2. Payno

Having to talk to doctors and staff in a hospital about the condition of your loved one is beyond the hurt that I've felt when Joana and I broke up last year in September. We broke up that time over a petty thing, something I can hardly remember now but the pain had been overwhelming because she promised she wouldn't ever come back to me again. I thought it was really the end of us but before the year ended, we managed to fix the issues and get back together again. This hurting, however, is unlike I've ever felt. This is twice the pain of my mother's death of cancer and thrice the grief of having to watch my father leave for another woman. I know it is, because Joe is the only family I have left, and if I lose him...

"He's in a state of coma right now. He's lost a lot of blood."

"We're a perfect match." I tell him, barely holding myself together.

He nods and goes on. "He has to stay in the hospital until he wakes up..."

I nod to all the doctor has to say. Joe has managed to stay alive even after being run by a car and having a severe concussion in the head. He needs to stay in the hospital until he gets better, that I am sure. The only thing that makes me worried sick now aside from his condition is how I'm supposed to pay all the bills to keep his stay here to get cured. I'm working nine to five during the weekdays, take my classes at night and work again almost all day on Saturdays and only in the morning on Sundays but I sure as hell know that bills in the hospital can get really tough. I still have tuition fees and monthly rentals to pay, utility bills and of course food... But what if I drop all my subjects and focus at work? Nah, waiting tables twenty-four-seven won't do the trick. I groan, covering my mouth when it got a little louder than I intended it to be.

I want to call Joana but I decide not to. This isn't one of her concerns. We're just in a relationship. Or are we? I don't know. I haven't talked to her yet. It frightens the hell out of me even more to talk to her now. She surely doesn't want any of these problems. She has her own share of things to deal with and knowing this won't help her a bit. I have to handle this alone. The question is, can I? I'm practically emotional and broke.

I sit close to Joe, watching his chest rise and fall, following the tubes connected to his veins, to the mask of oxygen on his face. My mind flies suddenly to the one who hit Joe in the street. I haven't asked the police about that. I rush out of Joe's room and head toward the nurse station.

"Excuse me, has the police said something about who ran over my brother?" I ask the female nurse. She's blonde, petite and beautiful but I can't care any less now.

The blond nurse shakes her head and my despair grows. "I didn't hear anything about it. I'm sorry."

If tension and worries could kill, I've probably been swimming in a pool of my own blood, just waiting for my last breath to finally leave my lungs. I have tons of bills to pay and many tables to wait and yet here I am... Damn, speaking of waiting tables, I forgot all about my job! I pull out my phone in haste, messages and call logs flooding the screen. Five missed calls from Ginger, my bronze-haired work mate and two from Liam, my best friend. None are from Joana. Even from the tons of messages not one of those are from her. The sickening feeling about Joana is resurfacing. I try to ignore it and focus on why I pull out my phone in the first place. I phoned Ginger and told her that I wouldn't make it to work today. She said she'd try to talk to Mr. Morgan, our boss. I wanted to talk to him myself but oddly, Ginger seems to have the sole power to get him to talking. Hope he allows me to take a leave and pray that he won't fire me for it.

I cannot afford to lose that job. It's practically where I get all my living from and I haven't tried anything else since then. Liam keeps telling me to grab the internship his father has offered to me last month but they've helped me through a lot already. I don't want them to think that my friendship with Liam is fake and that I'm only using him to my advantage. I've been accused of that a handful of times before. People around us keep saying that he likes me whether butch or not. I think that's completely insane. We don't see ourselves delving into anything more than friendship. He has a long-time, really gorgeous girlfriend and I have mine too, end of the story.

My phone vibrates in my hand and Liam's name is on it. I swipe the answer button.

"Dan, where the hell are you? You didn't text me the whole day. You've got me so worried!" He almost yells on the other line. He's usually sweet and calm. Whenever he acts and sounds like this, it truly means he's been through hell thinking about things or worrying just about anything. 

"I'm here in the hospital, my brother's got hit by a car---."

"What? Are you all right? How's Joe? Have you had any idea who did that? Have you filed charges? What hospital? Have you even eaten at all the whole day?"

The rush of the words from his mouth lightens my mood in a way only he can do that I can't help but smile. "One question at a time, Liam, I'm supposed to be in shock, remember? Be easy on me."

"Yeah but you still have some energy saved to pull off a joke. Seems like you're really in shock. You're not as funny as you usually are anymore."

I make a snorting sound and he laughs lightly, knowing by now that I'm scrunching my nose up at his remark. "Fine, I'm in..." I give him the name of the hospital and tip him with details about the room number and stuff.

"I'll get there as soon as I can." He promises.

"Thanks. Be safe, okay? I don't want any more bad news for today."

"I will be. Bye." And the line's been cut.

If there's another man in this world I care so much about without cringing at the thought of it besides Joe, it's Liam. It's definitely him.

It didn't take long for me to finally see my best friend sauntering toward the room. His brows are furrowed and the lines of his face are scrunched with stress. "Dan!" He calls as he puts his arms around me. He's also one of many men now who rocks the famous skinny jeans.

I return the gesture and lean my head on his shoulder. "Liam, I'm so glad you're here."

