I don't own Austin and Ally.
"I don't give a damn about hospital regulations! I haven't seen my daughter in practically a year, and I'm not letting a nurse that we just met take her away. Especially when neither of us knows this hospital." Ally snaps, bouncing Willow in her lap. The little girl has her eyes shut, but her breathing comes out in irregular little puffs and Ally knows that she isn't sleeping. She runs her fingers through her daughter's chocolate brown hair, and can't believe that her daughter is back in her arms.
The nurse rolls her eyes at Ally and spins on her heel, leaving Trish and Ally to wait in the waiting room by themselves. Trish gives her own eye roll, sipping from her coffee cup. "They need to hire some quality employees at this hospital. We've been here what, two hours? And I haven't met one nice worker. They should be fired." She huffs, shaking her head as she holds the Styrofoam cup back to her lips.
Ally only continues to bounce Willow in her lap. When they first arrived at the hospital, they were bombarded by another police team that wanted statements from them, the hospital psychologist and news that they would not be receiving any news on Austin until his parents arrived and saw him first. Ally stared at the coffee table in front of her, Willow's untouched cup of coca staring back at her.
"Are you sure that you don't want to eat or drink anything, baby?" Ally tries. She doesn't want to push Willow too far because she's only just got back, but it's worrying her that Willow won't drink her favorite beverage. It makes her shiver when she thinks about Willow sitting in the woods with Austin, so she pushes the thought from her mind.
Willow shakes her head adamantly, burying her face into Ally's body even more. "I just want Austin," She mumbles, making Trish give Ally a pitting look.
"I could ask them if the Moons are done yet. They've been in there with him forever; they should be pretty done by now." Trish offers, placing her cup of coffee down on the table. The clock on the corner wall tells them that it's about three in the morning, and the waiting room outside of the Intensive Care Unit is surprisingly empty. They've been sitting in silence since midnight.
Ally opens her mouth to answer, but freezes when she sees a blonde head walk towards her. She turns her head to see a sniffling Mimi Moon. The woman looks like she's barely put together; her usual sweater vest isn't tucked into her matching pants, and she wipes at her face with both hands. When her hands lower, Ally can see that her face is smudged with makeup. Her face is red from crying, and her eyes match. Mike walks slightly behind her, rubbing her shoulders with both of his hands, though he doesn't look much better than she does.
Ally practically jumps up, holding Willow in her arms. The little girl is obviously startled, her eyes flying open and locking on the flustered couple. "How is he?" Ally says, not wasting any time with formalities. Mimi sniffles again, wiping at her eyes once more as Mike rubs at her shoulders. He gestures to one of the seats, leading his wife to the chair.
"H-he looks so…small," Mimi shakes her head, covering her eyes with her hands. Willow stares at the woman, her face seemingly void of any emotion. Ally swallows, sitting down next to the woman and situating Willow in her arms. She remembers all of the times that Austin was injured. Mimi would hug him and kiss wherever Ally had broken one of his limbs, but she never acted like this. Was he really that bad?
Mike clears his throat, clasping his hands together. The dark circles underneath his eyes stand out against all of his other features, and Ally wonders how long they've been awake. She knows that the Moons had been living in California since they decided to leave Miami a few months ago, claiming that it held too many memories. She wonders how long it took for them to get here, but she wants to know more about Austin. He's all that she could think about these past couple of hours.
"He has two broken ribs." Mike starts, looking as if someone knocked all of the wind out of him. "His ankle is broken, but they had to reset it since they didn't know how and when the ankle was broken." He clears his throat and loosens his collar, making Ally wonder when he would start to cry like his wife.
"So they had to break his ankle again?" Ally repeats. Her voice comes out as a whisper, and she doesn't have any energy to repeat herself in a louder voice. Maybe she should've taken the coffee that Jo and the rest of the rescue squad offered her earlier.
