[never been jealous of a water bottle before but there's a moment for everything I guess.]

The nurse returned with the doctor, and they greeted me, both going over to the sink and taking turns washing their hands.

"Viola Mathers?" The doctor questions.

"That's me."

"What's the problem?" The doctor asks.

"Nothing, 'm fine."

"Then why are you here?"

"Ask him." I pointed at Luke. The man raised an eyebrow at Luke. "He forced me."

"She fell out of a tree and hit her head and hurt her ankle. She's trying to blow it off, but it seems really serious. She's been slurring her words and blanking out, and she can't even walk on her left foot."

"Stacie, can you examine her, please?"

The dark haired nurse pulls a pair of gloves from her blue scrubs, snapping them on her hands before doing yet another evaluation of me.

"This is the fifth one of these I've had." I groan, trying to follow the light with my eyes. She starts to feel my head and I wince when she brushes against a tender spot on the back of it. She lets go and looks at the doctor.

"I'm going to look at this bump on your head." The doctor says, walking around the table I'm on and moving my hair aside so he can see. "Hm, there's a bit of dried blood back here. Do you remember bleeding?"

"No," I say, because I can't shake my head with his hands all over it. "My friend did an exam like this right after it happened and he didn't find anything. We're nursing students."

"Well, it's good you brought her here right after it happened," The doctor looked to Luke.

"Oh, she's not talking about me. She was with other friends, they dropped her home and she tried to go to her apartment before I stopped her and brought her here."

"A nursing student who didn't want to come to the hospital," The doctor chuckled, looking at my eyes. "There's a surprise."

I huffed. Typical doctors.

"Have you had any headache or heard any ringing in your ears?" The doctor asks as the nurse looks in my ears.

"No."

Luke coughs knowingly.

"We're going to need you to be honest, Viola, if we're going to be able to take care of you," he reminds me, picking up his pen and clipboard. "You of all people should know that."

I groan.

"Fine. I had a lil' bit of a headache, no ringing sound."

"Good." He makes a couple notes on his chart as the nurse asks me to open my mouth so she can continue doing an exam. "How about dizziness, nausea, vomiting?"

"Yes, yes, yes." The doctor looks at me, asking with a tilt of his head for me to explain. "I feel dizzy if I move my head too much, I got nauseated in the car and if I move too fast, and I threw up in the waiting room before when I moved my head to the side."

"Thank you." He writes some more notes. "Are you tired at all, and is your vision blurry?"

"Not really tired, but once I closed my eyes for a bit and when I opened them I had trouble focusing."

"Uhm, she kept falling asleep in the waiting room," Luke interjected hesitantly. "And in the car. I kept talking to her so she wouldn't sleep."

"I don't remember that." I said. I don't remember much of the car ride here, actually.

"Okay, this is all great, thank you for explaining. We're going to do a CAT scan to make sure there's no bleeding in your brain."

"What about her ankle?" Luke asks.

The doctor nods, putting his clipboard down.

"Okay, Viola, I'm going to take off your shoe and roll up your pants, that okay?"

"Sure, why not." I lean back against the chair and let him unlace my shoes.

As soon as he does, I close my eyes.

"Hey, Viola? I know it's hard, but I really need you to keep your eyes open," the nurse tells me. "You can talk to me, if you want."

"WHERE IS SHE?" Someone yells from the hallway.

"Sir, you can't just--" The exam room door is whipped open, I feel like it could have been broken off its hinges if it was opened any faster.

"Vi!" Ashton's eyes frantically look around the room until they land on me, releasing all the tension in his body. He rushes over to me, wrapping me in a hug.

"Sir, please get off of her." The doctor says, but Ashton ignores him. He pulls away slightly, holding my shoulders and looking at me right in the eyes. I try to focus on his face, but it's hard because the look I thought I'd see is there; the pity, the concern, the worry. Also my head hurts, and focusing on anything is difficult.

"Sir, I'm going to need you to step back. We're in the middle of an examination of the patient."

"This is my boyfriend, doctor, he's okay."

"That doesn't mean--"

"I'm going to go wait in the waiting room," Luke says above all the noise. "It's crowded in here, and I'm sure all this isn't good for Vi. Ashton, take care of her?"

"Of course," Ashton doesn't hesitate for a moment.

The nurse looks to Luke.

"I'm going to come out with you and get just a little bit more information from you, since you were actually there for most of it."

Luke nods and he and the nurse leave the room.

"Vi, baby, what happened?"

Before I could answer, the doctor cleared his throat, pushing Ashton back.

"You can stay in here, but you need to let me finish the examination."

Ashton looked like he was ready to fight the doctor, but once he looked at me and saw my bruised leg, he stepped back nodding.

"Okay, I'm going to take your shoe off." The doctor told me, and I winced as he wiggled the converse off. It was tighter than usual, and once the shoe was off, we realized why.

My ankle was entirely swollen, and it puffed up once it was out of the tight casing it had been in. It was all blue and purple, it looked nasty.

"Oh, god Vi, what did you do?"

The doctor looked at me too, wanting to get as much information as he could.

