Mike pulled his shirt over his head, buttoned his jeans, and pushed his hair back into his beanie. “You almost ready babe?” he called pulling on his socks. “Yea I mean I can always just wear band shirts and your merch when I run out of socially acceptable clothes right?” She yelled with a sassy attitude. Mike didn’t understand why she was mad, didn’t he just make her teenage dream come true or was that nothing to her. He ran his hand over his lower back, feeling the puffy scratches Maya had dug into his skin. He had definitely not imagined anything; it had only been 20 minutes since he thought he rocked her world but he guessed she got over things pretty fast.
She stomped out of her room with a duffle bag and a back pack, “Okay I guess I’m ready for the rest of my life on a bus.” Mike was stunned by her attitude toward what was going on, he shook it off and took the duffle bag from her. Mike walked into the hallway and waited for Maya. “I put a note and this month’s rent in my drop box. Hopefully the dumb swine finds it before he slanders my credit.” Maya said as she slammed the door behind her. Mike didn’t say a word to her as they made their way down the stairs to the street. Mike had already called a cab and it was waiting outside for them. “Hi uhm we need to get to the nearest hospital.” He said to the cab driver counting out the money in his wallet.
They pulled into the hospital parking lot and Mike spotted the tech van. Mike paid the cabby and walked over to the tech van. He pulled open the rear door and tossed Maya’s stuff inside. He looked over at her and said as nicely as he could “Okay uhm we have to go find them….” Maya just sighed and looked around the lot. Mike opened the door for her and gestured her into the hospital. They were in the main lobby, it buzzed with nurses and doctors. Mike walked up to the front station and asked the nurse “Uhm where’s room 614?” She looked at him quite annoyed, “Oh there’s more of you huh?” Mike just looked at her and said “Excuse me?” The nurse scanned his body with her eyes and gave a ‘hermf’ before saying “Go down the hallway to your right then go down the critical care wing. The doors on your left and it should be the 3rd room on the left.” Mike nodded his head and took Maya’s hand. He walked down the hallway avoiding the running doctors and nurses that passed them.
The door opened and a nurse walked in, “Hi boys if everyone could take a step back that would be great so we can get your friend in here.” Vic felt his heart in his throat, he had no idea what had happened to Kellin that night. She propped open the door and 2 more nurses pushed in the gurney. The gurney bed was moved against a wall with an I.V. holder. They locked the wheels and began to hook up cords to Kellin’s chest and wrist. Vic couldn’t see Kellin’s face. The nurse smiled and said “He should be waking up in around 20 minutes. I’m sure some doctors are going to be in here periodically to check him.” She smiled again and shut the door. Vic rushed over to Kellin’s bed side, “Oh my god…” He whispered looking down at his motionless body. Jack sighed and said “I’m really glad he’s back. I’m going to go drive back and get the bus. Uhm hey Gabe, Justin, wanna come with me so we can get both busses and the van back here… I mean we don’t have Vanhook driving the van anymore and I think the stage manager has Jaime’s car.” Gabe and Justin nodded their head and followed Jack out the door.
Vic ran his hand through Kellin’s hair, pushing it back away from his face. “Hey uhm I’m going to go see what kind of food and stuff they have around in the cafeteria thingy….. Uhm….” Jaime tried to get out a sentence but Mike and Maya walked through the door before he could finish. “Tone what’s going on?” He asked looking to Tony who was standing next to the door. Tony looked over at him and spoke with a hoarse voice “Last night Kellin he must have gotten into trouble or something and he got uhm shot a couple times. I mean he’s alive but he had to be brought…… back…. A couple times…. They don’t know how things are going to play out…. Because….” He stopped he felt uncomfortable saying all this in front of some girl he had never met. Mike put his hand over his mouth and just starred over at Kellin’s body. “Wow…” He whispered thinking about how all of this had been happening and he was oblivious. “So uhm why was he under?” He asked turning his attention back to Tony. “Uhm they had to like give him a whole new knee and his uhm finger was like falling off…. I guess his knee part was pretty intense.”
