Next chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I couldn't decide how Toby would react! So I wrote it twice, lol. This is obviously what I went with.
I always feel a little ehhh about my hospital chapters, so I hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think! Your reviews for this story so far have been out of this world!
So I've gotten about 8 reviews asking about my doing a Spoby version of the Proposal. Usually I'm down with whatever my readers want to read, but I'm not sure I can do that and still keep Spoby in character. And THAT is important for me. So I will think about that one :). I would have responded via PM, but most of you were guest reviewers!
OKAY! Read, review and yeah... okay! Cool! Next chapter will be up around the time this story passes 30 reviews! :). I haven't finished it, but I'm going to work on it tonight, so it should be done!
Next chapter is from Spencer's POV if that's any motivation. I might actually do it from Toby's POV too. I usually hate it when stories do that, but the next chapter is IMPORTANT. Okay, anyways BREAK.
Chapter 3
TPOV
Visions of red danced in front of his eyelids. It was like a dream that he knew that he was in. But what was that red?
He felt heavy, like he was being held down. He couldn't move. What the hell had happened? Where was he, and why wasn't his body working? The rush of air from someone opening and closing a door cooled his heated face. What the hell was going on?
"Toby, wake your ass up man. There's shit going down that you need to deal with."
Caleb? He was supposed to be out of town on business. Why was he back?
"Your truck's totaled man, but you're both alive- and that's the most important thing right now."
At the mention of his totaled truck everything came back so quickly that his head spun. He put all the effort he could muster into opening his eyes. He had to figure out what had happened. The car hit Spencer's side of the car- God, if she wasn't okay he wasn't sure that he'd ever be able to forgive himself.
He quickly managed to blink his eyes open, but he immediately snapped them shut, the bright hospital lights burning his retinas.
"Toby?"
He groaned, knowing that would get Caleb's attention. He needed to get it together. The only comfort would be in the details of what happened, and it sounded like Caleb had those.
"Alright man, that's it. Just open your eyes."
He blinked a few more times before he was able to fully open his eyes. He squinted up at his best friend and licked his lips, trying to get in a state to speak. He needed to know about Spencer.
"There you are. Are you alright? Should I go get a nurse?"
He shook his head and swallowed roughly. "Spencer?" He rasped out. What was wrong with him was inconsequential as long as she was okay.
Caleb hesitated. "Are you sure, man? You don't look too good."
"I'm- fine," he coughed. "How's Sp-Spencer?"
"Toby-" Caleb hesitated again. But this time Toby was beginning to think that it was less about concern for his well-being and more about wanting to avoid telling him about Spencer.
"Caleb, talk to me. How is Spencer?" He was begging. He didn't like to beg, but he had to know.
"Breath, Toby," Caleb sat down on the chair next to the bed. "She'll be okay. She hasn't woken up yet, but she'll be fine. Hanna's with her."
He shook his head and looked down at himself. There weren't too many wires or tubes. He could get up. In what was probably not one of his better ideas, he gripped the smooth IV tube and ripped it out of his arm. Blood spurted out of his arm, and he immediately felt light headed. He would have kept going, but Caleb pushed him back onto the bed and pressed his hand hard against the bleeding spot. "What the hell? I know you want to see Spencer, but don't be stupid about it. Let me call a nurse."
Caleb reached over and hit the call button. Toby squirmed slightly, and Caleb pushed him more soundly into the bed with his free hand. "Swear to God, Cavanaugh," he snapped. "I will punch a guy in a fucking hospital bed if you don't sit still."
His lips twitched, and he did as Caleb said because he wouldn't put it past him to actually punch him. "Caleb, I need-"
"Calm your shit, dude. I will take you to her as soon as the nurse fixes you and gets you a wheel chair. Trust me, I know you well enough to picture you sneaking through the hospital halls in search of her room." Caleb looked half amused and half frustrated.
A nurse bustled into the room and balked at the sight of the blood on his arm but said nothing as she carefully repaired the IV and wiped up the blood. "Now, I trust you're intelligent enough not to do that again?" Her words were a bit condescending, but her tone was nothing but concerned.
