Under the City Lights

BRIDGER'S POV

I leaned my head against Callum's thigh where he lay, motionless on the hospital bed. I couldn't believe I didn't get there in time. He needed me to be there, and I didn't arrive in time to stop this from happening.

"Callum?" I said in a quiet voice, screwing my eyes shut against the tears that were threatening to start up again. "Callum, baby, please wake up. Please. I can't handle this anymore."

Over the night, he'd take a turn for the worse. What the originally thought was an easy fix turned out to be a lot more complicated when they found that one of his broken ribs had caused internal bleeding. A nurse had discovered it on a routine check the night we'd gotten here and he had to go into surgery again. He was put asleep, and the anesthesia had worn off, but he was still asleep. The doctors weren't sure why, but it was a self-induced coma.

The trauma had forced him back into his head and he was keeping himself asleep, to make sure he never has to relive the terror of what he experienced at the hands of his father. And the only person who could get him out of his head was himself.

That doesn't mean that I couldn't try, though. I was talking to him as much as possible, asking him to come back to me. Maybe, wherever he was, he'd hear me and find it within himself to come back.

"Callum, please. I can't lose you." I whispered, tears preventing me from speaking any louder.

The heart rate monitor that had been beeping steadily in the background for the whole time I've been here suddenly sped up. Not enough to be worrying, but enough to draw my attention.

I looked up at the monitor, trying to make sense of the numbers and spikes flashing across the screen.

I felt Callum's hand squeeze mine and I immediately looked away from the monitor to see Callum looking back at me.

"Hey, Bridger." he said quietly. "Didja miss me?"

"Don't even joke, you asshole." I said, laughing. "And don't ever scare me like that again."

He laughed and pulled at my hand, pulling me up to his level.

I kissed him deeply and lovingly, just loving the fact that I had him back again.

"Umm, sirs?" a voice said.

I broke away from Callum and looked to where the voice came from, seeing a nurse peeking her head around the door frame, obviously trying not to interrupt.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I said. "I know I was supposed to page someone when he woke up, but it only just happened and I was just happy, so-"

"It's fine, sir." she said. "I know how it is. I'll just call Dr. Hammond and have him come in and make sure everything's okay."

"Thank you." I said, and turned to Callum when she left the room. "I'm taking you home, Cally. You're coming home with me, you're moving in with me and you're never going to see your father again."

"Sounds perfect."

|~|

The next day, Callum and I officially moved into our apartment together. We officially started our lives together away from his father and as our own people.

We made it through college together and went into the real world, doing what we could to achieve our dreams. It wasn't perfect, but it was ours.

We were together at last, for real this time. Nothing could break us apart now, and we were ready to face whatever the world threw at us.