AN: Well, things are looking up in this chapter, but not by a lot, mind you. Let's just see where things go from here, shall we?
Chapter Two: Things Only Go Up From Here
If there was ever a time for a somber mood, it was this one. Charles was sitting in the intensive care room chair, worrying about the fact that his little brother that he was entrusted to care for was probably going to die soon, all because Michael was so worried about Miley walking home by herself, and now he was going to die because of her. Well, not her exactly, the bastard that tried to kill her, but shot him instead. Man, Michael just had to be a hero, didn't he? That was something that he hated about Michael, but it was that same selfless action that made him attractable to other women.
Charles looked over at Melody, who had tear stains on her face, but after she finally calmed down, she managed to fall asleep, but she cursed and raved at Miley for putting her brother in this situation. Man, when Marie gets here...
Charles flinched when he thought about the hell that his older sister was going to cause when she got here, and the fact that he didn't tell her was going to cause a lot of hell, because she hated Miley almost as much as the rest of the family did. Charles had to tolerate her because he friends with Robby Ray. Melody didn't hate her, but she was not 100% on board with liking her just yet, and it was no secret that Marie absolutely despised her, and after what has taken place earlier today, this was not going to make things any better, for anyone.
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: ONE HOUR EARLIER
Marie was sitting in her office, busy working and paying some bills. She had a feeling that she just had to look at the news today, but she brushed it off, and continued to keep working. Something might be wrong out in Malibu, though...
Suddenly, her six year old daughter, Lori Ann (named after her late mom) came running into the room. She did this often, but the fact that she looked scared beyond belief was good enough that it concerned the young Mom.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Lori Ann screamed, shaking Marie's arm.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Marie said, looking at her young daughter with concern.
"Come see!" Lori Ann said, pulling her towards their living room TV.
Marie looked at the television, and saw what had her daughter scared. It was a pop star channel, but it featured something about Miley Stewart, and her little brother Michael. Someone tried to kill Miley Stewart, but Michael was shot in the back multiple times instead.
Fear leaping into her throat, Marie frantically dialed her brother's cell phone number.
"Charles, what in the hell is happening out there?" Marie all but screamed. "I am watching the news and it said that Michael has been shot! Why in the hell am I finding out about it by watching TV? Is he alright? Where is he? That's it. I am coming out there, I will be out there as soon as I can."
"Mommy, what is happening?" Lori Ann asked.
"Something bad happened to your uncle Mike." Marie said. "Head upstairs. I have to pick out your clothes that you have to wear, because I have to take you with me."
"Okay." Lori Ann said, walking up the stairs. Marie just stood there, wondering about the current state of her little brother...
Miley laid in her own bed, just staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep, because every time she closed her eyes, she flashed back to the scene that witnessed a few hours earlier. Michael was probably going to die because of her, and even if he did somehow survive, there was no way that things were going to be the same way again. To reiterate, Michael was not going to be the same way again.
Miley rolled over in her bed, a fresh new wave of tears returning to her eyes. Miley felt so sick to her stomach, she felt as though she was going to throw up. She looked to the calm and peaceful sky, and began to cry even harder...
The pain that he felt was like nothing he ever felt before. Michael slowly opened his eyes, and blinked to get used to the bright lights around him. He slowly tilted his head to one side to look, and did the same to the other side of the room. It was obvious that he was in the hospital, because he was laying in the bed, and he had tubes coming out of him in an attempt to help him breathe better. Man, this was a feeling that he was not going to miss anytime soon.
Before he thought about the question on how he got here and what happened, terrible memories came rushing back to him. Michael was walking home with Miley when some one came up from behind, and fired at the two of them. Michael took the shots, and soon passed out. The last thing that he remembered before passing out however was Miley standing over him, looking into his eyes, as he saw her tear stained face, crying out his name.
Michael sighed, and tried to move his legs, but to his shock and horror, he couldn't. Then he remembered that he was hit in his back, and then he figured out that he must have been hit in his spinal cord.
"Dear god, what in the hell is happening to me?" Michael mentally asked himself.
AN: Michael's life has gone from bad to worse, but on a bright note, Michael's brother and sister are going to talk to him next time, and Marie is going to meet Miley. If you read my other stories, you know that those two are NOT friends. R&R!