Mike nods, his lips pressed together so tightly that they look white. "They, um," He coughs, his hand darting up to cover his mouth. "They're giving him Morphine for the pain and they can't give him anything with Oxycodone in it, because," He stops again, squeezing his hands together. "Because his body has an addiction to it now."
He's quiet for a moment, but not long enough for Ally or Trish to comment. "They think that Jimmy forcefully gave him drugs that contained Oxycodone." His voice is soft now, and Ally can't decide whether to hunt Jimmy down and tear his head off herself or start to cry like Mimi. She shakes her head in response, not able to form any other words. Austin, with an addiction to some drug? She reminds herself that it's not his fault, that Jimmy forced him to, but she can't help but wonder how this will change things.
"What are they going to do?" Trish pipes up from Ally's side. Her head whips around to see that her shorter friend is dabbing her own red rimmed eyes. Ally blinks back tears herself, but she knows that she has to be one of the strong one here, if not the only one. Willow is right in front of her, and she can't see her mother cry.
Mike shrugs, his eyes glued to the blue tile on the ground. In the background, Ally can hear other nurses walking around the hallways, opening doors and moving gurneys around, but it doesn't feel like the actual present. "They're going to wean him off." He says simply. His legs bounce up and down, like he wants to run out of the hospital. Ally doesn't blame him.
"The doctors are going to keep giving it to him." Mimi practically spats. Ally is taken back for a moment, pulling Willow in closer to her. The little girl's eyes are wide, but she doesn't exactly understand everything that's going on around her. She curls into Ally's body, providing Ally with more warmth.
"In increasingly smaller doses," Mike cuts in, placing a hand on his wife's knee. "He'll be alright, honey." He whispers. Ally doesn't believe him. His eyes are too shifty, too watery.
"Can I see him? He always says that my kisses make him feel better." Willow pipes up, the first words that she's said since they arrived at the hospital. Two pairs of eyes dart down to the girl that there son has been imprisoned with for the past nine months, and soften.
"You must be Willow." Mimi says, her voice softer than it was before. "Austin was talking about you." Her eyes dart up between Willow's face and Ally's. "My, what a resemblance between the two of you. You could be twins, if Willow were older."
"He was awake?" Ally exclaims, her eyes wide. Why wouldn't they have called her? They could've at least sent a nurse down to tell them that Austin was awake. It wouldn't have made him seem like he was so bad. Willow looks at the couple with equally surprised eyes, though Ally's surprise fleets away as Mimi shakes her head.
"Only for a little while, honey. The doctors had to sedate him, because his heart rate was too high." She flashes the two of them a watery smile, though there aren't any more tears rolling down her cheeks. Ally's eyebrows furrow. Austin's heart rate got high when he was asking for Willow? Was it because he was worried about her?
Ally is snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Willow's voice. "Are you Austin's Mommy and Daddy?" The little girl asks, looking up at the two as if she had stumbled upon a fabled treasure. They nod in unison, sharing a look with each other.
"Yes, we are, sweetie." Mike answers, his voice also lowering several octaves. They stare at her with fascination, like she's a rare species of mattress that they've never seen before. "H-has, has he told you about us?"
Willow nods, removing her arms from around Ally's neck and turning to face the couple, though her hand stays in one of Ally's. "He told me lots of stories when I helped him after punishment." She drawls, her eyes blinking heavily under a blanket of sleep. "It's cause I don't have a Daddy, but my mommy does. I wanted to know what Daddy's are like, so Austin told me about you." She points a chubby finger at Mike, making the man's eyebrows draw in around his watery eyes. He opens his mouth, though no words come out. Both Moons look up at Ally in question and she opens her mouth to give some explanation.
"Willow!" Lester bellows from behind the group, walking forward and pulling his granddaughter into his arms. Ally smiles at the moment, leaning into Trish until Willow bursts into tears. Her hands form little fists and fly at the back of Lester's head, making the man stare at his granddaughter in horror and surprise. His eyes dart up to Ally's for a moment, but all Ally can do is stare in horror.
