Gilbert stared down blankly at the phone screen. What. He read it again to clarify. Then again, because it didn't quite enter his mind the second time.
His heart suddenly started to pound; no way was this happening. No! Things like this didn't happen! Not to him! Not to Matthew! Things like this were reserved for over dramatised TV shows or strangers he'd never met. He stood up, his phone clattering to the pavement. He had to get there now! Where was the hospital? Which way? He almost screamed in frustration. Six months of living in this town and he didn't know where the hell the nearest hospital was! He snatched his phone off the ground and started to speed walk, not knowing which direction, he just had to move somewhere. His fingers tapped out a message as he walked.
To Alfred:
What do u mean Matthew in hospital!? Where? Tell me where to go!
Message received: Alfred
Across the roundabout outskirts of town. Dude, calm down k!
Calm down!? How the hell was he supposed to calm down!!! The closest person in his life had been hospitalised! He was lost, drowning in panic. How? What? Why? He started to sprint towards the traffic lights. He knew where he was going now, just past a few blocks of houses. It was lucky they lived so close.
The closest person in his life.
Was that really true? Had he really just thought that… He had Ludwig, didn't he? His little brother who he had protected since birth, and his parents. Mum especially. Weren't family supposed to be the closest? They'd brought him up, connected by blood; they would always be with him in some way. And now he had Francis, his childhood friend whom he'd known for years longer than Matthew. Even Antonio, who he hadn't seen since forever. He'd known them all so much longer than Matthew.
But Matthew was special.
He knew it to be true, as he ran towards the stark white building ahead. Matthew was wonderful, perfect, awesome! He was different to all the others. Gilbert just didn't know how yet.
He skidded into reception, panting heavily.
"Matthew!" He gasped "I… have… to see Matthew…" The assistant at reception glanced up at him. There was something familiar about her face, maybe the look in her eyes, a hint of surprise; but Gilbert passed it off. She was just some random girl with a part time job right?
"Williams?" She asked politely.
"Yeah." His heart thudded against his chest. How would she react? What foreboding news would she reveal? But then, her features relaxed into a smile. She tucked her long brown hair behind an ear as she spoke,
"No need to worry Gilbert, Matthew is just fine. You'll find him in room 63 in the north wing." The lady pointed to the right and Gilbert set off. He relaxed a bit. Obviously it was nothing life threatening or unawesome like that. Strange… that lady reminded him of a boy he had once known. He didn't dwell on it too much though, as the numbers on the walls were getting closer to 63.
46
50
59
61, 62, 63.
As he hammered on the bleached door, he forgot completely about the girl at the desk, and never once wondered how she had known his name…
T
Matthew groggily shifted himself. His first thought was: Damn! My head hurts. And then he suddenly remembered he'd forgotten to hand his maths homework in. That was important, he'd better do that today… He tried to turn over to reach for his glasses from the side table, but his hands were stuck in the sheets. He wriggled, befuddled by the tangle of material he was wrapped up in.
"Glasses…" he whispered, "I… need…" He was suddenly aware of someone else's presence in the room. They were making noises… talking. He strained to hear them, and warily unsealed his eyelids.
Blurred shapes. There was more than one person! What were so many people doing in his bedroom on a Tuesday morning, that was what he wanted to know…
"Shhhh, dude, be quiet, he's waking up!"
"I can see he's waking up! I knew he would soon! My awesome psychic abilities told me!!"
"Matthew dear, are you okay?"
His eyes snapped open completely.
Damn. He still couldn't see! However, he didn't need to. He knew just by the voices who they belonged to.
"Glasses…" he muttered again. Somebody's hand brushed against his cheek as his framed glasses were slipped on. The white room came into focus.
The room was mostly blank; just plain walls with a few posters, definitely not his own. Some wires were hanging above the bed, little buttons beeped and flashed. Hospital he thought. Why am I in hospital? He didn't remember.
"Matthew! Darling!" Came his mother's voice, and two arms were thrown around him. He hugged her back, unsure of how to react to this situation. All he could think was: I don't remember.
"Oh, dear, I was so worried! The last things I said… said to you was-" she hiccuped and Matthew saw the red rims around her eyes that meant she'd been crying, "the last thing I said w-was to g-get out!" She wailed and clung on tighter, until Alfred stepped forward and pulled her back.
"Careful mom! You're gonna crush him!" He joked. "But dude. That seriously freaked us out! How the hell did you get knocked out with a basketball!?"
"A basketball…?" He paused, but nothing was coming back. The last thing he remembered was eating lunch. Cucumber sandwiches were gross.
"Yeah! You don't remember it?" Laughed Alfred "Gilbert totally freaked out when he found out! Ha! He sprinted all the way here!" Matthew turned round to look at Gilbert for the first time. He had his head turned slightly, and he was blushing.
"Kesesese… Vell, kinda…" Matthew didn't think he had ever seen Gilbert looking so shy before. It was quite adorable… He felt himself blushing at the thought and quickly looked away lest anyone notice.
"Ha! Dudes!" Yelled his twin. "You're totally blushing! Do you have, like, a thing going?"
Wow… okay… So he overestimated his luck.
"What!? No!" Shouted Gilbert! "What the unawesome hell made you think that!!"
Alfred started to laugh loudly and Matthew turned to see his mum's reaction. She just smiled grimly along. Strangely, Matthew felt kind of disappointed that Gilbert had so readily turned Alfred's accusation down. Did the idea disgust him that much? Matthew glared glumly down at his lap; it wasn't like it mattered anyway. It wasn't like he had a "thing" for Gilbert or anything…
Alfred continued to guffaw in the corner and Gilbert looked considerably awkward. He was saved from saying anything however, by a nurse barging in, telling them to quiet down. She also said that, since he was awake and feeling better, Matthew could be discharged after a few hours; it had only been a minor concussion. It was only because he had taken so long to wake up, that the hospital had been concerned in the first place.
The three visitors were soon forced to leave, but not before his mum promised to come and pick him up at six. The room fell quiet; only the occasional nurse coming in to check up. The soft beeping noises were his only company.
It was going to be a long three hours…
A/N Sorry this chapter is a bit short. I've started to write another story along side this (which I will start to release when I've written enough), and, coupled with school work, updates will probably slow down a bit. I'll try and update at least once a week though. Thank you for your support. Especially justlikeCanada who has reviewed on pretty much every chapter so far. (Thank you!)Please don't hesitate to tell me if you find any mistakes!