Okay if someone doesn't turn off that phone, Mitch is going to beat them up. Or maybe just get Scott to do it.
Seriously though, if he hears one more fucking beep he's gonna-- And there it is. There it fucking is, who the fuck--?"
"God, I'm so sorry."
Mitch's eyebrows came together, or at least he thought they did. Sounded like Scott..?
"You gotta stop blaming yourself. You need to get home and get some rest."
"Stop telling me that. I'm not gonna fucking leave him."
"It's not your fault. There's no way you could've stopped this."
A sigh was heard. "I shouldn't have let him go. I... I should've held on to him. I should've saved him."
"Please. You need to get some sleep."
Mitch wanted to argue. Someone needed to shut the fuck up. Now he had to listen to the incessant beeping as well as these two arguing--
"He needs me. I'm not leaving him alone. I let him get away from me once, and then this happened."
"That's different."
Mitch suddenly felt something squeezing his hand, and he wanted to pull away because it hurt, whatever the fuck it was.
What was hurting him..? And why wasn't Scott stopping them?
"At least eat something. Please? Alex is gonna be back any second with your coffee--"
"Just shut the fuck up."
Yes, please. Thank you, fuck. Once he was met with the quiet again, Mitch felt himself fall back asleep.
*
He blinked himself awake, met immediately with a white ceiling. Too bright. Way too bright.
He squinted a little, and turned his head a little to see the doctor rushing into the room.
Avi was in a panic, screaming at someone, but Mitch couldn't hear him for a second.
When he really focused, the sound came back to him, and suddenly he could hear Avi shouting, as well as the doctor speaking and then he could also hear that mother fucking beeping.
Mitch squeezed his eyes shut so it would stop, and then he felt the squeezing on his hand again.
Why did everything have to happen all at once?
Mitch opened his eyes just to look down at his hand to see who the fuck put a cement brick on top of it, but frowned.
Scott was there, eyes full of tears, holding Mitch's hand with both of his own.
Mitch stared at him, and then realized Scott was speaking to him.
Mitch didn't hear a word, the noise still too fucking loud. "Shh."
Scott stopped talking immediately, and he jumped out of his seat to hug Mitch as carefully as he could. "Oh my God. Oh my God, you're okay."
Mitch's mom rushed into the room then, tears falling from her eyes. "Oh my baby!"
Scott didn't move, and Mitch could feel tears falling on his neck. Mitch wanted to hug him back, but his arms felt heavy, and he was too tired to bother.
He could speak though, so he stuck with that. "Scottie?"
Scott moved away to look at his face, tears still falling from his bright, blue eyes. "What, baby? I'm right here. I'm here, I've been here."
Jesus, he sounded delirious or something. "I love you."
Scott sobbed once, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. "Oh God... Oh God, I love you too, Mitch. Fuck, I love you so much. More than you'll ever know."
Mitch frowned at him. He could barely hear the doctor saying something, and maybe Avi talking to Alex who just walked in, and his mom was on the phone maybe? Mitch shook his head slowly, eyes locked on Scott. "You look sick..."
Scott didn't respond, or maybe he did but Mitch didn't hear it. Mitch shifted his focus from Scott's voice to take in his appearance; hair disheveled, eyes red and full of tears, shaky hands, and the bags under his eyes.
Mitch spoke again, quietly. "You're not okay." Mitch turned a little, trying to make room on the bed. "Lay with me?"
Scott glanced up at the doctor, who nodded once, and said something to Scott. Something Mitch obviously didn't care enough to hear.
Scott quickly climbed into the bed beside him, but jostled him a little too much and Mitch quickly brought a hand up to his head at the headache he got.
Scott froze quickly, speaking loudly to the doctor, but again Mitch didn't quite hear him. The words and noises all seemed to Mitch like he was underwater, and they were all speaking at him from above the surface.
Mitch turned to look at his mom, who was still bawling her eyes out, on the phone still. Mitch had to assume she was talking to his dad.
Scott moved again, this time to get comfortable, though he didn't hug Mitch or hold him at all, and it made Mitch pout.
Mitch poked him once. "Hold me?"
Scott looked at the doctor again, and Mitch was getting kind of sick of it, but Scott turned back to him, lifting the blanket a little to show Mitch that his ribs were wrapped up in some kind of white tape. Scott spoke quietly, but for some reason it came in clear. "Don't wanna hurt you, baby."
Mitch looked back up at him. "What happened?"
"You... You were hit by a car, Mitchie."
Mitch stared at him. "I was?"
Scott nodded once, leaning forward to kiss him, and then his tears were back. "I'm so sorry..."
Mitch tuned everything out again, struggling to move and hide his face in Scott's chest so he could process what was happening.
Scott put a hand on his upper back, away from where he was wrapped up.
Mitch could feel that Scott's chest was vibrating a little as he spoke, but again he didn't hear him. And he didn't want to.
He just wanted everything to be quiet.
The doctor seemed to notice, because soon everyone was being rushed out of the room.
Scott moved to get up, but spoke to the doctor for a final time, before settling back in to Mitch, holding him a little tighter.
Mitch closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and then cringing because it hurt his ribs. He barely registered that he made a pained noise, but didn't really hear it.
Scott did, though, because he quickly moved back to look at Mitch's face. "Are you okay?"
"I got hit by a car, Scottie."
Scott blinked at him, eyes brighter than Mitch had ever seen them now that the tears had washed them. "I know... My poor baby..."
Mitch frowned at him. "I'm not a baby."
"You're my baby, Mitchie. And I should've been there to protect you."
At first Mitch wanted to hit him for being stupid. Obviously Scott couldn't have just pushed him out of the way of a huge car; It's not like this was a superhero movie.
But then it occurred to Mitch, and his stern face fell a little, as he returned Scott's sympathetic look.
He realized then, that Scott had been right next to him when it happened. And Scott had to watch Mitch get hit. He had to watch. And if Mitch knows Scott like he thinks he does, he knows that the sight is something Scott will never forget.
Mitch was finally strong enough to lift his arm, tracing his finger down Scott's face; along the side of his cheek and jaw. "I'm sorry."
Scott closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head a little. "God, don't you dare be sorry. There's nothing on this fucking Earth for you to be sorry for."
He didn't understand. He didn't know what Mitch was apologizing for, and Mitch was too tired to explain it. Mitch simply laid his head back down, forehead pressed to Scott's chest.
He was overjoyed at how quiet the room was now, and he slept.
*