Last One Standing (wattys2017) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

For All The Words I Couldn't Say

There was a ninety-nine percent chance I cut off the circulation in Griffin's wrist.

When he was able to force me out of the car, my hand had immediately latched on to his wrist. He didn't seem to mind at first, he kept his eyes trained on the automatic doors of the hospital, his lips pursed in concentration. The closer we got to the building, the tighter my grip got and finally started to affect him. He tried to shake me off once we were through the doors and in the waiting room, his eyes drifting back toward me.

"You're fine, Alex." He whispered, eyes not as assuring as his voice.

"I don't want to do this, Griffin." I shook my head.

"It's going to be fine." he continued on, wrapping his arm around my waist so he had a sure way of knowing that I wasn't going to turn and take off out of the hospital.

"Hi." Griffin slapped his hands against the counter at the front desk, "I called earlier to set up a visit with Evan Harrison."

The elderly woman touched at her gray curls with a frown, "Name?"

"Griffin Young and Alexis Harrison." he responded without hesitation. The woman smiled weakly, showing some sort of emotion against her stone expression.

"Evan is a good boy. I wasn't aware he had a sister." She stated as she handed us stickers with our names on them. My hands were shaking so bad I nearly dropped it. Griffin took it from me and peeled the name tag back before slapping it over my heart.

"The pediatric and childcare is on the third floor. They'll give you the room upstairs." Griffin thanked the woman before taking my hand and leading me down the long corridor, the smell of bleach and disinfectant burning my nose.

I leaned into Griffin's bicep on the elevator, hoping it would keep the room from spinning. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer on our way out, his eyes scanning the floor for a nurse. When he finally caught one, she directed us to Evan's room with a sad smile, as if she was more than aware of who he was.

Approaching the room, a wave of nausea crashed into me and I rushed to a nearby trash can.

"Lex, are you okay?" Griffin's oversized hand fell on my back, concern evident in his eyes.

I unclenched my fingers from the trash can and backed away from it, "I think I'm okay. Not sure."

"The room is across the hall." He brushed his thumb along my shoulder blade with a reassuring smile, "I'm right here, Alex."

I took his hand and laced my fingers through his, taking the first step toward the open door a little ways down the hall. It seemed so close and so far at once; like I could walk over and into the room, but it would only stretch on for miles before I actually reached my brother.

Griffin paused outside the door, blocking my view of what awaited me inside, "Alex, maybe-"

I pushed his arm aside and stepped into the room, my heart jumping in my chest when my eyes fell on the boy curled in a fetal position on the hospital bed, wires, tubes, and blankets all tangled around him.

I spun on my heel and walked out before he could be stirred awake by the sound of my footsteps. My back fell against the cold surface of the window outside as Griffin joined me. "What the hell? I thought you-"

"Why did you force me to come here and do this, Griffin?" I shook my head, "What do you have to gain from all of this?"

"Three years ago, on the swing set, you forced me to promise you something. Do you remember what that promise was?" he crossed his arms over his broad chest, his tense muscles flexing beneath his shirt.