𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝; byler

- ¢нαρтєя 20 -

MIKE PUSHED THROUGH Miranda- or May- whoever she was, and entered the room. He stopped one step in, not able to go any further.

Will was lying in the bed, a tube down his throat and needles in his arms. He looked so pale he was almost translucent, so tiny in the green hospital robe. His eyes were closed, and his chest was going up and down in an uneven way. Mike wanted to come closer, he wanted to get Will out of the bed and hug him tightly, but he couldn't. He couldn't even move, couldn't bare to see Will like this. He was afraid if he got any closer, the situation would be real. Because if he was this far away, it didn't have to be real.

"Mr. Wheeler?" a voice behind him called, and he turned around quickly.
It was the doctor again, Mike couldn't remember his name, and his face was even more somber now.

"Why isn't he awake?" Mike said, trying to speak through a lump in his throat.
"I'm afraid there have been some... complications. Some of the contents of Will's stomach have entered his lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia." 
The look on Mike's face must have been something else, because the doctor hurried to continue, "It sounds way scarier then it is. Only 25% percent of people suffering from this die. As for the moment, you have nothing to worry about."

But Mike didn't believe him for one moment. The look on his face had told him everything he had to know. Mike didn't feel anything, just a gut wrenching numbness. 

"You should let him rest, wait out in the waiting room... we'll call you if anything changes." The doctor put an arm on Mike's shoulder, escorting him out of the room before he had a chance to look at Will again.

                                                                                               ✴ ⁕ ✴ ⁕ ✴

Once again, Mike wasn't sure how he had made it to the waiting room. Somehow he was sitting in a chair, surrounded by guilty- faced friends. There were snacks from the machine, arms on his shoulder, comforting words he couldn't hear... people he didn't know coming to say they're sorry. The social worker whose name he couldn't remember anymore came too, handing him a pack of m & m's and an understanding smile. But Mike was only half aware of all of this, staring ahead as images of the short week he had spent with Will flew through his mind, memories from the happiest week of his whole entire life. 

Will's smiling face as Mike leaned down and kissed him, seeming surprised every single time, his beautiful face lighting up every time Mike knocked on his door. That's how he wanted to remember Will, not the dying, frail boy in the hospital bed.

At some point the chatter stopped, the sky outside turned dark, his friends started sleeping in awkward positions on the chairs. Mike didn't sleep, didn't think... He should've seen what was wrong before. He should of stopped Will before he got to this point....

"Mr. Wheeler?" the doctor again. Mike turned his gaze towards him, still not really seeing him.
"I'm sorry, but he's not doing so well... I'd say his odds are 50 : 50. Don't worry, nothing's set in stone yet..."

And then he was gone, and Mike's heart seemed to stop. More hours passed, maybe it was only minutes... suddenly the doctor was back...

70 : 30. I'm sorry, we're trying our best...

some more time.

doing better, 60 :40...

the sun was rising....

"Mike?" the doctor said, lowering himself so he was facing Mike. He hadn't moved the whole night, he wasn't sure his body could move anymore.
"Follow me." Mike stiffly got up, following the doctor through the halls that were filling up with more people... into Will's room.

Will looked even worse now, almost corpse like. his skin was completely blue, his chest was barley moving... and his eyes still closed, the bags under his eyes looking even darker on his skin.

I just thought you might want to sit with him... doctor Miller pushing him towards a chair, next to the bed, making him sit down...
I'll be back soon... leaving him alone with Will.

Mike knew they expected him to talk to Will, but how could he? how could he say anything? how could he function watching the person he loved most in the entire world dying slowly in front of him?

And then the doctor was back. You should probably call his mother, a grieving look on his face, it's not looking good.

Mike wanted to cry, to yell, but he couldn't. He continued sitting there, looking at Will's un moving body.

For the rest of the day, nothing happened. One of his friends had come in a few times, trying to get Mike to  eat something, but Mike couldn't. He wasn't even sure who he was, couldn't really remember their names. Nothing existed in Mike's mind except Will. A few times nurses came in, checking stuff and changing his needles... no change, the doctor had said, no change is a good sign. means he's stable.

Mike was starting to come to life. Maybe Will would pull through... the next morning he ate a twix bar, walked around the hospital for a few minutes with El. Will was still stable, no change the whole day... they couldn't find Joyce, however. When night came, Mike managed to doze off a little in the uncomfortable grey chair.

Beep, beep, beep, Will's heart steady on the heart monitor. Mike felt his eyes closing, exhausted.
beep, beep, beep, the sounds helped him sink into oblivion, helping him remember Will was still alive.

Until- ten quick thumps, and then a long, piercing beep that didn't end, pulling Mike back into reality, straight into his worst nightmare.

[AUTHOR SAYS]

I KNOW I KNOW I'M SORRY NEXT PART COMING TOMORROW PROMISE♡