The next three days were all a blur of drug-induced hallucinations, garbled voices and dull, throbbing pain. Simon couldn't explain to himself what that soft beeping was, or why they kept saying 'comatose', or why his mother was crying.
Another thing he couldn't explain was why everyone was crying when he woke up. He blinked groggily and looked around the room, the dull pain growing dimmer along with his vision.
"Wh.." He managed to choke out, his voice a hoarse shadow of its former self.
"Oh, you're all right!" His mother hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. "We were all so afraid.."
Simon looked around some more, seeing an abundance of flowers and cards, and he frowned. "How long have I been here.."
"Less than a week." His father clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder, and Simon wasn't surprised to see that his brother was nowhere to be seen. There was a nagging feeling in the back of Simon's head..what had he forgotten? He didn't remember until after his parents left. Flipping through the channels, he caught the highlights of a basketball game and almost screamed. The finals. He missed the championship game..
"Oh god." He muttered aloud. "They're going to kill me.."
The door opened, and instead of the young, talkative nurse, Mike stepped in and set his backpack down. "You're awake." He said softly, smiling as he sat on the side of the bed.
"Does the team want to kill me?"
"Are you kidding? We all miss you like hell." Mike stroked Simon's hair gently, and Simon sighed.This touch was calming him so easily..he loved this.. the way it was making him feel..
"How are you feeling?" Mike asked. Simon looked over with a look of disbelief.
"How do you think?"
"Sarcastic?" He smiled faintly, looking around the room and helping himself to a chocolate from a box beside the bed. "Mm. "
"Cherry?"
"Mint." He said with his mouth full. "What is this, Simon? 20 Questions?"
"Do you want it to be?" He had relaxed visibly as the other boy had entered the room.. Wasn't sure what it was though. Mike chuckled.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Is it because you were never any good at this?"
"I'm doing better than--..." He paused, shaking his head. "Never mind. So, when are you getting out?"
"I don't know.. the doctor said it could be a few days.." Simon lay back in the bed, feeling the other boy's fingers tangle themselves in his short blonde hair. "Hey.. who phoned the ambulance?" There was silence, and Simon's first thought was that Mike fell asleep. He blinked and looked over, confused as to why the pained expression on the boy's face was there. "Are you okay?"
"I did.. Simon."
Mike pulled his hand back and sighed, sitting down in the plastic chair, feeling the hard material keep him from sitting comfortably. He held his head in his hands and half expected himself to start crying, but nothing came. He had cried when he found Simon, screaming at the nearest person to call the police, frantically checking a pulse and trying to breathe life into Simon's limp body. He had cried when the police had driven him home, but on the way they had stopped to tell Simon's parents... The look on their face..and the accusing look they had shot him. He had cried when the St. Nick team had dedicated the Championship game to their unconcious captain.. and still lost..but now.. No, he didn't cry.
Slowly, Simon sat up, his arms shaking as they struggled to support the beaten body that they were connected to. His blue eyes clouded over, and he frowned. "Look.. I.. I'm sorry.. that you had to do that." His response was nothing but a shrug of the shoulders. "I'm all right, you know. I'm invincible." He offered Mike a small grin, and felt stupid for it when he saw Mike shake his head.
"No one is... Not you, not me, not..anyone."
"Superman." Simon pointed out.
"Kryptonite." Mike retorted.
"Oh yeah."
He stood up, casting a glance at the plastic chair, wishing his hatred for the damned thing would melt it so that he could sit in it for more than ten minutes before his spine would start screaming. "I.. I'll see you in school, all right?"
"No.. stay.. Come on." Simon patted an empty spot next to him on the bed. "Keep me company..If you ask me really nice, you can give me a sponge bath.."
Mike laughed in spite of himself and looked over, finally sighing and sitting where Simon had indicated. He heard a gasp and saw Simon grab his chest.
"Sitting..on...respirator.."
Frantically, Mike stood up, looking for the tube that he had sat on, hearing muffled laughter. Mike blinked. "You're not -on- a respirator.. you.. -asshole-." He glared faintly. Simon kept laughing, and yanked on Mike's hand.
"Sit down.. I was just joshin' ya."
Mike sat back down, his eyes suspiciously turning to Simon, who smiled innocently and lay on the bed. "Asshole." Mike muttered before leaning back against Simon's arm, closing his eyes for a moment, a contented sigh escaping his lips against his will. Simon flipped the TV on.
"You really missed me, didn't you." The teasing tone was gone now, as he weakly slipped his hand into Mike's. There was silence again, and finally.
"Terribly."
Simon nodded, as if he had expected this. "My parents are going out of town next weekend.. you wanna stay and keep me company, Michael?" Mike nodded faintly, not sure exactly what to expect. Life used to be so easy.. damned London.. "Oh.. can I ask you something else?"