"Willow, what's wrong?" Lester asks, his voice cracking as he tries to pull Willow away from his body. Willow continues to swing at him, until one of the ladies from behind the desk walks over with a needle filled with some liquid. "Willow, I'm so sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to upset you-" Lester starts, making Willow wail even louder.
"No! I'm not going to let you hurt Austin anymore!" She squeals, her eyes clenched shut like she's stuck in some sort of real life nightmare. Horror fills Ally's chest. Willow's reliving something that happened while she was living in that house with Austin and Jimmy.
The nurse holds the needle towards Willow's arm, but Ally shields the little girl's body with her own. "You're not sedating her!" She snaps, turning to pull Willow's body into her own. She rocks her daughter back and forth while the rest of the adults in the room stare in horror. Willow clutches at Ally's shirt like she's going to fall off, sobbing into her mother's shirt.
"I want Austin, Mommy. I want Austin to be better." She sobs, making Ally's heart break in two as she sways back and forth. Ally nods, swallowing tears as she pats Willow's back.
"I know, baby. I do too."
"He's going to need therapy." The doctor states as he leads Ally down the hallway. "Therapy for the trauma, physical therapy, possibly drug therapy once he wakes up and we see how bad the drug addiction is." He flips through his notes, eyeing Ally over his spectacles. "And you're sure that you're his sister?" He repeats, taking in Ally's dark hair. She nods quickly, wanting to hear more on Austin's condition.
The doctor squints his eyes at her, but clears his throat and flips a page, clearing his throat to continue to speak. "He's going to be in the hospital for a couple of weeks. I want him in the ICU for another week, because of the infection in his kidneys as a result of the repeated drug use and the fever…"
"He never did drugs before." Ally feels the need to cut in. "He was clean, never even drank anything…" She trails off when she sees the doctor nodding at her with pity in his eyes. "I know, I know." He lets out a sigh and is silent for a moment. "He's strong. We have him on antibiotics, Morphine for the pain, and fluids for his malnourishment and dehydration." He places a hand on Ally's shoulder, and she realizes that she's shaking. She nods, digging her teeth into her lower lip.
He pats her shoulder, before walking around her. "I'm going to check on a few more patients, and should head down to your daughter by the time you're done with your visit." He winks at her. "I'm sure that he'll love to see his girlfriend, even if he's not conscious."
He turns before Ally can correct him, a blush rising to her cheeks. Was she that obvious? She leans against the hospital wall, letting out a loud sigh. Willow is back in a hospital room with Trish and Lester, while Mike and Mimi were visit with Austin right now. She shifted on both of her feet as she thought about what the doctor said. Therapy. So much therapy… so how much would Willow need? What would Willow even do without Austin? They had taken care of each other for so long… Ally shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts as she walked towards the ICU reception area.
"Excuse me?" She piped up when the lady typing at the computer didn't immediately look up. The woman let out a sigh, stopping her clacking on the keyboard to roll her eyes up to Ally's.
"Can I help you?" She droned in a bored voice. In the back of her mind, Ally can't blame her because it's about four in the morning, but she feels agitation bubbling up underneath her chest. She folds her hands on the counter of the desk, leaning forward.
"I'm here to visit Austin Moon." She announces. The woman stares at her, as though she can't believe that Ally is even bothering to ask her a question that's so stupid. She looks back down at her computer, before looking at Ally's face again.
"Both of his parents are already in the room, and only two visitors are allowed in the ICU at a time." She answers without missing a beat. Ally clenches her teeth, folding her hands together so that they're pushing each other.
"But I spoke to his parents, and they agreed to leave once I came down. Could you call the room for me, please?" She asks between clenched teeth. Trish is right; the service here is so horrible for a hospital, especially since Ally feels like she's going to collapse at any given moment. The woman rolls her eyes again, giving Ally a glare.
