Friction || Luke Hemmings

Luke- 59

"Luke, I-I... I don't know if I can do this." Ashton whispered, his body hunching over as he placed both of his hands on his knees. "I don't want... what if she doesn't wake up? The last picture of her I'll have in my head is... is of her hooked up to a machine... I-I don't want that." 

"Ashton, she's gonna wake up." I tried to assure him, even though I knew I couldn't promise him that. I could still clearly see Sara all tangled up in the aftermath of the accident, all the blood that she lost and the glass that was sticking out of her. I cringed at the thought. 

"You don't know that." 

"You're right." I muttered, taking a couple steps towards him. He sucked in a shaky breath when I placed a hand on his shoulder, his gaze slowly finding mine. I had never seen him look so distraught, and it really hurt me. Ashton had always been the carefree one, the one who always smiling, always joking... but now he was just being torn apart. "But I do know that if there was anybody she would fight like hell for, it's you. You have to believe that she is fighting to wake up, she wants to come back to you, Ashton." 

"What if she doesn't?" He slurred, a sudden sob shaking through his body. 

"Ashton, believe me, I know she does." I tried to reassure him. Sara told me to tell him that she  loved him, and I told her that she had to tell him herself. If there was anything I was positive about, it was that she would do everything she could to be able to see Ashton again. I could see it in her eyes when she was begging me to tell him. 

"I-I... Luke I told her I loved her before you guys left. Right before Lily picked her up and... and she didn't say it back." He muttered, letting out a humorless chuckle as tears continued to fall from his eyes. "She- she didn't say anything, actually. She just gave me a hug and ran out. I-I don't know if she thinks I'm worth fighting for. I-I-I don't even know if she would want me here."

"I know she does." I told him, wanting to cry myself. Usually it was Ashton talking me through things, especially with Alli, and now that the roles were reversed I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to help him like he had helped me. I was usually on the receiving end of advice... not the giving. 

"Luke I can't lose her... not like this." 

"C'mon." I said, giving him a soft smile. He gave me a small nod before following me into the small hospital room. Immediately we were greeted by the sound of a steady beeping. I heard Ashton's breath hitch momentarily, my own heart hurting at the sight of her as we rounded the corner. She looked a lot like Alli when they first let me see her- tubes attached all over her, an oxygen max placed over her nose and mouth, an IV sticking out of her arm. The only difference was the large bandage right below her collar bone, clearly hiding the spot where she had been hurt the most. 

A nurse was standing next to the bed, watching the monitors before writing down in the chart she held in her hands. I wanted to ask her what she was looking for, but I couldn't seem to find my voice. Ashton had snuck around me, on the opposite side of the bed as the nurse. I could tell he was shaking, his hand visibly jittery as he raised it to her cheek. He let out a strangled sound, the nurse jumping as she turned around to look who had entered. 

"Sorry." Ashton sputtered out, dropping to his knees as he held onto Sara's hand. The nurse gave him a sad smile, placing the chart back at the end of the bed. 

"She's doing good." The nurse told him, glancing at me briefly before focusing back on the crying boy on the floor. 

"Is she going to be okay?" Ash asked, even though we all knew the answer wasn't a simple 'yes' or 'no'.  

"It's looking good." The nurse said, smiling shyly down at Ashton. "Her heartbeat is holding steady and is much stronger than we thought it would be so soon after surgery. She's also breathing on her own, which is a very good sign." She assured him, my eyes flickering between the two. "And there is still some brain activity, which means she's not gone yet." I cringed at the word 'yet' and I noticed Ashton did too.