"I was hammocking with my school friends and the rope got caught all the way up in this tall tree so I climbed up to un-stick it, but the branch was apparently weak 'n it caused me to fall on the ground. I think the branch fell on me, too."

Ashton just looked at me, jaw on the floor. The doctor only nods and writes something in his notepad.

"Okay, we're going to do a CAT scan for your head and an X-ray on your leg to see what's really going on, Viola. I'm going to go order the tests, and I'm going to bring Luke back in here since he knows the drill, and you guys can wait in here until we're ready."

The doctor shook my hand and nodded to Ashton before leaving the room. The door clicking closed was the last sound we heard, and it echoed around in my head, because the silence in the room was deadly.

Ashton crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me.

He was wearing a black t-shirt and ripped black skinny jeans. The shirt he was wearing showed off his muscles and tattoos, and he looked really good, but his face was so angry, I didn't know what to do. How do you even start a conversation like this?

"A simple explanation for why I had to hear about my girlfriend being in the hospital from my best friend instead of my girlfriend would be a great way to start this conversation." He bit out sarcastically. Shit, I must have said that last part out loud.

I looked down at the floor.

"W-well, I was going to tell you," I wince when he exhales deeply. That wasn't right, I should not have said that. "I-I just didn't want anyone to worry, I t-thought this was better."

"How would this make me worry less? You were supposed to be home to make dinner for your roommates, and when I got back from class they were asking me where you were, like I should know since you weren't around. We'd been calling and texting you for hours and you didn't reply to anyone. I got a text from Luke saying you were here and you were "all right" and that's it." He was almost screaming, but I could tell he was trying to reign it in. He had a temper that was threatening to burst, but for my sake he tried to stay calm. "How the FUCK was that supposed to make me worry less?"

"I-I'm sorry," I felt a tear slip out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't dare move to wipe it away.

"That's not good enough, Vi." I look at his face quickly before the intensity causes me to drop my gaze. He's beyond pissed. The door opens and Luke walks in quietly, slipping in to stand by the hand washing sink with wide eyes. Ashton doesn't even look at him, he keeps staring at my face but I can't look in his eyes. "I know you like to be independent, and god, I love that about you. But you aren't alone. You're not the only person in your life who's effected by your actions now. We're dating, in case you forgot. I care for you, we care for each other. We tell each other that every day!" He takes a shuddering breath before continuing his rant. I don't even think about interrupting him. "I know you care about me, but when you do shit like this it makes me think you don't. How could you not tell me about this? This is a big deal." He points to my leg. "I would like to think I'm important enough to you that you'd tell me that something happened to you so I'm not a clueless fuck waiting for you at home."

"Of course you're important to me, Ashton." I breathe out. He's the only one I think about.

"Words are great, Vi, but tonight hasn't proved that to me. We talk a lot about this, equal partners and all that. I've been working on it, you know I have." He pauses, waiting for me to acknowledge. I nod my head, even though it hurts.

"Don't move your head, Vi," Luke whispers. It sounds like he's in pain, and I'm sure this isn't fun for him.

"Okay, so then why can't you meet me halfway? It's not unreasonable, is it? Am I asking too much from you?"

"N-no." Because he isn't. I should be able to involve him in my life, but for some reason, every time I think about it, something convinces me not to.

"Great. So we've got that figured out." He scoffs and rolls his eyes, flopping down into the chair next to the patient bed. He puts his head in his hands and takes a couple deep breaths. "I've thought about this a lot, Vi. I don't know if I can keep doing this."

My heart almost stops at his words.

Is he saying what I think...?

"Ashton," Luke gasps in warning. "Think about what you're saying, buddy. We're in the hospital, Vi is about to have a lot of tests done. Is this really the best time?"

"There's never a good time to tell someone why their relationship is failing!" Ashton wails, punching his leg with a closed fist. "But this has happened too many times."

"Hey," Luke walks over to him and kneels in front of him. I can't do anything except attempt to breathe. He can't break up with me. I need him. "Ashton, look at me." Luke commands, but he keeps his eyes screwed shut, trying to keep the tears at bay. Luke pats his cheek a couple times and Ashton opens his eyes. "I know you're upset, I know this is really tough," Luke whispers, rubbing Ashton's arm comfortingly. "It's not easy now, it's never going to be easy. But I need you to think about what you're saying and make sure you really mean it. Word's can't be taken back. Don't do anything you'll regret. Why don't you go sit in the lobby and wait there and think while I stay here and take Vi to her test."

Ashton lets out a strangled sob and shakes his head.

"No. I'm gonna go home."

"Ashton,"

He stands up, shaking Luke off. Luke falls backwards onto the floor, and stays there, watching my boyfriend leave.

"Ash, please." I find my voice and speak up as his hand hovers over the doorknob.

"Ash, please what?" He keeps his back to me.

"Can we talk about this?"

He lets his hand drop from the door.

"I don't think there's anything left to say."

Those are probably the most heartbreaking words a person could hear. It makes it sound like he's given up and he doesn't care enough to put the effort in.

