:•: autumn :•: a Josh Dun fan fiction

e.i.g.h.t.e.e.n

:•: autumn :•:

I sat my battered body back down into the hospital bed, trying to ignore my throbbing head. I finally got situated and pulled the blankets over me and my limp right arm. How did I tell Joshua that I think my arm is paralyzed?

The time ticked by painfully slow as I waited impatiently for Joshua to walk through the door. Finally the door opened, but only my nurse walked in. She seemed surprised to see me awake in the middle of the night, but I told her the situation and I think she understood. She hooked me up to some more pain medication and then left.

I was just growing drowsy from the meds when a flash of pink hair caught my eye from the doorway. I instantly woke up and smiled at the nervous man walking quickly towards me.

"Autumn, oh my goodness, are you ok?!" Joshua said worriedly as he hovered over me, not sure what to do.

"I-I'm ok" I stuttered as I tried to flash a reassuring smile at him, obviously failing to mask the true pain in my expression.

The concern in his deep brown eyes calmed my anxiety right away and melted my heart.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. "I was so worried about you..." he looked down at his hands.

"I-I was in a car accident on my way to rehearsal." I said with tears welling up in my eyes. "Joshua, I don't think I'll ever play the saxophone again..."

I gulped, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to break loose. Saying it out loud made it feel so... real.

I might never play my saxophone again...

My vision began to blur as I failed to hide my tears. I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes closed to keep myself from sobbing.

I instantly felt Joshua's calming hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. Next thing I knew he was sitting on the small hospital bed right next to me, holding me in his arms as I sobbed into his chest. He placed his soft hand on the back of my head and held me safe and tight to him.

"It's going to be ok, Autumn. You'll be ok. I'm not going to leave you. Don't worry, I've got you".

Joshua continued to whisper to me as he hugged me tight, letting me cry for as long as I needed to. I felt my body relax as I let out all of the tears I had been holding back for so long. All of my fear and anxiety washed away with my tears, and soon my eyes dried up. Instead of being left empty and hopeless like before, I felt calm, perfectly safe in Joshua's arms. My eyes began to grow weary as I fell into a deep, calming sleep, secure in Joshua's embrace.

:•: joshua :•:

I hugged Autumn tight to me, never wanting to let her go. I felt a tear run down my face, my heart breaking for her. She didn't have to tell me what had happened, it was clear by the way her right arm was lying lifeless against the bed that she would never move it again. I hugged her tighter and brushed my fingers through her light blonde hair gently, glad that she had finally fallen asleep.

I had only known her a few days, but I felt closer to her than most of the people I had known my entire life. We just understood each other.

I was shocked that no one had been here for Autumn after her accident. It was so sad to me that she didn't have anyone to call or to ask for help besides me, a guy she met not even a week ago. I was glad she had called though. I was so worried about her when she never responded to my texts.

I slowly leaned back against the pillows, trying to get more comfortable. I had a feeling it would be a long night, but I didn't mind. I pulled the covers up over Autumn's shoulders and then wrapped my arms around her again. She felt so relaxed, and I didn't want to disturb her in any way. I knew first hand how it felt to be overcome with anxiety and fear, and now that she was peacefully asleep, I didn't want to ruin her peace.

What was I going to do now? I couldn't just leave Autumn to go on tour when she had just suffered from a life altering accident and had no one to take care of her. I was supposed to continue with the tour in a few days, and Tyler and I couldn't just cancel all of our shows. As stress began to overtake my thoughts, I pushed it out of my mind and focused on the beautiful woman asleep on my chest. I felt like it was my responsibility to watch over her, and besides, I really enjoyed her company.

I smiled down at her, gazing at her beautiful face. She truly was gorgeous when she was so peacefully asleep.

It amazed me that such a beautiful, kind person could be going through so much pain. Already through knowing Autumn for only a short while, I knew and understood the hurt she had been through. I had been there too. I understood her anxiety and panic attacks. I understood her hopelessness. I understood her self-hatred.

I couldn't leave her now. I needed to be with her and help her through this. She couldn't handle more pain and anxiety on her own.

She needed me, and I needed her.