Recount the Seconds (Muke)

Chapter 1

Present

I hear Ashton talking to the receptionist under his breath, but I try not to listen. My head is fuzzy, my vision blurred. My heartbeat pounds in my ears.

Footsteps approach me, and I sigh defeatedly.

“He’s awake,” Ash speaks, placing a large hand on my shoulder. “A nurse is coming to get us."

I nod.

“Luke?” he asks.

I look up at him with bloodshot eyes. “I’ll behave."

*****

December 4, 2011

“What’s gotten into you?” Mikey asked me as I shrugged his head off my shoulder and scooted away from him on the couch.

“Nothing,” I muttered.

He smirked at me, and I tried as hard as I could not to grin to back. ”You just want all the chips for yourself, then?”

I scowled at him. “Yeah, sure.”

He dove at me, landing across my lap, and grabbed for the bag of Thins. Trying to shove him off and holding the chips out of reach, I fought back, but he wrapped an arm around my neck and snatched them from my outstretched arm.

“Gotcha.” Shaking his dirty blond fringe out of his eyes, he sat back and stared at me. “Seriously. What’s up?”

I sighed. “I’m just worried, that’s all.”

Popping a chip into his mouth, Michael frowned. “About?”

“Whether Calum will like him.”

“Cal likes everyone.”

“Yeah, but–”

“Whether you’ll like him, you mean?”

“He seems nice…”

“And?”

“I trust you.”

Mikey rolled his eyes. “It’ll be fine. Ash is a cool guy.”

“He doesn’t like ad-libbing.”

Michael laughed. “Okay, Lukey.”

“Don’t–”

The doorbell rang and Michael rose to answer it.

“FIFA?” Calum asked as he opened the door.

Michael laughed. “Hello to you too.”

“Priorities, Michael!” I yelled from my spot on the couch, crunching down another chip. 

“Right,” he grinned as he and Calum crashed down on the couch on either side of me, consoles in hand.

One game later, Calum glanced at his watch. “He should be here soon.” He got up and wandered to the window. “Oh God, guys.”

Mikey and I stood up to join him and stared out the window. “You better be right,” I muttered to Michael, watching the boy on the push bike speed down the street toward the house.

When he reached the house and knocked, the three of us met him at the door. He stood a little bit taller than me and his brown hair was straightened and fringed over his hazel eyes, already marked by laughter lines. He glanced back and forth between us. “Hello.”

“Ashton,” Michael grinned. “Come on in.” He led the tall, somewhat bemused-looking boy past Cal and I and into the living room.

Cal glanced sideways at me. “His shirt,” he whispered. I bit my lip and nodded. It was bright purple. It was a bad sign.

“Wanna play FIFA?” Mike asked him as Calum and I followed them to the couch.  I sat on one edge, next to Michael, and Cal sat on the other, next to Ashton.

“S’all right,” Ashton returned. “I don’t play FIFA.”

Michael laughed. “Yeah, all right.”

“No, really.”

“Why don’t you play FIFA?” Cal piped up, staring at the strange specimen in the purple shirt.

“I don’t like it,” he returned nonchalantly.

Cal raised his eyebrows while I whispered to Michael, “I’m not sure this is going to work out.”

With a shrug, Mikey turned to me and grinned.

*****

Present

“Ashton Irwin?” a woman’s voice calls.

We look up and see a small nurse in blue scrubs glancing about the waiting room. ”Follow me,” she acknowledges when she notices us.

Walking down the sterile, white hallway, I turn on her. “Can we see Michael yet?”

“Not yet,” she responds.

“How is he?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Come on.”

“Luke,” Ashton warns me.

“Can’t you tell us anything?” I demand.

“I’m sorry.”

“No!” I yell. “You know something. Just — just fucking tell me how–”

“Calm down!” Ash snaps at me.

“How do you expect me to–”

“We’re here,” the nurse intones.