He opened his mouth to respond affirmatively, even if it was a lie. He had to see Spencer. But Caleb spoke first. "No he's not. He's blinded by affection for his wife. He'll keep trying unless you let me take him down to her room."
"I'm not sure-"
"Please," Toby cut the nurse off. She had to understand. "I'm not going to be able to relax until I see that she's okay. I just need to see that she's still breathing. I need to see that she's alright."
"Mr. Cavanaugh-" The nurse looked like she was going to refuse again, but he wouldn't let that happen.
"Listen," he began. He was about to be a manipulative bastard, which he hated, but he couldn't think of another way. "You seem like a reasonable lady, so let me tell you what I'm going to do. If you won't help me see my wife I'm going to check myself out of the hospital against medical advice. Then I can sit at her bedside without worrying about people like you."
He'd have to apologize later, but as he saw her face softening he couldn't feel guilty. Not if it got him to Spencer. "I'm not trying to be rude," he said softly. "I just don't think I can express to you how much I need to see her; not want, need."
"Alright," she said reluctantly. "Let me get a wheelchair and figure out what room she's in." She turned and walked out the door without hesitating, obviously wanting to get away from the crazy guy in the hospital bed.
"These nurses are all going to love you, Cavanaugh," Caleb laughed from the chair he had moved too. "What the hell was that?"
"Romance?" He suggested sheepishly.
"Yeah, yeah," Caleb waved his hand dismissively and pulled out his phone. "Let me let Hanna know that you strong armed the nurse into taking you over there," he laughed. "I didn't think that was going to work."
"Spencer makes me a little crazy," he laughed. He winced as the laughter jostled whatever injuries that he might have had. "So, speaking of injuries, am I alright?"
"Yeah, you're just a little banged up," Caleb said as he pulled down the blankets a little bit to show him his bruised arms. "From what I hear those famous abs of yours are worse," he laughed.
"How long has it been?" He asked warily. Caleb had been out of town, so it had to have been a decent chunk of time.
"About 12 hours. You've been in and out. I guess they gave you some good shit for the pain if you don't remember," he laughed again. His mood seemed to be getting better the more they talked.
"And what's going on with Spencer? You said she was still out?" She was still unconscious after 12 hours? That didn't sound good.
"Yeah," he looked down at his phone before looking back up at Toby. He could already tell that Caleb was going to downplay it, so he was glad that he'd get to see her. "Hanna said that the doctors said that she hit her head pretty hard. She lost some blood, and she's banged up. But it's the head thing that's the issue with her."
It was almost comical how quickly he felt the blood drain from his face. He didn't want her to be hurt at all. But before he could respond the nurse walked in with a wheel chair. It took the combined efforts of Caleb and the petite nurse to get him in the wheelchair, and once it was accomplished the woman began to push him through the depressing hallways with Caleb trailing behind.
He wanted to question them endlessly on what happened. He wanted to know every detail of their conditions, first Spencer's and then his own. He wanted to know exactly what he could do to help. But he just couldn't talk. Sometimes something so devastating occurs that your mind is just wiped of all emotion. He was okay. Spencer would probably be okay. But this was just all too much. How was he supposed to handle the fact that he could have died? Or that he could have lost Spencer?
But that all left his head as soon as he was wheeled into her room. The sight of the person that he loved the most in the world laying prone on a hospital bed.
"It's not as bad as it looks, Toby," Hanna said softly, from the chair next to Spencer's bed. "Her nurse was in here a second ago and said that she should be waking up any time now."
He heard Hanna, but he didn't acknowledge her. All of his focus was on Spencer. Seeing her like this was breaking his heart, and unfortunately it wasn't the first time he saw her in a hospital bed; albeit the last time was considerably less devastating.
He rounded the corner, intent upon finding her room. She would probably be alone, and he wouldn't allow that for another second. He could see the Hastings printed next to the door directly in front of him. Thank God. He was afraid that he'd have to take an unnecessary delay and stop by the nurses' station. He burst through the door, expecting to find her alone.
