when you get too close

Luke sat beside Michael, handing him a beer. "Man, the bartender refused to serve me for like, five minutes." He grouched with amusement, taking a sip of his own refreshing drink. Both boys were dressed to the nines, they were celebrating the end of recording their newest album, and what better way to celebrate than a double date? "All we need now is Leigh and Reine to get here and we're set to go."

Leigh drove carefully down a back road, laughing along to something Reine had told her that Luke had done. "That boy of yours is such an idiot." She laughed. "How he reached twenty two years old is beyond me." She looked over at her best friend, slowing down when she reached a bend. "I'm sure Michael is beginning to influence Luke to be even more of a dope than what he already is." She grinned.

Michael looked over but laughed slightly. "I'm not even surprised, you look like a kid hitting puberty," he teased, grinning to his friend, though her peered towards the door, sure Leigh and Reine would walk in any moment. After all the hard work they'd put into the new album, Michael just wanted to enjoy some time with his girlfriend and remind her how much he loved and adored her. "Yeah, try not to be wasted on the floor before then." He grinned teasingly at his friend, nudging him as he took a gulp of his drink.

Reine laughed with the mention of it. "You're not one to talk! Michael is just as bad and you know it," she told her with a grin, shaking her head slightly. "Not that I'd change Luke for the world. He's such a goof ball and I love it." She grinned, looking out the window, eager to get to the decided upon date spot, looking forward to hanging out with Luke. While they lived together, and Leigh lived with Michael, the guys had spent a lot of time making their music and neither Reine nor Leigh really bothered them when they were that focused. But, as Reine looked out the window, she saw a truck speeding at them, not slowing down at all. "Shit, Leigh!" she called to her friend, but it was too late, the truck having crashed into Leigh's blue VW beetle.

Luke laughed at Michael's words, his eyes drifting to the door. "How the hell am I gonna get wasted if I struggle to get one beer?" He asked, shoving Michael's shoulder in amusement. "They should be here any minute. Man, it's been a long year, I can't wait to spend some quality time with our girls." He smiled. "Man, I'm telling you, we've met our soulmates with these two, they understand and support us and that's amazing. Reine's amazing."

The ambulance arrived to the scene of the accident not long after it'd happened, someone was coincidentally walking the dog and witnessed the whole thing. Searching through one of the destroyed phones in the front seat once the girls had been hauled into the back of an ambulance, the paramedic pressed the first name he could find.

Luke looked to Michael as his phone rang, frowning. "It's Reine." He told Michael, answering. "Hello?" He paused as a paramedic spoke the other end, his face going pale as he nodded to the persons words. "Are they alive?" He asked, nodding again and running a hand through his hair. "We'll be right there." He hung up, looking to Michael with tears in his eyes. "Michael, the girls... car accident." He couldn't get his words out, his emotion over taking him. "Truck, the Beetle is nearly destroyed."

Michael grinned with the mention of it. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he said honestly, "It feels like forever since I got to just relax with Leigh. I'm looking forward to just spending as much time with her as possible during this downtime." And, he planned to. Now that he had some time to enjoy himself, he just wanted to be near her. "Leigh's perfect. I can't imagine anybody even comparing to her." Before he could speak further, though, Luke's phone had rang and Michael frowned slightly, tensing with the sight of Luke paling, a sinking feeling growing in his being. "What?" he asked after Luke first explained, shocked for a moment, then angry at whoever had hurt them, but them upset and panicked, his own eyes watering before he quickly stood up. "We've gotta get to them. Where are they?" Quickly, he led the way out of the bar, rushing quickly, determined to get to Leigh, his panic and concern for her reaching a level he hadn't even been aware could exist.

