Fading (A Calum Hood Fan Fiction; Sequel to Pretending)

Chapter 47: Him

"Just so you know, Luke's got a new girlfriend now and the fans aren't liking her and it's giving him a hard time." I said in between my light chuckles while arranging the flowers and fruits I bought for her on the other side of her bed. I keep hearing some of her nurses saying that buying her stuff like is completely nonsense because she won't get to see it and eat it anytime soon anyway. But doing it every single time I visit her gives me hope than in an hour or the next day, she'll finally wake up.

"Michael wants to say sorry that he can't visit you today, by the way. The guy's sick, probably caught too much virus the last time he was here last week. Your dad and Sandra went out to eat something for lunch and they mentioned that they won't be back for another couple hours. And uhm," I kept going on all the things I felt the need to tell her, staring at nothing in particular as I try to remember if I forgot something more important to say. "Oh and Ash! Ashton said he'll visit you tomorrow. He actually told me he'll bring his drum set because he thinks it might wake you up."

"We're actually planning on secretly dragging All Time Low here inside your room, you know. Especially Rian. Maybe you'll jump out of that ugly bed and finally wake up if you realize that your favorite band is standing right in front of you, how's that?"

It has always been like this. It's been going on for weeks now since she was transferred here in Sydney and it's hard going through everyday not being able to see any progress or signs that she'll wake up soon just like what her doctors told us a few weeks ago. This has been my daily routine ever since she got here. I'll wake up around six or seven in the morning and prepare myself for the entire day I'll be spending in the hospital with Kristen. I'll pass by the flower shop and get her favorite bouquet, buy her fruits that she won't get to eat anyway and get myself her favorite coffee thinking every single morning that if the smell of it roamed around her room, she'll wake up and grab it. I know I was never the positive kind of person before, but when it comes to the things or the person who matters most to me, I turn into the most optimistic one I could ever be even if I seem to do the funniest and the weirdest things already.

Seeing her this way never made me the strongest person I should but seeing her this way as well reminds me that even though it's hard to go on, I have to remain strong for her, for the both us. I always tell her stories, even the ones I don't even know if she's interested about. I wanted her to feel that we're not close to giving up on her, that we are here to fight the same battle she's going through as well. I keep going on about her favorite books, her favorite movies and all the stuff she always cared about. Michael and I even took about two to three of her cameras just so we could take pictures of stuff she usually captures and when she wakes up, she'll be able to see and catch up on what she missed while she's gone. Our band decided to go on a break and I appreciate that they did this for me and for Kristen. I know we are all going through hard times and we didn't want our supporters and fans to know much about the current situation but we hope they will completely understand.

I was going on about a movie I just watched with Luke that made him cry when the room's door slowly opened. After a moment, a middle-aged woman entered the room, carrying nothing but her pouch and obviously a heavy heart.

I didn't have to ask who she is, or what she wanted because her eyes stated the obvious. Her gray eyes and dirty blonde hair tells me so that she is Kristen's mother— the same woman who left her broken a few years back. It was weird for me how she looked so much like her, how she resembles every part of Kristen's face. I honestly didn't expect her anytime sooner, I actually didn't expect her at all. But her she is now, standing almost a few feet away from me, from her own daughter, staring as if she couldn't process everything she has in front of her eyes.

Silence engulfed the entire room and I honestly don't know what to do nor what to say. I'm not even sure if she knows me. I stayed on where I was sitting and remained looking at nothing in particular below me while her mum sat down at the edge of her bed, letting out light sobs as she reached out for her unconscious daughter's hand.