Chapter 6: Gilblood
"Hello?" Matthew answered, tucking his phone in between his ear and shoulder so he could continue working.
"Hello, is this Matthew Williams?" A deep voice came from the phone.
"Yes, this is he," Matt responded in slight confusion, "How may I help you?"
"Well, this isn't easy to say, but I'm Dr. Armen and we need you to come to the hospital on 5th and Main Street. Your fiancé, Gilbert, was in a car accident. Please hurry," the voice advised quietly, before hanging up.
Matthew was frozen in shock, but only for a moment. He quickly jumped up and notified his boss he'd be leaving, and left for the hospital within minutes. He didn't even turn on the radio - and he always turns on the radio.
By the time he finally arrived at the hospital, Matthew's hands were slightly red and sore from gripping the steering wheel too much. He knew absolutely nothing, only that it was a car crash. Was it bad? Is he going to be okay? How badly is Gil hurt? None of the questions would leave his mind, and he barely made it to the secretary's desk without crying.
Lips quivering, he whispered, "My name's Matthew Williams. I'm here to see a Gilbert Beilschmidt. What room i-is he in?"
The receptionist looked up with a soft look, and clicked through the computer quickly. She replied with a quick, "Room 115," and pointed down the hallway. Matthew ran off, too worried to thank her.
Without knocking or anything, he burst into the door. His hands flew to his mouth, and he choked back a sob. Gilbert was lying still on a hospital bed, and normally hospital beds were supposed to be white… Right? Matthew whimpered as the doctor next to Gilbert continued to replace bandages, throwing the bloodied ones away. Even with the skilled bandaging, the blood kept coming, and therefore, Matthew's tears came as well.
Hearing soft sobs, Gilbert opened his eyes and looked around the room to find Matthew. His facial features softened at the sight; Gil couldn't stand to see his Birdie sad. Looking directly at Matthew, he smiled weakly.
"Lots of Gilblood, huh?" he half heartedly joked. The only response the ridiculous joke got was a pained half sob half laugh kind of thing. Matthew sniffled.
"Hey, Birdie, you gotta laugh better than that. I tried hard to think of that one," Gil tried again. Matthew snorted slightly, which turned into another sob. Gilbert smiled lopsidedly at his lover before wincing. Matthew rushed forward, unsure of what to do. He wanted to embrace Gil, but at the same time that would hurt… Matthew settled for holding his hand tightly.
"Ow, Mattie, are you in labor or something? My hand hurts," Gilbert laughed softly, gazing at his fiancé in tears. He decided to switch tactics and go for the comforting one. "Hey, Mattie, calm down. It's okay. I'm awesome! I'll heal, I promise!"
Matthew looked out from under his bangs to look at Gil. Now that he was closer, he could make out bruises all over his skin, and one of his eyes was continuing to swell. He grimaced and tried to keep his crying to a minimum.
"I gotta look attractive for our wedding, right? I ain't having a wedding being all black and blue!"
Matthew whimpered again, looking away. That wasn't what he was worried about… "I don't want you to leave me," he whispered. It was said so quietly, he wasn't sure Gil had even heard him. Actually, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to be heard.
He felt his cheek being touched lightly, and his head was turned back to see Gilbert. All the bruises and blood was still there, but his face seemed to be softer, kinder, even. Wincing through the pain, Gilbert leaned forward and kissed Matthew on the lips softly, before smirking and laying back down.
"Don't worry, Birdie. I won't leave you."
"Promise?" Matthew begged. Gilbert intertwined their hands tightly and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Promise," Gilbert repeated firmly.
End of Chapter 6