Nightmares of a Beast

"Hold on"

C-P>O>V>

It's been a week since he's gone comatose. The ambulance picked up the girl and Seith from the intersection. I went with them to make sure they'd both live. The doctor told me they would, a reassurance, but my nerves still high strung with tension. I ended up staying in the hospital for a week with them. I was cut from my contract because of my long break and the band went on tour without me, Lain singing in my place. She's not as good but she'll be batter for the band. The girl woke before Seith did. She was groggy and surprised, but her parents thanked me and returned home. I told them to thank Seith, since he saved their little girl not me. I couldn't even save one of them, let alone take a drunk man back to his home without loosing him. 

After the first week, I went home and ate an actual meal that didn't consist of vending machine sandwiches and cafe food. I bathed and slept at home for three days before my guilty conscience got the better of me.The next morning, I hopped into a taxi and rode to the hospital, hoping he'd be in better condition than I left him in. To my complete shock, I nearly broke down crying at the door to his room when I saw him sitting up in bed eating from a bowl of soup broth. "Seith." My voice came out pinched and cracked, but I forgot all about it when he smiled. Not one of those broken smiles that barely make you feel better, but a real one full of warmth, and made the corners of his eyes crinkle with little lines. He laughed when I rushed to his bedside with my arms held out, flopping face first onto the sheets covering his legs. I heard the clanking of a spoon and a shift of fabric before his hand came from above and starting stroking my head. I almost cried again, the tears brimming under my eyelids as I fought for them not to come out. 

I was startled when Seith suddenly shushed me, "It's okay." I realized I was crying. The tears I fought so desperately not to come out, were leaking rivulets down my face and soaked a patch of cloth over his leg. The sight only triggered all the emotions I've been trying to block for the past week, everything finally escaping into the growing puddle. "It's okay Cal, just let it all go." He kept caressing my head and watching over me while I cried, time passing as we sat piled on his hospital bed comforting each other. I finally stopped crying , and half an hour passed before a doctor told us he could be discharged as long as he stayed on bed rest for the remainder of the week. They had us sent back to his apartment flat in an ambulance, the paramedics carrrying him up on a stretcher. 

"Here, eat. Careful though, it's still a little hot." I held the spoon up to his lips even though he was perfectly capable of feeding himself. Guess men have mothering instincts too? His bandaged fingers took the spoon from me and I watched him as he brought the spoon of soup up to his mouth and carefully sipped at it. A little leaked off and stained the bandage on on his fingers, he returned the spoon to the bowl in my lap and shook his hand. The creamy soup flung off with the motion and some scattered onto my face. We made eye contact and stared for two seconds before breaking out laughing. The twinkle in his eye was unmistakable as he swiped off the soup from my face and licked it. "Dude, that's gross." He laughed and gave me a mock glare before breaking out laughing again. "Seith, seriously bro. I haven't showered in like two days, you better wash your mouth with water or something." We made ugly faces at each other and chuckled while the both of us clutched our stomachs. As I laugh died out, I wiped a tear from my eye as Seith suddenly got serious. 

I rubbed my face and took a breath while he looked on with a troubled look on his face. "Where you hurt? In the accident, I mean." When I shook my head no, Seith sunk into his pillows looking a little less troubled. "Did you work the weekend? Did you go to school?" He looked genuinely interested as he asked me, and I couldn't help but smile at his strange puppy like behavior. 

"Why should that matter? I was cut because of my absence but the band has Lain to sing for me, and I took a week's leave of personal time from school. Plus, even if I'd gotten hurt, we could've stayed in the hospital together." Seith looked like he wanted smack me over the head. 

"You should've told me! Give me my phone, I'll call your agent and your school." 

I looked at him in surprise, "What?"

"I said, give me the phone. I'll call for you." 

I took out his phone from his suit jacket, but didn't hand it to him. "You don't have to, and look who talking? The school drop out. Plus you're only eighteen, you don't have jurisdiction or authority regarding me anyway."  The look covering his face after listening to what I said was enough to instantly make me regret saying it. I wasn't wrong though, and he knows it. Dropping the subject, I cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen. He came up behind me while I washed them, rubber gloves up to my elbows while I ran water over the dish. "You're not supposed to be moving around yet!" I dropped the dishes into the rack beside the sink, flinging the gloves over the faucet's head and spun around on him. Gently, I pressed on his shoulders and pushed him backwards into the living space and onto the couch. Sitting down, he tried to get up again so I pressed down firmly on his shoulders while blocking with my knee. "Stay." I commanded. He just stared back at me like a kicked puppy, but at least he listened. 

Looking back towards the bedroom, I saw a trail of his things leading out into the hall. The comforter sprawled across the hardwood, crutches halfhazardly discarded in the hall. I looked at Seith, "Seriously?" I rolled my eyes at the stupid look on his face and scoffed. "Next time just ask for help. Or don't and just hurt yourself more so I can keep you from getting into trouble, and locked up here." 

"I rather not."

"Then actually listen to me and stay in bed."  

He huffed but didn't answer, maybe it's a good thing? Apparently not, because the next minute a wicked grin spread like hell fire across his face and I was being carried across the foyer by the ribs. My eyes were wide in shock from his sudden burst of energy but I didn't struggle in fear of him injuring himself more. "I'm taking you to school tomorrow." 

"No you're no-" I stopped talking the second he actually threw me onto the couch and descended on me with his fingers tickling my sides. I was left gasping for air with tears in my eyes by the time he let up a bit, and so I decided to retaliate a bit. I moved my socked foot across the wood surface of the floor and swept his feet from under him. The action was subtle enough for him to loose his balance and fall to the ground but not enough to send him crashing down. He landed on his ass with my hands yanking on the collar of his shirt. "Got ya." My grin was wide and taunting, but I stood and helped him up. "Hold on."