Title: Liam

Author: Tahshi

Summary: Tommy is killed in a car accident, that lands Merton in the hospital for quite some time. Durring his stay, he meets Liam, someone who's special in more ways than one. He hopes that his new friend will be able to help him rebuild what he lost.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Blah blah blah.

Merton shuffled down the corridor, the light blue pants he wore sliding under his feet. He glanced to the room just across from him, in the hospital he had grown to know so very well. He knew exactly who slept there now, Liam. A boy he had met shortly after he had been admitted. There's a long story as to why he was there, but most of it passed him by. He chose to forget so many of the details, wiped them clean from his mind. It wasn't too long after he started collage. Heidelberg wasn't the best of places for him... so he, with the intent of rooming with Tommy, transferred to State U. That's not how it worked out, though. It wasn't his fault his hearse collided with the semi, or that it was Tommy's side that got hit. Of course, after that moment, glancing to his boyfriend whom he couldn't quite make out through the smoke, there was nothing. Nothing but black. And that's all he remembers. All he wants to remember.

Merton thought he was okay. He wasn't. He woke up at this hospital, in clothes that weren't his, in a room that wasn't his. With the smell that he knew too well from previous hospital visits. He had laid there for days, making shadow puppets in the tv's light, ignoring the nurses that came in every so often. His family hadn't visited him yet. A week passed before his mom came. His sister only poked her head around the corner. He ignored them too. He missed Tommy's funeral, he knew it had to have been on the news. Tommy's parents came around twice, the first time, he was asleep. He woke up covered in Tommy's letterman jacket. He remembered how he couldn't even lift it off of him, but he didn't care. The familiar smell of Tommy was all he needed. He didn't even have the energy to cry. The second time, it was just Tommy's mom, who sat in the corner of the room, staring at him. Maybe she blamed him. He knew it wasn't his fault.

And now, he just stood outside Liam's room. The boy was fast asleep. Merton stepped into the room. It was dark, only the gleam of the tv provided enough light to see. It was a single bedded room. Liam was different from the other patients. He wasn't here because he was sick, or hurt... he was here because he was "crazy." Merton didn't believe that, though. He'd been in the hospital for over a month, and he'd spent almost every waking minute with the kid. He seemed perfectly sane to him.

Perhaps the reason why he had taken to Liam so fast was the fact that the kid kind of looked like Tommy, acted like Tommy, even smelt like Tommy. He knew he shouldn't become too attached. He was to leave in a few days, and when he did, Liam would still be there, alone.

Merton switched on the light, watching half amused at the dazed boy who nearly fell out of his bed at the brightness that suddenly filtered through the room. He caught himself on the cart that sat beside his bed, smiling at Merton who stood in the doorway wearing the pants Liam had given him. The ones that slid on the floor when he walked. Merton gestured for Liam to come with him. There was hesitance before Liam finally got off his bed.

The boy was taller than Merton, by perhaps a few inches. His hair was long-ish brown and curly, and when it was wet, it matted over his eyes. He was slender with a perfect jaw line, and perfect eyes and perfect...

Liam placed his hand on Merton's shoulder lazily, and looked to him, sleep still in his eyes. "You do that to me all the time." Liam's voice was raspy. "And EVERY time, you scare the crap half- way out of me." Merton laughed.

"Well, it's a good thing it's not ALL the way out. Might get messy." Merton made a disgusted face, laughing at his own joke.

"True."

That was one thing Merton loved about the kid. Other than his English accent, which was marred with American. He always went along with his little jokes. Even if they were stupid. For the past month or so, Merton and Liam had traded stories at the cafeteria. Liam's stories were none too unusual, mostly explaining how he got there in the first place, some of the friends he left behind, the family he lost as well. Merton had told him about Tommy, and about how Tommy was extremely special. Aside from the werewolf thing, Tommy was his world. Liam would sit, and listen to Merton's stories of all the adventures they had gone through... as if he was but a child listening to a fairy tale. Merton explained to Liam about he and Tommy, that they had been together for almost 2 years. It took a while, but Liam finally loosened up, and told Merton of a boy he had a crush on in High school. Merton remembered how his heart nearly stopped when Liam told him this. But, there hadn't been a mention of it since. Liam would be in the Hospital for another 3 months... and after that, he'd be going back home a few states to the west. Merton couldn't get too attached... But he did.

It was nearly noon, and Merton had come with the intention of dragging Liam to the small, crowded cafeteria half way across the hospital. This time, he wasn't hungry. He had too many thoughts swimming through his mind. Liam's hand was still on his shoulder, and when he felt it slowly drift off, he shifted, his ice blue eyes meeting Liam's.

