I Need You

They hate me. It's all my fault Hale is laying near-dead on that hospital bed. Raine won't ever forgive me. I ruined my chances with both of them. First I insult Hale to the point where he storms out, then he gets himself in an accident. The guilt is eating me from the inside out. It hurts me seeing both of them hurt like this. It hurts me even more to see them exploited.

I slapped the newspaper at on the table and sighed heavily. Luca and Rory were at the table with me.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked. They have been putting forth a great effort lately to be nice to me. They were angry at me for what I did, but they knew it wasn't all of my fault. But it sure as hell felt like it was.

"This paper." I shaved it in their direction.

"The Definition of Brotherly Love." Luca read the title.

"Guess who it's about." I said with sarcasm thick in my voice.

"Raine and Hale." Rory said it as a statement and they began reading it aloud. I put my head down and closed my eyes;I can't take anymore of this.


Raine's POV

A couple weeks after the doctors discovered Hale's heart beats faster whenever I talk a news crew arrived. Several, actually. They all wanted to see the medical miracle that was Hale and Raine. I had spent every day with him. I refused to leave his side, even when I ate.

When the reporters arrived all I saw was blinding flashes and too many people trying to fit through a small door.

"Raine! Raine!" The lady who managed to get in first called.

"Y-yes?" I asked slightly stunned. When it was confirmed that I was Raine the noise from the reporters steeply increased. They were all trying to ask me questions at the same time and it frightened me. It also gave me a headache. I leaned over and hid my face in Hale's bruised neck.

"Why can't you be here when I need you?" Whispered quietly. The room fell silent as they listened to Hale's heart beat faster. I saw his finger twitch by his side. It had been doing that a lot lately.

"It's true!" One of them explained.

"But it's really not that obvious. Or exciting." Another said, sounding less than impressed.

"You should hear it when he sings." A nurse said as she pushed through them and checked all of Hale's vitals. God I hated that nurse, she was the one that could never keep her mouth shut.

"Is this true?"They all pried.

"I guess..." I answered quietly.

"Would you sing for us?" The lady asked again. The others made sounds of agreement.

"I... I can't." I murmured softly. This was the usual time of which I sang to Hale, but there were people here. People that certainly were not my mom.

"Why not?"

"I can't sing... In front of people with out him..." I felt heat rise to my face.

"But you can sing with him, correct?" A chubbier man asked. I nodded slightly.

"When the stereo system broke at prom, we sang instead. And even when they got it working again, the people still wanted us to sing." I admitted.

"Okay, well, pack up guys." Then they turned around and left. "It's lunch time anyway." They turned and said something to my mom then left. I waited a few minutes to make sure it was safe then turned to mom.

"Can I sing now?" I asked quietly.

"You can sing whenever." She said and looked away guiltily. I shrugged it off and turned to Hale. I sang a song I had been holding on to forever now, and I couldn't help but sing it now for some reason. I took a deep breath and sang.



I felt a tear slip down my face as I remembered the first time we sang that together. It was the second day we had met, and I left out all the parts he was supposed to sing, in hopes he would miraculously join in. But he didn't. I heard clapping behind me but I didn't jump. I knew they wouldn't give up so easily, so I gave them what they wanted.

"It seems you skipped some parts... Why?" The lady asked.

"The second night I was with him and his family we sang that together and split up the parts. I.. Left out where he was supposed to sing." More tears slid down my face.

"Wait, what do you mean by together?" The chubby man asked.

"We didn't grow up together." I let it all spill out. No use in hiding anything now. "We were separated at birth. My biological mother was far to young to take care of a baby and she knew that, so she arranged for it to be adopted. She told the doctor not to tell her the gender because she didn't want to get attached. Unfortunately the doctor withheld the information that she was going to have twins. So, when she did she kept Hale and let me go. My parents died a few years back..." I choked slightly.

"How?" They pushed relentlessly.

"A..a-a car accident." More tears slid down my face. "And I was th-thrusted into the life of being an underage orphan. That is, until my social worker found my biological mom and I moved in with her."

