It's A Brother Thing

Chapter 22: Everything is Okay Here

A/n So, yeet. Double update. I don't know how I feel about this book anymore bc I feel like it sucks. Buuuuut, I'm gonna keep writing because at the same time I love it and I have lots of plans for it. Just gotta get through these sad chapters, and then I'll be able to write better, I feel like I'm kinda bad at writing really touching/sad/emotional scenes bc I'm high key numb irl so...? What are feelings lmao? Gang gang. 😅🤙🤦‍♀️
-
"Simon!" I burst into hospital room 233, texted to me by my dad.

"I-I think Simon's dead! He...he tried to kill himself Jake... The ambulance is coming right now-"

I had hung up on him, screaming. Throwing my fists at the dashboard. Kyle was panicking, trying to drive, but also trying to assess the situation.

"What's going on Jakob! You're scaring me!"

"He's dead Kyle! Simon is dead!"

Kyle enters just after me, breathing hard.

Mom and Dad jump to their feet, crushing me against them. I don't react. Not to them, not to their words.

Instead, my attention has gone beyond them.

It's gone to the blonde haired boy, nestled in the middle of the hospital bed. Tubes sprout out of his body like weeds. Machinery whirl in the distance of my mind. Beep. Beep. Beep.

A shiver runs through me, and tears spring into my eyes.

He looks beautiful. He looks like an angel with the sun filtering in through the curtains, raining down on his ghost white face and pale lips. I blink as everything fades away. It's just me and him in the room.

"Simon." I whisper.

The word echoes off the walls.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I float over to Simon, and gasp in awe at his face. The color is back, he is radiating a pure, white light. Two gorgeous green eyes blink open.

"Hey Jakey," he bites his pink lip, eyelashes fluttering.

I sit on the edge of the bed, grabbing his hand.

It's cold.

"H-hey, Si."

Our voices sound disembodied, like they're not coming from us. Simon sits up, smiling out the window. My heart stutters as the last, dying rays of sunlight capture his green eyes, making them most stunning emerald jewels I've ever seen.

"I didn't cheat on you."

My heart pangs in my chest. "Y-you didn't?"

Then he frowns. "I can't explain. You're going to have to just believe and know that I love you. You're my world, Jakob."

My tears shed. "I'm so sorry."

He grins, a dimple in each cheek showing.

Oh god, how gorgeous.

"Don't apologize. Everything is okay here. Happy even. Perfect."

"Here?"

Simon shifts his gaze down to his hands. "Yeah, here."

I glance around the room. It's just your typical hospital room. Whirring machines, simplistic paintings, white walls, the smell of disinfectant.

"But, you're here. You're in the hospital. Y-you have..." I trail off, biting my tongue as more tears fall. "Tubes in your arms, baby..."

"Oh these?" Simon laughs a little, and casually pulls them out. There's no wound. No blood. I furrow my brows. "There, the tubes are gone."

I pick up his hand and turn it over, examining his wrist. "I don't understand..."

Simon sighs. "This is your subconscious, Jake..."

"What?" I reply weakly. "Y-you're not real?"

"No, no, no," Simon shakes his head cupping my cheeks as he moves onto his knees to be just in front of me. "I am real. I...let's figure it out later. Why don't you just kiss me for now?"

Like a feather, Simon's lips gently land on mine. It's the softest of kisses. So pure and innocent, I feel it right in my heart. "I love you."

"I love you too." I grasp at him as he starts to disappear in my hands.

"Please don't leave!"

"Jakob! Jakob!"

I blink my eyes open just to see Kyle staring at me, looking awfully concerned. "I think you were having a nightmare."

I glance around and see the walls of the hospital waiting room. Jackson and Toby are sleeping in the chairs across from me. Crystal is on the other side of Kyle, a genuinely sad frown placated on her lips.

That's right...Simon is still in surgery. But when did everyone else get here? Where is Mom and Dad.

I rub my eyes, my heart hurting. "It wasn't a nightmare, Ky."

He offers a sad smile. I look away. Down at my shoes. To my never stable hands.

A lump forms in my throat that I struggle to swallow. "Any news?"

Kyle sighs. "Your parents just went in to check."

As if on cue, my parents come around the corner. I jump to my feet. "Is he okay?"

Mom grabs my hands, while Dad wraps his arm around my shoulder, hugging me into his side.

Her blonde hair is a mess. Mascara is smeared slightly under her eyes, and you can see how exhausted she is. "He's going to be okay."

I break down, sobbing in relief, allowing them to engulf me in their arms, trembling. "W-when can we see him?"

"Probably tomorrow," Dad says, running his hand through my hair. When Mom lets go, he gives me a firm hug.

"Do you have any idea why this happened?" He asks me quietly in my ear. I shake my head, sniffling.

Except it's all my fault. I must be the reason why he would do something like this. It's because I yelled at him and pushed him away...

"I don't know," I brokenly whisper.

He kisses the top of my head. "It's okay, everything will be sorted out in due time. Let's just go home together as a famil-"

"I'm not leaving."

Dad presses his lips into a thin line. Mom frowns. "You've been here for hours sweetheart, don't you at least want to go down to the cafeteria and find something to eat?"

I shake my head. "I'm staying right here."

She nods, massaging her eyes. "Okay. You're father and I have a lot to discuss. We're going home and returning first thing tomorrow morning. Please go home at some point. For me."

I don't respond. I have no intention of leaving.

As they silently make their way down the hall, moms head resting on dads shoulder, i slump back into my seat.

Kyle immediately turns to me. "What'd they say?"

"He's gonna be okay."

He blows out a breath of relief, body deflating.  "Are you serious? Thank god."

Crystal sniffles slightly, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "That's amazing. I was so worried."

I ignore them both, too caught up in my head to hold an actual conversation. I'm going to fall at Simon's knees when I see him. I will never, ever leave his side again. I really mean it.

Almost losing him killed me. I don't care if he cheated or not. I don't care about anything anymore. All I want is Simon. Even if it's just as my little brother and nothing more. I will happily stand by and love him from afar. That's far less painful than going through his death.

I thought finding out he cheated hurt, that was nothing compared to how I felt when I got that fucking phone call. I thought someone plucked my heart from my chest and threw it against the pavement into oncoming traffic.

Whatever happens next, I will tell Simon how much I love him and that if he ever tries to do this again, I will personally resuscitate him and kill him myself.