bucket list || l. norris

fifty four

* hey <3 this chapter deals with mature themes so please read at your own discretion. it broke my heart writing this chapter. nevertheless, enjoy *

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"Micah Perry?" I rushed to the reception desk with teary eyes and feeling off balance after navigating my way to the ward Micah instructed me to head to. "I'm Mila Perry. He's my brother. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Follow me, Miss Perry," another voice came from behind Lando and I, and I spun on my heels faster than ever before to be greeted by a young-ish man who couldn't really be much older than Micah himself. "I'm Micah's doctor and I was with your brother when he called you. I said I'd bring you to him when you arrived."

"Thank you," I tried to smile through tired, terrified eyes, as Lando shook the doctor's hand. "This is Lando, my boyfriend. He's known Micah his entire life, too."

"I'm Bodhi," he smiled. "Micah was telling me about you both, and how much he loves you. He said he wanted to call you before your parents."

"I think he's silly for making that choice," I laughed a little. "But he's my best friend, so I get it. I'm going to call my parents soon. What happened?"

We turned a corner and Bodhi placed his hand on the door knob. I felt sick to my stomach, not knowing what to expect on the other side of the door. My brother could be in any sorry state, and I was terrified.

"I'll let Micah tell you," Bodhi smiled, before opening the door. "I'll be back in a little while to check up on him."

"Thanks, Bodhi." Lando placed a reassuring hand against the small of my back as Micah's doctor opened the door to his room.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath to mentally prepare myself for this. There had never been a time in my life where it was me walking into Micah's hospital room, it had always been the other way round, and I had absolutely no idea how I was supposed to feel. I did know, however, that my palms were damp with sweat and a nauseous feeling lingered in my throat, like I was going to throw up any second now.

"Micah." I let out the breath I'd been holding when my eyes fell on my brother's dishevelled face. He looked pale and sick with fear. Shit.

Micah was sitting up in the uncomfortable bed - I knew just how uncomfortable - with a cannula in the back of his left hand and a pulse oximeter on his index finger. His right wrist was in a sling. His cheeks were red and bloody, and they looked grazed, cut and painful. The right side of his face by his cheekbone was extremely swollen and his eyes looked tired and sunken. The space beneath his right eye was bruised, a mixture of purple and black hues. Stitches covered a red area on his forehead.

"Oh my God," I shook my head as I approached my brother carefully, unable to process this or even begin to think what might've happened to put him in this position. His tired eyes lit up when he saw me, and he forced a smile as I got to his bedside. "Micah, are you okay?"

A tear fell from his right eye and traced the bruised and inflamed skin on his face. I cupped my mouth in shock as my brain began to process the state my brother found himself in.

"My God, what the hell happened?" I sat down in the chair beside his bed and reached for the hand with the cannula poking from it and the oximeter snugly on his finger. I knew this feeling all too well. "Where's Ivo?"

The air between us remained silent, apart from Micah's unsettled breathing and the sound of the machines monitoring his heart rate and oxygen levels.

"Micah?" Lando left a kiss against the top of my brother's skull amidst his messy curls. "Hey. Hey, it's okay. We're here."