"Are you even related to him? Only family is allowed in the ICU." She responds, typing back down at her computer. Ally rolls her eyes, letting out a groan as she presses her hands against the desk and leans in. she recognizes her as the nurse from earlier. "Look, lady. I've had a really hard night and my best friend is in that room, fighting death single handedly. So if you could do me a favor and call the room to speak to his parents, you know, do your fucking job, then I'd really appreciate it." Ally spats, giving the woman a fake smile.
The woman's eyes widen slightly at Ally's language, but she picks up the phone and dials the number to the room nonetheless. Sure, she glares at Ally the whole time, but at least she's doing it. "Mr. Moon, there's a young woman here demanding that I let her into your son's hospital room." She starts, her words laced with aggravation. Ally only rolls her eyes when the woman asks for her name.
"I'm Ally Dawson," She snaps, leaning away from the desk to fold her arms together. The woman repeats her name into the phone, her eyes widening when the voice on the other end of the phone grows louder.
"I'm sorry, sir, I wasn't aware…. No, no, that won't be a problem." She replies, flustered. She hangs up the phone after a moment, looking at Ally in awe. "He's in room one hundred nineteen." She says, folding her hands together. Ally resists the urge to roll her eyes and nods at the woman.
"Thank you," She says, turning to walk down the hallway. She doesn't have far to walk until she sees both Mimi and Mike standing outside of the hospital room. She gives them a small wave, and they respond with small smiles.
"Is Willow doing alright?" Mimi asks when Ally reaches her, the woman's eyes filled with concern. Ally is surprised that the woman cares so much about her daughter, but gives a small smile accompanied with her short nod.
"She's in a hospital room right now, taking a nap with my Dad and Trish. I think that it was just," She scratches at her head and blinks back tears. Sure, she has her daughter back more, but it's like her little butterfly has had bits and pieces of her wings cut off and can only fly in crooked directions. "She had a flashback. I mean, she hasn't slept at all, so that could also be part of it." She avoids their eyes, because she knows that they're filled with pity.
Mike folds his arms. "Dez is flying over as we speak. It took him a little while to get a flight out of LAX," He announces. Ally remembers that Dez was in LA doing a photo shoot for some famous band, and nods. Maybe having her old copper haired friend would bring a little bit of comfort into the situation. Mimi gestures to the door after a moment of silence.
"He's all yours," She says, giving Ally another watery grin and squeezing her hand. Ally nods in response, biting her lip again.
"Is he awake?" She asks. She's greeted with shakes of heads, and feels the hope in her chest deflate.
"The doctors are saying that he'll wake up when he's ready, uh, if he's ready." Mike clears his throat, making Ally's eyes widened. The doctor described Austin as bad, but she had never considered the fact that he would never wake up.
Mike must've seen Ally's face, and he pats her shoulder awkwardly. She was never really close with Austin's parents before, and this whole situation isn't the best way to bond with his parents. "Would," Mimi starts, looking to Mike for agreement. When he nods, she continues. "Would it be alright if we visited with Willow for a few minutes?"
Ally's eyebrows fly up in surprise, but she nods after a moment anyway. "Yeah, of course! Of course," She nods her head adamantly. "Willow was talking about Austin's Mommy and Daddy before she went to sleep. She'll love to see you." She grins, making Mimi and Mike flash smiles of their own.
"Thank you, Ally." Mike nods at her before walking off. Mimi nods, a few paces behind her husband. "You're a good mother."
Ally watches them walk off, feeling something bubble in her stomach. The compliment definitely made her feel a bit happier than she was, but she feels nervous about seeing Austin. Would he look dead to her? Would she totally regret going in? She took a deep breath and opened the door, wincing at what she saw.
Austin lay on a bed, but Mimi was right; he looks the smallest that she has even seen him. His leg is in a cast and he has a hospital gown on, but the biggest thing that Ally notices are the things that he is hooked up to. There are needles poked into his arms that remind her of twigs, and are covered in black and blue. His looks like he has a black eye, and there was a tube down his throat. Ally feels her breath catch in her own throat. Now he can't breathe on his own?
