Right Here

Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip

Takes place before the events of the film

Travis closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was trying to get this project done for class, but had been feeling sick all day and was having a hard time of it. He wiped sweat from his brow and grimaced as a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.

"Travis!" he heard Jones call his name. The girl appeared in his doorway and smiled at him. "Me and Derrick were thinking about going out, you coming?"

"I think I'm just gonna go to bed," he said and she frowned slightly.

"You feeling alright?" she asked, walking over to him.

"Actually, I've been feeling kind of sick all day," Travis admitted and Jones rested the back of her hand against his forehead.

"You definitely have a fever," she said, "Come on." She held her hand out and Travis took it. Jones helped him to his feet and led him over to his bed.

"Do you want us to stay?" Jones asked as Travis laid down and pulled the covers over himself.

"Nah, you guys go," he said, "Have fun. I'm just gonna sleep."

"Alright," she sighed, "We won't be super late though, okay? And I'll check on you when we get back."

"Thanks Jones," Travis murmured and his roommate walked out of the room. He heard Derrick shout at him to feel better and then the door slammed closed and Travis was alone in the loft. He rolled onto his side, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach, and drifted off into a restless sleep.

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Travis awoke some time later as a wave of nausea went over him. He didn't have time to make it to the bathroom and was sick all over his sheets. The pain in his stomach worsened and Travis thought for sure he was dying. He tried to get up, but the pain prevented him from doing so.

"Travis? Travis!" he heard someone shouting. hands gripped his shoulders and began shaking him. He groaned in protest and started gagging again. The person was still shouting.

"Travis, can you open your eyes?" he heard them say. Jones was crouching in front him, a look of worry on her face. When had she gotten home?

"Jones," he groaned, leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder.

"Travis, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Hurts," he murmured.

"What hurts?" someone else asked and Travis realized Derrick had joined them.

"Stomach, he said, "Feels like it's on fire."

"Shhh," Jones said, "It's alright." He felt hands pushing him back slightly and Jones wiped his cheeks. Travis hadn't even realized he was crying. Derrick lifted up his friend's shirt and saw that Travis's stomach was red and appeared to be slightly distended. He pressed lightly on it and Travis cried out, more tears leaking from his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry," Derrick said quickly, "Come on, we gotta get you to a hospital."

"Can't afford it," Travis mumbled as he was pulled out of his bed.

"Don't worry about that," Derrick said.

"We gotta get him out of these clothes first," Jones said.

"I'll do that, you get us a cab," Derrick said and Jones nodded, rushing out of the room. Derrick hurriedly helped Travis change into clean clothes and then supported his friend out of the room. They made their way downstairs where the cab was already waiting.

"Take us to the hospital," Jones told the driver as Travis groaned, leaning heavily against Derrick.

"We'll be there soon Trav," Jones said quietly to him, brushing some hair out of his eyes. The drive was relatively silent, the only sounds being Travis's moans and his friend's reassurances. Finally, they arrived at the hospital. Derrick threw some money at the driver and then helped Travis out of the cab.

"We need some help!" Jones shouted and two nurses rushed over.

"What happened?" one of them asked.

"We're not sure," Jones said, "He's in a lot of pain and he was vomiting."

"What's his name?"

"Travis," Derrick replied.

"Travis, can you tell me where it hurts?" the nurse asked as they got him on a gurney.

"Here," he choked out, putting his hand on his stomach.

"Alright," the nurse nodded and then looked at Jones and Derrick. "Wait here."

The two friends could do nothing except watch as their friend was wheeled away.

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The pair sat in the waiting room for hours with no news. Finally, a nurse walked out and called Travis's name. Jones and Derrick stood.

"Is he okay?" Jones asked.

"Travis's appendix ruptured," the nurse told them, "He was rushed into surgery and we had to remove it. He was very lucky."

"But he's okay?" Jones asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine," the nurse said, "He's in recovery now and he's awake. You can see him if you'd like, he's been asking for you." They both nodded and followed her down the hall.

"Hey Trav," Jones said, "How're you feeling?"

"Awful," Travis replied honestly and his two friends laughed.

"That's not surprising," Jones said, "You scared us so much."

"Sorry," Travis mumbled.

"Don't apologize," Jones said, "Just don't do this again."

"I wouldn't worry too much Jones, he only had one appendix," Derrick joked.

"Not just that," Travis said.

"Then what?" Jones asked.

"The mess at the apartment," Travis said, "And how much this'll cost."

"Man, don't even worry about that," Derrick told him, "Just focus on getting better, alright?" Travis nodded, his eyes drooping.

"Get some sleep," Jones murmured soothingly to him, "We'll be here when you wake up."

"You have class in the morning," Travis slurred.

"Not this time," Jones replied, "We're both completely free tomorrow which means we'll be right here."

"Thanks," Travis said as he drifted off to sleep with Jones and Derrick at his side.

This was my first Gossip fic. This was very different from other things I've written so it was a lot of fun to try.

Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!