Ben stayed asleep against Joe's chest for the rest of the day, until now.
It is now around six pm, and Joe notices that the blond is slowly waking up, as he can feel Ben's muscles tense up. He decides to give the blond a few minutes to wake up, before he gently starts to play with his hair. "Hey Benny." The ginger whispers.
Ben lets out a loud groan in response before burying his face into the fabric of Joe's shirt.
Joe smiles down at the boy. "How are you feeling?" He asks softly when he notices the effect of the medication has faded.
"My head hurts." Ben mumbles, hardly audible.
Joe immediately starts rubbing his hand over the boy's back. "I'm sorry about that Benny." He whispers.
Ben lets out a hum before a brief silence falls.
"Do you still think I'm working with the beast?" Joe asks with a soft giggle after a while.
Ben looks up, giving Joe a questioning look. "What beast?" He asks confused.
Joe grins. "Well... you thought that something bit your hand. I tried to show you that it was just the IV, but you were convinced that it was a beast that bit your hand. When I was on the phone with someone you asked if I was calling with the beast and if I was working with it." He smiles widely thinking back to Ben's very cute behaviour of this afternoon.
Ben buries his face into his hands embarrassed. "I don't remember any of that. It's all a bit of a blur. Sorry for that." He says softly.
Joe shakes his head. "Don't apologise. It was funny and kinda cute, so I didn't mind." He whispers with a blush on his cheeks.
Ben quickly pulls the duvet over his head to hide, not knowing what to say.
"So uhm, about that call...-" Joe says softly. "It was for you. It was your best friend. He called you because he was worried, since you weren't at school today." He smiles a little when the only thing he sees is a pair of green eyes looking at him from under the duvet.
"You mean Allen?" Ben asks.
Joe briefly frowns. "I uhm... I kind of forgot to ask his name. But the contact on the screen said 'Al', so I guess so." He feels his heart warm when he sees the smile on Ben's face.
Ben nods. "Yeah, that's Allen. I can't believe I forgot to tell him about all this. But thanks for taking the call." The blond says.
Joe smiles. "Of course. I told him to call you back this night, when you wouldn't be high from the drugs. So he might call you again." He explains.
Ben smiles and nods. "Thank you."
---
That night, just like all the others, Joe is video calling with home to tell his little brother their bedtime story.
Ben is lying in his own bed, trying to keep his eyes open as he listens to Joe's soft voice. He still has a headache as after effect of the medication, but focusing on Joe's voice makes it a little less bad already. A smile appears on his face when he hears Joe giggle.
"That was one big yawn Johnny. I think it's bedtime." The ginger says with a big smile.
But John immediately shakes his head. "Nooo! Can we please keep calling?" The little boy begs.
Joe smiles. "No, it's getting late. Can you give mom and dad a hug from me?"
John yawns again before nodding. "I will." He mumbles.
Ben smiles sleepily as he watches Joe and his little brother saying goodbye to each other. Then his attention goes to his own phone, which starts ringing.
Joe gets ready to end the call, but before he can he gets stopped by John.
"Joey? Will you be home for Christmas?" The boy asks, slightly pouting.
The smile on Joe's face makes way for a frown. "I uhm- I don't know John. I don't think so." He knows that Christmas will be here soon, and his surgery will happen in six days. Lucy told him that recovery is going to take at least two weeks, which means he'll be celebrating Christmas here in the hospital. But if he tells John now, he'll be sad until New Year's Eve.
"Come on Johnny, it's bedtime for Joe as well." Joe's mom intervenes. She takes the phone out of John's small hands and smiles at her son on the screen. "I'm gonna tuck him in." She says with a chuckle, looking at John.
Joe smiles and nods. "Yeah. I'm gonna go too. Goodnight. Love you."
"Goodnight darling. Love you too." His mom says with a smile before the two end the call.
Joe puts his phone on the bedside table, and lets himself sink a little deeper into the mattress. He turns around, about to say something to Ben. But when he notices that the boy is on the phone with someone, he doesn't. Joe just closes his eyes, and listens to Ben talking. As the minutes tick by, he hears how Ben tells his friend about everything.
"So yeah, that's why my mum isn't home either. And I won't be home for at least another three weeks, I'm afraid." Ben says once he has finished his story.
It stays silent on the other side of the line for a moment. "Ben, I'm so sorry about your dad. And I really hope you and your mum will be okay again soon. I really miss you." Allen says through the phone.
Ben smiles a little. "Thanks. I hope I'll be able to leave the hospital soon. I miss you too." He admits.
"Will you let me know how you're doing after tomorrow's surgery?" Allen asks.
Ben nods. "I will. Bye." He waves at the screen before ending the call.
---
When Joe wakes up the next morning, he sees Ben lying in his bed, wide awake and staring at the ceiling. "Hey, have you been awake for long?" The ginger asks softly.
Ben turns his head towards Joe, and forces a small smile. "Almost all night." He mumbles.
Joe frowns. "Because of the nerves?" Even though he already knows the answer to that question.
Ben nods. "Yeah. But I'll have enough time to sleep later. At least there's that." He lets out a quite fake chuckle.
"I don't think anesthesia counts as sleeping." Joe says with a raised eyebrow. "Do you know what time it is?"
Ben reaches to his bedside table to grab his phone. "It's 10 am." He says, followed by a loud sigh. One more hour before he'll be taken to the OR for the surgery. And it's freaking him out. But he tries his best not to let his fear shine through.
But besides that, Joe sees right through him. Which is why the boy gets out of bed before lying down next to Ben. "You'll be okay. Trust me." He whispers as he pulls the blond close to his chest.
"I don't know why I'm so nervous." Ben whispers.
Joe smiles a little. "New things are always scary Benny." He runs his hand through the blond's hair.
"Four hours. Four fucking hours they will be cutting into my body while I'm asleep. I just feel... so out of control." Ben says before burying his face into the crook of Joe's neck.
Joe slowly rubs his hand over Ben's back. "They know what they're doing. They'd never do surgery like this if it isn't safe. I promise, you will be okay." He whispers reassuringly.
Ben nods. "Thanks." He mumbles.
About an hour later, Lucy enters the room. "Hi boys. Ben, I'm here to take you the OR." She says with a friendly smile, knowing how nervous the boy is.
Ben nods, letting out a shaky sigh. "Alright then."
With a look of sympathy, Joe watches how Lucy unlocks the wheels of the bed of the trembling blond. "See you in a bit." The ginger says with a reassuring smile.
Ben shoots him a tiny smile back before he gets taken to the operating room.
The door closes, and Joe lets his head rest on his pillow as he lets out a shaky breath.
Now it's just waiting.
Four hours of waiting before Ben will be back.
_______________
Hi guys,
Surprise, I survived the first week of school! How about you all?
Anyways, I hope I won't keep you waiting too long for the next chapter😬
YOU ARE READING
Let me live | Hardzello♡
FanfictionJoe's childhood has been really hard, which has resulted in him having frequent panic attacks now. It makes school even harder than it already is, and some friends have left him for it. One day, the boy suddenly gets a huge attack, worse than any o...
