With You | Ant and Dec

Part Twenty One

Note from the author:
I'm a liar and such a bad author. 😭
I was supposed to update this a WEEK ago, but I never got around to finishing the chapter in time.
Luckily, I have finished it, though it is awful.
I am so, so sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy part twenty one of With You!

This time:
Christine and Ant go gift shopping,
Bob comes to see the bed bound Geordie, and,
Alfie and Declan have a heart to heart. 💞

//

Walking around the small gift shop across the street from the hospital, Christine was looking at the t shirts. She didn't want to just get something small for her son's best friend, she wanted to get him something that showed how much she cares and loves him. Declan was as much her son as Anthony was and she wanted to show him that.

Christine had already picked out a teddy bear wearing an Australian flag t shirt and some of his favourite chocolates. As she scanned the shirts, she saw a blue one with a mother and baby kangeroo and she grinned. It was cheesy, but deep down, she knew Dec would love it. As she picked it up, her son came over.

"I have no idea what to get him!" Ant exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air in annoyance. Christine smiled kindly at him and pulled him into a hug.

"He'll love whatever you give him, pet. Even a card. He loves you, Anthony," She said, wanting to reassure him as he genuinely looked disheartened. Ant sighed then wandered off again, hoping to find something special for his best friend.

//

Laying in his hospital bed, Declan stared up at the ceiling. He had counted all the ceiling tiles a thousand times. There was 46 in total. Yes, he was that bored. His mam had gone to get food while his brother and nephew went back to their hotel to get some rest. All in all, Declan was bored.

He had no idea where Ant and Christine were, maybe they got bored of him and went home? No, he scolded himself, they wouldn't go home without telling him...would they? Shaking his head, he groaned at his stupid thoughts and sat up. It took quite a bit of effort, seeing as he was still weak, but he was damned if everyone thought he needed help with the simplest of tasks.

Just as he had managed to sit up, the door had opened and Medic Bob poked his head around the corner. "Should you be trying to get up, Declan?" He asked, frowning slightly as the younger man jumped; startled.

"You scared at the shit outta me, Bob!" He exclaimed, hand over his heart. Bob simply smirked and pushed the younger lad back down onto the bed before taking a seat in the vacant seat.

"Should you be getting out of bed right now, Declan?" He fixed a pointed stare at Dec, who diverted his eyes down to his lap.

"I'm so bored and alone, Bob! I don't want to just lay here and stare at the ceiling tiles anymore. I hurt; physically and mentally. I sometimes wish you and Anth never found me to be completely honest with you," By this point, Dec was sobbing again, "I just wanted everybody to be happy!"

That was when they heard a sniffle. Whipping around to face the door, Dec froze when he saw his 17 year old nephew standing there, hand still holding onto the door. "Alfie," The man sighed, pushing himself up and holding out his hand. Bob stood up and let the teenager sit down, "Listen to me, kidda," Dec began as Bob quietly left the room, "Sometimes, when life gets tough, your brain starts to talk to you. It tells you that...sometimes, you're not good enough, nor are you deserving of what happens to you,

"And sometimes, you believe it," He paused, taking a deep breath and looking straight into his nephew's eyes, "I believed that I shouldn't be here. I believed that what my brain was saying to me was right. I wasn't thinking of how it would affect people. I was only thinking about happiness," Before he could continue, Alfie spoke up.

"You do realise how many people would be lost without you, right? Do you know how many people would be devastated if you weren't here? You have millions of fans and a ton of friends who love you. Me, my dad, my mam, nana, all my uncles, all my aunts. Anth...what about him?"

Alfie cried loudly, hand gripping tightly to his uncle's, "Uncle Dec...you're my best friend. I can't lose you," The teenager sobbed, curling up against Dec and hiding his face in his hands.

Dec was quick to hold his nephew tightly and cried along with him. He had caused all this. He had caused this pain and hurt. He didn't know if he could ever forgive himself.