Here to Stay || Ashton Irwin (completed)

Chapter 7

I stood at Ashton's side as his parents babbled away to the woman at the the front desk of the hospital. Hospitals still had an unusual effect on me and I hadn't thought that I would have to be back in one so soon. I stayed as close to Ashton as possible, his hand wrapped tightly around mine. Luckily this wasn't the hospital I had been in, this was a high end hospital about an hour away from home. Supposedly, this hospital had the best doctors and researchers in the area for Ashton's cancer.

I still couldn't believe it. The thought of something like this happening to him made me question everything. I could barely escape the depressed feeling that washed over me every time he mentioned it. 

"You okay," he mumbled, barely moving his lips.

My head whipped around to look at him, "What are you doing?"

"You look uneasy, I want to make sure you're okay," he shrugged.

I darted my eyes around, making sure nobody was watching him. The last thing we needed was to get him admitted into the mental ward for talking to his dead friend. I took a deep breath and shook my head, "I'm fine, just hospitals make me..." I trailed off, "Eh..." 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to come," he dropped my hand and ran his own through his hair, messing it up even more. I tried to ignore the slight hurt I felt when he pulled away, but decided not to show it. 

"I have the worst urge to fix your hair, but I can't," I instead complained. 

He groaned and rolled his eyes at me, smoothing it out on his own, "Happy?"

I grinned, "Yes."

Suddenly his mom turned around, "Ashton, go sit down we need to discuss something before we go back to see the doctor. He nodded and pulled me over to the waiting chairs. We plopped down and he leaned over to me.

"I hate when she does that."

"Does what?" I asked confused.

He let go of my hand and clasped his hands together. Then he cleared his throat and in a high pitch voice said, "Ashton dear, even though you're seventeen, go sit in the kiddy waiting area, this is adult stuff."

I let out a full laugh and watched as his eyes crinkled into a smile. He shook his head and looked over at her, "And I think it's worse now that I'm sick."

I looked down. I remembered our conversatio and had to convince myself that he wasn't calm and this was just his way of facing it, but he just seemed so relaxed, it was almost impossible. 

"Well you better get used to it then," I nudged his hand, going along with it. 

He rolled his eyes and looked at me sideways.

"Honey, who are you talking to," his mom suddenly chirped. 

Our eyes grew wide and he gulped, "I uh, I have a monologue in history," I facepalmed as he made a cover story, he continued after glaring at me, "And I have to memorize it and yeah, I'm just practicing."

"Oh how wonderful!" She beamed, placing her hands together, she continued, "The doctor is ready for us now."

He nodded and looked to me, linking our pinky fingers together, "I'm ready."

His mother took hold of his open hand and pulled him towards the door. 

- - - - - 

Once we were in Dr. Monte's office, he had the whole family sit down. Ashton sat between his parents on a brown leather couch and I sat on the ground in front of him, our pinky fingers still locked together over my shoulder.