Work Text:
Hey babe, I might be a little late, love you :)
I looked at the text for the eighth or ninth time in the past twenty minutes. It was from about two hours ago. Ashton should have been here an hour ago. The hostess’s eyes flickered over to me. I could see pity in her eyes, but they also kept flitting to the clock as if she was trying to convey I needed to leave. I slouched further into my chair as if it would stop them from noticing me. I checked my phone again, but just as I suspected, there was nothing.
The hostess had finally approached me, “Excuse me, sir, but we are going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Oh yeah, of course,” my voice was shaky and my eyes had welled up with tears by this point. I grabbed my jacket and turned to leave.
“Hey, would you like us to call you a cab?” she asked. Her voice was gentle and her eyes soft. I nodded as the tears started to fall, “I’m sorry they didn’t show up. You know maybe they called, we get really bad reception here.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but shut it quickly realizing that I would probably start crying. God, why was I being so dramatic? She grabbed my hand and pulled me into a tight hug. I went to wash up while she called the cab. By the time I walked out of the bathroom the cab was already waiting. I turned to thank the hostess, but she was already attending to a new group of customers. She looked up catching my eye, she smiled kindly and waved me out the door.
I entered the car and gave the driver my address before moving to sit by the window. I stared at the dark city thinking about the way I had pictured the night going. Ashton would have still been late, because honestly, when is he not? But he would have shown up. He would have raced into the restaurant flustered and pink cheeked. He would have apologized, and I would have smiled and told him that it was okay. He would have smiled and told me he loved me. We would have spent the entire night talking and laughing. And at the end he would have gotten down on one knee and proposed to me.
“Sir, we are here. I am going to need you to pay and leave the cab now,” The driver’s words brought me out of my thoughts. I handed the man the right amount of money before exiting the cab.
As if on autopilot I entered my building. I was surprised to see light pouring out from under my front door. I hesitated as I placed the key into the lock and opened the door. I let out a sigh of relief when I noticed familiar bright red hair. Michael was sitting on my couch, shaking violently and his eyes were rimmed with red.
“Mikey w-” I started.
“ Luke, I need you to check your messages,” His voice was cracked as if he was about to start crying at any second.
“What messages? What’s wrong? Mikey, you’re scaring me.”
“Just check your messages.”
“Not until you tell me what is wrong.”
“Check your goddamn messages!” I reeled back in shock at the anger in Michael’s voice.
Instead of answering him, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Surprisingly enough there were seven missed calls. One from Ashton, two from different unknown calls, one from Calum, and three from Michael. I looked up at Michael with a raised eyebrow, but he was already on the phone with someone else. Maybe the hostess had been right and the restaurant just had shitty reception. I clicked on my voicemail and brought the phone up to my room.
“For fuck’s sake Luke. Look I am coming to get you, because you obviously can’t be bothered to answer your fucking phone.” I could hear the anger in Michael’s voice. “Please be okay, Lukey.” Michael’s voice broke at the end of the message, and I could hear soft sobs before the line went officially dead.
“Luke where are you? Why won’t you answer me or Cal?” I could hear something being mumbled, but it was impossible to decipher.
“Lukey, something happened… something r...really bad. You need to get to St. Thomas’s now.” Calum’s voice was shaky, but nowhere near as bad Mikey’s had been.
“Lukey...something happened to Ashton. Its really bad. I’m scared Luke. We need you here,” Michael’s last message brought forth a new wave of tears. I clenched my jaw, and closed my fist until I could feel my nails breaking skin.
“Hello Mr. Hemmings, this is Jeanette Goodwin from St. Thomas’s Hospital. We have an Ashton Irwin here, and he asking for you, a Mr. Hood, and Mr. Clifford. Mr. Irwin is in critical condition and your presence would be greatly appreciated.” The chipper voice clipped words together together managing to mangle Ashton’s name. My knees buckled and I felt myself plummet to the floor, unable to hold myself up. Michael caught me before I hit the ground and buried his face into my neck. It took me a couple seconds to realize that another voicemail had started playing.
“-accident. You are the last number dialed by the victim. If you have any information on the victim please call back, or we will also be stopping by the hospital in the morning.”
“Hey baby,” Ashton’s voice was music to my ears, “I am so sorry, I am late. Traffic is seriously a bitch. Anyway I love you and I have so-” Ashton was cut off by the sound of squealing tires and shattering glass.
“No, NO! Oh god no!” I felt Michael's head crash into my back. I didn’t care everything hurt to much. Ashton could be dying, he can’t die I need him. Michael grabbed my arm and tried to pull me off the ground. I can’t even remember how I ended up on the floor.