"Why don't we just hang around here?" Merton asked, finally. "I'm not hungry." He patted himself on the stomach lightly, and smiled.

"Neither am I." Liam admitted, shuffling back over to his bed. "What do you want to do? Watch Tv?" Liam's eyes moved to the Tv that was still on, highlights of a football game reeling in front of him. Merton made his way across the room, and sat down beside the boy on his bed. Pleasantville High football. He looked for number 13. He knew it wasn't Tommy anymore, but even then so, the jersey was no where to be seen. He moved his gaze from the tv, back to Liam, holding back tears.

"Let's watch something else." Merton suggested, forcing a smile. Liam cocked his head to the side, and looked at Merton, concerned.

"You okay?" His voice was low, a near whisper.

"I'm fine." Merton's voice caught in his throat.

"Do you want to go back to your room?" Liam asked, "I'll walk with you."

"Uhm, yeah. Sure." Merton got to his feet. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom first." Merton added, slipping into the small bathroom that came complete with Liam's room. He locked the door, and stood in front of the mirror that was just over the sink. He looked at himself, and his shaved head. His hair was coming in fine, light blonde. He studied the gouges that tainted the paleness of his face. One that went from the lower part of his ear up into his scalp still had the stitches. He shivered at his own appearance. Many of the scrapes on his arms were nicely healing, a few of the minor ones where already pink with new skin. There were bruises mostly, on his legs from the impact. The one long gouge on his face had been from glass shattering. The other marks he couldn't recall.

He moved he gaze from his arms back to his face in the mirror, right into his eyes. When he did this, his eyes welled up, and tears spilled onto his cheeks. He saw Tommy there, in his own reflection.

I have to get over this.

He looked away quickly, wiping the tears from his eyes. He flushed the toilet idly, and opened the door. Liam was standing there in front of him, and it startled him. Liam put his hand on Merton's shoulder again, and smiled. Merton straightened up, as if to signify that he was okay. Liam got closer to him, then pulled him into a hug. Merton sighed, wrapping his arms around the other boy so tightly, that he thought perhaps he would crush him. Merton pulled away slightly, and before he could stop, he found himself kissing the other boy. To his surprise, the other boys lips moved against his softly. Merton pulled himself away completely, his face red with embarrassment.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Merton smiled awkwardly, waiting for Liam to respond. "Uhm... " Merton shifted his weight uneasily, his eyes searching for something other than Liam's bright golden eyes to look at. . .

"No, It's okay." Liam sounded amused, the words were tangled with laughter. "Let's just get you to your room, okay?" Liam moved so that Merton could step out of the bathroom.

"Okay." Merton sighed heavily, making his way out into the hallway. He kept his eyes on the white and gray tiles of the hospital floor as they walked. Liam was beside him, he knew, but they both kept quiet. His pants still slid nosily across the linoleum. At this point, he'd do anything to wear his regular clothes. He felt like a prisoner in the hospital. Everyone had to wear the same light blue pants, and the same knee length gown that tied at the back. He was getting out in a few days, and he was happy. No more problems. Of course, whatever reason he had been there for so long could still make a reappearance. It had been quite a few weeks since his last black out... the doctors and nurses finally started to leave him alone. . .

Liam tapped him on the shoulder. "Merton." He said his name rather loud, in his ear. He heard it, but he couldn't respond. "Merton."

Liam, what's going on? He couldn't move. Liam, I can hear you...

And then the voices were gone.

Liam stood in the hall, with Merton, standing there, frozen beside him. "Merton!" The boy finally tumbled to the floor. "Merton!" Liam got down on one knee, "Merton!" Liam lost his balance, and caught himself on Merton's leg. The boy jumped awake. "Merton!" Merton blinked, breathing heavily as if he had just run a 1 minute mile.

Liam?

Merton fell into panic. His vision was blurred, he couldn't talk.

Liam? Liam! LIAM! "LIAM!" The last word came out in a panicked scream. His vision finally cleared, and he saw Liam leaning over him. He immediately reached his arms up, and held onto the boy. "No, no, no, no, no." Merton repeated himself frantically, his grasp tightening.

