(Wayne Owens)
A/N: This is overdued! I'm so sorry! Life has been hard to catch up on these days. Thank you for waiting patiently for my updates :)
• • •
"Get out!"
Loud screamings can be heard easily from the end of the hallway. I glance up to check the signs, making sure I'm not in the psychiatric ward.
"I said get out!" Someone shouted again.
I continue walking down the hall, knowing it's three in the morning and most patients are probably asleep, when Ally steps out of my brother's room—a hand covering her mouth as she hides her sobs. Immediately, my legs sprint towards her fearing the worst.
"Ally?" I call out to her as her body shakes. "Ally!"
She finally looks up to me with teary eyes, acknowledging that it's me. And then she collapses in my arms.
"What's wrong? Oh god. Is... is he..." I can't even bring myself to say the words.
"H-he woke up."
"What?" I gasp, pulling away to inspect her face. That's good news! Why is she crying? "When? He said anything? Heck, why are we standing here? Let's go in!" I try to tug at her arms.
But she pulls back, staying put.
"N-no. The doctors and nurses are in there." She explains, crouching down against the wall.
"What did he say to you? Why are you upset?"
"He's different, Kelsey. He doesn't want to see me. I think he hates me." She breaks into a sob again. "He asked me to get the hell out."
"O-oh." What the hell.
"You s-should go see him. He needs y-you more."
"Hey, no." I turn her around to face me. "I'm not leaving you out here by yourself. We'll go see him together."
"I don't know..."
Just then, my phone vibrates in the pocket of my sweatpants and I pull it out to see Zac calling me. I couldn't sleep and had drove to the hospital, forgetting to leave him a note.
Gently, I stand up and move to a corner, whispering. "Ba-"
"Where did you go?!" He asks in urgency. "Do you know how worried I am? I reached for you in bed and it was just cold sheets! I looked for you all over the house! And then I went outside to see my car isn't in the driveway! Jesus Christ, Kelsey! You-"
I quickly cut him off, not wanting him to ramble. "I know! I'm sorry!"
"Where. Are. You?"
"In the hospital, okay? I-"
"I told you to rest, baby! Why are you so damn stubborn? Why couldn't you at least have woken me up too? You know how I-"
"Wayne's awake!"
"-feel about you lea... wait, what?"
"He woke up! I just arrived not long ago. Ally said he woke up."
"That's great news! How is he?"
I stifle a sigh, knowing Ally's nearby and will hear me. "Look, um, can you come over? I haven't seen him yet. And Ally's just alone here. She looks like she hasn't slept in awhile either. I don't want to leave her outside when I go in. I know I took your car and all, but do you think you can, um, drive Carson's or your mum's?" I start to ramble myself.
"Well, okay. I can come right now. But she can go in and see him too, right?" He questions.
"No." I reply shortly. "Just, come. I need you."
"I'm on my way. Hold on for me. I'll be there as soon as I can."
———
I end up managing to convince Ally to sit in the waiting area instead of lurking around the deserted hallway. Doctors came to update us on Wayne's condition and informed us that the clot in his brain has subsided on its own significantly, but he is to be monitored closely for the next 48 hours to make sure there isn't any other bleeding or swelling in there.
Apparently, he took most of the blunt on the left side of his body; causing him an open fracture on his left arm, several facial fractures on the left side, and a broken hip. But the doctors also claimed he's lucky to have escaped without even more severe injuries. At the extent of the car wreck, he could have died on the spot.
It didn't take long for the guys and Cass to come running down the hallway searching for us. Zac must've woken Carson and Cass up and went to fetch Drew at the same time.
"Hey! No running! You kids do know that this is the ICU right?" A middle-aged nurse reprimands us for the noise. "You shouldn't even be here! Visiting hours aren't until morning!"
"Sorry." We mutter in unison and she let us be without chasing us off.
"How is he? Seen him yet?" Drew is the first to ask.
I shake my head. Ally has stopped crying for awhile now, but she still clearly isn't up to talk.
"Let's go see him then?" Drew says urgently. "He'll want us there."
"You guys go ahead. We'll stay outside." I inform them, referring to Ally and I.
"What? Why?" Carson raises a brow. "Don't you want to see him?"
"It's not that..." I try to explain but cut myself off. How am I going to tell them he probably don't want to see any of us right now?
"No. Go." Ally lifts her head up from my shoulder and urges me. "You're his sister."
"And you're his-"
She shakes her head.
"I don't want to leave you alone here." I sigh.
