Substitute Father (Ross Lynch)

Chapter 23

"He's gonna be fine, Sky." He assured me, his voice soft. "Let's go." He gently grabbed my arm and led me out of the apartment. We got in his car and drove off, a haunting silence surrounding us through the entire drive to the hospital. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ross' dead body, bruised and battered, and the image sent chills down my spine. 

When we arrived at the hospital, Ellington and I hurried towards the waiting room on the third floor. The second we spotted them, we rushed towards them. Rydel pecked Ellington's lips quickly before pulling me in for a hug, and that was when she completely broke down. She hid her head in my neck and started sobbing uncontrollably, causing my second break down that day. I wanted to stay calm and try to prevent the stress from taking over my body, but having Ross opened up on an operating table made it impossible. 

"How long has he been in surgery?" I asked, hugging Mark and Stormie briefly. 

"Almost two hours." Mark responded quietly, bringing his wife close to him. "But we don't know anything yet."

"All we know is that his injuries were pretty severe and there was a lot of internal bleeding." Riker added, bringing me into a hug. "Calm, alright? Just try and stay calm." He whispered in my ear. All I could do was nod, my inability to speak compromised by the sobs trying to escape. 

~*~

Hours passed, and all we did was wait for someone to come out and tell us how Ross was. I could do nothing but stare at the floor and bounce my leg in nervousness. I always thought that I would be the patient in the hospital, but Olivia would be in my arms and Ross and I would be smiling like idiots. I never thought that Ross would be fighting for his life while his family and I waited for someone to tell us whether he was alive or dead. 

If I ever saw the man who did this to him, I wouldn't hesitate to strangle him. He was the reason Ross was in this position, and I hated him for it. 

"Family of Ross Lynch?" 

I looked up to see a middle-aged man with a scrub cap on, his face void of any emotion. We immediately stood up and awaited an answer on how Ross was. My heart was beating rapidly in anticipation, and I had to hold onto Rydel's arm to keep myself steady. This was all too much for one day. 

"How is our son?" Stormie asked, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. 

The doctor sighed. "We were able to repair all the damages and stop all the bleeding, but Ross had multiple cardiac episodes on the table. He is stable for now, but he is still in critical condition. The next twenty-four hours are extremely crucial, and he will be monitored through the night." 

I willed myself not to cry as the doctor explained Ross' condition, but a few rogue tears slipped down my cheek. Stormie and Rydel had completely broken down, and even Riker, Rocky, Ryland, and Ellington let a few tears slip. Mark was trying to be strong for all of us, but his son's life was in danger. How could he? 

"Can we see him?" I asked, my hand absentmindedly resting on my stomach. 

"Once he's settled in the ICU, yes." He answered. "But only one visitor at a time." His pager beeped and he glanced down at it. "Excuse me." He nodded at us and walked away, leaving us to wait in a sea of nervousness yet again. 

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to just sit and wait, I asked if anyone wanted something to eat from the cafeteria. Everyone declined my offer except and Rydel, who decided to join me. We silently made our way down to the cafeteria and bought ourselves something to snack on while we waited for the go to visit Ross. Instead of heading back up to the waiting room, we sat down at one of the tables. 

"He's gonna be fine." Rydel said after a few moments of silence. I looked up from my muffin to see her eyes fixated on her own. "He's gonna be fine and this will all be put behind us." It was as if she was trying to convince herself that Ross would be okay, when in reality there was a chance he wasn't. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "If he dies..." I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "He can't die."

"He won't." She said, her voice firm. "Ross is too young to die. He will not die because of a drunken idiot." Her voice cracked, and her hands started to shake as she picked on her muffin. "H-he can't die. My baby brother can't d-die." She buried her hands in her hair and bowed her head, her shoulders shaking as sobs wracked her body. 

I stood up and brought my chair closer to hers, wrapping my arms around her. "He'll be okay, Del. Ross is a fighter." I assured her. There was a part of me that felt like I was lying, and I could only pray that the feeling would go away. 

Rydel's phone beeped, and she quickly whipped it out, reading over the text she received. "We can see Ross, now." She whispered, stuffing her phone back in her pocket. I nodded and we stood up, making our way back to the waiting room. I expected either Stormie or Mark to be gone when we arrived, but everyone was still there. 

"What room is he in?" Rydel questioned, looking at her parents. 

"Room 413." Mark replied. "He's allowed one visitor every few minutes." 

"And we want you to go first, Sky." Stormie added, looking at me. 

My eyes widened and I immediately shook my head. "No, no, I can't." I declined. "You guys should go first. I can wait." I was lying, but I wasn't going to admit that. There was nothing more I wanted than to see Ross right now. 

"Honey, we want you to go see him first." Stormie insisted. "Seeing him might help you calm down a bit, and you need to stay calm for yours and Olivia's sake." I opened my mouth to say something, but she shook her head. "Go, Sky. We'll be here when you come back, okay?"

I nodded and gave her a hug. "Thank you." She gave me a small smile in which I returned before scurrying off to find Ross' room. I tried stay calm as I walked down the never ending hallway, but it was so hard to stay calm when you were about to see your boyfriend in the ICU. 

As I approached his room, my breath hitched in my throat as I caught sight of him through the window. There was a breathing tube down his throat, as well as other machines that were hooked up to him. There were bruises on his face, and his right hand was wrapped with medical tape. I held my breath as I opened the door, entering the room that just smelled of death. I sat down on the chair next to his bed and gently grabbed his injured hand, my eyes scanning his face. 

The sight of him just broke my heart. 

"Hey, Ross," I murmured softly, my thumb stroking the back of his hand. "I don't know if you can hear me, but you have to fight, okay? Fight for your family, for me, and for Olivia. We love you so much, baby." Tears fell from my eyes, and there was no stopping them. "I can't lose you, Ross. I can't lose the love of my life and Olivia can't lose her father. Your parents can't lose a son and your siblings can't lose a brother." I brushed some hair out of his eyes, cringing when I felt the bump on his forehead. 

I felt Olivia kick, and I gently grabbed his injured hand and placed it on my stomach. "She wants her daddy to fight, Ross. I know it's hard, but you have to fight. We don't want to lose you." I wiped the tears that stained my cheeks, and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Ross cheek. 

The machines started beeping madly, and I was suddenly pushed out of the room. I watched through the window as the doctors started CPR on Ross, and my body started shaking. I cringed and almost pulled out my hair when they deliberated his heart, causing his body to jerk up. 

"Please don't die." I sobbed. "Please don't die. Don't leave us." Tears fell and fell, and there was no putting a stop to them. 

The moment the doctors stopped working on him and I saw the flat-line on the monitor, my heart stopped. 

Much like his. 

"No!" 

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