"Merton. Merton, it's okay." He said, reassuringly, pulling away. "C'mon, we don't have that far to go. We need to get to your room before a nurse or someone comes..." Merton nodded, pulling himself to his feet. "Are you okay?" Merton nodded slowly, though he was quite unsure. Liam had seen this before. Each time, they had walked down the same hallway. Perhaps there was something that Merton couldn't shake free of, but he hadn't bothered to ask. Every other time, a nurse or doctor had been rushing down the hallway, this time, they were lucky. This time, it hadn't been as bad, or lasted as long.

They finally made it to Merton's room. "Do you want me to come back later?" Liam asked, standing in the doorway, as Merton laid down in his bed.

"No." Merton replied in a near whisper. "Will you lay with me?" Merton asked, his back towards the other boy. Liam furrowed his brows.

"Uh..." He hesitated. "Yeah, okay." He climbed onto the narrow bed.

"Will you put your arm around me?" Merton asked quietly, his voice wavering. Liam could tell he was crying. He didn't answer, he just put his arm around Merton's waist. He was at an angle in order to fit the both of them, and Merton leaned into him, his head on Liam's chest. Liam saw the smile that was forming on Merton's face. He took a hold of Merton's hand, and squeezed.

"You okay?" Merton nodded.

"Yeah."

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Merton's eyes opened. "About what?"

"That hallway. What happened there?" Liam looked down at him. Merton sighed, searching through the memories he had hidden, searching for the thoughts he had done his best to erase.

"Tommy was still alive... when they brought him here. He made it through the crash just the same as I did, alive. I got out easy." Merton paused, wiping tears from his face. "He died in that hallway. And... I remember standing there. It had been... almost a week after we both got here. Something went wrong. I don't know what, the doctors didn't even know what." Merton shook his head, wiping his nose on the back of his hand.

"We won't take that hallway anymore, okay?" Liam said, still looking down at the boy in his arms. Merton shrugged, closing his eyes again. "You get to leave in a few days, Merton." Merton nodded, another tear running down his cheek.

"Yeah, I know." Liam furrowed his brows.

"Don't you want to leave?" Merton shrugged.

"I won't have anything when I go home. I've been gone from collage for over a month, my family doesn't care about me, my lair is empty, my boyfriend's gone...I don't have anything to look forward to." Liam nodded.

"What about Lori?" He asked, apprehensively.

"She's at an all girls school somewhere... I don't even know." Liam sighed to himself.

Merton shifted position, his head on the pillow now. Liam closed his eyes, too, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

Liam awoke by himself, in Merton's room. The lights were dim, and he knew, from the absence of light through the blinds, that it was late. He couldn't make out the time on the clock, though, so he wasn't sure how late. He sat up slowly, wondering to himself where Merton was. He let his eyes sweep over the darkened room, but found nothing to indicate it. He unwrapped his legs from the tangle of blankets, and got to his feet. He thought perhaps the boy had gone to the cafeteria. He opened the door into the hallway, and winced at the sudden flood of light.

From Merton's room, he could see the doors to the cafeteria, it wasn't a very far distance. He made he way across the hall, blinking rapidly as he tried to let his eyes get used to the hospitals fluorescent lighting. He opened the heavy cafeteria doors, and stepped inside, scanning the small group of people scattered throughout the rather large room. Merton wasn't there. Liam sighed, and turned to leave. He ran right into one of the nurses, one he had seen from Merton's room on more than on occasion. She tried to pass him, giving him a dirty look, but Liam stepped in front of her.

"Have you see Merton?" He asked, resting his hand on the door, his arm outstretching in front of her face.

"Merton?" Liam nodded.

"Room 217."

"Ooh, yes. He went to get those stitches out of his head. He's going home tomorrow... Liam, right? If I see him, I'll tell him you were looking for him." She ducked under his arm, and continued on her way. Liam slumped down into a chair near by, letting his head rest on the cool plastic like table top. Tomorrow? He was going home tomorrow? Merton had told him it wouldn't be for a few days, a week if he was lucky... Liam sighed, picking his head up, and running his thin fingers through his hair. He wouldn't be getting out for 3 months. 3 whole months that he'd have to spend sitting in his room. 3 whole months that he'd have to spend listening to doctors tell him what's wrong with him, things he already knew, or things that he knew weren't true. All they were in this for was the money. The more medications they forced him to take, the money he had to pay them. He had ALWAYS known exactly what was wrong, but his family didn't. They just thought he was crazy. Of corse anyone else would probably, too. That's why he was here. Merton was the only one who knew he wasn't crazy. If only he could prove to him... without something going wrong.

