in the crowd • luke hemmings

23. goldfish

"i'm allowing you." luke propped himself up, his eyes holding a plea that lola had never seen before. "please come to bed with me baby? please?"

lola said nothing; she simply kicked off her already unlaced shoes and pulled her blanket on the bed to provide the both of them with a little more warmth as she cuddled into luke's open arms.

"shouldn't i be the one holding you?" she asked wryly, a smile playing across her features as she traced over his hospital gown.

luke shrugged, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"i like holding you. it makes me feel better."

***

it was only seven thirty when luke woke up to see lola's eyes were already open, blinking slowly in the warm sunlight that shone through the small window adjacent to them.

"why didn't you wake me up sweetheart?" he asked softly, kissing her forehead softly when she turned to look up at him.

"i didn't wake up that long ago. i always wake up early in hospital, i just can't sleep for long in them." lola mused quietly, her words eliciting a slight frown from luke.

"you always wake up early? how often are you in hospital?" there was an edge of worry to his tone - luke couldn't imagine his pretty girl in a hospital bed and it made him feel slightly sick to think there was a time when she might've been.

"not often." lola had sensed the worry, and leaned up to kiss luke's cheek. "i was younger and just overdoing it a lot."

fuck luke thought, if i haven't been there.

he simply placed his fingers beneath her chin and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, relaxing further into her and revelling in the feeling of her being in his arms again.

her hands traced over his, feeling the bandages wrapped around his knuckles under her fingertips.

"they bandaged your knuckles." she mused softly, holding his hand up to the light and observing how the white material highlighted the paleness of his complexion.

"i like it better when you do." luke smiled lopsidedly at lola, watching as a shy smile took over her features.

"the boys said they'd come and pick us up when you're discharged." lola said softly, stroking her fingers through his fluffed-up bedhead.

"yeah?"

"yeah." she kissed his cheek. "i'm going to go and get a doctor to come and let us know if i can take you home, okay baby?"

luke nodded, a small smile spreading across his face as he watched her climb carefully off of the bed and slip her shoes back on, tying her hair in a ponytail as she walked towards the door.

"i like it when you call me that." luke said suddenly, propping himself up on his elbows to get a better view of lola as she turned back to face him with a knowing smirk.

"i know baby."

***

"no sir!" michael's explosive yell made luke jump, almost dropping his glass of water.

"jesus fuck michael!"

"we are under strict instructions from your girlfriend that you are to be on sofa rest while she's at practice and we are taking this responsibility very seriously." michael took luke's glass of water from him, ignoring luke's indignant grumble, and pushed him into their living room and onto their sofa, picking up the blanket luke had discarded and tucking him in tightly, the grumpy expression on luke's face only making him laugh.