He was sitting by her bedside, tears flowing down his face. The beeping from the heart monitor was driving him crazy, but he just couldn't get himself to leave. If he did, then she would be alone again. Being alone scared her. Just the thought of being alone could make her break down crying. He never wanted her to be lonely.
Brooklyn had never expected himself to fall for a fan girl. She was just another girl, another casual person who didn't matter at all. But ever since he met her, he had been haunted by her soft, blue eyes. She wasn't the most beautiful person in the world. It's not like she could ever compare to one of those world-famous singers or models or whatever. She was just a normal girl, with long, brown hair, blue eyes and slightly tanned skin.
She was ordinary. Brooklyn could have had any girl in the universe. He could have chosen the most gorgeous and attracting girl on the planet, and she would gladly be his if he asked her. But he didn't. He didn't want anyone but her.
Veronika. That was her name. Brooklyn smiled slightly as his hand shifted over hers. She was so small, so fragile. He wanted to protect her. He wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt her. From now on, he was never going to leave her side. He smiled again, as his lips whispered her name, just another ordinary name, though written in a quite unusual way. The most beautiful name in the existing world.
"Veronika."
They found an empty bottle on her window sill
The day her mother lost her sleeping pills
A part of Brooklyn died that day. He had never wanted her to get hurt. Never. She was his most precious possession. She was his life. She was his heart. She was his soul. She was everything, and so much more.
He just didn't understand why she had tried to take her own life. She would have succeeded, if he hadn't come by just then. He still remembered everything clearly. The first thing he had noticed was the bottle on the window sill. She was a freak about everything having its own place. And the window sill was most certainly not the place to put a bottle of pills. If it wasn't for that tiny fact, he wouldn't have noticed right away. He would have thought she was just asleep, after all, it had been early in the morning. But that one thing that was out of place meant that something was wrong. He had noticed how weak her breath was, and he had called the ambulance. Everything else was just a blur.
That was the last time she had looked back at him. He remembered the soft smile on her pale lips, a smile that, even though it was just a faint one, reached her dull blue eyes. The only thing on his mind had been that if she died, then he wouldn't be able to live on.
She was sick and tired of being invisible
Hard to see in color when you're miserable
Had she really felt that way? Did she truly think she was invisible? That… wasn't true. To him, she was everything but invisible. To him, she was everything he could see. She clouded his mind like a fog created from pure bliss. She was the one person he never wanted to lose. The only one…
"Brooklyn?"
He looked up to see Hiro standing above him. The blue-haired male looked at him with concern showing in his dark brown eyes.
"You should take a break from this," he said quietly. "Go out and live your life. You know, you can be happy without her."
Brooklyn's hand started trembling. Happy? Without her? Without his precious Veronika? No. He couldn't. He had sworn to never leave her side again. She couldn't wake up and find out that he wasn't there. She couldn't!
"No," he whispered. "I have to be with her. If she wakes up and I'm not here, then…"
Hiro sighed. "And if she's not waking up? Would you be able to keep living? Would you find someone new to shower your love upon?"
"No. I couldn't. It has to be her, only her, always. Forever. I'll love her always."
Veronika, saint Veronika
You can't leave this world behind
Hiro left, but Brooklyn still sat in the same position, straight up-and-down by her bedside, his warm hand covering hers. When he was at his worst, she had come through to him, with a simple touch she could remove all of his fears. He wanted to be able to do the same for her. She had saved him. She was his angel, his saint. Saint Veronika.
How could she have done such a thing? After saving what was left of Brooklyn's life, how could she decide to walk off and end her own? It didn't make sense! Brooklyn had to be there for her, forever, till the end of time. He had to do everything to make sure she knew she was loved. He had to, because without her to share it with, his own life was worthless. Nothing mattered. Nothing but her. She was everything, all that mattered, the only one he wanted. Ever.
So be strong enough to hold on to us
We're still right here by your side
He would always be there for her. Always. Forever. He had never moved from her bedside. Not for three weeks, ever since she ended there. She hadn't woken up yet. The doctors had been able to keep her alive, but she wouldn't wake up. One of the doctors had said that it might be because she didn't want to. Maybe she didn't feel like she had anything to wake up to.
Her parents visited her every day. But they never stayed for long. They were so busy with their work, that they barely had time to visit their own daughter. Brooklyn hated them so intensely. They were her parents! They were supposed to love her! He was the one who loved her. He had never left her. Not once. That was much more than those so-called parents would ever think of doing.