"Hope Hospital." Luke told Michael, leading Michael to his own car, getting into the drivers seat as his heart thumped anxiously in his chest. "Truck driver was arrested, three times over the speed limit, drunk." He told Michael. "They're in the Emergency department, they were unconscious, bleeding, beaten..." He swallowed the lump that was in his throat as his own tears spilled over. Starting the engine as Michael buckled his belt, Luke thanked his lucky stars that the hospital wasn't too far away from the restaurant he and Michael had chosen to treat the girls at. "I can't lose Reine, Mikey, I can't."

Michael was quick to climb in, not even bothering to buckle up, too focused and concerned about Leigh to really care about it. His panic had his heart racing, his pulse loud in his ears, and he clenched his jaw with Luke's words. "Did the driver get hurt at all?" he asked. Not that he would wish pain on anybody, but the thought that two innocent girls were now in the hospital because of this guy and that this guy could have possibly gotten out without any injuries made Michael's blood boil. He wiped at his face, unaware his tears had fallen, but buckled up, knowing that Leigh would want him to. "We can't think like that." But, he could feel his heart clench with the possibility of losing Leigh and he felt his heart clench painfully, staring ahead as he tried to swallow back his tears. "I won't lose Leigh." His voice was quiet, strained with his pained, panicked, and upset emotions. "I need her."

"The paramedic was checking him over," Luke sniffled, trying to disguise it, trying to be subtle. "Asshole barely had a scratch." And he looked over at Michael, nodding, understanding his emotions completely. "We should have picked them up." Luke frowned, scrubbing a hand over his own face, disappointed in himself. Parking in the parking lot of the hospital, Luke was quick to exit his car, waiting for Michael before he practically ran to the entrance, going to the reception. "Reine Clement and Leigh Owen?"

The nurse looked at Luke sympathetically, seeing Michael rush in to join Luke. "Hi." She smiled, leading the boys to follow her into a quiet room. "What relation are you to the girls?"

Michael followed the woman quickly, wanting to get to Leigh as soon as possible, wanting to be there for her. "We're their boyfriends," he informed her quickly, trying to keep his emotions stable and calm, though it was hard, his panic for Leigh still there. He tried not to think about the worst possible scenario, he tried not to think about losing Leigh. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle that. "I'm Leigh's boyfriend. Is she okay?" Looking to the woman, he clearly looked pleading, hoping and praying for good news, but he swallowed hard, his eyes watering again. "Please tell me she's okay."

"I'm not going to lie to you, boys." The nurse looked sympathetically between the two, seeing the love they held for the girls with how they were behaving. "They're lucky - very lucky - to be alive." She explained. "They've already had an MRI scan to see if there was any damage to the brain, and there was nothing significant." She explained. "We won't know the full extent of the damage until they wake up, but they could suffer with memory loss." She looked between the two. "Whether it's permanent or temporary, that's something we don't know yet, it all depends on when they wake up. They've been taken to a ward and they've been admitted in. It's on the third floor, it's a trauma unit."

Luke frowned as he took in all the information. The fact that the nurse had told them that the girls were lucky to be alive scared him more than anything, knowing that tonight, he could of lost Reine, after nearly a year of taking her for granted to record the new album. The more the nurse explained, the more tears slipped down his cheeks, but still, he nodded. "When will they wake up?" He asked, his voice cracking.

The nurse sighed. "They were sedated to stop any serious damage. I imagine the Doctor in charge of them will attempt to pull them out of sedation tomorrow."

Michael stared at the woman, in shock with the thought that the nurse had verified that Leigh could have very well died today, but relieved with the knowledge that she hadn't. The news had him in a mix of feelings - guilt for not appreciating Leigh more, for not showing her every day just how amazing and wonderful and gorgeous he thought she was, for not telling her every day how important she was to him, and for even letting them drive to the restaurant in the first place; but relief that Leigh was alive, that he could see her again and talk to her again and hold her again and make sure to make up for all the things he felt guilty for. The two conflicting emotions had his tears falling, but he quickly wiped at them, sniffling slightly as he tried to focus. "When can we see them?" he asked quietly, not having the courage to speak louder for fear of not being able to get the words out at all.

