping into this room.

"Whats, up? Are you okay? You seem kinda upset." He asked, looking up from his dinner. He'd been pushing it around with his fork, just as he did at lunch.

"I'm fine. Have you seen Michael?"

"Yeah, he said he was going to visit Calum."

"Thanks." You were just about to leave, but turned back for a moment. "Oh, and Luke,"

"Yeah?"

"Baby steps. You don't have to eat the whole thing. Start with a few bites. It'll get easier." He gave you a shy smile, then you disappeared down the hallway.

You still hadn't told Michael about your tumor. He'd almost gotten it out of you last night, but Alex had cut you off. Plus, telling him in the middle of a crowd didn't seem like the best plan. But right now, you were drowning in worries of making the wrong decision. You couldn't make it alone. You needed someone's input. Not just anyone's, his.

You were almost as Calum's door, when you could hear Michael's voice. Just when you were about to go in, you heard your name, and stopped.

"She's amazing, Calum. I've only known her for a month, but... I don't know, I can't explain it. I just feel completely comfortable around her. Like last night, we talked about my leg. I never talk about that, not even to you. I know I should since she's my roommate, but... I don't know. Damn, I sound like Luke don't I? I swear he says 'I don't know' every other sentence." You smiled. Seeing him get all tongue tied was cute. "I want to get to know her more. There's still so much she's not telling me. I don't even know why she's here. At the same time, I feel like I've known her forever. It's crazy." He just sat there, sitting on Calum's bed, going on and on about you. You couldn't believe he cared that much where he would just keep talking. It wasn't like he was having a conversation either. Calum couldn't answer, so he was pretty much venting to an empty room. You knew he cared about you, but you hadn't realized the extent of it.