Hi all :) I know it's been a while but chapter 6 is here! Some good news in this chapter that I hope you enjoy!
Nick stared up at the building in surprise. What was this place and why would they be visiting Jeff here?
"Megan, where are we?" Nick asked.
"This is where Jeff is. The hospital," Megan said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Wait, what? Hospital?" Nick said, thoroughly confused.
"Yeah…" Megan said with a confused look on her face, leading Nick inside.
Did that mean…Jeff was alive? But how could that be? Nick could see his spirit. He had talked to him. Maybe Megan was taking him to see someone else? A different Jeff? But no, this was Megan, Jeff's sister. The same Jeff he had been with for weeks now.
"Wait, why is Jeff here? I thought he was in a car accident?" Nick said as Megan led him into an elevator.
"Yeah, he was. I thought you knew what happened?" Megan asked, hitting the button for the third floor.
"I did, I mean I thought I did. Now I'm a little confused," Nick said, scratching his head.
"About what? What did you hear?" Megan asked.
"Well…I didn't really hear anything. I knew Jeff was in a car accident and I just thought…" Nick trailed off.
"You thought he…? Oh no! No, no, no… Well…n-not yet, anyway. The doctors aren't so sure he'll wake up from his coma…" Megan said sadly.
Nick felt a rush of relief go through his body. Jeff was alive. For now, anyway. And the coma thing sort of made sense to him. His spirit was kind of in his body yet not technically aware of what was happening. So he could travel still.
Megan pulled Nick out of the elevator with her and they made their way down the hall.
Nick put his hands in his pockets as he walked. He felt strangely nervous. This was the first time that Nick would ever actually see Jeff. See him and be able to actually reach out and touch him. To feel him. The thought of being able to run his hand through Jeff's beautiful blonde hair sent butterflies through Nick's stomach.
They reached Jeff's room and Megan gently pushed the door open. She poked her head in and Nick could feel his heart beat speeding up. He was about to see Jeff.
"My mom's in there. Have you ever met her?" Megan asked.
"Uh, n-no, I haven't. I haven't even known Jeff for that long," Nick admitted, feeling himself beginning to sweat due to the anxiety.
"Hey are you okay? You look a little pale…" Megan said, reaching her hand up to feel Nick's forehead. "And clammy…" she said, pulling her hand away and wiping it on her jeans.
"Oh, um, yeah, it's just…" Nick started with a defeated sigh. "Seeing him…uh, like that," Nick said, trying to cover up the fact that he was anxious just to see Jeff.
Megan frowned and hugged Nick.
"It is hard to see him connected to all those tubes and stuff. But just remember that it's still Jeff underneath them all. That's what my parents told me. It's still Jeff," Megan said, taking Nick's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze before dropping it and opening the door all the way.
She walked in, Nick following right behind her.
Nick looked at his feet as he walked in, nervous about lifting his head up.
"Oh, hello. Are you one of Jeff's friends?" Nick heard a woman ask him.
He turned towards the voice and looked up at the woman. She looked just like Megan, only older. And she really didn't even look old enough to be their mother but that's who Nick knew it had to be.
"Y-Yes, I'm Nick, ma'am," Nick said, putting on a small smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Nick. I'm Jeff's mom, Pam," Mrs. Sterling said, offering Nick a small smile in return.
"It's nice to meet you as well, ma'am," Nick said.
"Oh please, all of Jeff's friends call me Pam," Pam said, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder.
"Okay, Pam," Nick said, nodding.
"Are you friends with the two boys that came here yesterday?" Pam asked Nick.
Nick shook his head.
"No, I just recently met Jeff. I don't know any of his other friends," Nick explained.
"Well, you seem nicer than them anyway," Pam said kindly.
"Well thank you," Nick said with a shy smile.
"Would you like some time alone with Jeff?" Pam asked, picking her coat up off of the chair she was sitting in moments before Nick walked in.
"Oh, no, you were here first, you should stay," Nick said, not sure what would happen if he was alone would Jeff. He wouldn't know if he should talk to him or just sit there or what.
"That's sweet of you but I actually have to take Megan to her therapy session," Pam said, picking up her purse as well.
"Moooom," Megan said, face turning red in embarrassment.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Megan. I used to have to go to therapy. It's just nice to have someone to talk to sometimes," Nick said with a shrug.
Megan smiled.
"Yeah, you're right. Most people find out and think it's weird. Especially if they don't know what's happened to Jeff," Megan explained to Nick.
"It's not weird at all," Nick assured her.
Megan smiled again and pulled Nick into a hug.
"Thank you, Nick. I like you. Jeff better keep you around," Megan said, shooting him once last smile before walking out the door.
"I hope to see you soon, Nick," Pam said with a wave, walking out the door.
Nick waved at her as well as she left. Nick took a deep breath. When he turned around he would see Jeff. He would be lying there, in a hospital gown, and plugged up to a whole bunch of wires.