The nurse smiled at the boys. “You can go now if you want, the ward is closed to visitors, but seeing as this is an emergency, I’m sure they won’t mind.” She looked sympathetically at the boys once more. “Be warned, though. They looked a little bruised, it might be a shock to you both.”

Luke wiped at his eyes again. “Thank you, you’ve been a big help.” He stood to his feet, desperate to see Reine; just wanting to confirm to himself that even though she’d been through all of this, she was still alive.

Michael nodded weakly, trying to keep in mind that, even if Leigh was bruised up and injured, at least she was alive. Any injuries she had, she'd heal from. If she'd died, he would have completely lost her. And, he planned to do everything in his power to help her through the healing process, wanting to be there for her, wanting to make up for everything, but also because he just loved her so damn much and couldn't bear the thought of seeing her in pain without trying to do something to help. "Thank you," he repeated Luke's words quietly, still struggling, but quickly left to go find where Leigh was, just needing to see her now more than anything.

Luke lead Michael to the elevators almost silently. "We could have lost them tonight, dude." He spoke meekly as he pressed the button to call the elevator down to them, remembering what the nurse said about the ward being on the third floor. Despite the fact that Reine would look a little beaten, Luke was still so determined to make up for the past year and do whatever he needed to to help her along in her recovery. Heading into the elevator as the doors opened, he waited for Michael and pressed the number three.

Michael listened to his friend quietly and he was silent for a long while, his heart clenching and aching, desperate to see Leigh. Nodding slowly, he stared at the doors of the elevator. "I know," he said quietly, weakly, "I don't think I could survive losing Leigh, Luke. No, I know I can't. I mean, I know we've been busy lately, but she's always been there when I got home, she greeted me the moment I walked in every night, I slept with her in my arms every night. I don't think I could face that house without her being alive. I really do just... Need her in my life. I can't lose her." Just talking about it brought more tears to his eyes and, taking a shaky breath, he wiped at them, swallowing hard as he tried to remind himself that she was alive, that he hadn't lost her.

Luke nodded, understanding Michael’s turmoil more than anything, or anyone ever could. His own heart clenched with anxiety, and despite all that was said, he still couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt that looked over him. As the elevator dinged politely, Luke led Michael out, not understanding how he was keeping himself so calm. Heading into the ward, Luke looked around and approached a nurse, who directed him to a cubicle.

Stepping into the dimly lit room, Luke froze as he saw Reine, unconscious, attached to all kinds of machines via IV. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but he couldn’t — his tears spilling down his cheeks as he sat in the chair beside Reine’s bed. “Hey baby.” He greeted. “I love you.” He sniffled, taking her hand and ducking his head as he began to cry harder, his body trembling as he sobbed.

Michael followed the nurse after Luke was led to one of the cubicles, while he was being led to another. He could feel his pulse quicken with anxiety, the sound so loud in his ears that it was drowning out the nurse telling him that they'd reached Leigh's cubicle. Still, he thanked the nurse with a nod and braced himself before he made his way inside. Immediately, he was overwhelmed with sorrow, guilt, and concern for Leigh, seeing the state she was in, the sound of the heart monitor drowning out the sound of his own pulse, but at least the monitor signalled she was alive. Seeing all the machines and IVs, he could feel his heart breaking for Leigh and he quickly made his way over, his tears falling despite that he tried to hold them back. Seeing Leigh like this, though, he hated it. He hated that she had to experience this, and he hated that he could have lost her.

"Babe, I'm here," he told her quietly, not even sure she could hear him under her sedation, but he took her hand gently in his own as he sat down, lifting her hand a bit to kiss her knuckles gently. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He tried so hard to get his emotions under control, knowing that he should just be glad that she was alive, but, seeing her made it all the more real that he could have lost her, that it had been such a close call, and his body shook as he leaned his forehead against her hand that he still had lifted. "Please don't leave me. I need you in my life, I love you." And, while he'd managed to get the words out, he couldn't speak further, his sobs racking through his body as the weight and reality of it all landed fully on him.

