I Can't Not Love You

[Jack]

As I slowly woke up, I heard beeping. It was a steady beeping that sounded like it was coming from an alarm clock – but why the hell would anyone be using an alarm clock on our day off? I opened my eyes and expected to see the top of my small bunk, but instead saw that I was in a room. My eyes popped open and I was fully awake now. Why was I in a room? Shouldn’t I be on the tour bus? I looked to my right and saw a heart monitor – so that’s what was beeping – and an IV, along with some other medical equipment. What the fuck?!

I realized that I was in the hospital now, and I was terrified. I didn’t know why I was here. The beeping got faster as my heart pounded in fear. I noticed that there was something on my face, and reached up with one hand to realize that it was an oxygen mask. I looked to the other side and saw Alex sitting in a chair, sleeping. I could have cried in relief.

I reached out to shake him and he jumped awake quickly, looking around tiredly. His eyes widened when he saw that I had been the one to wake him up. “Jack! You’re awake!” he exclaimed, standing up so he could lean over and hug me carefully. I just groaned softly, pushing him away.

“W-why am I in the hospital?” I asked, my voice sounding extremely small. It was muffled by the oxygen mask, too. I was surprised to feel that my chest hurt a lot when I spoke. I coughed and it hurt ten times more.

“I got back to the bus last night after the show and you were passed out on the couch in the front lounge. Your chest was moving really weird and you were breathing heavy. You had a high fever and you didn’t even understand what I was saying to you, so I freaked out and called Flyzik. He called an ambulance and Danny, Flyzik, and I came to the hospital with you. You have a really bad case of pneumonia,” Alex explained to me, putting a hand on my arm gently, almost protectively.

“I’m gonna be okay, right?” I asked unsurely, trying to breathe less when I talked so my chest wouldn’t hurt as much.

“Yeah, you’ll be fine,” Alex said with a reassuring smile, pushing my fringe off my forehead for me.

“What time is it now?” I questioned. It looked dark in here, but light was shining behind the closed curtain on the window.

Alex checked his phone, “Three pm, the next day.”

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, eyes wide. I grimaced because the exclamation had hurt my lungs.

“Yeah, you’ve been medicated and everything so you slept for a really long time. I was getting worried that you wouldn’t wake up,” Alex said. He seemed to remember something and jumped up. “Hang on one second. I was supposed to get a nurse or a doctor when you woke up.”

Alex left the room and returned a minute later, a doctor and a nurse trailing behind him. They smiled when they saw me awake. “I was beginning to think you wanted to sleep forever,” the nurse said with a smile, walking over to me and starting to check my vitals.

“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.

“My chest hurts,” I said weakly. “And why the hell is this thing on my face?”

“We put it on to help you breathe, because last night you were having so much trouble breathing on your own. We’ll switch it to a nosepiece so that you can try to eat some food,” the doctor said, walking over to look at my IV drips.

“Yeah, I definitely want food,” I said, realizing just now that I was kind of hungry. The others laughed.

“Well, your fever has finally decided to stay down for a while now. It was stuck at 104 for hours and it’s back down to 99 now. Hopefully it will stay that way,” the nurse told me, checking the thermometer she had just stuck in my mouth.

“You definitely still need the oxygen, because your lungs are still working overtime. We’ll use the nosepiece for a while but the mask needs to go back on if it’s not good enough,” the doctor explained. He unhooked the mask and pulled it off, making my face feel a little more free. He hooked up the nosepiece and put it on my face, and I grimaced.

“I’ll have some food sent up for you in a little while, Jack. Alex, just call us in here if he needs anything,” the nurse said. Alex smiled and nodded, turning to me when they walked out.

“They know you by name already?” I chuckled lightly.

Alex laughed, “Yeah. I’ve been here long enough.”

“How long have you been in here with me?” I asked curiously. Surely he didn’t spend the night here.

“I’ve been here the entire time,” Alex said, turning the chair sideways so he could lean forward against the bed while he spoke.

“No way,” I said, eyes widening.

Alex nodded with a smile, “Yep. Doesn’t the messy hair and clothes give it away? Flyzik, Danny, and I were in the waiting room for two hours last night before we were even allowed to come up here. The doctor tried kicking us out because it was past visiting hours, but I persuaded him into letting me stay. Danny and Flyzik went back to the bus and I just slept here all night. I haven’t left except to get some breakfast and lunch earlier.”

“You could have gone back to see John,” I told him, feeling bad. He didn’t have to stay here with me the whole time. I was really happy that he had, though.

He frowned and looked down at his hands, “John and I sort of broke up.”

I could have fallen off the bed in shock, if I wasn’t firmly tucked in the middle. “What?! Why?”

“He was being a jerk last night. I wanted to go back to the bus and check on you, but he just wanted to have sex. I mean, so did I, but it wasn’t my top priority. He didn’t like how much I care for you and everything, because apparently I have been a lot lately. He thinks I care about you more than him. Which is true,” he explained with a shrug. “So I got mad and told him I didn’t want to date him anymore. You’re way more important to me than he is.”

Alex nudged me in the shoulder with his fist playfully and I grinned. The fact that I was placed above John thrilled me. I felt my heart lift a little at the fact that Alex cares about me so much. I knew it wasn’t because he liked me or anything, but hey, a guy can dream.

The nurse came into the room with a tray of food and told me to “eat up” before leaving. I frowned when I looked at the tray.

“Jell-O, vegetables, and really mushy meat. Yum,” I said sarcastically, turning my head away as I went into another coughing fit that hurt my chest.

Alex chuckled at the disgusted look on my face, “Don’t worry. I already told Rian and Zack to sneak in some real food when they come to visit you in a little while.”

I sighed in relief, “You’re my hero.”