Hate That I Love You

“…Okay!” he cried, pulling his hands up to his face to protect it, although I had no intention of hitting him. His deep brown eyes portrayed hurt and discomfort. Every time our eyes met I felt a sudden sorrow attack my heart, and my eyes wanted to water. He pulled his arms away when he realised that I hadn’t the intention to hit him. He calmed down, his chest heaving under my weight.

“Your brother is in Hospital and you are sitting in here feeling sorry for yourself? Your brother needs you right now, so stop crying, and get your arse over to the hospital.” I warned, crawling off him to allow him to get up. He hesitantly looked at me and he sat up, staring at me the whole time.

“I never thought I see that side of you….” He mentioned, slowly scurrying off the bed, on the opposite side to me.

I smiled. “I had never expected you to either..” I approached his side of the bed, extending my hand for him to take. He glanced at me first, before hesitantly taking my hand. he didn’t look at me, but I could see his smile under his lightly shaded wispy hair.

“Come on, lets go see Mike.” I smiled, leading him out of the bedroom.

“Where the hell are they?” Max asked, staring at a poster on the wall, which viewed the whole hospital in a block form. It was a directory. Omar turned to him, smiling and pointing at the star on the page.

“Well, we are here, so I guess they are….HERE!” he shrieked, thrusting his finger against a coloured block on the wall. He happily jumped on his feet, spinning around and dancing.

“All right, smart arse… now how do we get there?” Max slumped against the wall, crossing his arms angrily.

Omar stopped frolicking and faced the poster again. He paused, intelligently rubbing his chin. His finger lightly travelled across the sheet, following a path he had picked up. His finger stopped at its destination. He turned to Max and evilly smiled.

“What?” Max murmured, sighing.

“I have found an answer…” he smiled. “…Its right here!” he frantically pointed at the sheet, trying to attract Max’s attention towards the poster.

“Good boy…” Max rubbed his head, before turning down the hall and walking away. Omar smiled, and called to him

“You are going the wrong way!”

Max paused, murmured an obscene quote, before angrily turning and following a prancing Omar down the opposite hall.

“Fucking Retard…” he whispered under his breath, watching the happily dancing man crash against object it the hall ways.

Omar paused, turning on his heel and lifted his head, reading the plaque that was on the front of a door. He turned to Max, who was looking into another room.

“The rooms aren’t to bad, are they?” he turned to Omar, who had turned back to the room.

“What was the Number of the room again?”

Max walked over to him, stopping next to him.

“Uh?.... 23 I think?” he shrugged.

“We… my friend, are here…” Omar pushed on the door, it cracked open. Omar slowly walked into the room, glancing around the small space, taking everything in. Max walked in after him, his eyes wide, and his mouth almost hit the floor.

“Mike?” he pointed to the lifeless form in the crispy white bed. Omar turned his attention to the body. Tears threatened to stream down his face. Max approached the bed slowly, afraid that the body was going to jump at him. Omar closely watched Max approach the bed. His hands slid lightly over the bed sheet, brushing against the body underneath the stiff sheets.

“Poor bugger…” Omar nodded his head bowing.

“He looks so cold.” Max silently spoke, brushing Mike’s face. His pale skin was stretched over his bony face, the cheek bones poked out. Max’s hands hovered over Mike’s hands, feeling the cold breeze of death lift from them

“They weren’t kidding when they said he might not make it, look at him” Max turned to Omar, who was still facing the ground, Max turned back, unable to tear his eyes away from their dying mate.

“Bryan cant see him like this… it will break him.” Omar sadly admitted, his head still resting on his chest.

Max was stunned, he couldn’t move, he occasionally forgot to breathe. He was to amazed to feel any sort of emotion.

“Max?” Omar looked up, witnessing Max’s tears for a rare time.

Max didn’t cry much, it would be a rare occasion if he did.

“Max? He’s going to be fine, hear me out?” Omar thrust at Max’s arm, pulling his attention away from Mike.

“He wont be alright, Omar…” Max sobbed, occasionally looking back at the lifeless shell of their best mate.

“He will… trust me Max”

“I’m not sure if I can do it, Rory.” Bryan pushed against my force, expecting to walk away. I pushed him harder into the hospital.

“Bryan, just stop worrying, I will be with you the whole way.” I cooed, rolling my eyes. This was ridiculous, I shouldn’t be doing this, but I knew that Mike would have appreciated Bryan’s presence, whether he was alive or not.

“Rory, I cant… please, let me go home..” he cried, trying to force himself out of my grasp. I pushed Bryan all the way up the halls, gradually approaching Mike’s room.

“What about Alex?” Bryan was trying to tear my attention away from him, possibly so he can make a run for it. Man he was a girl, I swear he was supposed to be a girl.

“Shit Bryan, this is your fucking Brother, your own flesh and blood, and you just wanna walk away? Fine go right ahead, but is that what he would have wanted?” I cursed at him, the whole staff in the hallway listened in. I bowed my head in shame, and continued towards Mike’s room. Bryan stood for a while, dumb-founded. He looked around, finding himself alone, he walked up after me, murmuring to himself.

I stopped outside the door, reading the number plastered on the door. Bryan slowly stopped behind me, sobbing quietly to himself.

“This is his room, Bryan.” I pushed on the door, gradually opening it, and walking in. Bryan followed me closely behind, his head was bent towards the ground to hide his tears. As I entered through the door, I was face with a red-faced Max, who was constantly rubbing the tears from his eyes, and an even sadder-looking Omar. Mike’s complexion had wracked their hearts with grief. My heart dropped, not only by their sadness, but the fact that Bryan would turn out worse off. Mike’s frail body lay in bed, the light blue gown he was dressed in outlined his small frame. Max stood over him, Mike’s small body made Max look overweight. Bryan pushed me from his view, his eyes landing solely on Mike’s lifeless form. He crashed to his knees, burying his head into his hands. I turned as I heard his knees hit the floor with I loud ‘wack’. Bryan had drawn himself into a ball, curled up on the floor. I bent down, rubbing my hand over his body, feeling his shiver under my touch.

“Bryan?” I asked, feeling the shivers slow down.

“He wont survive, will he?” Bryan asked, his face lifting from his hands. His eyes were red and puffy, tears wept out of them. His pure innocent face was stained with the look of pain. His complexion made me upset, I have never seen Bryan this sad, and now I knew why I didn’t want to. I patted Bryan’s head.

“He will Survive, Bryan, trust me, he cant leave us…”

I smiled, pulling Bryan into my arms, allowing him to cry on my shirt.

There was no way Mike was leaving us.