michael didn't realise that someone was telling him to leave. not even when they tapped his shoulder. it was when they removed his hand from ashton's did he realise someone was trying to talk to him.
"i'm sorry, michael, is it?" the nurse asked and michael nodded, "it's time to go now, honey."
he nodded again and didn't argue as she pulled him away.
"you look like you need some rest, go on now," she told him softly.
michael agreed and didn't make a sound as she pushed him through the hallway towards his room.
when he arrived back at his room, the nurse lifted him into his bed and patted his legs softly.
"he'll be fine, the first couple of days are always the worst for coma patients," she told michael as she proceeded to tuck him in.
"he doesn't deserve this."
"no one ever does," she patted his legs again, which he couldn't feel and she left the room.
michael sat in his bed for a long time, thinking about ashton's pale face. his clock, next to his bed was glowing and it told him it was past midnight.
he didn't make any movement and didn't close his eyes long enough to sleep, instead he stayed up looking at his door.
it was when his clock beeped at 5 am did he cuddled into his sheets and fall into a dream filled sleep.
➣
he was shaken awake by his mother. her hair was a mess but she was smiling sweetly at him.
"mikey," she whispered, "do you want breakfast?"
"no," he mumbled in reply and pressed his face back into his pillow, where he had been crying into the pillow.
she came back an hour later, patting his back softly.
"they want to look at your legs again," she told him, "so you're getting up and going to see them."
michael wanted to argue but his mother was being firm and for some reason he felt, if he argued with her, she would cry.
so he let her call a nurse over and the two of them, helped michael into the wheelchair and the nurse took michael to a doctors office.
"it shouldn't be that bad," she explained to michael as she wheeled him towards another room, "dr harrod will probably just look at them and make sure they're okay."
"well, my legs aren't, i can't feel them," michael replied easily.
the nurse didn't reply, but michael could see, she was looking at a surgeon, the way michael looked at ashton.
"here, we are," she smiled, as she opened the door, and doctor harrod was sitting behind his desk.
"hello," he grinned at them both, "let's look at those legs of yours, shall we?"
"we shall." michael grumbled.
the three of them spent the rest of the session, talking about the feeling, michael felt. if he was alright, with never walking or running again.
"i was never really active," michael whispered, and harrod and the nurse laughed.
"this should be all." harrod, nodded at michael and then at the nurse. "see you tomorrow, michael."
before michael, could be wheeled out, he saw calum's name on a piece of paper. with a stamp, that read, 'discontinued.'
michael shook his head.
"calum?"
"hm?" doctor harrod, looked at the paper work, and took a deep breath. "oh lord, rest that poor boy's soul."
"ashton, won't wake up now," michael whispered, tears stinging his eyes. "ashton..."
harrod, looked at the nurse again. "take him back to his room now, katy."
michael's head fell into his hands, and he started to cry.
"it's okay, honey," katy said, as she pushed him, back to his room. his mum, met them half way.
"mikey?" michael didn't hear her, over his crying and she patted his hair. katy filled her in, and she took over, telling katy, to go have a break.
michael's mum, took him to the elevator and they went to the roof.
michael's breath hitched, the view was beautiful. karen, pushed him towards the edge, and they looked down at the ground.
"rememeber, when you were younger and you wanted to fly?" she asked, and michael nodded. "well, how about you think about it like that?"
michael stared at her sadly and she huffed, "think about calum's death-"
"don't say it."
"didn't you only have calum in one class?"
"he's still a living person, mum."
she closed her mouth.
"go on then," he grumbled. "go on and tell me, all your shitty metaphors. ashton would rather be dead now anyway."
"you don't know that." she stood up, and without another word, walked away from her son.
"i do!" michael shouted back.
➣
later, that day, karen came back up. luke was with her, looking as pale, as he ever did.
"ashton's not going to be happy." luke whispered, when he got close enough. michael didn't reply.
karen, took luke and michael back down, towards the ICU, and when they arrived, they heard a yelling voice.
michael covered his ears, so he couldn't hear them. luke though, looked into the room and he stopped moving for a second. enough time, to make michael remove his hands.
"ash," he whispered out. "ashton."
karen stopped also, and pushed michael back, towards the ICU, where a nurse was pushing ashton down.
ashton's eyes drifted away from the nurse for a second, to see luke and michael and that was enough time for the nurse, to stick the needle into his arm.
"i'm dead!" ashton wailed. "michael and luke are dead! we're all dead!" ashton cried out, and michael's heart broke, he didn't know about calum, yet.
karen quickly continued to push michael away and then luke ran to catch up.
"that poor boy," karen said. "he'll be written about in the future. he was so brave."
luke, asked a nurse to help lift michael, back into his bed, and then luke climbed in, with him.
"when you out live your kids, that's when things get tough." karen told them, then she looked at michael. "i love you."
michael didn't say anything back, he was cuddled into luke's side and was shaking with the thought of ashton, learning about calum's discontinue with life support.
his mum left soon after and luke started to take shaky breaths.
"i feel so goddamn bad," luke whispered, "i don't want ashton to know."
"i guess, we can just not tell him?" michael mumbled, but even that sounded harsh.
✗✗ ✗✗ ✗✗
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