Luke had stayed next to Reine all night. He hadn’t moved. His tears hadn’t subsided, and every time he thought that it was impossible to cry anymore, it started all over again. Luke hadn’t even let go of Reine’s hand, afraid that if he let go — if his grip loosened, he would lose the love of his life. The only sound in the stillness of the night was Reine’s heart monitor, and in the early hours of the morning, Luke swore it was the best sound he’d ever heard, because it meant she was alive.

When a Doctor had come in and told Luke that he was going to attempt to pull Reine out of sedation with a quick dose of medication, Luke reluctantly moved out of the way for the Doctor to administer the medicine via one of the cannulas in Reine’s arms, her skin bruised from being poked and prodded by needles. Watching as the Doctor told him that she should be awake shortly, Luke settled back into his chair and held onto her hand once more, patiently waiting.

Michael hadn't slept. He hadn't been able to, too worried that he'd be woken up by the heart monitor alarm going off, too worried that Leigh wouldn't last the night. He'd stayed there by her bedside, his forehead still pressed to her hand, needing that contact because he was afraid he might never have it again if he lost her. His eyes were sore from crying, having gone through several constant rounds of despair constantly throughout the night, always scared that he would lose her and always upset that this had happened to her. Admittedly, he found solace in the heart monitor, the constant beeping being music to his ears, the best kind, but his worries for Leigh constantly outweighed his knowledge and relief that she was alive, throwing him into fits of tears even when the doctor came in.

As the doctor explained what he would do, that he'd use an injection of medicine to try to bring Leigh out of the sedation they'd put her in, Michael wiped as his tears for what felt like the millionth time and, after pressing a kiss to her hand, he released his hold on her gently, cautious and afraid that he'd lose her, but moved aside to let the doctor get to her. He watched anxiously while the doctor administered the medicine, his eyes never leaving Leigh, silently praying that she'd wake up. The doctor assured him that Leigh should be awake soon and, with hope that he was right, Michael quickly returned to Leigh's side, back to his seat, taking her hand again, needing that contact even more now after having to let go, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand gently as he watched her, waiting, anxious but patient.

A short while had passed before Reine began to stir, a quiet noise of pain escaping her, though the pain seemed to be dull - due to one of the medicines in her IV, though Reine was unaware of this. Blinking her eyes open, she cringed at the bright room, but blearily tried to adjust to her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened. For a moment, she could feel a sense of anxiety bubble up in her, because she was at a complete loss, her confusion growing. "Where am I?" she muttered, mostly to herself, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened before she blinked, realizing there was a pressure on her hand and she looked over, seeing an unfamiliar man there, her brows furrowing in confusion and slight panic. "Who are you?" And, then, that panic grew when she realized something else, her eyes widening in surprise. "Who... Who am I?"

As Reine began to stir, Luke shifted himself so he was closer to the bed, closer to her. Tightening his hold on her hand to let her know he was there, Luke watched as Reine sat up. Hearing her words, Luke felt his heart snap in half, but he cleared his throat, trying to push his tears back so he didn’t startle her, wanting to be strong for her. “You’re Reine Clement.” He spoke softly. “As for me, I’m Luke Hemmings. Your boyfriend.” He squeezes her hand gently, biting his lip. “You were in a car accident — drunk driver hit you. You’re at the hospital.” He explained, keeping his voice low and calm.

After about half an hour had passed, Leigh began to stir, making a small noise of dismay at the bright lights, feeling a dull ache throughout her body. Finally opening her eyes, Leigh inhaled deeply, looking around and frowning as she saw a man sat in the chair next to her bed. Feeling anxiety rush through her, Leigh pulled her hand away from his. “Who are you?” She asked, looking around. “And — and where am I?” She asked. Looking down at herself, Leigh frowned even deeper, not recognising the small tattoo on her wrist that matched Michael’s, not recognising anything about herself. “Who am I?”