No one ever thought that she was capable
And the damage done is irreversible
She had always complained about how her parents, even her friends, never thought she was able to do anything. Whenever she spoke about what she wanted to do, they told her not to reach for something that was impossible to achieve. Brooklyn believed in her. This girl, the one who had managed to save him, when no one else could, she could do anything she wanted. The thing she didn't master simply could not exist.
But what he thought obviously wasn't enough. She needed more than just his love. She needed a family, she needed friends. But she didn't have any. Those who barely took the time to visit her, they had no right to call themselves her family! The ones who claimed to be her friends hadn't even put as much as a toe inside of the hospital. They didn't care. Brooklyn did. He was her friend, her family. He was the only one who cared.
Now she clings to life inside a hospital
Like she's trapped inside a frozen waterfall
Brooklyn growled, shifting position slightly. Ming-Ming had stopped by earlier, bringing him some food. It seemed that his friends had worked out an order of who was going to go check on him when, who were going to bring him food, and what they were going to bring him. They came to check on him, but didn't give her a second thought. She was the one in coma, not Brooklyn. But at least there was one good thing in it. His friends understood that he would rather die than leave her. And he was truly grateful for that.
There was a gentle knock on the door, and the ginger instinctively threw a glance at his wristwatch. It was nine pm. Today was Thursday. Then that would be Kai.
"This is getting awkwardly predictable," Brooklyn muttered when the dual-haired male entered the room. Kai just laughed, nodding in agreement as he sat down next to the older boy.
"I know," he replied. "But hey, no one else is gonna come on Thursdays at nine, so why not?" This comment earned a faint smile from Brooklyn, before he turned back towards Veronika. The two boys sat in peace for a while, before Kai broke the silence.
"How is she doing?"
Brooklyn stared at him, half in shock. No one ever asked about her. The only one they were worried about was him, for spending so much time in the hospital. No one ever worried about his precious Veronika.
"She still doesn't seem to be waking up," he said quietly, fighting a silent battle with the tears.
Always said her life was never meant to be
Stuck here living someone else's dream
Brooklyn hadn't spoken to her. Never once had it even crossed his mind. He knew that when people were in coma, their brains reacted to sounds, but he didn't for a second believe what people said about them being able to hear you. It was stupid. That was just like talking to someone while they were asleep, and expect them to consciously apprehend what you were saying. Stupid. Meaningless. Useless. Empty words wouldn't bring her back.
But he missed talking to her. He missed being able to say anything at all, just so he could hear her reply. He missed her soft, quiet voice. He missed everything. A strike of panic suddenly hit him. What if she never woke up again? He knew he wouldn't be able to live without her. There just wouldn't be anything to live for anymore.
"Please," he whispered, giving her hand a slight squeeze. "Please wake up."
But beyond your window there is so much more
Even every prison has an open door
His cell phone rang. Brooklyn was confused at first; that was a sound he hadn't heard in three weeks. He slowly reached for the phone that was lying on Veronika's bedside table. His fingers felt a bit clumsy when they locked around the small technical device, taking it up to his ear, fumbling for the button to answer it.
"Hello?" he finally said.
"Brooklyn!" It was Ming-Ming's cheerful voice that sounded into his ear. "Me and some of the guys are going out for lunch. Why don't you join us?"
"I've told you a million times. I can't leave her."
"Aw, come on, Brooklyn! It's not like she would know. We miss you. You're always just sitting by her bed, like you're trapped in there. The hospital isn't your prison, Brooklyn."
New tears emerged in the corners of Brooklyn's eyes. "She is trapped in here. And then so am I. I will never be whole without her."
"You're such a cliché, Brooklyn," Ming-Ming sighed. "Why don't you come for a while? It'll do you good."
"No. I'm sorry." Brooklyn shook his head. "I just can't make myself leave her. I love her Ming-Ming, and if I'm not with her, then I'll just worry to death."
Veronika, saint Veronika
You can't leave this world behind
He couldn't believe what was happening. He still remembered every second they had spent together, every word she had ever said to him. Why didn't she remember? Why didn't she cherish their memories enough to give life a second chance? Why would she want to leave him behind in this cruel world? If they had died together, then it would have been fine. But this way, when it was only her… it wasn't right! She couldn't leave him like that. He would never cope without her. If she died, then so would he.