"Hmm."
"Did we lose the game?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Well, crap."
Another thing he couldn't explain was why everyone was crying when he woke up. He blinked groggily and looked around the room, the dull pain growing dimmer along with his vision.
"Wh.." He managed to choke out, his voice a hoarse shadow of its former self.
"Oh, you're all right!" His mother hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. "We were all so afraid.."
Simon looked around some more, seeing an abundance of flowers and cards, and he frowned. "How long have I been here.."
"Less than a week." His father clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder, and Simon wasn't surprised to see that his brother was nowhere to be seen. There was a nagging feeling in the back of Simon's head..what had he forgotten? He didn't remember until after his parents left. Flipping through the channels, he caught the highlights of a basketball game and almost screamed. The finals. He missed the championship game..
"Oh god." He muttered aloud. "They're going to kill me.."
The door opened, and instead of the young, talkative nurse, Mike stepped in and set his backpack down. "You're awake." He said softly, smiling as he sat on the side of the bed.
"Does the team want to kill me?"
"Are you kidding? We all miss you like hell." Mike stroked Simon's hair gently, and Simon sighed.This touch was calming him so easily..he loved this.. the way it was making him feel..
"How are you feeling?" Mike asked. Simon looked over with a look of disbelief.
"How do you think?"
"Sarcastic?" He smiled faintly, looking around the room and helping himself to a chocolate from a box beside the bed. "Mm. "
"Cherry?"
"Mint." He said with his mouth full. "What is this, Simon? 20 Questions?"
"Do you want it to be?" He had relaxed visibly as the other boy had entered the room.. Wasn't sure what it was though. Mike chuckled.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Is it because you were never any good at this?"
"I'm doing better than--..." He paused, shaking his head. "Never mind. So, when are you getting out?"
"I don't know.. the doctor said it could be a few days.." Simon lay back in the bed, feeling the other boy's fingers tangle themselves in his short blonde hair. "Hey.. who phoned the ambulance?" There was silence, and Simon's first thought was that Mike fell asleep. He blinked and looked over, confused as to why the pained expression on the boy's face was there. "Are you okay?"
"I did.. Simon."
Mike pulled his hand back and sighed, sitting down in the plastic chair, feeling the hard material keep him from sitting comfortably. He held his head in his hands and half expected himself to start crying, but nothing came. He had cried when he found Simon, screaming at the nearest person to call the police, frantically checking a pulse and trying to breathe life into Simon's limp body. He had cried when the police had driven him home, but on the way they had stopped to tell Simon's parents... The look on their face..and the accusing look they had shot him. He had cried when the St. Nick team had dedicated the Championship game to their unconcious captain.. and still lost..but now.. No, he didn't cry.
Slowly, Simon sat up, his arms shaking as they struggled to support the beaten body that they were connected to. His blue eyes clouded over, and he frowned. "Look.. I.. I'm sorry.. that you had to do that." His response was nothing but a shrug of the shoulders. "I'm all right, you know. I'm invincible." He offered Mike a small grin, and felt stupid for it when he saw Mike shake his head.
"No one is... Not you, not me, not..anyone."
"Superman." Simon pointed out.
"Kryptonite." Mike retorted.
"Oh yeah."
He stood up, casting a glance at the plastic chair, wishing his hatred for the damned thing would melt it so that he could sit in it for more than ten minutes before his spine would start screaming. "I.. I'll see you in school, all right?"
"No.. stay.. Come on." Simon patted an empty spot next to him on the bed. "Keep me company..If you ask me really nice, you can give me a sponge bath.."
Mike laughed in spite of himself and looked over, finally sighing and sitting where Simon had indicated. He heard a gasp and saw Simon grab his chest.
"Sitting..on...respirator.."
Frantically, Mike stood up, looking for the tube that he had sat on, hearing muffled laughter. Mike blinked. "You're not -on- a respirator.. you.. -asshole-." He glared faintly. Simon kept laughing, and yanked on Mike's hand.
"Sit down.. I was just joshin' ya."
Mike sat back down, his eyes suspiciously turning to Simon, who smiled innocently and lay on the bed. "Asshole." Mike muttered before leaning back against Simon's arm, closing his eyes for a moment, a contented sigh escaping his lips against his will. Simon flipped the TV on.
"You really missed me, didn't you." The teasing tone was gone now, as he weakly slipped his hand into Mike's. There was silence again, and finally.
"Terribly."
Simon nodded, as if he had expected this. "My parents are going out of town next weekend.. you wanna stay and keep me company, Michael?" Mike nodded faintly, not sure exactly what to expect. Life used to be so easy.. damned London.. "Oh.. can I ask you something else?"
"Hmm."
"Did we lose the game?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Well, crap."