"Just come in. What's the problem?" Drew huffs in annoyance.
"He doesn't want to see me! He doesn't want me there, okay?" That broke the dam in Ally again and she starts breaking down. Cass and I hurriedly hush her, afraid that she'll raise her voice.
The guys look at us in surprise, waiting for an explanation.
"I don't know what's going on either. I came, and she ran out. Apparently he asked her to get out." I speak up.
"That doesn't even make sense." Zac comments.
"Well, unless he-" Cass glares at Carson, daring him to finish his sentence. Lucky for him, he pretends to zip his mouth up.
"Whatever. I'm going in." Drew barges into Wayne's room without so much as a knock and the three of us follow behind.
I'm not even sure what I was expecting to see when I enter, but I sure as hell didn't think he will be crying. Actually struggling-to-breathe kind of crying. He tries to wipe his tears off before anyone of us notices it but it's already too late.
"Bro." Drew strides toward his bedside, clutching one of my brother's hand in his.
"Fuck off." Wayne manages to utter through his sobs, trying but failing to retract his hand from Drew's tight grip. If this wasn't an accident, you bet we would have teased the two of them by now.
"How're you feeling?" Carson asks but curses after. "Right. Stupid question. Sorry."
Zac places his hand at the small of my back, giving me a slight push to get me to move forward. I take small, hesitating steps to my brother; until he turns to my direction.
"Come here." He says so softly that I wouldn't have catch it if I wasn't looking at him.
Hearing that, my legs pick up speed and in two large strides, I bend forward and wrap my arms around him in relief, pressing my ear to the thin hospital gown he's dressed in—listening to his heart beat steadily.
Drew imitates me, squeezing himself into our hug.
"God, get off me." Wayne grumbles. Most of the left side of his body are covered in casts, so he uses his right hand to shove us off weakly.
"I... I just..." I find a tear roll down my cheek as I try to form words but draw a blank. You just can't really describe how relieved you feel. It feels as if a stone is lifted off my chest when I see him awake and able to speak. And with no brain damage.
"Enough of that." Wayne tries to console me. "I heard every word you said while I was unconscious. Did you tell mom?"
"N-no." I say shakily. "I was planning to, but I keep pushing it off. I didn't know what to tell them." I admit.
"Good. They don't need to know what a failure their son has become." And all of a sudden, Wayne's expression changed, startling us with his abrupt solemn tone.
"What failure? It's not your fault."
"Don't tell me you blame yourself!" Drew points a finger at him. "Because it's not and you damn well know it."
"I'm about to be dropped from my degree and everything I've worked so hard for these past few years. How's that not my fault?" Wayne chuckles humourlessly.
"What are you talking about, bro?" This time Zac questions.
Instead of answering him, Wayne roughly tugs at all the casts on his left side. "This. I can't box anymore." He fakes a laugh. "All the sweat and blood I poured into training, all gone down the drain."
"You'll get better!" I try to assure him.
He looks at me offended. "Better? I have a fucking open fracture. In a week they'll ask me to choose between a metal bar or screws for my arm. My boxing career is over. I had a contract awaiting me after my fight next month." He scoffs. "Don't say anything if you don't know what to say. Better yet, just leave me alone. Can't a sick patient rest at 4AM instead of entertaining you people? Go home, or whatever. Leave! All of you!" He yells.
Scared to tick him off, I am the first to reach the door after muttering a soft apology. How can I be such an idiot and not realize what will happen to him after this accident? I was overjoyed at the fact that he woke up without thinking about how he'll feel not feeling like himself ever again.
Zac and Carson trails behind me as we step out of his room. Drew stayed behind for a short while only to be screamed at the same way Ally was. Neither of us seem to have a clue of what to do as we comprehend what just happened.
"Give him some time. This isn't easy for him. He was just told that something he loved doing would be taken away from him. He needs time to process that, just like y'all need time to learn how to deal with him. Right now, what he needs is a support system." Cass advices us when she spots us standing around helplessly outside my brother's door.
"She's right." Carson agrees with her.
"So? We're just going to seriously leave him alone? He's my damn best friend for god's sake! I have to be there even if he pushes me away!" Drew argues, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Hey! That's it! All of you leave the ICU now or I'll call security!" The same nurse comes around again and ironically yells at us, her voice ringing through the hallway even louder than Drew's.
Not wanting to put up a fight, we eventually grab our things and make a move for the elevators.
"Don't leave him alone." Cass continues as we walk together in silence. "Give him space. He needs you there to support him, but he has to get over this obstacle on his own."