She was so young. Only fifteen years old. She had her entire life in front of her. Brooklyn would have done anything to make her happy. To make her want to keep living. If not for herself, then at least for him.
So be strong enough to hold on to us
It's just not your time to die
She was so strong. Her entire life, she had endured so much pain. The knowledge that she would never be good enough for her parents or her friends. And still, she had kept going, kept moving forward. Because of Brooklyn. That was what she had told him. The only reason she wanted to keep living, was because she wanted to be able to meet him some day. She wanted to be someone precious to him.
Was that why she had decided to leave everything behind? Because she had accomplished her goal of becoming someone dear to him? Because she had experienced what it felt like to be loved, she could die happily, was that what she thought? Did she want to be able to leave this world with a smile on her face, before the day came when Brooklyn would leave her?
But that would never happen! He loved her, only her, always. He could never leave her. Never, not in a million years. He wouldn't be able to live without her, so how could he ever leave?
"Are you okay?" Brooklyn looked up, once again to find Hiro standing next to him. The blue-haired male smiled warmly. The ginger only nodded in reply to the question.
"You look a little… tense," Hiro continued. "Did something happen?" Brooklyn shook his head slightly, letting the hand he had clenched into a fist loosen up.
He was angry. Why wouldn't she wake up? Why had she decided to leave him? Why didn't she trust him to always love her? He would, without a doubt! Why didn't she believe him? Why didn't she trust him? Why didn't she love him enough to stay?
He let his emerald eyes sweep over her face again. The face of his angel. His beautiful angel, lulled into the never-ending sleep.
And while the angels sleep, all of the devils are awake
Waiting to steal your love, right outside of Heaven's gate.
A warm hand was placed over his. He watched as his hand was removed from hers, to be caught in between Hiro's own. His breath hitched, his heart skip a beat, though he had no idea why. The older man sat down on his knees next to Brooklyn, and the ginger let himself lean closer to Hiro, crying into his coach's chest.
"Someone who would leave you like that doesn't deserve your love, Brooklyn," Hiro whispered softly into the ginger's hair. His lips were so close to Brooklyn's ear that they nearly brushed, and Brooklyn could feel the man's warm breath against his skin.
"I can't help it," he sobbed quietly. "I love her. I always will."
And all the sacred hearts can't numb the feeling for the pain
'Cause when the drugs don't work, you're gonna curse His holy name
"I know," Hiro said softly. "Just like I love you."
Brooklyn's eyes widened. Hiro… loved him? No. No, this was wrong! Brooklyn loved Veronika. Only her. Always. He couldn't just sit here and let someone else tell him that they loved him. It wasn't fair to her. And what if the doctors were right? What if she could actually hear what they were saying? What if Brooklyn just sat there and let Hiro confess his feelings, and Veronika would believe that he had found someone new, someone he loved and cherished even more than her? He couldn't let that happen. He never wanted to hurt her.
Veronika, saint Veronika
You can't leave this world behind
"Don't," he said, firmly pushing the other male away. "I… I could never love you, Hiro. It's only her. I could never love anyone else."
Hiro sighed, gazing lovingly into Brooklyn's eyes. "I know. But that won't change my feelings for you. Can't you pretend to love me, just until she wakes up?"
"No! I don't love you, and I don't want to pretend I do. Veronika is the only one I could ever love."
Oh Veronika, saint Veronika
We're still right here by your side
The heart monitor suddenly started beeping furiously. A bunch of doctors and nurses came rushing in, two of them quickly pulling Brooklyn and Hiro with them out of the room. They could only stand and watch as the doctors were trying their best to make her stable.
"Her heart is running crazily," Hiro mumbled.
"Maybe she was upset," Brooklyn said quietly. "Maybe she could hear…" He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't want Hiro to feel like this was his fault…
So be strong enough to hold on to us
You can't leave this world behind
Brooklyn was scared. What if she died? What was he supposed to do without her? He wouldn't even last a day. He had barely endured the past three weeks, and that was just because he had been able to see her. If he could never see her again, then he might as well die.
Veronika, saint Veronika
It's just not your time to die…
Okay, random one-shot. My first one in which Kai doesn't play a major part o.O Uhm, so anyway, I got the idea for this when I was on my way home from vacation, and I was listening to the song "Saint Veronika" by Billy Talent. Honestly, I have no idea why I decided to make it a Brooklyn fic. It sorta just.. came to me. And it seemed like a good idea, so.. There you go. Hope you enjoyed it! And finally; Please review!