Mike just shook his head and looked back over to Kellin. Maya squeezed his hand. “Oh yeah uhm… This is Maya she’s uhm my old…. Uhm idk…. But she’s coming with….” Mike tried to smile at Tony and Jaime but they didn’t look amused. “A girl on the bus…. I mean yea there okay when they come and they go but like all tour…. Mike c’mon man what are you thinking… Jesse left his fiancée at home and their happy.” “Oh c’mon I… I… I… I’m bringing her back with us I mean how much longer do you think we can do this tour if Kellins like this…. Sleeping with Sirens might have to drop out completely…” Mike was now pleading with Jaime. “I mean… I guess because of…. That but….. Okay whatever but if SWS does drop out of this because they have no singer….” Jaime gestured over to Vic who was still running his fingers through Kellin’s hair. Mike sighed “Yea I know you’re right…” “Okay so if she becomes a problem we gotta fly her home…. I don’t care whose house she goes too seeing as we all go to our parent’s house when this is over….” Mike sighed he had forgotten he had sold his apartment before the tour.
Maya squeezed Mike’s hand again, he looked down at her “What babe?” ”Hi yea can we uhm talk outside for a sec.” she wasn’t asking, she pulled him through the door. Mike shut the door behind him. “Okay why do we have to talk in the hall?” he asked wanting to be with his hurting friends. “Wait Vic and the guy in the bed are what that it’s the same as you and me?” she asked looking thoroughly confused. Mike sighed trying to figure out how to put this delicately. “Okay so my brother I don’t know…. his head is I don’t know... Him and Kellin there sort of… I don’t know…I mean he’s not like gay….. but I mean he really cares about him….” Mike smiled obnoxiously. “Okay so let me get this straight…. The guy who got shot that’s Kellin there on tour with you guys and he and your brother are….. fucking?” Mike’s thoughts went sour, “Uhm I’m gonna say no just because no…. Just no.. They wouldn’t… no… that’s…. no.” “Oh I mean if you never thought about it that way I mean that’s cool…” Maya said now concerned she might have said something terribly wrong. Mike grimaced looking through the window at Kellin and Vic. He shook his head “Nope. He would tell me…. I mean they kissed in front of Jaime….He would tell me….” Maya looked up at mike pulling his face to hers; she kissed him lightly and said, “Just don’t think about it. It’s fine.” Mike pulled off his beanie and ran his finger through his still wet hair. He took a deep breath, turned on his heels and opened the door. He walked back into the room and smiled at Jaime.
Jaime looked over at Tony, “So about getting food… Wanna go on an adventure?” Tony nodded his head and said “Yea I haven’t eaten anything in forever.” Maya looked up and said “Yea same Mike, I’m gonna go try to find the cafeteria with Tony and Jaime.” “Okay.” said Mike kissing her softly on the forehead. Mike walked over to Vic and put his hand on his bare shoulder. The base o his palm hit his new stiches and he promptly swung his hand back. Vic sighed “It’s not…. I just…. It was hard okay.” Mike looked at the half moon stiches on his back. “What the fuck did you do that with?” he asked slight amounts disgust in his voice. “Bottle.” Vic mumbled trying to avoid Mike’s eyes. Mike just sighed and walked across the room the one of the chairs against the far wall. “Vic… I know you really want to be with Kellin right now but since he’s out can I talk to you for a sec. Please.”
Vic looked up at him and slowly made his way to the chair beside him. Vic picked at his stitches nervously, Mike took a deep breath. “So you…. You’re uhm….” He couldn’t figure out what to say. Vic looked up at him curiously, still scratching his stitches. “What?” he said lowly already know what Mike was trying to say. “You ad uhm Kellin you guys don’t…… uhm.” Once again he didn’t finish his sentence. Vic didn’t answer; he just twisted nervously in his chair waiting for Mike to ask a real question. Mike re adjusted his hat, “You’re uhm…. Are you like…. Gay?” the words stung his throat. He didn’t think he wanted to know the answer. Vic sighed and took his gaze from Mike to Kellin. “If Kellin remembers…… us… when he wakes up…. I’ll do anything to be with him.” Vic stopped and looked at Mike. “I uhm well… I was just wondering because… Well Maya brought up some uhm… You guys like… uhm with each other…..” Vic eyes went wide he choked on his own spit. “Uhhhhhhhhhhh………” Mike shook his head “I don’t want to know don’t tell me. I don’t that was dumb I don’t…..” Mike stuttered through various sentences. Vic was completely caught off guard he didn’t even know the answer… he didn’t know what he and Kellin were. He decided that if Kellin woke up and didn’t remember any of it he would never bring it up. He stood up and walked back over to Kellin’s bedside; he took Kellin’s hand in his and intertwined their fingers. Kellin’s hand began to tighten around his, this was it.
