Fight for your life

Part 9

Sam was up and by Cameron's side instantly, slipping an arm around his waist to help steady him. He'd never felt so helpless in his entire life. Carefully helping Cameron out of the back, he knelt down, offering a hand to James. After the way Danny had reacted, he could only imagine what he was going through now and knew he'd need them. Determined he wasn't going alone, with one arm wrapped tightly around Cameron, he helped James to his feet as they headed inside. His eyes scanned the hospital, spotting the frontman on the floor. "Danny!" He screamed as they quickly made their way to him.

Matt nodded as he got up and grabbed their suitcases. Opening their dresser and closet, he tossed random items into the suitcase, making sure he had packed enough for a few days, not knowing how long they'd be gone. He opened his laptop, reserving six plane tickets. He returned a few minutes later, setting the case down by the door. "Okay, I packed us some stuff, baby. And I got six plane tickets." he said as he made his way toward his husband.

Ben's hand lay limply in Danny's while he convulsed against the thin pad. Finally going limp, he lay lifeless with his eyes closed again, his hand falling over the railing when Danny released it. Wheeled quickly into a room, the nurses transferred him from the stretcher, checking his vitals and for dilation before hooking him to an IV for anesthetics, not willing to risk him waking up through the sutures that were necessary to keep his head from bleeding any more. Another IV was attached to replace the lost blood, and within minutes they were stitching his head closed, bandaging it and pumping antibiotics and fluids into him.

Cameron moved as quickly as he could, keeping his arm around Sam's shoulders while the three of them hurried into the hospital. Moving to Danny's side, Cameron lowered himself to the floor as well, pulling Danny into a hug as tightly as he could manage. Sitting back on his knees, he curled his fingers into Danny's hair gently, trying to calm him down. "Danny, he's going to make it. You know he wouldn't leave you, you know he won't. He heard you and he's fighting for you," he assured him, swallowing hard around the lump in his throat.

James stood in the corridor, hands gripping his hair tightly while he looked around helplessly. He didn't know what to do, how to help, and the nagging in his brain demanded to know where Jake was — if he was alive.

Andy made the round of phone calls, telling everyone as much as he knew before Matt returned. Looking up at him, he gave a small, sad smile while he pushed himself up and off the floor. "Thank you," he muttered, moving closer to slide his arms tightly around Matt's waist, pressing his face against his shoulder while he closed his eyes tightly. "I'm really scared, Matt," he admitted, worrying himself more with every second that Sam didn't call back.

Danny swallowed hard as he looked up at Cameron, trying his best to regain at least a little composure. He was scared. More terrified than he'd ever remembered being in his entire life. He couldn't lose Ben. Not now. Not now that they seemingly had the perfect life. There were so many things they'd yet to do, so many words left unspoken. He could only hope he hadn't missed his chance in telling Ben. He took several deep breaths as he got to his feet, unsteady at first but then managed to get his bearings. He walked toward the room as he watched them work on Ben. Placing his hand against the cool glass he let his eyes slip closed slowly, giving a slight nod. Cameron was right, wasn't he? They'd been through too much hell for Ben to give up. Especially now. He was coming back to Danny. He was. He had too. Because without Ben, he was nothing. He wasn't him and he wouldn't be alive.

Scanning the empty hall, Sam found a nurse who'd just got done with a patient. "Excuse me" he began as he made his way toward her. "My boyfriend is hurt, can I please get someone to check him out?" The nurse agreed, telling him she'd send someone out to get him. He thanked her & headed back to Cameron. "Can you stand on your own, baby? Or do you need my help?"

And it was in that moment in another room down the hall someone screamed "we're losing him!" There Jake lay, wires and tubes replacing the shards of glass that consumed his body. Blood stained the once white sheets as doctors and nurses frantically tried to save jake.

Matt pressed a kiss to the top of Andy's head, pulling his phone out to read a text from Adam. "Adam and Ashley are in their way" he says softly, his hands came up, resting on either side of his face. "I know you are, but he's gonna be fine, Andy. We don't even know what's wrong yet"

As they removed the anesthesia to replace it with morphine, Ben lay perfectly still, blood drying over his face and neck, but it was nearly the only color visible on his skin that wasn't inked in. Transferred again to a clean bed, the nurses moved to wheel him to recovery while one stopped to speak with Danny. "We need to monitor his vitals and get his drip set up, and once we're done you can see him," she assured him with a hand comfortingly placed on his arm.

Cameron shook his head slightly at Sam's question, offering him a smile. "I'm okay," he promised, but it was largely to keep Sam from worrying too much. If he was still talking and still walking he had to be okay, right? Taking Sam's hand, he squeezed gently, leaning into kiss his lips softly. As he broke the kiss, he whispered quietly to Sam. "I know you're hurt. Please let them check you, too." He requested, trying not to make too big a deal of it and upset James or Danny any more than they already were.

James' stomach sank as he heard the screaming from down the hall, and it was like something clicked in his head and he knew. His eyes closed tightly while he stumbled toward the sound, his movements growing quicker with every step until he was all but running down the hall, sliding to a stop in front of the door. The sight of Jake left him breathless as he stood with his mouth open slightly, unable to breathe or think about much more than the tears clouding his vision. Moving closer to the window, he banged it loudly with his hand, screaming painfully from the other side. "Save him!"

Andy was nearly knocked breathless, all of a sudden and without cause, and he stumbled a little closer to Matt. Gasping quickly, he leaned forward, shaking his head a little. "He's not. He's not okay," he told Matt, unable to explain the overwhelming feeling of dread that had taken him over in the last few seconds.

Danny gave a slight nod as he turned his head to look at the nurse. His eyes were red and he looked as though he was ready to collapse again at any moment. He waited until the nurse had left before turning his attention back to Ben. He looked so tiny, so helpless in that hospital bed and it was killing Danny. Ben was the one person who could always talk Danny down from anything and now he was alone. He pressed his head against the glass, shaking with silent sobs.