(TW: mentions of suicide and alcoholism; medical emergencies)
Andy had fallen asleep at Bill's side, his head resting on his boyfriend's hand. Miley had been chatting with his doctor outside, keeping Tom on the phone so he'd hear the updates. He still deserved to know what was happening to his little brother.
"We're going to have to try a new medication. It appears this one isn't helping the tonic clonic seizures at all," she frowned. "I'm going to do a bit of research and see what we can do."
"A new medication? Okay, last year the meds he was on had him sleeping 18 out of 24hrs. Last month, he couldn't eat a thing without vomiting everywhere. Can you promise me that he won't die this time?"
"Bill's case is challenging, Ms. Cyrus. Since his brain stem is mostly scar tissue and didn't heal properly we have to find something that manages the inflammation that's causing most if not all of these attacks. "
"And you can't surgically fix the problem either?"
"No, cutting into his injury, he'd bleed out on the table or end up a vegetable. The best we can do is try and remedy the problem."
"Okay. What are we to do now? Just wait until you figure it out?"
"I want to keep him here. Monitor how the medication is working and make sure he's stable on it before we send him home."
"Billy hates hospitals," Miley frowned. "Is there a way we can make him at least comfortable?"
"The neurology wing has private rooms, we can move him to one of those while we figure this out. Bill's case is a challenging one but we won't rest until he's able to be in remission."
"Fine. I'll tell him when he wakes up."
She looked down at her phone and noticed that Tom's face was screwed up, he was biting his cheeks and trying to avoid barking at the doctor for failing his brother again. He saw the look on her face and immediately knew what she was going to say. Instead of allowing it, Tom took a deep breath and hung up the phone.
"Is his brother going to come soon?" The kind neurologist asked.
"I don't know. But I don't think so. I'm also his legal guardian. I have the paperwork in the car if you need to confirm."
"No we have you on file. It's just, Tom is usually on top of everything so it's strange to not have him breathing down my neck or threatening to kill me," she chuckled.
"He may come later. I'll keep him updated. He's upset that he can't be here today. Billy means the world to him."
"I know. You should've seen him 3 years ago. My colleague thought he was hurting his brother because of how aggressive he was."
"I wish Tom could hear you say that. He might...Nevermind. Thank you, so much."
"I'll go submit these documents and then I'll come check on Bill," she smiled, disappearing around the corner.
Miley had to breathe before stepping back into Bill's room. He looked peaceful sleeping soundly while Andy rested on the side next to his hand. She noticed that Andy pushed back the blanket because of the scratchy material and was gently rubbing the clear space on his hand.
The silence was broken by the steady beeping coming from the many machines monitoring his life functions. Tom should've been here, he needed to be here. She wanted to call him and tell him to bring his ass to the hospital to be with his brother but she knew better. She knew that wasn't going to be good for anyone involved. Tom still needed his space and she knew that from him quite literally running away from the fire.
Her phone buzzed back to life and she could barely answer it. All the disappointment hit her at once, why would anyone want to separate themselves from their family? Why did Tom blame Bill for existing? It didn't make sense, and it was premature of him to even feel this way. She started wondering if maybe she jumped into this relationship too fast.
"Hello?"
"I'm coming to the hospital. I don't like the idea of you being pregnant and dealing with that alone."
"Really? So you're over your childish feelings?"
"Is this really the time to be antagonizing?"
"Tom, you literally ran out like a bat out of hell! You left me alone to deal with both your brother having the worst epileptic seizure he's ever had, paramedics and Andy having a full blown meltdown. I'm pregnant and exhausted."
"I know. That's why I'm coming now. I realize that."
"Tom, this isn't about me! You realize how distraught and disappointed Bill has been since you left. I thought you'd at least call to check in or something, but you're avoiding him all together."
"I don't mean to," Tom sighed.
"You don't mean to?! Tom, don't bother coming here if you're only going to try to find some way to get out of it. Are you fucking drunk right now?"
"I had a couple shots after I finished the sketches. It was to calm down after the whole Bill situation."
"The whole Bill situation?! Tom, you can't be fucking serious! What's the point of you leaving if you're not even trying?!"
"I am. I am trying. It's just a lot to deal with."
"Yeah and I'm dealing with it! I'm not running away! Even when I feel sick and nauseous because I'm pregnant with your child or when he's feeling little or when he's seizing or ticcing. I don't fucking leave."
"He's already messed up that I've been gone before, and I can't fix it. I can't fix what I broke. I know he fucking hates me and the only time I can even be around him is when I'm drunk."
"Are you being serious right now? Tom come on, you can't keep going like this, you know you can't. What about when our child is born? Are you going to just leave when it gets too hard? Because let me know now if I'm going to have to be a single parent and a caregiver right now."
"What about all those friends you said you have?"
"Tom, they have their own lives. I can't call them every day because I can't do something. That's just it! You can walk away and not have to look back, I can't just leave! I promised I would stay and that's what I'm going to do! I just need to know if I'm going to be doing this alone!"
"Miley," Tom slurred, clearly far more intoxicated than he was leading on.
"Are you at Georg's?"
"No, he's miffed with me too. I missed a session today and I emptied his liquor cabinet without much care."
"Of course you did. Why don't you stay where you are? I don't need Bill or Andy seeing you pick yourself up from the mess you created for yourself!"
"Miley, I'm sorry. Please don't be crossed at me. I'm trying. I'm really trying."
"Are you?! Because from where I'm standing it looks like you just want to dump your life and find another or go off and kill yourself."
"I do want to kill myself, but you already knew that. I can't do it now. Not with a baby on the way and my little brother needing me."
"Exactly! He needs you and you've gone and gotten yourself into trouble because your inner child is hurting and you won't let it fucking heal! I'm done taking about this! It's just going to piss me off further!!"
"Miley...don't give up on me," Tom slurred. "Please..."
"Tom where are you?"
"Uh, there's sirens and flashing lights. Someone called 9-11, I think."
"Tom, where. are. you?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," his voice trailed off. She could hear the sounds of panic before his phone his the ground.
"Hello?! Someone pick up the phone!?"
"Hello? Are you his wife?" A female voice responded.
"Yeah. What's going on?"
"Your husband is drunk, he crashed his car into a tree but we're more worried about empty bottle of antidepressants we found on the scene. It looks like he took them all. Do you know someone named Wilhelm?"
"That's his little brother." Tom oded on his little brother's medication. Tom decided to swallow an entire bottle of pills and chase it with an entire bottle tequila. "Oh god, please tell me he's not dead."
"He's not breathing. The paramedics are on the scene and they're going to do CPR and air rescue him to the emergency room."
"Oh god, oh god."
"I do want to kill myself, you already knew that."
She didn't know he meant he was trying to in that exact moment. The sounds in the background didn't filter in until she faced with the reality that Tom had been trying to make seeing her his final dying wish and instead she fought with him.
"Are you going to bring him to Bridgeport?"
"Yes, are you already there?"
"His brother is. Please, please tell me he'll make it," Miley prayed. It wasn't for the police officer on the line but for her own soul. He couldn't die. That would kill Billy and she knew it.
"It's touch and go right now. But the chopper is landing now and they're going to fight for his life."
"Okay," Miley frowned, hanging up.
Her only regret was yelling at Tom, because if he didn't wake up that would be his very last memory. Disappointing his brother and his wife.