"1, 2, 3…" Nick counted quietly to himself before he turned around.
And Nick saw him. Jeff was lying there on that bed. Nick couldn't help but smile. Because there was Jeff. Nick barely noticed the wires and the machines around him. Nor the cuts on his arm or the bruise on the right side of his forehead. Because that was Jeff. Really, Jeff. In the flesh and blood. Something Nick never thought he would ever see.
Nick walked over, pulled the chair that Pam was sitting in over to the edge of the bed. He sat right at Jeff's bedside.
Nick looked down at Jeff's hand. It was sitting right there, practically begging to be held.
Nick tentatively reached out and took Jeff's hand in his own. Nick smiled. It felt so right to hold Jeff's hand in his own.
Nick leant down and pressed a kiss to the back of Jeff's hand.
"Hi there, Jeff," Nick said, his eyes tearing up. "I-I never thought I'd get to hold your hand. This is amazing."
Jeff's monitors kept their steady beat as Nick sat there with him.
"I don't know where you went, Jeff. Why can't I see you anymore? I thought if I came here I'd find you again. I miss you. I miss talking to you, I miss seeing your beautiful smile every time I say something you think is funny. Please come back. Or better yet, wake up. Please, Jeff…" Nick practically begged of the unconscious man.
But…what if Jeff woke up and didn't remember Nick? What if Megan and Pam brought Nick in once Jeff awoke but Jeff kept insisting he had no idea who this man was? Would Pam and Megan think he's just some creepy stalker and never let him see Jeff again?
No, that couldn't happen. Nick couldn't be apart from Jeff. He would start all over if he had to. He would ask Jeff out and pray for the boy to fall in love with him all over again.
Nick rested his head on his and Jeff's intertwined hands.
"Jeffy, please wake up. I need you," Nick admitted.
Nick picked his head up once he said those words. He never realized how true they were until now.
"I need you," Nick repeated.
Nick spent the next two hours with Jeff. He sat there just telling Jeff anything that came to his mind. He told him about Kurt and Blaine and all of the other friends he made at college and how he couldn't wait for Jeff to meet them all.
He described in detail the date that he would take Jeff on once he woke up and felt he was strong enough. He told Jeff about this nice Italian restaurant about twenty minutes away and how they served the best spaghetti there. He told Jeff that spaghetti was his favorite food and how he always wanted to play out the scene from Lady and the Tramp when they're eating the spaghetti. And more specifically, how he now wanted to play that scene out with Jeff.
"Because it's so cute when they kiss because they don't expect it and they're not even looking at each other when their lips touch. Or snouts…whatever dogs have. But I've always wanted to do that because it's so adorable and it's one of my favorite movies," Nick said, playing with Jeff's fingers absentmindedly.
Nick looked up and smiled at Jeff. He was just so handsome.
Nick reached up and brushed some hair off of Jeff's forehead. It felt just as soft as it looked.
"So beautiful," Nick said softly.
"Oh, hey Nick," Megan said, walking into the room.
Nick quickly but carefully laid Jeff's hand back down on the bed.
"Hey there, Megan," Nick said, looking at her. "Where's your mom?"
"She's picking up some food for dinner. She just dropped me off here and I'll go home with my dad when he swings by. He should be here in a few minutes if you want to meet him," Megan offered.
That didn't sound very appealing to Nick though. Nick knew that Jeff's dad was accepting of his son but he wasn't sure how he would react to Nick.
"Oh, I should get going. I've got a project due in two days that's worth a lot of my grade so…" Nick explained, not entirely lying. He did have his big photography project due but he had finished that weeks ago when he took pictures of Jeff out by the sunset.
"Oh, okay. Will I see you again?" Megan asked.
"Yeah, I hope so. I'd love to come back and see Jeff," Nick said, stating possibly the biggest understatement ever.
"Well here, give me your number so I can keep you updated if anything happens with him," Megan offered, pulling out her phone.
Nick nodded and told Megan his number as he stood up out of the chair.
"Okay, I sent you a text so you can just save my number now," Megan said, sticking her phone back in her pocket.
Nick saved her number and put his phone back in his pocket as well.
"Thanks, Megan," Nick said with a smile.
"Will I see you here tomorrow?" Megan asked.
"Try and keep me away," Nick said with a playful wink, walking towards the door.
Megan giggled and waved goodbye to Nick.
"Bye, Nick!"
"See ya, Megan."
He smiled at her and looked at Jeff.
"Bye, Jeff. See you tomorrow," Nick said before leaving the room.
Megan smiled and walked over to the chair Nick had previously occupied. She sat down in it and took Jeff's hand in her own.
"Oh Jeffy, he is so in love with you!"
Yaaaay! Happy! I'd like to say thank you to all of you who read this! It amazes me when people message me saying that like my stories cause I mean I'm so thankful you just read them. But to like them? It just makes me really, really happy! :D I hope to see you guys soon with chapter 7!