If You Don't Swim You'll Drown

10 - First date, sorta

Calum fidgets in his seat, twisting the phone in his hands. He doesn't know what he's supposed to do.

"Are you okay?" Joy asks. "You seem nervous. I mean, more nervous than usual."

Calum sighs, looking at her. "I was supposed to go out with Michael tonight," Calum replies, putting his cheek on his fist with another louder sigh. He doesn't like to tell his mom anything that personal, but he feels desperate and she's the only person available at the moment.

Her reply only makes Calum cringe. "You should tell him you won't make it."

Calum nods. He doesn't know why he didn't do it sooner. Maybe because he hoped that, until now, he would have been able to go. He really wanted to.

- Won't make it today, he writes and sends it to Michael.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, his phone goes off.

He doesn't like that his mom will listen to the conversation, but it's not like he can leave. He plays with the wheel of his wheelchair, moving back and forth and picks up, chuckling. "Hey, Mike!"

Michael sighs over the phone. "Why aren't you coming? I mean, did I do something wrong?" He asks. Calum wonders how bad his text sounded. He cringes, figuring what Michael must have thought.

"Bright side, you won't have to pay for me," Calum says, making sure that the playful tone he's using is evident. He likes to imagine Michael's cheeks turning pink right now."I'm at the hospital, Mike," he adds in a more serious tone.

"What? How? Why? I mean, are you okay?"

Calum laughs at Michael's change of tone, shrugging at his mom's astonished face. "It came out wrong. I'm just here for a check up. I forgot about it yesterday, I'm really sorry."

There is a long pause over the phone, before Michael's voice is heard again. It sounds different, somewhere between upset and angry as he says, "You could have made up a better lie, Calum. Bye."

"No, wait, Michael! Don't hang up, it's not a lie. Mom, tell him, please," Calum says, clearly panicking as he gives her the phone.

Thankfully, Joy talks, confirming her son's words so Michael doesn't hang up. Calum can't hear what Michael replies, but he sees his mom flinch before saying "Don't be too harsh on him," and handing the phone back to Calum.

"Could you get out for a few minutes?" Calum asks, holding a hand over the speaker of his phone. Then, he puts it back over his ear. "Mikey?"

"'Mikey'? Don't 'Mikey' me," Michael yells over the phone, "First, you could have told me sooner."

"I forgot, I-"

"I'm not done speaking, Calum. You could have told me this morning," he explains. "Not half an hour before we have an appointment. I was ready to come get you, that isn't nice. And, Calum, you can't tell people that you are in the hospital just like that. I thought something bad happened."

There is a deep sigh over the phone, but Calum is scared to say the wrong thing once again. "Am I allowed to talk?" he asks in a small voice. After Michael's grunt of approval, he explains, "It really came out wrong. I mostly talk to Mali and Ashton and I know it's no excuse, but they get it when I say I'm at the hospital. I didn't think I'd worry you so much."

"I wasn't even that worried," Michael corrects, even if they both know he's lying.

"Anyway," Calum continues. "I thought it was a morning thing. I was supposed to be out of here hours ago. That's why I didn't tell you sooner. I really wanted to make it."