(A/N: so, erm, i'm sorry guys... in advance... JUST REMEMBER! it's only made up... i would never wish this on anyone but myself...)
Russel was sending a text message as he stood on the other side of the bed. Slowly, the door seemed to open and he looked up.
Nick entered with two bags of food. "They're not here yet?"
Russel just shrugged. "I'm just about to text Catherine to see where they are."
Nick nodded and set the bags on the empty chair before sitting at the foot of Greg's bed. He sighed and was watching the monitors.
Today was the day.
Nick had run to the store and bought nearly ten boxes of Kleenex. It was going to be a long night.
"They're coming down the hall right now." Russel snapped his phone shut. "You sure you want to let him die?"
Nick felt the twisting knife at that comment. "I've let him linger and suffer long enough. Trust me, I'd want him to stay just as long as I could. I'd let him live out the rest of his life with someone who might actually make him feel worth something." Nick touched the promise ring on Greg's hand. He touched it with his own ring and looked at Greg's finally clear face.
The contours of his face were so smooth and so gentle. It was as if they were trying to make him seem presentable as he died, slowly and painfully.
The doctors had all said that Greg's spine was shattered. Every breath caused pain because the ribs would push against the muscle with every breath. They also said that, somewhere, there was a blockage for blood flow from the brain back to the body. It was causing pain for him to move, but he would, instinctively twitch if Nick touched his hands with cold hands. But it was time to let Greg finally breath easy.
But Nick was falling apart.
Catherine knocked. "Hey, we're all here."
Nick nodded. His hand lingered on Greg's before he got up and went to the nurses station to sign the form for a "Do Not Resuscitate" for the nurses to pull the plug. He waited for the forms and slowly read it over and then signed away Greg's life line.
He went into the room and sat on the bed, close to Greg. Nick scooped up Greg's hand and turned it so he could feel that skin against his cheek. He was sad that he was losing the only person he'd ever been able to hold onto.
But Greg had suffered enough. It was time for him to go on to another thing. He would have to find his new place in some other world. Or whatever it was that Greg believed in.
Nick closed his eyes as they approached, one a at a time to say their goodbyes. The girls gave him kisses and the boys patted his shoulder with a gentle touch. They were too weak to bear it and went to collect in the hallway.
The last was Langston and Russel. They both agreed to leave Nick alone as they unplugged Greg.
Nick began to cry even worse when he heard them turn off the oxygen. He slowly leaned down and actually spread himself along Greg's side on the bed. He ran his fingers through Greg's hair. He traced the jaw line and slowly pressed his hand to Greg's heart, gently. He could still feel Greg's strong heart thundering away as his brain activity continued to flow steadily.
"Greg, I'm sorry. You should never have suffered because of them." He noticed one of the nurses removed the tubes, leaving Greg to fend for himself for the last moments. Nick waited a second before he leaned over and gave Greg a gentle kiss on those lips.
Either it was a reaction or something drove him to, but Greg's lips closed in on the kiss before a tear fell from his left eye.
Nick put his right arm across Greg's torso and used the other to prop his head up a bit and let his fingers brush Greg's left cheek from over his head. "I love you. I'm gonna miss you, just now that, okay? I absolutely love you. I don't care about the stalking pictures. I don't care about the flaws. I've got just as many." He pressed his lips to Greg's cheek before he let his head rest on Greg's pillow. "I love you," he whispered.
The monitors showed Greg's slow descent to death.
Nick didn't move, nor did he say anything else. He just repeated how much he loved Greg.
Finally, Greg flat-lined, after nearly ten minutes.
Ten minutes of Nick telling him he loved him. Ten minutes of Greg's tears. Ten minutes of soft beeping in the background. Ten minutes Greg had to finally feel loved by someone who loved him just as much. Ten minutes he'd never had before with Nick.
Ten minutes.
Nick slowly got up as the nurse came in to turn of the monitors. He was sore and tired and hardly able to breathe. He looked down at Greg's peaceful face. Nick kind of felt happy that it was like this that Greg could go.
He slid his feet towards the ground and turned his back on Greg.
'I'm so fucking sorry.'
He got to his feet and shakily joined the others outside. He got a group hug and the tears came once more.
Everything was gone. They stood alone to support whatever Greg did to pass on.
But Nick wished he could hear Greg say he loved Nick so much.