Beautiful To Me (Boyf Riends AU)

Chapter 12: Mikey

(Michael's PoV)

"Hey, dad," I said as I walked through the front door of my house.

He was sitting at the dining room table when I spoke. At the sound of my voice, he stood up and walked over to me.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said, sighing.

What now?

"Okay," I said tentatively. "What is it?"

"Your mother has Alzheimer's." He sighed. "She's in the hospital."

Oh.

"Can we..." I started quietly.

"I'll take you to see her," he said shortly.

"I can go myself."

I don't need you.

The words slipped out by accident, but I realized I didn't need him there.

"Okay," he said, sighing again. "Be back by eight."

I rolled my eyes and walked back out to my car. Getting in it, I drove to the hospital.

(Time skip brought to you by: Skittles: Taste the Rainbow.)

"Room 283," the woman at the counter said.

"Thank you."

Room 283... room 283...

I opened the door to the designated room.

That looks way worse than Alzheimer's.

My mother was hooked up to a bunch of machines. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful. I was only able to tell that she was alive by the faint rise and fall of her chest and the steady beeping that filled the room. 

I understood the one monitor, but did she need so many IVs and stuff?

A woman was standing next to my mother's bed, holding her hand. Tears were running down her face.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" I said timidly, walking over to her. "I think you're in the wrong room. This is my mother." I pulled her hand away from my sleeping mother's. "This is my mother," I repeated.

The woman turned to look at me, recoiling from my hand as if I had startled her. There were tear tracks on her face and bags under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in a week. She sighed sadly as she met my eyes. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay," I said. "If you're looking for room two eighty fo—"

"I think you're in the wrong room. This is my wife's room." She looked at me and smiled sadly.

"What?"

I didn't hear her correctly.

"I married her," she explained. "That makes her my wife."

"You don't understand," I said, shaking my head. "This is my mother."

She left me to marry another woman.

"I'm sorry, honey," she began, "but I don't think—"

"You don't understand," I insisted. "She left me— for you?"

"I don't think this is your—" she sighed.

"This is my mother, all right," I said bitterly. "She left a year ago... but why are you more important than me? Why wasn't she able to stay?"

"I—" she tried.

"Why did she leave?" I cried, grabbing her shoulders. "And if it was just because she wanted you, why did she make the reason she left about me?" 

"I think she wanted—"

My breathing quickened. 

"You don't understand! Nobody understands!" I screamed. "She called me worthless! She said I was ugly! She came home drunk late at night—probably hanging out with you! She screamed at me! She told me she didn't want me! She told me I didn't matter!"

My breath hitched as I let out a quiet sob. I felt the woman's stare burn my neck and face as she scanned me over.

"Hon, I'm sure—" the woman said.

"At siya ay tama."

Her face morphed from one of pity to confusion. "What—"

"Wala akong bagay," I whispered. "Ako ay hindi mahalaga."

"Sweetheart, will you tell me—"

"Paano kung namatay ako?" I said. "Mapapansin ba ng sinuman?"

No one would notice. No one would care.

Can anybody see? The real me?

I don't matter.

My mother stirred in her bed. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. I took a step back.

I turned to leave, but the woman grabbed my arm. "Don't leave," she pleaded. "Not until you tell me what you said." She tried to smile again. "I don't speak Norwegian."

What the fuck? Norwegian?

"It's not Norwegian," I hissed, yanking my arm away from her. "It's Filipino."

"Mikey?"

I turned to see my mother sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes as if there weren't twenty-three machines hooked up to her.

"Mama?" I whispered.

I procrastinated way too much on this chapter. That's why it's so short.

In the next chapter, we're gonna look at what happened to Jeremy.

Sincerely, your best and most dearest friend,

Hacker

Word count: 744