Forever

Chapter 15: Remember, Part 2

You woke up with a start, grasping at the empty bed sheets to your right, as the memories slowly came back to mind. You grabbed Chad's pillow, throwing it over your face as you felt the familiar rush of tears returning. Yet somehow, the faint scent of his cologne washed over you, calming you down before you could start to cry. You glanced over at the clock – 7:14am. You hadn't been asleep for a full hour. So, you turned over onto Chad's sad, pulling the sheets back over as you closed your eyes again.

April 12th, 5:35pm –

It all happened. So. Fast.

One minute, you were approaching a fan, Chad by your side. The next, you found yourself underneath Sebastian, your ears ringing as you heard distant shouting and screams, footsteps pounding against the floors. You turned your head slightly, gasping from the slight pain, to see Chadwick lying on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding his torso. You couldn't move. You couldn't hear. You couldn't even scream, or cry. You just lay there, motionless, as Sebastian hovered over you, motioning to someone to come to him. That was the last thing you remembered seeing, before it all went black.

6:30pm –

You woke up to an intense itching on your arm, and when you opened your eyes, bright fluorescent lights caused to you to let out a groan as you squeezed them shut again. You heard loud whispers coming from your left, and when you managed to open your eyes again, you saw Anthony, Robert, and Tom all staring at you.

"Wh-What the hell are y'all doing, just staring at me? Wh-wh-what happened?" You rubbed your eyes before remembering the itch on your arm, only to find an I.V. at the source of it. Anthony was holding your hand as Robert started to speak up.

"Well doll face, you passed out. After the whole...mess happened, you passed out, and we brought you to the hospital. Y/N, do you remember what happened?"

You squinted your eyes at the I.V. sticking out of your arm before closing them tight, as you tried to remember. Your eyes flew open at once.

"Chad! Oh, my god, where is he?! Downey, where the fuck is he?!"

"Hey, hey, Y/N! Calm down, it's okay. He's in surgery right now, but so far, he's doing fine, okay? Hey, no, don't do that, Y/N," Anthony whined as he watched you yank the I.V. out of your arm, pulling the bedsheets off you as you tried to get up. Tom jumped over the hospital bed as you set your feet on the ground, catching you as you started to fall over. You tried to push him off, but he only tightened his hold on you as he sat you back down.

"Y/N, love, look at me. There's nothing you can do right now but wait, alright? You're not a doctor, there's nothing for any of us to do but to sit tight, and wait to hear the news. Now, why don't you do us all a favor, and get back in bed? You need that I.V., come on," Tom tried to help you back on the bed, just as you saw someone stride into the room.

"Actually, looks like Ms. Y/L/N no longer needs it. It was just your typical fainting situation; she's doing just fine. If you'd like, I can bring 'round a wheelchair, if you can't walk, miss?" The resident looked at you, as you sat motionless, Tom's arm still supporting you up on the bed.

"Uh, uh no, it's fine. They'll help me up."

"Doctor, could you be so kind as to direct us to where the waiting room for emergencies is?"

"Ah yes, the boyfriend, Mr. uh, Boseman, correct? He is still in surgery, but yes, the waiting room will be two floors below, to the right of the elevator, which is straight down this hall." The doctor flashed Robert and the rest of you a small smile before heading out. Tom and Anthony wrapped an arm around you to help you walk, while Robert led the way to the elevator.

9:51pm –

After almost 4 hours, the police had finally made their way to the hospital to take statements. Apparently, Downey had made sure that they wouldn't come by until you were stable. When you convinced him you were ready, he informed his security to let them up – just one of the many perks of being RDJ, you supposed.

It surprised you that there were only 4 policemen, but then again, the circumstances of the situation were rather dire. You sat there, motionless, listening to the police chief informing everyone of exactly what happened. Tom sat right next to you, holding your hand the entire time.

"It appears a young fan, in her early 20s, somehow snuck in an armed weapon into the center, and intended to use it on the victim and his girlfriend, for some personal vendetta she had against them for hurting someone else? Either way, she confessed to everything, and she will be going to court first thing in the morning for sentencing. Ma'am, I truly do apologize for the disgusting lack of security at the event, and the fact that this all could've been prevented."

You nodded at the chief's words, even if they didn't really mean anything to you. After they collected your and Chadwick's information, Anthony appeared, a bagel in hand. He placed it in your free hand, forcing you to wrap your fingers around it so it wouldn't fall. He sat on your other side, rubbing your back as Robert paced back and forth in the hall, typing away on his phone.

2 hours had passed, and still no word. Paul Bettany had arrived at some point, offering a few words of consolation to you before sitting opposite Tom, fiddling with his jacket as he waited with the rest. Chris and Sebastian both showed up soon after, Chris holding you for what seemed like hours, quiet sobs racking your body. You had managed to numb the pain for the time being, but after seeing Sebastian, it all went to shit. You couldn't stop crying, and honestly, you didn't want to. It was the only reminder that you were alive, and that everything happening was real.

4:45am –

After hearing the news, everyone took their turn trying to convince you to go home, shower, and rest. But you couldn't. You couldn't leave Chad alone, you wouldn't dare. He needed you.

Your dress was ruined, you were barefoot, sitting on the cold floor of the waiting room, Tom's arm still wrapped around you, as you silently cried. Chris and Robert were arguing nearby over what to do, while Sebastian sat alone, his eyes glassy and red, as if he had been crying. Seeing him like this only pissed you off, yet you couldn't understand why he was even upset. He did nothing wrong, right? So why the hell is he crying? He hates Chadwick. Oh, god. Why did this have to happen to him, to us?

Present Day –

You woke up to soft raps on your bedroom door, Tom's voice softly asking if he could come in. You replied, sitting up in your bed as he came in, quickly shutting the door behind him. He stood at the foot of your bed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at his feet.

"Tom, what is it? What's wrong?"

"No, no! Nothing's well, really wrong. It's just that, uh, someone's here to see you, but Chris told me I shouldn't, you know, let him in, that it'll only make things wor-"

"Who is it, Holland?"

"It's Sebastian. He's been waiting outside for the past 15 minutes. He won't leave."

Well, shit. I can't deal with this right now. What the hell does he even want? I shouldn't see him, right? Right? Ah, fuck it.

"Let him in, Tom. Don't start with me! Just let him in, and wait in the kitchen. Please. Do this for me." Tom groaned as he walked out, but you heard the familiar sound of the lock clicking, and mumbled words being exchanged before you heard heavier footfalls against the hardwood floors. You looked up just as Sebastian walked in, his outer appearance as disheveled as his emotions. Tom peeked out from behind him, mouthing "I'll be right outside", just before shutting the door. Sebastian didn't move a muscle; he was rooted at the spot, once again, just like he had been hours earlier.

"Well? What are you doing here, Sebastian? What do you want?" You practically hissed the last words at him, his face wincing at your tone. You could tell from the way his eyes kept shifting between you and the floor that he was debating with himself on what to say. Just when you were about to scream and throw a pillow at him for just standing there, he looked at you defiantly, his glassy blue eyes practically piercing yours.

"I'm here for you, Y/N. I want – no, I need you, Y/N. I need you."