He looks me up and down and shakes his head. "You look like hell, Dan. I can tell you haven't eaten all day and..." He gently pats my cheeks with his hankie. "... You've been crying."

Have I? Yeah I am. I just don't admit it when I do. To me, it's a sign of weakness.

"Here, I brought you something." He puts a paper bag of food on the table and walks across the room to check on Joe. "What did the doctor say?"

I walk to his side and slip my arm through his. Yes, this is how comfortable I am with him that I can cling onto his arm whenever I feel the need to. We've been friends like forever. I tell him about the need for Joe to stay and the possibility of not waking up soon.

"We will help you with the bills, Dan. You don't have to worry about it."

"No, I can manage." I lie.

He frowns hard. I can tell he's grown really annoyed now. "Yes, you can but I insist. I will help you."

"Liam, you've been helping me for so long. Your parents---."

"My parents love you and they don't give a s**t if I spend money on you."

"I know but you see. People talk."

"Who cares, Dan?"

"I do." I admit, looking at Joe's unconscious face.

"Fine, how about you consider this as debt?"

"I'm already indebted to you my whole life!"

"Dan, I will pay and you will pay me back. End of story."

I take in the small smile on his face when I haven't said anything. He's just so thoughtful and it seems so easy for him to lend me a hand each time.

"What?" He presses.

I allow a small smile. "Why is it so easy for you to help me?"

His gaze falls, his lips a straight line. He shrugs and smiles again. "Because you're my best friend and I love you."

I laugh lightly. When he's the one saying that, I don't get annoyed or anything. "Really, even if people talk s**t about me? Even if in high school, they called me the loser while you're always the perfect Liam Payne?"

"Who gives a s**t about high school now, Dan? We're both in college and you're well-admired."

"By girls." I claim.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, by girls, and some boys."

"Shut up, Liam." Now that just made me cringe. He'll bring that up, that some of the boys in his class will ask him who I am and stuff. "They're just curious why I'm more handsome than they are."

"Okay, so they find time to ask for your number just so they can ask you that?"

"Don't you dare give my number to any of those pricks." I snarl and he laughs. That's insane. I wear same old white shirts and black jeans every day with my long brunette hair always pulled up in a ponytail. Who would give a damn? There are lots of well-groomed girls and sexy chicks in the campus.

"I will never. I will always be privileged to be the only man on Earth besides Joe to have your number." He responds, still grinning from ear to ear. He seems to be really enjoying himself. He always does when he knows he's pushed one of my buttons.

"Okay, so shall we eat?" I ask him.

"Seriously, Dan, who says 'shall' these days? You gotta have to stop watching old movies." He walks toward the paper bag and I swat him the moment I reach him.

"I'm not watching old movies." I bite back.

"Okay, okay." He puts one arm around my shoulders and holds me close. I let him. I always do.

The door opens that distracts the both of us. I'm shocked and relieved at the same time to see that girl with pair of hazel eyes, floral summer dress and long, perfectly curled, blond hair stepping into the room. Liam's arm drops as I take in the sight of Joana looking from Liam, to me then to Joe.

"Joana." I gasp, meeting her in the doorway.

"I heard about what happened." She murmurs, her voice barely perceptible.

"Um, yeah." I don't know exactly how to respond to her. She was blaring mad at me this morning.

"You could've at least told me." She snaps.

My gaze falls. "I didn't want to disturb you. You were so... angry."

"I'm going to have to make some calls." Liam interjects, passing by and leaving us in the room.

All I can do is to stare at Joana with my mouth slightly open in confusion and surprise. She looks at me once more and heads straight to Joe.

"How is he?" She asks.

I tell her the same thing I've told Liam.

"Where will you get the money?" She always is the more straightforward between the two of us. I'm the one who acts like a guy but she's somewhat firmer and stronger than me despite her goody-goody look. She's not a lesbian. She likes to call herself bi. Well, she also likes boys. She admitted that to me before we enter into a relationship. I was the one who pursued her so I couldn't expect her to be like me who doesn't give men a second glance.

"Liam will help." I tell her.

"Liam?" She repeats.

I don't know but for some reason, she doesn't like Liam.

"Yes, but I promise to pay him back." I step closer to her but she turns away. My heart aches instantly. I try to ignore it.

"Okay, I just dropped by to check on you and to bring you these." She settles a plastic bag full of groceries and food.

"Thank you." I want to walk to her and pull her close to me but I'm afraid she will just ditch my gesture like the last time.

She nods and looks at me hesitantly. "I have to go now."

"I will walk you out."

"No, my... mom's outside."

Double ouch. Yeah, I get it. I nod and look away. "Can I at least... call you later?"

"Hmm, sure."

"Okay."

"Okay." She looks back and forth to me and Joe and heads out without saying anything.

I watch the door as it closes, not sure what to feel at the moment. I'm both lost and found at Joana's visit. She's acting so cold again the way she always does when she hates me but I still cannot deny that her simple gesture of visiting relieves me in a way. At least, she still cares about me.

Author's Note

Again, you can check the story in Wattpad. It's through this link:
https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/51370252-bound-to-share-harry-styles-au