What You Lose
Summary: Cameron knows something is wrong as soon as he wakes up.
Author's Note: This is basically speculation on what I think will happen to Cam after last Friday's episode.
Ships: Heavy on the Josslyn/Cam/Trina friendship.
The first thing Cameron Webber was aware of when he came to was the sounds of machines and brilliant white sheets, the sterile smell of a much too clean room. He knew where he was immediately. He'd walked these halls for years now. At first, he was confused as to what had happened and how he'd ended up in a hospital bed and then he remembered the explosion and how he was thrown back from where he'd been talking to his mom and stepfather. A gasp escaped his lips and he looked around the room, eyes landing on the chairs sitting by the side of his bed. His two best friends in the world sat there, hands curled between them, Trina's head on Josslyn's shoulder.
Two pairs of eyes flickered open and the girls in question immediately leaned toward him, faces streaked with tears and eyes red and swollen. "Cam, hey." Josslyn spoke softly, reaching out to rub soothing circles into his arm. "Calm down, alright? You're going to be okay."
"I'm going to go get Elizabeth and Franco." Trina murmured, placing her hand over Josslyn's where it rested on Cam's arm briefly.
"My mom...she's alright? And Franco?" He felt a bit of relief course through him at that.
Josslyn gave him a nod and a small quirk of her lips. "Some scrapes and bruises, but otherwise, they're both doing great. They've both been really worried about you. Trina and I convinced them to go get something to eat while we waited with you."
Cam breathed out. "That's good."
"It is." She said in agreement. And there's something about her smile. Something about it seemed forced, even as she seemed happy to see him awake. He was ready ask her what was wrong when the door swung open and his mother hurried inside.
Josslyn stood up and backed away so that his mom and stepdad could take the seats she and Trina had vacated.
"Oh Cameron." His mother whispered, pale cheeks flushed red and lovely eyes filled with tears. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and brushed his hair out of his eyes before she sat down, immediately gripping one of Franco's hands with one and holding Cam's with the other. "We've been waiting for you to wake up. Aiden baked your favorite cookies for you and Jake made you an entire graphic novel. They'll bring them to you tomorrow."
He groaned at that. "I have to stay here until tomorrow?" He whined, trying to sit up.
His mother pushed him back into the pillows with her hand, gently. "The doctors need to talk to you." She answered, face a mask.
Cam's eyes traveled from his mother, to Franco, to Joss, then to Trina. A frown set on his lips as he took in their odd behavior, the way both Trina and Josslyn avoided his gaze. He looked back at his mother. "What aren't you all telling me?" He asked, trying to push down the panic he felt scratching at his insides.
"We should go." Trina said quietly, her hand clinging to Josslyn's as she pulled her toward the door.
"No!" The boy shouted from the bed. "No. I want you two here. Whatever my mom tells me, she can say in front of you two."
Trina and Josslyn shared a look before they moved to the other side of his hospital bed, hands touching his arm that was free of ivs.
"When you were found, your legs were trapped under a piece of ceiling." Franco spoke for the first time since he'd entered the room after noting his wife's struggle to find her words. "It took awhile to free you. There were so many other people, including ones in worse off shape than you. But eventually, you were freed. Only the doctor...he realized something wrong."
And Cameron knew what the man was going to say before he even said it. There was a lack of feeling in his legs that he'd tried to ignore, the way Josslyn's smile had seemed a little sad. The way she and Trina both tried to ignore his gaze. "There's something wrong with my legs, isn't there?" He questioned softly.
His mom nodded, sniffling. "Your legs were crushed. At first, I didn't want to believe it. Then Doctor Princeton showed me the X-Rays. But honey, at least you're alive and for that, I'm grateful. And whatever I need to do to help you, I'll do it." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Franco, Trina, and Josslyn nod in agreement and almost smiled at how loved her boy was.
Cameron felt numb at the admission. He had no idea how to react or what to say. Even if he knew it was true, it seemed unbelievable. He'd always had his legs to count on. It seemed impossible that he didn't anymore. Distantly, he wondered what that meant for his place on the soccer team and the scholarship everyone in his life had been so sure he'd get. That couldn't exactly happen now if he couldn't play. "Do the doctors know if it's permanent?"
Franco shrugged. "That's why the doctors need you to stay for a few more days. They need to run some tests."
"But whatever the test shows, we're gonna be here for you." Trina jumped in, tilting her head toward Josslyn who nodded adamantly in agreement. "None of us are going to let you go through it alone."
And he wanted to be touched by that promise but all he wanted right now was to be alone to think about everything. "I wanna be alone." He said, turning his head to bury his face in his pillow. His eyes squeezed closed for emphasis.
He heard a sharp breath escape someone's lips before Josslyn spoke. "Okay. We'll go. Just know that Trina and I will be here whenever you need us." She leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek, her silky hair tickling his face before she pulled away and Trina did the same. Then, the two girls left the room, the door shutting behind them.
Liz swallowed a lump in her throat and leaned into Franco, tears stinging her eyes. "You get some rest." She whispered to her son, straightening his blankets and running a gentle hand over his cheek. She stood up and allowed the man beside her to support her, leading her out of the room.
It was only after the door shut and everyone was out of the room that Cam began to cry, smothering the gut wrenching sobs into his pillow as he thought about all that had happened and what he had lost.