Instead his eyes were met by an older woman who looked an awful lot like Spencer sitting at her bedside. The woman looked up with a tight smile, but he only had eyes for Spencer. The younger girl's entire face lit up when she saw him walk in, and that's all that mattered.
"Toby!" She beckoned for him to come closer.
He happily complied. There was nothing that he wouldn't do to make that kind of smile appear on her face. But his worry hadn't made him lose any sense of manners that he possessed. He was still polite. When he reached the older woman, who had to have been Spencer's mom, he held his hand out to her. "Hi, I'm Toby Cavanaugh."
"Ah, so you're the illustrious boyfriend that my daughter had been hiding from us. Veronica Hastings, Spencer's mother," she replied coldly. She took his hand and weakly shook it.
So this woman didn't like him for some reason. And he would never verbally admit it, but it stung a little bit. He had automatically assumed that everyone in Spencer's life was as warm and welcoming as she was, but he was apparently mistaken.
Spencer gave him an apologetic look as she reached out for him. He gave her a reassuring smile. He wasn't mad, and she should have already known that. His hand found hers, and their fingers locked together. He want to kiss her, but he thought that might be a little much in front of her mother. Instead, he settled for lifting their intertwined hands and pressing his lips to her wrist. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she groaned. "Don't get all paranoid on me, Cavanaugh."
"But what happened?" He was genuinely curious. All Hanna had said was that she broke her leg in a few places and had to get surgery to correct it before she hung up. Not the most descriptive of explanations.
Mrs. Hastings let out a sound that sounded somewhere between a cough and a laugh. "Now that Mr. Cavanaugh is here I think that I'll go get a coffee. I'll be back in a half an hour or so, Spencer."
Spencer just nodded, her lips pressed together. As an after thought, just before Mrs. Hastings walked out the door, Spencer called out behind her. "Could you get me one too?"
This time Mrs. Hastings didn't try to hold back her laughter. "I was wondering when you'd ask. Yes, I'll bring you back a jumbo, black coffee. Just how you like it."
Spencer smiled at her mom for the first time since he had been in there. "Thanks, mom."
Mrs. Hastings smiled softly before vacating the room. As soon as she was gone Spencer turned to him again. "What was your question? Sorry, they have me on some awesome drugs right now, and they're making me a bit woozy."
He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "I just was wondering what happened. All Hanna told me was that you broke your leg."
"Oh it's embarrassing," Spencer laughed. "I have a history final tomorrow, and I was in the library studying. But there were too many screaming freshman on the first floor. I took my books and was heading to one of the upper floors, but I guess I missed a step. I tumbled down like three flights of stairs, and some burly football player was behind me. It was actually adorable. He tried to catch me, and when he couldn't he raced down and was screaming for help. So embarrassing!"
"Well at least you'll be alright," he murmured, finally dropping down and pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. "I love you so much, Spencer."
"I love you too," she said, leaning up for another kiss.
Seeing her in that bed was the worst, but at least she was okay. He needed her like he needed the air that he breathed.
"Spencer!"
He blinked his eyes open at Hanna's shout. "What's going on?" He tilted his head to the side to look at Hanna questioningly.
"Didn't you just see that? She opened her eyes!" Hanna touched Spencer's hand softly. "Come on Spencer, wake your ass up."
Toby's lips twitched, but he didn't laugh like he usually would have. Hanna could make someone laugh on their worst day. But right now he didn't move his vigilant eyes from Spencer's face. "Spence?" He breathed, not wanting to get his hopes up too high. If he believed she would wake up and didn't he would be devastated. "Please wake up, Spencer. You're alright. You're safe, and you're surrounded by the people that love you. Wake up, baby."
This time he saw it as she blinked, her nose wrinkling in concentration. He glanced up and realized what the problem was. "Can someone turn the lights off? I think they're hurting her eyes."
Caleb, who was still by the door, flipped the lights off. Toby turned back to Spencer. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but he refrained from touching her until she was aware of what's going on. "Spencer?"
This time she was able to keep her eyes open. Her chocolate, brown orbs traveled from person to person, growing more and more distressed as she went on. They lingered on him for a moment. "I- who are you people? Where are my parents?"
What?
