One-Night Stand Forever - [Twenty-Two (2/2)]
"…a little out of it from the anesthesia," a thick voice spoke.
A glimmer of yellow light slipped through the barely existent crack in Ryan's eyelids. He was quick to shut them tight. All of the sudden, the black world he was floating in began spinning, leaving him desperate to escape. He reopened his eyes.
Blurry figures simultaneously sighed.
"There you are," the blonde one said, voice much too soothing. It was someone familiar, he knew that much.
His eyes regained focus. Right in front of him, Brendon was sitting in a hospital chair, crying.
"Wh… Why…" Ryan trailed off. His mouth just couldn't produce the words, so he lifted his arm instead, pointing straight at the boy a few linoleum tiles away. Maja moved closer and grabbed a hold of his outstretched hand. The comfort was greatly appreciated. He felt so lost.
"Ryan," she said. She sounded regretful. In Ryan's mind, he didn't want regretful. He wanted happy, cheerful, full of life; nothing like the lifelessness in Maja's tone.
Wait. The baby. He hadn't even seen the baby.
"My baby." He popped up into a seated position, voice and sobriety reappearing.
Maja smiled. "Don't worry. Everything's fine. Brendon's just shaken up a bit. This is overwhelming for him, I guess." She bit her lip. "Ryan, don't get all worried, but… the baby was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck." Ryan felt his feet sliding closer to the edge of the bed. He was going to find his baby. He didn't really care what anyone else said. He had to know if he was okay. "Wait, wait!" Maja exclaimed. She placed her unoccupied hand on his shoulder and coaxed him back into a laying position. "They already cut it off. It's okay. He's okay."
"Where is he?" he asked, and her eyes floated to something over his shoulder. Ryan released her hand and twisted around to look.
There was William. William and a bundle of powder blue blankets in his arms.
"Ryan," his best friend squeaked. With one look down at the squirming form, Will took a few steps forward, handing the lump of fabric to the boy who had propped himself up into a seated position on the hospital bed. His eyes glistened with something close to greed.
The moment, the exact moment that Ryan's hazel eyes met another's, he involuntarily let out a feeble sob. It was so real, this thing he was holding. Before, it had just been a mere accessory to his body, a hideous bump, and now it had taken on a different form. It was something so beautiful and so desired.
A blinding flash and Ryan glanced up with swimming eyes.
"Just getting a few shots," Jon explained. "Smile!"
Flash.
Spencer grinned from behind him, arctic blue eyes dancing to the chairs on the other side of the room. "Maybe if Brendon can stop crying for two seconds, we can get a family photo."
"Shut the fuck up," Brendon muttered. His hands flew to his eyes.
"No cussing in front of lil' Gabanti!" Gabe piped in between kisses to William's cheek and pleas of, "Let's have our own baby, Bilvy!"
As Brendon approached, face still shining from drying tears, Ryan's brain did a backflip. Quickly rewinding through everything that had happened that night, he stopped abruptly on the image of a man walking into the room and the calling of his name. His real name. Brendon's eyes had been so calm as Ryan's screamed for help, if someone could please magically remove the drugs from his system so he could have stayed awake a moment longer.
"How'd he know?" he asked. Brendon raised an eyebrow and paused in his tracks. "The doctor. How'd he know my real name?"
A tick of the clock and guilt, lumpy, viscous guilt, poured into Brendon's skin and out of his eye sockets. "Oh, shit. I… I forgot. I'm sorry." William was held back by Gabe. "It just slipped my mind, I mean," Brendon's Adam's apple bobbed viciously and he looked over the boy on the bed to the other boy struggling in his boyfriend's arms, "I was rushed! Ryan was in the car! I wasn't thinking!"
"Well that's pretty fucking obvious!" William fought, utilizing the only weapon available. "What does that mean for Ryan? Five? Ten thousand dollars? It's only fair that you pay for it now."
Brendon's face adopted sudden composure. "Seeing as you're the one who was going to use all of precious daddy's meaningless money in the first place, I think this should be your responsibility."
"You don't understand," a meek voice said. All eyes turned to Ryan. "The bill was going to go to William's dad, meaning he would most likely get his assistant to pay it for him. In this case, Will would be required to hand me the money in cash. He can't ask for that in cash. It's too suspicious."
Spencer stepped forward and put his hands together behind his back. "We can all chip in. There's… what? Six of us here? I'm sure a few other people wouldn't mind helping, either." The bearded boy next to him nodded behind the repetitive snapping of pictures.
"Let us know when the bill arrives," he said, "and we'll be sure to get you the required money."
"Please, don't," Ryan requested. He frowned down at his baby. "This whole thing is really my fault. I shouldn't have been so selfish as to agree to William's plan in the first place. My mom is bound to have the money lying around somewhere."
Brendon continued to close in on the hospital bed, reaching out to pet at a head of fine, barely visible, chocolate strands. "How about we just worry about it later, yeah? When the bill arrives? Right now it's all about celebrating Walker."
"True. I'm sure all of this arguing isn't the best welco-"
Maja's words were cut short by Ryan's boiling glare. The temperature of the room increased by nearly a million degrees, specifically in Brendon's general area.
"I'm so in love with his name!" Jon cheered, oblivious to his surroundings.
"Brendon." It was an order. A demand for an explanation.
Brendon rolled his eyes. "I filled out the forms and everything, but I was waiting for you to wake up. I swear the name box is still empty."
"Now, wait just a minute," William seethed. Ryan's now wide eyes didn't make contact with guilt-spitting brown orbs; he sunk down into the stiff mattress, making sure to keep the baby comfortable against his biceps. A large black hole would've been a greatly appreciated guest at this fucked up welcoming party. "I was told he was being named after me. Beckett. You know, the last name of Ryan's best friend."
