The Call-Back (Thomas Brodie-Sangster)

Grotty coffee.

My dreamless sleep was interrupted suddenly, by the loud sounds of ringing. Kaya was a heavy sleeper, and I doubt would wake up. Knowing it was a high chance of me answering it, I climbed out of bed, the cold wooden floor sending shivers up my legs from my bare feet.

Running into the living room, I picked up the obnoxious phone, wondering why someone would call me at 12 in the evening.

"Hello?" I say my voice croaky.

"Miss Steadman Hartwell Hospital here, I have some afraid I have some news" the woman on the end of the phone said, her voice low, but almost robotic, like she does this a lot.

"W-what's happened?" I stutter, sitting on the sofa. 'not Thomas... Not Thomas, please'

"It's Thomas"

I stay silent, urging the woman to continue.

"It appears he was stabbed on his left hip, only 2 hours ago... Luckily there was a man around to make sure he was ok. Or he could still be somewhere in London" she said, barely in a whisper of emotion in her voice.

My breath hitched in my throat, as my hands shook violently. Everything around me became blurry, and tears gathered around my lid.

"Miss Steadman?"

"Y-yeah, urm, Thomas a-and he- he-" I tried to stutter out a coherent sentence, only for it to be chocked up in my throat.

"I'm sorry, Miss Steadman, I'm afraid visiting hours won't begin until 8 this morning. I suggest you lay down if your experiencing any breathing problems or dizziness. I expect to be seeing you tomorrow?" Wiping the warm tears from my cheeks, I hang up on the lady, not wanting to talk to anyone.

Almost immediately after throwing the phone onto the floor, I bury my face into a pillow, and scream.

Why did I have to fall asleep so early, Thomas may have stayed here and not have to be put through this... It's my fault.

With that thought, I shut my eyes, and tried to fall into an inevitably painful sleep.

Thomas POV

God this was painful. And not just physically. Sure, the pain in my hip was agonising, I had never felt anything like it. It was a pain alike if you stuck needled into your hip, only agonisingly slowly.

However the emotional pain is excruciating. It was confusing. I can understand the pain in which Emily experienced, but not to the extent that she had to deal with. How she was targeted by another, and earned the one thing she doesn't hand out easily which was her trust. He took that and crushed it, every light in her heart vanished, was pressed down and down and down until she had no fire, no edge, like she has now.

I was meant to protect Emily. From the ones who felt they were stronger than her, when in truth Emily was the strongest one could be. However I have been targeted also, and I'm obviously not as strong as them, otherwise I wouldn't be in the spiral of sadness and confusion as I'm in now.

All in all... I'm hopeless. I'm not strong enough to protect Emily from the ones that hurt her the most, the people I promised to shield her from. I just feel useless.

Scenarios of Emily never showing up played through my head, as she sat at home scoffing at my weakness, and inability to even keep myself safe.

This wasn't like a dramatic fan fiction where I would go into a coma and leave like a week later with no scars. But I was awake, and just staring at the plain white ceiling above my head.

With my head swirling, I rolled over and leant on the side which wasn't damaged.

Emily POV

I rolled over on the lumpy sofa. My head churned with thoughts, and feelings. Thomas had been targeted like I was, and I never ever meant for this to happen to him. He must be in such pain.

7:12am. I hadn't slept at all, maybe got a bit sleep-y, however I couldn't find the strength to fall asleep. All my emotions were in this trap inside my skull, and all I wanted to do is let them be free.

Deciding sleep was a hopeless thought, I swung my legs from the sofa I had decided not to leave.

Looking in the mirror in my room, my hair resembled a rats nest, my eyes had a thick purple line below them, and my skin was pale, and dry.

Sighing, I tamed my unruly hair and put it into a messy bun, before using make up to improve my horrible face to the best of my sleepy abilities.

Finally, I pulled on my Princeton jumper, and paired it with some plain black skinny jeans and white DM's.

I still looked tired, miserable, and my outfit resembled my feelings, which didn't help in me trying to conceal them.

Not even bothering to look at the clock, I took my handbag and penny board, before skating my way out of the apartment complex and to a bus station.

Everything around me was eery, mysterious and had a certain bitterness to it. London at roughly 7:30 in the morning probably wasn't the best time to go on a trek to the bus station, however my choices were limited seeing as I was poor, and without a car.

Looking at the bus timetable, the next bus for Hartwell- which is where the hospital was located - was going to be here in 10 minutes.

Shrugging, knowing full well that buses come late anyway, I penny boarded over to cheap coffee shop.

"One coffee please" I said, my voice low and slightly raspy from the lack of liquids and sleep.

I handed the guy 3 pounds from my pocket and left with the coffee, not even bothering to pick up the change.

As I took a sip, the grotty, cheap coffee burned my tongue, but after a few slow sips, I became numb to the horrifying taste and scorching temperature, and continued to sip the horrifying liquid in the desperate hope to stay awake.

The bus pulled up, only a few old ladies sat at the front of the bus, and one or two business people on their way to work around the middle. Handing the moody guy my money, I walk to the back of the bus and sat on the seat at the far corner.

Having left my headphones at home, I had no choice but to accept the world around me instead if drowning it out with the beautiful words of fall out boy.

Finally, the bus pulled up at the Hartwell bus station. The look of every lower class bus station in London was evident. It wasn't the most high class, in fact, it was a common area for homeless people to stay for the night. Somehow they managed the block out the pungent scent of pee and sleep here none-the-less.

Hopping onto my blue pennyboard, I skated as fast and safe as I could to the hospital. The big double doors in front of me were daunting, and I was left staring at the massive glass doors, wondering if I'll ever build up the courage to go inside and see Thomas the way he is, knowing full well that I had a part to play in this monstrous event.

~~~

Hope you guys liked it :) will Emily ever find the courage to walk into the hospital and see Thomas how he is? Or will she forget about it, and just wait until he's okay to see him?

Comment what you thought, I love talking to you guys :)
Also day early update you guys, I'm just amazing *flicks hair* 😂✌️

C'est la vie pussycats
~Erin xox