"Ash, please. I know I messed up, but if you give me another chance-"

"Another chance?" He whirls around, walking close to where I'm sitting, stepping around Luke who finally gets up. I try not to flinch at the anger in his eyes. "Vi, how many chances do I have to give you? We've talked and talked and talked about this. I know you're keeping secrets from me about your past, and I'm okay with that. You don't have to tell me everything, but you do have to be honest with me. You haven't been putting in as much effort to this 'equal partnership' as I have, and it shows. It sounds good on paper, but you're too stubborn." He laughs. "That's something I love about you, but also something that frustrates the hell out of me, too."

"I can change," I say in a small voice. "I can, just let me show you."

Ashton looks like someone just stabbed him. He lets the vulnerable look pass his face before locking it behind an emotionless mask.

"That's just it, Vi. You can change, but you won't. If you wanted to, we wouldn't be in this situation right now." He shakes his head and walks back towards the door. I don't want him to leave, I need him to stay.

I know it isn't a good idea, but I can't help the words already spilling over my lips.

"I thought you cared about me. How could you leave me alone in a situation like this? If you loved me as much as you claim you do, you wouldn't leave me."

Ashton freezes and Luke sucks in a breath. I bite my lip, knowing I've gone too far.

So slowly it hardly looks like he's moving, Ashton turns to face me. If I thought he was angry before, it doesn't even compare to the fury in his features now. His jaw is clenched so hard, he could break his teeth. His nostrils flare, his eyes are blazing. His shoulder are tense and his hands are clenched into fists, I can see where his nails are making marks in his skin and his knuckles are white.

Luke had moved over to sit in the chair at some point during mine and Ashton's exchange, though neither of us noticed. He's perched on the edge of it, ready to get up and mediate if he needs to. Not that either of us is a violent person, but this whole situation is kind of messed up.

"How dare you." Ashton starts shaking and begins pacing in front of my bed, tugging his fingers through his hair roughly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." I choke on my words.

"Don't even speak right now." He lets out a humorless laugh. "You have no right to say any of that. My life literally revolves around you. I would do anything for you. I'm not perfect, not by a long shot. I don't always say or do the right thing. But there's no way you could ever make the accusation that I don't care about you. That's bullshit, and a really low blow, Viola."

I hang my head in shame. I knew it wasn't right when I said it. I just didn't want him to leave, I had to do something.

"I'm not going to say I put more effort into our relationship than you did, because I don't know what it was like from your perspective. But you cannot tell me that I don't care about you." he walks over to me and puts his finger under my chin so I'm forced to look at him. "Look in my eyes and tell me I don't care about you. If you can do it, then I'll just leave, because what's the point in being in a relationship when you don't care about the other person?"

I shake my head, closing my eyes to look away.

"Vi," Luke warns. "Your head."

"Eyes open, baby. You can't keep your eyes closed." Ashton doesn't sound like himself. He's mocking me. I force myself to meet his eyes. "Come on, tell me I don't care about you," his grip on my jaw tightens, but I don't react. I deserve this, I deserve anything he does to me. "Go on, Vi, I dare you." He starts losing it, sobbing in my face. "Say it again. Say it! Say it, Vi, do it."

"Ashton," Luke gets up and pulls Ashton away from he as he keeps sobbing, trying to keep him from hurting me. "Hey, buddy, it's okay." Ashton clings onto Luke's shirt for a moment before composing himself. He looks at me again, pain written across his features.

"I have no idea what I'd do without you, Vi, and hearing that you think I don't care about you feels like a knife in the back."

"Of course I don't think that. I wasn't thinking when I said it."

He shakes his head.

"I don't think you understand. I'm not joking when I say I wouldn't be able to live without you. You're my whole life, Vi. You're the reason I get up in the morning, the reason I have a smile on my face when I go to bed at night. If you weren't with me..."

"You'd be fine without me, Ashton. You're just saying that." There's no way someone would care about me this much.

Tears fall down his face.

"No, I wouldn't be fine. I'd be a wreck without you; you're my everything."

I shake my head and Luke gives me a look.

"I know it probably feels that way, but you'd be able to move on from me. I'm nothing special, there's no reason to care for me that much." I mutter. He's just making all this up. Maybe he cares about me a little, but this seems really dramatic.

"I don't know what's causing you to believe that, but if you're doubting my love for you, I think we're done."

My breath hitches at the finality in his words.

"I've tried to prove myself to you over and over, Vi, but you just won't accept it. I can only throw myself at a brick wall so many times before I'm the one who starts getting hurt. Clearly the brick wall isn't going to give any time soon, and now it's time for me to deal with the cuts and bruises." All the emotion is drained from his voice and face and he looks exhausted.

"Ashton, I'm sorry."

"I can't listen to that right now. Every time we fight, you make it seem like you're going to work at the problem, but then the next time something happens, you go back to how you were before. I don't know what made you this way, but I can't keep doing this."

Without a second glance, he hastily makes his way out of the room.

***

I'm crying, is that normal?

I would love to know your thoughts on this chapter. I kinda have no idea what I'm doing right now? This didn't turn out how I wanted it, butttttt we'll see ahahh 

I probably will be able to update again tonight, I've got a cold so I probably will be able to write most of the day since I'm not allowed to go anywhere lol 

Hope you're all having a good day/night :D 

~ashtonfortherwin