All hell broke loose when the best friends' eyes met.
A glimmer of yellow light slipped through the barely existent crack in Ryan's eyelids. He was quick to shut them tight. All of the sudden, the black world he was floating in began spinning, leaving him desperate to escape. He reopened his eyes.
Blurry figures simultaneously sighed.
"There you are," the blonde one said, voice much too soothing. It was someone familiar, he knew that much.
His eyes regained focus. Right in front of him, Brendon was sitting in a hospital chair, crying.
"Wh… Why…" Ryan trailed off. His mouth just couldn't produce the words, so he lifted his arm instead, pointing straight at the boy a few linoleum tiles away. Maja moved closer and grabbed a hold of his outstretched hand. The comfort was greatly appreciated. He felt so lost.
"Ryan," she said. She sounded regretful. In Ryan's mind, he didn't want regretful. He wanted happy, cheerful, full of life; nothing like the lifelessness in Maja's tone.
Wait. The baby. He hadn't even seen the baby.
"My baby." He popped up into a seated position, voice and sobriety reappearing.
Maja smiled. "Don't worry. Everything's fine. Brendon's just shaken up a bit. This is overwhelming for him, I guess." She bit her lip. "Ryan, don't get all worried, but… the baby was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck." Ryan felt his feet sliding closer to the edge of the bed. He was going to find his baby. He didn't really care what anyone else said. He had to know if he was okay. "Wait, wait!" Maja exclaimed. She placed her unoccupied hand on his shoulder and coaxed him back into a laying position. "They already cut it off. It's okay. He's okay."
"Where is he?" he asked, and her eyes floated to something over his shoulder. Ryan released her hand and twisted around to look.
There was William. William and a bundle of powder blue blankets in his arms.
"Ryan," his best friend squeaked. With one look down at the squirming form, Will took a few steps forward, handing the lump of fabric to the boy who had propped himself up into a seated position on the hospital bed. His eyes glistened with something close to greed.
The moment, the exact moment that Ryan's hazel eyes met another's, he involuntarily let out a feeble sob. It was so real, this thing he was holding. Before, it had just been a mere accessory to his body, a hideous bump, and now it had taken on a different form. It was something so beautiful and so desired.
A blinding flash and Ryan glanced up with swimming eyes.
"Just getting a few shots," Jon explained. "Smile!"
Flash.
Spencer grinned from behind him, arctic blue eyes dancing to the chairs on the other side of the room. "Maybe if Brendon can stop crying for two seconds, we can get a family photo."
"Shut the fuck up," Brendon muttered. His hands flew to his eyes.
"No cussing in front of lil' Gabanti!" Gabe piped in between kisses to William's cheek and pleas of, "Let's have our own baby, Bilvy!"
As Brendon approached, face still shining from drying tears, Ryan's brain did a backflip. Quickly rewinding through everything that had happened that night, he stopped abruptly on the image of a man walking into the room and the calling of his name. His real name. Brendon's eyes had been so calm as Ryan's screamed for help, if someone could please magically remove the drugs from his system so he could have stayed awake a moment longer.
"How'd he know?" he asked. Brendon raised an eyebrow and paused in his tracks. "The doctor. How'd he know my real name?"
A tick of the clock and guilt, lumpy, viscous guilt, poured into Brendon's skin and out of his eye sockets. "Oh, shit. I… I forgot. I'm sorry." William was held back by Gabe. "It just slipped my mind, I mean," Brendon's Adam's apple bobbed viciously and he looked over the boy on the bed to the other boy struggling in his boyfriend's arms, "I was rushed! Ryan was in the car! I wasn't thinking!"
"Well that's pretty fucking obvious!" William fought, utilizing the only weapon available. "What does that mean for Ryan? Five? Ten thousand dollars? It's only fair that you pay for it now."
Brendon's face adopted sudden composure. "Seeing as you're the one who was going to use all of precious daddy's meaningless money in the first place, I think this should be your responsibility."
"You don't understand," a meek voice said. All eyes turned to Ryan. "The bill was going to go to William's dad, meaning he would most likely get his assistant to pay it for him. In this case, Will would be required to hand me the money in cash. He can't ask for that in cash. It's too suspicious."
Spencer stepped forward and put his hands together behind his back. "We can all chip in. There's… what? Six of us here? I'm sure a few other people wouldn't mind helping, either." The bearded boy next to him nodded behind the repetitive snapping of pictures.
"Let us know when the bill arrives," he said, "and we'll be sure to get you the required money."
"Please, don't," Ryan requested. He frowned down at his baby. "This whole thing is really my fault. I shouldn't have been so selfish as to agree to William's plan in the first place. My mom is bound to have the money lying around somewhere."
Brendon continued to close in on the hospital bed, reaching out to pet at a head of fine, barely visible, chocolate strands. "How about we just worry about it later, yeah? When the bill arrives? Right now it's all about celebrating Walker."
"True. I'm sure all of this arguing isn't the best welco-"
Maja's words were cut short by Ryan's boiling glare. The temperature of the room increased by nearly a million degrees, specifically in Brendon's general area.
"I'm so in love with his name!" Jon cheered, oblivious to his surroundings.
"Brendon." It was an order. A demand for an explanation.
Brendon rolled his eyes. "I filled out the forms and everything, but I was waiting for you to wake up. I swear the name box is still empty."
"Now, wait just a minute," William seethed. Ryan's now wide eyes didn't make contact with guilt-spitting brown orbs; he sunk down into the stiff mattress, making sure to keep the baby comfortable against his biceps. A large black hole would've been a greatly appreciated guest at this fucked up welcoming party. "I was told he was being named after me. Beckett. You know, the last name of Ryan's best friend."
All hell broke loose when the best friends' eyes met.