Some Day We Might (Muke)

Chapter Seventeen

We find Calum in the waiting room of the hospital. He's slouched in one of the chairs with his head in his hands, his white shirt stained with a few good-sized spots of blood. I feel my head spin and my blood rush everywhere but my face seeing the blood on his shirt. I feel hot tears forced out of my eyes. The sterile smell of the hospital, the cold temperature, and all the white everywhere makes me feel sicker than I already was. My legs are so weak, it feels like I ran five miles.

Let Ashton be okay. I'll do anything for him to be okay. I just need him to be fucking okay.

I make my way over to him, holding closely to Luke like I'm in the water and he's the only thing keeping me afloat. He's just as much of a mess as I am, though. 

"C-cal...?" I choke out, my heart racing, terrified to hear the news.

He looks up, his face full of heartache, both exhausted and tear stained. "They, uh...they said everything should be okay. They still have him in ICU." His voice is noticeably hoarse.

Though him being in ICU worries me, I'm slightly relieved that he's not--you know...fuck, I don't want to think about that. "Can you tell us what happened?" I finally ask, eyeing at the deep red splotches on his shirt. 

Luke can't stop staring at the shirt. I almost want to cover his eyes like you would to a child. "Did he try to--" 

"No." Calum interrupts Luke. "I--I don't think he was meaning to. I just found him in the bathroom...cuts all over his--his arms...legs..." Calum starts to cry. "A-and he was unconscious...just laying there on the floor..." He puts his head back into his hands, now letting out silent sobs.

I sit down and put my hand on Calum's back. Luke sits next to me. My eyes sting from crying, still wet and forming new tears, and my head feels like I've had it slammed in a car door. "He's okay though, right?" Luke asks through sniffles.

"They said he just lost a bit of blood..." Calum says, his voice cracking. "They had to give him stitches in a few places...but he's okay."

I hold Luke's hand and let him rest his head on my shoulder, feeling his hot tears spill through my shirt. "It's okay." I whisper so only he can hear. "Shh, baby it's okay." I'm trying to console him when tears fall from my own eyes as well. It's hard when we're here in a hospital and I can't hold him in my arms. And maybe I just want someone to hold me...

"Calum Hood?" A nurse calls out into the lobby. Calum stands to his feet and nods, wiping at his eyes.

"Y-yes?"

She walks over to where we are. "Ashton is doing well. But we don't permit any visitors until the patient is fully stable--"

"Fully stable?" Calum asks, panicking a little. "W-what does that mean?"

"It means he's still recovering. His heart rate is still regulating and his body is still processing everything and trying to replace blood cells. And he's not awake yet, but he should be coming to in a few hours."

Calum sighs and sits down. "Okay."

"You are welcome to spend the night if you want to." She says.

Calum just nods at her before she hands him some papers to fill out and leaves. 

"I want to stay." Luke says quietly to me.

"We will." I squeeze his hand and sneak a quick kiss to his forehead. There's no one else in the lobby, and I honestly don't care if Calum sees right now. "Have you contacted Anne-Marie?" I ask Calum.

He nods. "She can't make it down here until tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm assuming we're going home then." I say.