Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN DEAD POETS SOCIETY!
A/N: Well, my second DPS story up! Hope you guys like it! Oh and italics are memories.
It's been a week since Neil's accident. Todd sat in his best friend's hospital room next to his bed.
He looked so different than the lively, shining person Todd knew Neil to be. He hasn't moved, blinked, or even shown signs of life other than light breathing with the help of an oxygen tank. His face was pale to the point where he looked ghostly. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and Todd could clearly see blood still seeping through it. Todd could still see the faint lines of cuts and the remains of bruises circling Neil's face, and he was sure there were other ones he couldn't see. His leg was also raised up in a cast all the way up to his thigh.
Ever since Neil's accident, Todd had been worried to the point of sickness. Once he got the message from his other friend, Charlie, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He rushed to the hospital as soon as he could, but what he found was worse than anything he could've ever imagined…
Todd came up to the receptionist and asked for Neil's room number, but the response was that he was still in the emergency room and the doctor will come out to be with him shortly.
Todd reluctantly sat in the waiting room for what seemed like forever, but was really only about a half an hour. When he saw a surgeon coming toward him, he shot up from his seat and spoke before the doctor could even introduce himself.
"What's wrong with Neil?" he asked. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Well" the doctor said, "he had some cuts and bruises all over his body and he broke his leg, but we took care of all that." Todd was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, but the doctor wasn't finished.
"But that wasn't the worst of it. He suffered tremendous amounts of internal bleeding and a very bad head injury. Right now he's in a coma and we have him on life support. We tried everything we could, but there's nothing else we can do. Either he pulls out of the coma on his own…or I'm afraid he's not going to survive. I'm sorry."
"That's IT?!" Todd thought incredulously. "He's just going to put him on life support and leave it?! He's just going to leave him there to die?!"
"Are you sure there's nothing else you can do? You're a doctor, you're supposed to SAVE people's lives, not leave them there to die!" Todd shouted.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we already did everything we could. But I can assure you that Neil won't go down without a fight." The doctor smiled a little and Todd calmed a bit.
"Can I see him?" he asked.
The doctor nodded. "Of course. He's in room 211. But I will ask you to leave when visiting hours are over." Todd nodded and went up to see his best friend.
When he walked into the room, it was like the wind was completely knocked out of him. Neil's parents were both huddled around their son and Todd could hear them praying softly. He could also see streaks on Mrs. Perry's face, which must've meant that she had been crying. Todd approached them quietly.
"Todd, why did it have to be him?" Mr. Perry asked. Todd was startled by the question. He hadn't even announced his presence yet.
"W-Well, I don't know…but if I may, could I just see him for a little bit? Alone?" Todd asked shyly. To his own surprise, they both nodded, got up and left without a single word. Todd sat down in the chair his father had been occupying and sighed deeply.
And this was how Todd stayed for the past hour or so, just sitting there, staring at Neil all hooked up to machines and barely breathing. Todd gently grasped Neil's hand.
Suddenly something hit him, like an unexpected dodge ball. He looked at Neil's face and realized what happened. That he may never wake up. That he may never smile again.
"No, no…" Todd said quietly. "I can't think like that. If I think hard enough, it will happen."
To keep thoughts like that out of his mind, Todd reflected in his mind the good times he had had with Neil. When he was new to the school and Neil took him under his wing…when it was his birthday and no one cared except Neil…when he figured out about the play at Henley Hall and was wildly jumping about the room in excitement.
Todd couldn't resist a small smile at the memories. He didn't think he would be able to make it at Welton, but Neil helped him. Neil gave him more than just a helping hand. Neil gave him a friend. And that's all he ever wanted.
"Ya know" a voice behind Todd said. He jumped and turned around to see a nice looking nurse standing in the doorway. "They say that, even in a coma, the person can still hear. And people have said that, because their loved ones talked to them, that was the reason they pulled out." The nurse smiled at him as she changed Neil's bandage, checked his heartbeat, and made sure the oxygen tank was still working.
She smiled sympathetically at Todd and walked out of the room. He turned back to the actor and decided to give it a try. Anything that might help…
"Neil…" he said softly. "Can you hear me?" Todd laughed softly in spite of himself. "I guess that's kind of a stupid question…"
Even though Neil did not respond, Todd continued.
"Ya know, I've really been worried about you. Ever since Charlie called and told me you'd been in an accident…I just couldn't stop thinking about what would happen." Todd looked down at where he was still holding Neil's hand and ran his thumb over the top.
"I don't know what my life would be like without you…You're the one who pulled me through my first year at Welton. You were there when no one else was. You even kind of pulled out a crazier side of me that I never really knew I had." He smiled. "Just please, if you can hear me…wake up."
xXx
Neil awoke to the sound of Todd's voice. "Todd?" he asked. "Yes, I can hear you!" No response. "Todd? Todd!"
"He can't hear you" someone told him. Neil looked around and saw a beautiful woman in long robes surrounded by white lights. "You can't communicate with him in your condition."