"What was Hale's reaction?" They fired off another question, not even slightly moved by the irony of Hale's accident and my parents'.

"He... didn't like me." I smiled at him and wiped the tears away. "He just stood there like stone and watched my every move like a hawk." I traced invisible lines on his face where the creases had been. "But after dinner he was a little nicer. Mostly because we watched a scary movie and I'm... Well not good with those. His mom snuck past us and offered us popcorn and I screamed really loud and started crying because she had scared me."

"I felt so bad!" She exclaimed.

"Then I couldn't sleep because I was so scared, and I had to go in his room,and sleep there." I blushed, I probably shouldn't have said that. "Then he learned a whole lot about me because I talk in my sleep..."

"Awe." The youngest of the reporters exclaimed.

"What if, he never wakes up?" One asked. I started choking. No! He had to wake up.. Right? I mean, the heart monitor, it...it has to mean something! Doesn't it? What if... What if it's really nothing. What if he is truly dead?

"I don't know..." I said quietly as a dark cloud enveloped me. "Nothing... I guess..."

"Nothing..?" The seemed confused.

"Oh God!" Mom exclaimed. Great I'd let her down as well. "You triggered his depression! Here Raine take your meds." She handed me some pills and a glass of water. I took them cautiously.

"Depression?" They asked.

"Raine has clinical depression... When Hale was... Around he seemed happy all the time, and it never seemed to flare up... Ever... but now that Hale can't comfort him, it's been getting worse and worse. He hadn't had to take meds for a year until this happened to Hale."

While my medicine kicked in my mom answered all the questions. It was nice, you know until one way too observant journalist asked a 'hard hitting' question.

"Are your sons gay?" He asked. "They seem very close." She looked at me for the go ahead.

"We... are." I said quietly.

"Are you two in love?" He asked as a follow up. I was really glad none of them looked too disgusted.

"I guess." I shrugged. Hale would want me to answer this carefully. I leaned on his shoulder again and whispered. "Please help me, I don't know how to answer this." I grabbed his hand, and I felt him squeeze it. I gasped.

"What?" They all asked eagerly.

"He just... He just-!" I stared wide eyed at my hand and pointed towards it.

"He just what?"

"Squeezed my hand!" I shouted. The room fell silent.


Zeke's POV

After a few minutes of my complaining the twins read silently to themselves.

"Zeke... Did you read all of this?" Luca asked.

"No, I couldn't make it past the second paragraph." I shrugged.

"That explains it." Rory nodded.

"Explains what?" I asked defensively.

"Hale moved, Zeke, he squeezed Raine's hand. They think he may wake up soon." No. he can't, he'll hate me. I ran into the room, and found Raine still clutching Hale's hand. Hale can't wake up yet, not only will he hate me, but I still have to make it up to Raine and there's no way I can do it with Hale hovering over him.

"I-I just read the paper did he really...Um move?" I asked Raine, realizing this was a terrible idea.

"Yeah he did." Raine said quietly.

"Are you still mad at me?" I asked. "I really didn't want this to happen. I was being greedy and I over stepped my boundaries. I really didn't want to interfere with your guys relationship, it was just hard for me. Because I've got two happy twin couples surrounding me day in and day out. I'm really sorry for what I said and did. I hope you, and Hale will forgive me."

"I...will." Raine said after hesitating. "I thought I never would, but you were such a good friend to us before that, and I wish it could be like that again. And, I guess it's sort of my fault for violently pushing my way into both of your lives. He would have gone out with you."

"I know." I sighed. "But I don't affect him as much as you do. Just look at the heart monitor. His heart rushes every time you speak. That's how much he loves you. He loves you so much while he's in a freaking coma, his heart races when you speak. And I can't come between that. I see that now."

"His heart raced when you said that." Raine smiled. "That means he agrees with you. See?" I nodded and went to walk out the door, it felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"Wait! Zeke come here quick! Grab Hale's other hand." I ran over to his side and grabbed his hand. I felt him squeeze it hard.

"Ow." He groaned in pain.

"Hale?" Raine called. "Hale are you awake?"

"Doctors!" I screamed at the same time. "I think he's waking up!"