“Luke we need to go, he is still alive. You can still see him.” I nodded numbly, my throat hurt to much for me to actually speak, “There’s a cab waiting downstairs, all right?”
The cab ride home passed in a blur of tears and comforting words exchanged between the two of us. I didn’t stay in the cab long enough to see Michael pay the cabbie once we reached the hospital. I quickly spotted Calum talking to a doctor. Much like Michael, Calum had red rimmed eyes and tear tracks staining his cheeks. I stopped close enough to them so I could hear but far enough that they wouldn't notice me.
“We have done everything we can, but there is too much internal damage. He probably won’t make it through the night.” My throat constricted , and my fists tightened, causing my palms to start bleeding. "He is currently awake,but he is in critical condition. I understand that his family is currently away, so I will make an exception to the family only rule. He is allowed one visitor.”
“I’ll go,” I said. Calum turned to me wide eyed, but his eyes softened once he realized it was me.
“Very well follow me,” the doctor said. I didn’t say anything, I just followed him. We walked in silence for about ten minutes. The doctor stopped and turned to me. He nodded to the door before speaking, “He is in pretty bad condition, be warned. He is also on some heavy sedatives, so don’t worry if he suddenly falls asleep.”
“I can handle it,” I said as I pushed past the doctor.
No matter what I had told myself since getting the messages, nothing could have prepared me for what I was on the other side of the door. The smell of antiseptic was sharp and the room was obnoxiously white. His curly hair hung limp, and his face was ashen. He looked so small in that bed with his body littered with cuts. He turned his towards me, and I nearly started to cry when I saw how lifeless his eyes had become.
“Lukey,” he croaked.
“Ashy, baby,” my voice cracked and I knew I was going to start crying again.
“Lukey, why are you crying? Is it ‘cause of me? Please don’t cry, I love you.” He had started slurring his l’s the same way he does when he is drunk. Just like the time we first kissed. He had been too nervous to do it while sober. Immediately after he told me just how much he loved me.
“No baby, it isn’t your fault. You wouldn’t ever make me cry,” I whispered as I moved closer to his hospital bed. I went to brush a curl out of his eyes, but he grabbed my hand in his. He brushed his lips to my fingers softly. He pulled back and looked at my ring finger with his head cocked to the side.
“I was going to propose tonight,” my breath caught in my throat, “I would have still been late, ‘cause when am I not. I’d probably have flustered and apologized profusely .” I cut him off with a chaste kiss.
“That’s okay baby, I would have forgiven you.” He smiled back at me, this open mouthed, toothy grin that brought back some of the life that was missing from his eyes.
“I would have smiled and told you that I loved you. We would have sat down and ordered. We would have talked all through the ridiculously long wait. You wouldn’t have noticed, but I would have had this stupid grin on my face the entire time. Then w..when you finished eating I w...w.would get down on one knee and ask if I could have you forever.” His speech was slightly broken by the yawning. I panicked when he just stopped talking. I frantically reached for his wrist checking for his pulse. Once I found it I refused to let it go as I laid my head down next to his arm.
“I would have said yes,” I said before allowing myself to drift off, comforted by the constant beating of his heart.
I woke up to frantic yelling and some kind of hellish beeping. I could feel someone trying to rip me away from Ashton when it hit me. I couldn’t feel his pulse anymore. That’s why they were all here. He was dead. I went slack making it easy for the doctors to throw me out of the room. Once I was out one of the doctors shut the door.It occured to me that they should have been rushing him to the OR. Oh god, that means that he is dead, and they are trying to save me the heartbreak of watching them unplug the machines and call out his time of death.
“NO! Ashton, Ashton! Let me in! Please just let me in, he… he,” I broke off into sobs. He needs me and I can’t help him. I slid down onto my knees crying into the door. A strong hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to see a uniformed man crouched down behind me.
“I am Officer McKinnon. I was one of the officers that responded to Mr. Irwin’s accident. We think the accident was due to Mr. Irwin being on the phone,” I couldn’t breathe, I killed him. It was all my fault, if he hadn’t have called me he would still be here. “I need you to breathe and let me continue. We also have suspicion that the other driver was intoxicated at the time of the accident. This was the only personal affect found at the scene of the accident. I trust you can get it to the proper owner.”
I looked at the item that had been placed in my hand. It was a simple ring. The engagement ring he planned to propose with.
All I have left of my true love is a stupid ring.