Why Won't You Love Me | 5SOS | Luke Hemmings

Sixteen

Well, they'd be like, "Shit is crazy right?" I ain't your baby no more.

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I wasn't expecting her to be so frail. I thought maybe she wouldn't have hair and be hooked up to machines but nothing more. I didn't think she'd be this bad off.

It scared me. I was finally meeting my mother and she could die at any moment. Did I even want to be there if she did?

"You're my Madeline?" She asked with a scratchy voice.

I nodded, letting the door close behind me.

Along with the two of us, there was a man sitting on her other side. He had a dark blue t-shirt on and dark jeans. His brown hair was cut short on the top and shaved on the sides. He didn't look anything like Luke and I was almost happy about that. The boy that sat on the couch against the wall to my right looked like me. His hair was light but what caught my attention more was the fact that his skin was deeper than most people I saw in Manchester. My anxiety kicked in at the realization that he was my brother. My twin.

She pulled a frail had from Maddox's grasp and reached out for me to take it.

I glanced at him before walking up to the side of the bed. I let her take my hand in hers, not sure what I was supposed to do. I'd never been around sick people. At least not ones that meant anything to me. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel or what I was supposed to say.

"You're so pretty, baby."

I offered her a nervous smile, still trying to calm myself. I was in a room with strangers. Two of whom were my family. I shouldn't have been as uncomfortable as I was.

But I knew deep down they wouldn't be my family. One was close to death and the other... he had a perfectly fine life without me. Maddox didn't need me in his life.

"Is he taking care of you?"

I raised my eyebrows, not quite sure what she was talking about.

She smiled. "Luke."

"Oh, um, yeah, he is. Australia is a lot different than the states."

"America is a lot different from every country." She looked back at Maddox behind me and waved him forward. "Honey, this is Madeline. She's your sister."

"I, um, actually go by Maddie now."

"That's so pretty."

"Wait, she's my sister?" Maddox asked, not sounding too happy that I was the twin he'd never met. I had a feeling he'd been told about me before I was told about him but I let it slide.

I glanced at him, detecting that he was angry for some reason. Had I done something? Said something?

"Maddox, honey, be nice. She came a long way to see us."

He rolled his eyes. "On a private plane, I bet."

"Don't start." The man on the other side of the bed said, giving Maddox a stern look. His accent was stronger than my mother's, Kelly, was. Of course, she wasn't originally from the U.K.

"Why is she even here in the first place?"

"Hallway, now."

I watched them go, hating that my own brother was mad at me. I wasn't sure what I'd done to make him mad. I was hoping I could talk to Luke about it and fix things before we left.

Kelly took my hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry about them, sweetie. He's still adjusting to having a sister."

"Doesn't he have a little brother?"

She nodded. "Matthew. He's too little to be here."

I pulled a chair up to the side and sat down. While she didn't seem like she could move much, she didn't have trouble talking to me. So I didn't mind making her talk. "How did you meet your husband?"

A smile spread on her dry lips. "Jude was traveling through. We were at the same bar and he bought me a drink."

"Does he love you?"

"Why are you asking all these questions, honey?"

"I want to know that you're happy." I admitted, my cheeks flushing. Even if I didn't know much about my mother, it was still nice to know she was happy with her life and the fact that she was dying. I would have hated to think she hadn't done enough. It would have weighed too heavy on me.

She took my hand and squeezed it. "How are you doing? Has Luke been treating you well?"

I nodded. "It's better than the last place I stayed."

I felt bad for bringing up my living situations as if it was her fault. I knew it was but I wasn't mad about it. I was over it and just wanted to make my amends with her while I could.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I know I can't make up for what I did to you. But I'm glad he's there for you to take care of you."

The door opened behind me and I saw her husband walk into the room with Maddox following.

Her husband put a hand on my shoulder as he stood just behind me. "Honey, do you mind if we have a word for a little while?"

I swallowed and nodded, not sure when I'd get to see her again. It was clear Maddox didn't want me around and I wasn't sure how her husband felt about me. He had to have known about me before I arrived.

I left the room and watched Maddox take my spot. Her attention went to him and I realized that I didn't need to be there. They didn't need me getting involved when Kelly was on her deathbed.

That gave me a lot to think about.