He got up, and left. He passed Merton's room, checking to see if he was there. He still wasn't. So, instead, he headed back to his room, going down the hallway Merton always passed out in. He wasn't there either. He went into his room, and turned the tv back on, sitting on the edge of his bed, his door still open. The news was still on from earlier. The name Tommy Dawkins had just moved along the bottom of the screen, and a picture appeared. "So that's Tommy." Liam said to himself, leaning forward in interest. The news reported spoke about Tommy's family, his father who was obviously very important, and a mother who was a news caster for another channel. Then, finally went into how they had finally caught who had killed Tommy in the car accident.

"Liam?" Merton appeared at the door. Liam flipped through the channels quickly, landing on an infomercial. "Sorry I didn't wake you up, but you... just looked so peaceful." He smiled, his white teeth sparkling.

"It's no problem." Liam said, turning so he was facing Merton. "I talked to one of your nurses today." He paused, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.

"Yeah, she told me she talked to you. Freaked her out a little, I think... but look," Merton got closer to Liam, showing off the stitch-less cut, that was finally starting to heal. "Pretty isn't it?" Merton's smile grew as he took a seat beside the other boy. An awkward silence filled the room. "Uh, what's wrong?" Merton furrowed his brows.

"She told me you were going home tomorrow." Liam said, almost accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me?" He added harshly, his voice breaking up. Merton raised his brows.

"I didn't even know." Merton said, trying hard to look past the anger that was spread across the other boys face.

"Well, you are." Liam's features softened. "What am I going to do?" He asked solemnly. Merton kept his eyes on his hands which were resting on the while sheet of the bed.

"I don't know." Merton finally said, "What ever you're gonna do..."

Liam shook his head. "What is that, though, Merton? They say I'll get out in 3 months, but that doesn't mean it'll actually happen. I could be here for another year for all I know. They wont put me in an actual psych ward. You know why? Because the doctors here enjoy it too much. They're sure as hell getting their money's worth, I'll tell you that. They keep coming up with new things to be wrong with me, and I know none of it's true. I know exactly what's wrong, but If I tell them that, I'll end up in some lab, being poked and probed like some alien lab rat, and I don't want that." Merton nodded sympathetically.

"You never actually told me why you were here." Liam sighed to himself, shaking his head.

"How do I know you'd believe me?" He asked.

"Liam, I dated a WEREWOLF for almost the better part of two years. I've seen A LOT in those two years that any one person would give to see in a life time!" He found himself nearly yelling at boy, his face red. "You can trust me, Liam."

Liam nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Just, don't say anything about it. It doesn't leave this room, okay?" Merton nodded, his eyes wide with anticipation. "I have powers." Liam finally said.

"What?" Merton asked, furrowing his brows. "What KIND of powers?" Liam shrugged.

"Magic, I guess." Merton smiled.

"What kind of things can you do?" He asked excitedly.

"Just about anything, but... Not here." Merton's smiled disintegrated. He understood. Can't risk anyone seeing it. He already knew the drill.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"You don't believe me, do you?" Liam asked, holding Merton's gaze.

"I believe you." Merton said assureingly. He paused. "You know what you're gonna do, Liam? You're gonna wait for me. I'll come back, and I'll get you. After I get everything situated. You said you have nothing where you live. You live states away, why don't you just stay with me?" Merton grew exited. Liam sighed.

"I don't know about that." Merton was taken aback by the response.

"Why not?" He asked quietly.

"I still have things at home to look forward to. My friends for one." Merton nodded.

"How long have you been gone, exactly?" He asked, glancing to the calender by the door. It read "1998" Obviously it hadn't been changed.

"At least 3 years."

"Well, how do you know they haven't moved on? For all you know they could be spread across the united states, each with a life, and a future..." Merton stopped himself before he began rambling. Liam seemed to be considering it.

"We'll see, I've got 3 months. Come back then." Merton nodded slowly.

"Okay." He looked to the clock. 9:32. "I better get back to my room before one of my nurses have a fit." Merton went to get up.

"Wait," Liam stood, and rounded the bed. "One thing." Liam took Merton's hands and pulled him into a standing position. Merton looked at him, confused. Liam leaned in, and kissed him softly, leaning back again, and taking in the look in Merton's eyes. He laughed to himself. "See you tomorrow before you leave?" Merton nodded, unable to talk.

Merton returned to his room, his whole body shaking. He laid down on his bed, and took in the smell of the boy who's room he had just left. He was leaving tomorrow. And, he was leaving something extremely precious behind. He hoped in three months, he'd be able to come back... But he didn't know how things from tomorrow on out would present themselves. He only hoped the life he had begun building wouldn't once again fall into ruins.