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*Luke's P.O.V*
I walk round and round the waiting room of the San Francisco General Hospital, trying not to freak out and break into the operating room.

"Luke, calm down, dude, you're gonna wreck the floor if you keep on walking on the same line" says Ashton, sat by Michael's side.

"Yeah, man, try to relax" Michael adds.

"Relax?" I spit. "Do you think I could fucking relax when my girlfriend is somewhere inside this goddamn hospital and I haven't heard from her for two freaking hours?!"

"Getting nervous won't help! Come sit here with us, let's just patiently wait."

"Hey, Luke, I got you a Twix" Calum comes back from the vending machine. "Any news?"

I shake my head, trying hard to swallow the knot in my throat. Calum passes me the Twix but I can't even stand looking at it; if I eat anything right now I'm pretty sure I might just throw up.

Sighing, I sit on a chair away from the boys. I hold my head in my hands, harshly pulling my own hair.

I'm worried to death.

"Uh, Luke" Michael whispers and I look up to face him. He points at somewhere on the corridor. "Is that Austin?"

I frown, glowering at the direction he was pointing.

"It can't be, he lives in Charl..."

Oh hell no.

Striding through the corridor, the guy comes towards us. He doesn't see me glaring at him as he passes by and tries breaking into the aisle that takes to the rooms. A nurse comes after him and puts her hand on his shoulder, guiding him back to the waiting room.

Looking devastated, his gaze finally meets mine.

I know he's just as happy to see me as I am.

"Lucas?" He asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

"For the last time, it's Luke" I snap, standing up to stop right in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" He laughs sarcastically. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my freaking girlfriend in there" I point to the forbidden aisle. "Do you think I wouldn't show up?"

"Well I thought you guys had broken up, I don't think you were here during Valentine's Day" He grins devilishly at me.

I swear I'm about to punch his face when Michael comes around, holding my arm tight.

"Hi there, Austin, remember me?" He greets.

"Yes. Hi, Michael."

"I'm sorry, but don't you live in Charlotte?"

"I got a job offer in town" He responds, staring at me. "I'm moving in permanently in two months."

My breath is becoming even more unsteady, my hands are shaking in anger. This motherfucker can't be serious.

"Um, congratulations. Do you know what happened to Laurel? We don't have any details."

I abruptly pull back my arm, leaving Michael's reach.

Austin takes a deep breath, scratching his nape.

"It was around 6pm, Laurel was leaving campus. I offered her a ride back to her apartment but she refused it, saying she'd get a cab. I don't exactly know what happened because when she ditched me I headed to my car, but suddenly I heard horns, then a burn out and finally a crash. I ran back to the street to see what happened. The cab was literally in pieces, another car hit it from behind, the brake probably wasn't working and the driver lost the control.
When I saw it was Laurel's cab I hurriedly called 911. Some guys from college showed up to help."

I make up the whole scenario in my mind, feeling my stomach contracting at the images. I squint, trying to shoo the vision.

I sit next to Ashton, nervously shaking my legs.

"When is this surgery over, for Christ's sake" I whine, trying to remain sane.

Calum yawns, scratching his eyes.

"What time is it?" asks Michael.

"4am." Ashton replies.

I cough.

"You can go now, Austin." I say, coldly. "I'm here already."

Austin gasps.

"What the hell, dude? I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying."

"Fuck off!" I fire. "Stop trying man, she's my girlfriend, you won't get anything! What are you still even doing in her life?!"

"She's my goddamn friend and I wouldn't be so sure, you idiot, feelings change!" He raises his voice.

"Are you guys fucking discussing this?!" Ashton furiously stands up, trying to pull me away from the guy. "Laurel was critically injured, she's going through a surgery and you two are teasing each other?! For God's sake, fucking grow up!"

"Shhh!" The nurse frowns at us.

I clear my throat, looking away. Austin walks towards a chair, collapsing on it.

I puff, doing the same thing.

"Let's just wait" Calum says. "We'll soon have news."

•••

2 hours later...
Michael, Ashton and Calum are crowded in the corner in a heavy sleep; they're even snoring. I, on the other hand, am with this hideous headache that simply won't go away, anxiety is killing me, my stomach hurts, my heart aches... well, I guess with that bunch of information you assume I cannot fall asleep, and I probably look miserable.

So does Austin.

He tries closing his eyes but fails, groaning every once in a while.

"The wait is beating the shit out of me" He grunts.

"Tell me about it" I roll my eyes.

Austin glowers at me.

"You simply can't see the preciosity you've got in your hands, can you?"

I frown.

"What?"

"Why do you do this to Laurel? Why keeping her attached to you if you don't want to be there for her?"

"Fuck you, seriously" I angrily spit, looking away to face the wall.

"I'm serious, Luke." He insists. "How long has it been since you last saw her?"

"It's none of your business."

"Maybe not. But Laurel is completely lonely."

I turn to him again, to pay more attention. He shrugs.

"Not that she told me this exact words, but I see it in her face. She's got no friends in here except me and a guy named Jim. You're never around man."

"It's not like I don't want to be" Eyes roll. "You'd understand if you had my job."

Austin chuckles.

"Dude, if I had your job I'd be the happiest man alive. I'd have money enough to visit her every week, maybe even every day if she wanted me to! I'd take her to all the places she always wanted to go, I would write songs about her, I would sing something and dedicate it to her. And I would surely, most definitely be with her on Valentine's Day."

"I called her. And I sent flowers."

"Oh, so those sunflowers were yours?" He raises his eyebrows. "Alright, you can pretend that's enough if it makes you sleep at night. Don't worry, because I was there for her. And we went out together."

I glare at him.

"Do you want to make me mad? Do you want me to run out of patience and punch you in the face?" I hiss.

He raises his hands, innocently.

"I'm just having a civilized conversation with you, mate" He tries imitating my accent. "I'm not gonna lie, she loves you to death. But she was pretty upset you guys couldn't be together during Valentine's Day."

"She knows I couldn't!"

"It didn't stop her from being sad, though!" The guy retorts. "She's an angel, Luke. And she's under your cares for now. So don't take her for granted, just don't."

"I don't." I whisper.

"You think she's always going to be waiting for you, right?" He leans forward. "You think just because you are who you are, Laurel will never want anybody else. But guess what? Love ain't about buying fancy necklaces. It takes heart and guts."

I try holding back as much as I can.

"If you don't shut up on your own I'm ripping your tongue off." I threat in between teeth.

He grins.

"You're mad because you know it's true."

A doctor shows up at the waiting room, carrying a clipboard.

"Are you Laurel's relatives?" He asks to both of us. Ashton, Calum and Michael quickly wake up.

"Yes. I mean, I am. He's no one." I hurry, standing up and tilting my head towards the guy.

The doctor dooms my words with his gaze, but shakes his head.

"The surgery is over. She was taken to the room. You can now go see her." He smiles.

I let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank you, Lord" I whisper.

"Is she going to be okay, Doctor?" Austin asks.

"She was lucky, she's going to be completely fine. No sequelae. Shall we?"

The doctor looks behind me to my three friends.

"I'm afraid she can't get so many visitors for now."

I look at them.

"We're going back to the hotel, then. We come back tomorrow by morning" Michael says.

I nod.

The guy and I follow the Doctor through the once forbidden aisle. As we walk, he whispers, coldly.

"Be careful, Luke, you might just end up hurting her."

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Looking forward to the next update. Thanks for reading! Stay beautiful 💗 xo