Listen (Patrick Stump / Fall Out Boy Fanfic)

Chapter 34 - I Can Work A Miracle

            The morning of Aria's operation, I was a wreak. I didn't like hospitals to begin with, and surgeries just freaked me right out. I was suddenly worried the moment we all climbed onto the tour bus again that something could go wrong. The entire band was going, thus, our decision to take the bus, and everyone kept trying to assure me that she would be fine. Even Aria seemed perfectly excited about it, despite the fact that she hasn't eaten since dinner last night, and she barely slept a wink. She sat beside me on the couch in the front of the bus, her hand wrapped up in both of mine, and a bright grin on her face.

"Patrick," Pete chuckled as he pulled a water bottle out of the fridge, "Chill out. It's only a two and a half hour procedure, it'll be over before you know it."

"I know," I groaned, squeezing her hand again. "But what if –"

"No!" Joe snapped, walking by me and lightly smacking my fedora down over my eyes. "No 'what if,' she'll be fine. And besides, we're all going to be there to keep your mind off of it."

I sighed, defeated, and fixed my hat. As I glared at my friends, Aria leaned over to press a soft kiss to my cheek. As much as that always made me feel better, I was still nervous by the time we got to the clinic. We all shuffled inside, Aria and I nearly clinging to each other, and we met with Dr. Feltman briefly before they began to prep Aria for surgery.

The guys and Meagan had to wait in the waiting room while we were shown to Aria's room, and the second Dr. Feltman walked in, I felt a little comforted. She was very professional in the way she greeted us, and for whatever reason, that told me she had to be good at her job. She promised us that the wait wouldn't be long, and they would soon be wheeling her into surgery. She then left us, with a gown that Aria was told to change into, closing the door behind her.

Immediately, Aria slid off the edge of the bed she was sitting on and began to unbutton the blouse she was wearing. I watched her quietly from where I stood a few feet away, and she dropped the shirt onto the bed without looking at me. She started taking off her jeans then and picked up the gown, sliding it onto her arms shakily before finally looking up at me. I forced an encouraging smile and walked over, motioning for her to spin around so I could help her tie it in the back. I tied it at her neck first, and then around her lower back, and finally turned her back to face me again. We both smiled at each other, excitement getting the best of our nerves for a moment. Aria reached up slowly and tapped two fingers against the base of my throat.

"Sing to you?" I asked, smirking. Aria nodded, a blush creeping up her cheeks. I motioned towards the bed and we both sat down, Aria with her cheek on my shoulder. Her forehead was pressed to the side of my neck and for a brief moment, I realized that I would miss singing to her this way. There was a different kind of intimacy to it, knowing that she only felt the vibrations of my voice, and I wondered how different it would feel to actually sing to her. Truthfully, I was a little nervous about it. Nevertheless, I sang. I sang any song that came to mind, for about half an hour, until a nurse finally came in to take Aria away from me.

I kissed her twice as she laid down in the hospital bed they would take her away in, and she held my hand until I absolutely had to leave her. I tried not to look back as I walked down the long hallway to the waiting room, because I knew if I did, I would only scare myself more. I failed at that, and the last thing I saw was the back of Aria's nurse, pushing her through a set of double doors at the end of the hall.

***

"You have no reason to be nervous, Patrick," Joe assured me, passing me a cup of coffee to calm myself down a bit. "She'll be fine, and she'll be out of surgery before you know it."