Reasons||m.c.

eight

eight//

My eyes rolled open slowly as I took my time to adjust to the brightness of the all-white room.

“She’s waking up,” someone whispered. Slowly, my eyes opened fully and I rolled my head to the side. My parents sat next to me with Lily on my mom’s lap. Wesley sat on my dad’s lap and Tanner stood behind them, leaning on the chairs.

“Hi, sweetie,” my mom smiled tearfully. “How do you feel?”

“A bit sore,” I commented, remembering having to get stitches and passing out. “Is Calum okay?”

“Sweetie, I know you’re worried about your friends but you need to worry about you right now,” she reasoned with me.

“Mom, no. I’m fine I just passed out. He’s been in a coma!”

She sighed and looked down.

My dad smiled at me weakly, “He woke up… But the pain was so overwhelming that they had to put him in a medically induced coma.”

I looked down sadly, not saying anything.

“I’ll go tell a nurse you woke up,” Tanner said quietly, turning around and slipping out of the room.

“He’ll be okay, I promise,” my dad said. “He’ll wake up.”

Tanner stepped back into the room seconds later with the same nurse I had earlier right behind him.

“We don’t have any medical concerns for you, luckily,” she smiled. “Just fainted at the sight of blood, which happens often when people are under stress. Seeing something unsettling like blood can make you just… you know.”

I nodded as she helped me sit up. Thankfully, I wasn’t hooked up to another machines and I was still in my normal clothes.

“Are you staying for your friends or going home?” she asked me.

“Staying.” “Going home.” I said my opinion at the same exact time as my parents.

“I’m not leaving,” I argued. “They’re my best friends and I want to make sure Calum is alright. She even said I don’t have any medical concerns.”

“Sweetie,” my mom tried to reason again, “you need rest.”

“I’ve been resting! I passed out! Mom, please just let me stay. I’m fine, I promise. They got me stitched up and I’m not in any pain.”

“Jade… please don’t argue with me. Just come on.”

I groaned in anger, cursing her out in my mind.

“Can I atleast go say goodbye to the boys?”

She nodded, “Can you walk?”

I slid out of the bed, landing on my feet gently. I took a few steps, looked at her and nodded, “I’ll be right back.” I could walk, but it hurt just because I was moving my torso as I walked, which put strains on my stomach wound.

Calum’s room was only two doors away from mine.

I walked over to his room and slowly stepped inside. I saw his parents out in the hall as I walked in, talking to a doctor. His sister was apparently in another country - I think it was England - for work or something. She was flying home today.

The three boys were sat around the room. Aleisha had come here and was sitting on Luke’s lap, staring sadly at Calum.

“Should you be walking?” Ashton asked me, standing up and helping me over to the spot where he previously sat.

I shrugged, “It hurts but I’ll get used to it.”

Michael smiled at me sadly from across the room.

“I was just coming to say goodbye,” I said, grabbing Ashton’s hand and twiddling with his long fingers. “So… goodbye for now I guess. I don’t know when I’ll see you all next.”

“Soon,” Ashton assured me, leaning down and kissing my forehead. He extended a hand to me and slowly pulled me up, locking his arm around my back to keep me steady.

Michael walked over to me and gave me a gentle hug, “We’ll come visit you, I promise.”

I smiled appreciatively as Luke and Aleisha stood up, both of them giving me short, gentle hugs.

“I’ll help you to the car,” Ashton said.

I nodded, looking at the other three, “I’ll see you soon. Keep me updated on Calum.”

“That’s a promise,” Michael smiled, waving at me.

---

I was sent straight to bed by the time we got  home but I wasn't going to sleep. I wasn't tired and I had a lot on my mind.

"Jade?" Lily asked, stepping into my room.

I looked up at her, raising my head off the pillow and lowering my phone.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I can't sleep," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she clutched a stuffed rabbit.

"Do you want to lay down with me?"

She responded by climbing under the covers and cuddling me gently, careful of the wound.

I let Lily sleep there all night while I stared at the ceiling.

My phone buzzed above me around 1 am.

I pulled it off the headboard and looked at it.

It was a text from Michael.

'you might be asleep but Calum woke up'

I smiled and quickly responded.

'I'm awake. Is he okay?'

'he's in a lot of pain but they're giving him morphine'

'I'll come see him tomorrow'

We ended the conversation there. The next day, Ashton picked me up - in his mom’s car - and took me to the hospital.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked, waiting for me to put on my seatbelt before driving down my street.

“Sore,” I admitted, “but I’m fine.”

He nodded, “That’s good. Are you on any pain medication?”

“They gave me some if it becomes unbearable but no, not right now.”

He nodded tiredly.

“Ash, are you alright?” I asked, looking at him with worry.

“Just a bit tired and… and a bit shaken up… I’m, uh,” he paused, wiping away what looked like a tear. “I’m fine.”

“Ashton, pull over,” I said quietly.

“No, I-”

“Ashton. Pull over.”

He sighed and parked on the side of the street, turning the car off.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and hoisted by body up so I was sat on the center console of the car.

I wrapped my arms around Ashton and pulled him close to my side, letting his tears fall onto my shirt.

“This is all my fault,” he mumbled. “I’m such a fuck up.”

“Ashton, don’t say that,” I whispered. “This wasn’t your fault.”

“It is though. I’d be better off dead.”

I tensed up and rested my head on top of his, “Ashton. Do not say that. Ever. You are amazing and sweet and funny and you’re worth so much to so many people. You have so much potential in life. You’re gonna go places! Don’t let all of that go to waste because we got in a car crash. None of us died. Yeah, we have a few injuries. So what? We all love you, okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled up at me.

I kissed his cheek before sliding back into my seat and we continued on like nothing happened.