"My condition? What are you talking about?" It was then that Neil realized where he was. He looked around and saw…nothing. Blankness, only a big array of white light. He looked back at the woman. "Who are you?"
"I'm your guardian angel" she said, matter-of-factly. Neil scoffed.
"Oh, yeah, right, like angels really exist. Now, come on, seriously, who are you?" The angel sighed and popped out wings and flew over Neil's head, landing on his other side.
"Do you believe me now?" Neil stood there, shocked. After about 30 seconds, the angel said, "Feel free to speak up anytime now."
He stammered. "Y-You're…y-you're…you're really an angel?" She nodded.
Just then, the realization hit him. "Am I dead?"
"Not completely" she answered. "You're in a coma, and as of now, your life is slowly slipping away. Do you remember what happened?"
"I-it's all in bits and pieces. I remember riding in a car with my friend Charlie…him getting out…and a car coming at me from the side…" The angel nodded yet again.
"Well, you got those parts right. You were in a car accident and you're not expected to wake up from your coma."
"WHAT?!" Neil shouted. "I CAN'T DIE! I HAVE…THINGS I WANNA DO YET! I'M STILL A KID, I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"
"No, as a matter of fact, you're not. People die at all different ages. Sad, but true. But you'll be happy to know that it's not your time."
"It's not?" he asked hopefully.
"No, it's not. You have unfinished business to attend to on Earth, and you can't do that if you're dead. Come here" she said, reaching out a hand. Neil didn't budge right away.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you. Now, please…take my hand…" she said, beckoning Neil to come to her. He slowly walked over to her, placing his hand inside hers. She smiled and waved her other hand.
Everything around Neil exploded in lights, as if fireworks had just gone off. The strange place he landed in seemed to melt away around him and he seemed to be falling. He tried to scream, but couldn't get words out. He fell into the nothingness until something soft and cushy stopped him.
Neil's eyes shot open. His vision was blurred at first, but as it came into focus, he realized where he was. He was in a hospital. Then he realized there was something in his mouth and he started choking.
In what seemed like no time, someone was pulling the plastic tube out of his mouth and he could breathe again. He looked up at a very attractive nurse who smiled at him. She motioned next to him and he looked to see Todd shining a big, bright smile at him.
"Oh, Neil…" was all he had to say before he jumped on top of Neil and enveloped him in a hug. Neil was still in pain, but decided not to say anything. Being able to see Todd again was worth all the pain in the world.
"Neil, I was so worried…" Todd started before Neil cut him off.
"I know, I heard you."
"You did?" he asked, confused.
"Yeah. That nurse was right…when you're in a coma, you don't lose your sense of hearing. You just lose your sense of speaking back." Todd smiled at him and embraced him yet again.
Neil was back…and HE, Todd Anderson, helped him to wake up.
xXx
After Neil had gotten out of the hospital, he was still in a wheelchair. Todd had volunteered to wheel him around and basically be his servant for the next 6 weeks.
About a week after Neil was released, he turned to his helper and said, "Todd?"
He looked up at the sound of his name. "What is it?"
"Well…this is going to sound very weird, but…when I was in the coma…my guardian angel came to me." Todd raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm serious, she did…I'm not going crazy, I really saw her--" Todd interrupted him with a hand raised.
"I believe you."
"Really?" Neil asked, hopeful. Todd nodded. Neil smiled, and went on with his story.
"Well…she told me it wasn't my time to die yet. She said I had unfinished business to do on Earth…"
"What do you mean?" Todd asked, confused.
"I didn't really know when she told me…but I believed her. Any excuse to stay alive. But…I think I know now."
"Well" Todd prodded. "What is it?" Neil had a mischievous smile on his face.
"Come here and I'll show you" he said, motioning Todd over with a finger. Todd leaned over to Neil and had not expected what was about to happen.
Neil's lips gently attached themselves to Todd's, who, surprised at first, did nothing back. But after a little bit, he started to kiss back, loving the feeling of Neil's lips on his.
Neil pulled back and they looked at each other. Surprise melted into a smile.
"So…what does this mean?" Todd asked.
"I HOPE it means we're…well…together." The thought struck Todd as a bit odd.
"W-Well…don't get me wrong, I do love you, Neil, but…I don't really know if I roll that way…"
"Well, I can help you with that" Neil said as he leaned in for another kiss. Todd, who had found he loved the fire and passion that shot through him when Neil kissed him, kissed back more vigorously this time. Neil pulled away.
"Well, judging by that" he said. "I think you DO roll that way. Don't you see? THIS is the unfinished business my angel told me I needed to finish before I die. We were meant for each other, Todd…"
Todd sighed, then eased into a smile. "I feel it too. And…I think this could work out. I don't know how we're going to tell the guys…" Neil put a finger over Todd's lips.
"Shhh. Don't think about that right now. Right now, all we need is each other." Todd smiled and leaned in for another kiss.
It was a miracle.
What'd you think? Nice? Cheesy? Horrible to the point of vomiting? Please tell me! I'll give you a cookie!