He looks like he could break with a gust of wind, something that Ally isn't used to at all. She hovers around the door, not sure if she should take any steps closer to him. "You did this all for Willow?" She finds herself saying outline, her voice louder than a whisper. Of course, he doesn't respond, but speaking to him reminds her of the old days, when they could go to each other about their problems and actually talk about them. She shakes her head in awe, wondering how Jimmy could do this to anyone, let alone Austin.
"I'm so sorry," She breathes. He doesn't move, but it isn't like she expects him to. Her feet lead her forward, and soon she's standing in front of him. One of the machines next to him beeps at a steady pace, and she wonders if it's his heartbeat.
"And I know that it doesn't count for much, because you're almost dying and…and…" Her voice trails off as she finally allows the sobs that she's been holding in to engulf her. She drops down into the chair next to him, holding herself around her waist like she's going to fall apart. "Thank you," She says in between sobs. Big fat tears roll down her cheeks, and she would be more embarrassed if he were conscious.
"You've always been there for me when I needed you, and it was even like you were there when you weren't." She shakes her head as she rocks her body back and forth. "You helped me to get over my stage fright, which seems so small in comparison…" Her voice trails off. "I guess that I'm just thanking you for everything. She's fine, perfect, not a bruise on her body, but you're here and…" She shakes her head, willing herself to stay calm.
"I never knew that you were this strong before. I still can't believe it, even though I think we all knew it deep down. You protected her and took care of her, and I'm always going to love you for that." She takes a deep shuddery breath, squeezing one of Austin's hands. "She loves you too, Austin, so much…she started freaking out because she wanted to see you. I just…" She can't find the right words to say what she wants to say.
"I just don't want to lose you again. Even if you wake up, I, I don't know what'll do if we don't see you after this. I think that she'll just lose it. I might. Austin, you're the strongest person that I know." The sobs start again, and she uses her other hand to wipe tears away from her face. "Please don't leave us here. Austin, you're- you're my best friend." She forces the words out, even though she doesn't know what they really mean. "I mean, you're so much more than that, but I know you don't feel the same way anymore. We were teenagers, and I was stupid…" Her voice trails off as she shakes her head.
"But I'm always going to love you Austin." She's silent for a moment, wiping tears away from her cheeks. Austin remains motionless, almost like he's already gone from this world. She bends down to press a kiss on his bandaged head, before moving away. He looks so still, but there's a peaceful expression on his face. She wonders if he's happy, wherever he is.
"Thank you," She says again, slowly backing towards the door. She turns around, letting out a sigh as she turns the nob of the door handle, freezing when she hears a scratchy and muffled voice behind her.
"Ally?"
OMGOMGOMG You guys are so incredibly awesome with reviews. I'm sorry that I didn't update sooner, but I had the whole broken computer issue, and then school started, so I don't have a whole lot of time to update. I think that chapters will be uploaded on weekends from now on (not this weekend, though). So, yeah. Don't worry if I don't update as much as I did before.
To the Guest who reviewed a bunch of my stories including this one (at least, I think you're the same person): THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU LOVELY PERSON! YOU'RE SO SWEET!
Okay, so I'm sending thank you messages for the last chapter as we speak...but shoutouts to: queenc1, Trying2StayHopeful, Jackie is Grey, ravekittie69, bigtimerushfangirl, launi9, LoveShipper, and I Love Kick Ausally and GeCe.
Raura Larano: That is so cool and awesome and thank you so much for your review! It made me feel so happy :)
Guest: Um, sorry?
Guest 2: It's the next day. Does that count for something?
Did you guys know witch moment Willow was reliving? It's so sad, but lots of time people have flashbacks after traumatic events occur in their lives, especially kids. And I'm sorry that this chapter is so long. Maybe it will make up for me not updating. Did you guys like it, or was it too sad? Tell me everything! (Especially since I have school tomorrow and I don't wanna go :P)
