Imagination || L.H.

Chapter 38

Michael and I support Luke between the two of us, taking a seat in the waiting area of the ER while Calum and Ashton go talk to the receptionist. Michael bites his lip nervously while I adjust the towel around Luke's shoulders as another shiver racks his body.

The receptionist calls out for a nurse and rushes over toward us, which makes me feel relieved and scared all over again. They must think something's seriously wrong with him to rush him into the ER that fast.

"We'll take him from here," she says in a way that's meant to be reassuring as the nurse comes and helps her get Luke to his feet. "You guys just sit tight."

"Is he going to be okay?" I ask as the towel slips from his shoulders and Michael snatches it up.

They don't respond, disappearing behind a door.

We stare after them for a few seconds in silence. Ashton moves first, taking a seat beside me on the couch. I turn to him and let loose the tears I've been holding back for what feels like hours. Calum runs a hand through his fingers, spinning on his heel and walking down the hallway. None of us call after him, figuring that he needs some space. Michael takes deep, shaky breaths on my other side as if he were desperately trying not to break down too. Ashton remains the calmest, gently rubs my back until my eyes run dry.

We wait there for what feels like hours and I flash back to the night Luke crashed Calum's mom's car. Except this time, we're not sure what will happen to him.

Michael gets up and goes after Calum, leaving me with Ashton, who hasn't spoken a word since he sat down. They come back with food, passing some to me and Ash. We take it, but none of us eat very much.

The sun's setting when a nurse comes back out. She politely gestures at all us to take our seats once more when we hop to our feet. "Your friend is... still unconscious, I'm afraid. It seems like he's overdosed on alcohol, which is not an uncommon case we get. We're everything we can to help him, I assure you."

I lean forward intently. "Is he going to be okay?" I demand rather sharply. Michael sets a gentle hand on my arm.

The nurse winces, but doesn't say anything.

I jump to my feet, shaking Mike's warning hand off. "I want to see him. If he's not going to be okay, I want to see him." My voice catches on the words, but I force them out all the same.

She frowns at me, cocking her head to the side as she studies me. "Are you Kat?" When she sees my expression, she elaborates. "He's been calling out for someone named Kat."

"Yes, I'm Kat." I feel weak in the knees and slightly nauseous. Calum crosses the waiting area to rest a hand on my elbow, propping me up without making a big show of it. I give him a grateful glance before turning back to the nurse. "Please, you have to let us see him."

The nurse looks at all of us before nodding slowly. Offering us a tight smile, she says, "I can give you ten minutes. But I'd prepare for the worst, if I was you. It doesn't look very good right now."

I stifle a sob with my hand, gripping Calum's arm tightly. He doesn't look much better. All the blood has drained from his face and he looks like he simultaneously wants to scream and throw up. Ashton has his eyes squeezed shut, his hands balled into fists. Michael is rocking slowly back and forth, his arms wrapped around his stomach, whispering to himself under his breath. I can make out the words just barely. "This isn't real. It's just a dream."

I have to turn away from them, letting go of Calum to race for the door leading to the ER. Patients lie in beds with curtains pulled shut around them, hooked up to dozens of beeping, whirring machines that send shivers down my spine. I spot Luke in one close to the front, rushing to his side, the boys close behind me. A machine supplies him oxygen, his face contorted in pain as he shivers, even underneath the three blankets they seem to have piled on top of him.

I drop to my knees beside the bed, feeling seconds away from breaking. His skin is tinted blue and he tosses around fitfully on the bed. I rest my chin on the edge of the bed, lacing my fingers through his. He relaxes slightly but continues to toss and turn.

"I'm gonna go call my mom and tell her that we found him," Calum announces, pulling out his phone as he steps away. "And, I know he doesn't want me to, but I'm going to call Luke's parents. This... They need to know."

Ashton nods in understanding as he watches Cal dial his mom's number. He and Michael take seats in the chairs placed by all the beds for visitors. I watch them out of the corner of my eye, afraid to take my eyes off of Luke should something bad happen to him again. His chest rises and falls staggeringly, uneven in a way that scares me. I tighten my grip on his hand, blinking back the tears. Michael and Ashton fix their gazes just over my shoulder on their best friend, worriedly bouncing their knees.

I bring Luke's hand to my face, a single tear that escaped from my eye slipping down my cheek to fall on his skin. "Please wake up," I whisper, willing his blue eyes to fly open. "Please don't leave me." He doesn't move and I drop my head, crying quietly into the hospital's blankets.

Michael leans forward to place a comforting hand on my shoulder and I let him, too weak to shake him off.

Calum's soft voice travels over the constant beeping of the machines as he hangs up on his mom and dials Luke's parents. I have no idea how they're going to react. At first, they were so mad at him for drinking that they threw him out. But Liz and Luke came an understanding in the hospital yesterday, however fleeting it was. They know the truth, the reason behind his drinking problem, but will that sympathy hold when they hear what kind of trouble he's gotten himself into now?

The machines start going crazy and I pick my head up, fear racing through me. Luke gasps for air as nurses rush over to him, calling out things that I don't understand. My hand's ripped from his in the chaos and Ashton holds me, whether to comfort me or keep me from running to Luke, I don't know, while we all watch in frozen silence. Calum gets off the phone with Luke's dad, joining us with a fearful expression.

He mutters under his breath as they work him, his eyes squeezed shut while he thrashes around on the bed. The nurse who talked to us earlier beckons for us to leave, but I shake my head and plant my feet. They'll have to drag me kicking and screaming out of the ER if they want me to leave.

Luke stretches a hand out towards us, murmuring under his breath, "Kat," over and over again. I feel a slight blush rise to my cheeks, but it's not enough to alleviate my worries. He gasps again, arching off of the bed for a second before falling back down. "Kat!" he says again, this time much louder.

The nurse we talked to earlier shoots a glance at me, gesturing for me to come to him. I do without hesitation, gripping his hand tightly in mine. At my touch, Luke relaxes slightly, going back to muttering under his breath. He stops moving enough to allow the doctors to do their job and I watch anxiously, making slow circles on the back of his hand with my thumb.

The machines go back to their slow, constant beeping and they step back, looking relieved. They head off, leaving the nurse to check on the machines and his vitals. She gives me a small smile. "He's stable now, so if everything goes well in the next few hours, he should be okay," she says quietly.

The boys behind me breathe sighs of relief, some of the tension draining from their bodies. I close my eyes, resting my head against Luke's arm. His lips move almost soundlessly, but I can just barely make out the words. Names, really, said over and over again.

"Kat, Calum, Michael, Ashton."

I really hope the next few hours go by smoothly.