I think this has been made super clear on this blog: Green Day isn’t just my favorite band, they are now somehow part of who I am. This all began one late night nearly 10 years ago with a lyric booklet in hand and punk rock chords meshed with harsh lyrics bursting through my speakers. To this day I’m fairly convinced that I was not the same person by the last notes of “Whatsername” as I was at…
Title: Hospital Allergy
Fandom: American Idol (season 10)
Prompt: Hospital stay
Medium: fic
Wordcount: 1,325
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: Sometimes he forgets that it isn't always doom and gloom at a hospital. Good things happen there too.
Scotty walked through the building trying to ignore the distinct smell that seemed to come with hospitals. Aside from the smell Scotty was just never all that fond of hospitals in general. Setting foot in the place made the anxiety he had been feeling the past few days to just kind of implode inside him. He weaved through the halls and sighed as he came across a very familiar nurse’s station. He was getting closer. He tried to smile at the nurses as he walked past them but it probably didn’t look very sincere.
Scotty tried not to exhale heavily as he finally reached his destination.
He walked into the room noticing one of the beds empty. On his last visit, there had been an old man lying there trying to strike conversation with their roommate while watching TV. He was a nice enough man. Scotty hoped that he was okay and relieved of what was ailing him. Brushing past the privacy curtain he stopped at the foot of the other, very much occupied, bed.
The occupant smiled at him. “There’s my favorite visitor.”
Scotty attempted to smile back. “That’s me.”
“C’mon aren’t you happy to see me?”
“Of course I am, Casey.” He took a seat beside the bed.
His boyfriend wasn’t impressed. “Then smile!”
He tried again, managing a weak one. Casey wasn’t satisfied but he didn’t look like he was going push.
“I’m sorry,” he ducked his head. “I just don’t like seein’ you here and it’s hard smilin’ when I’m so worried.”
Casey gave his arm a reassuring pat. “I’m fine, Scotty. The doctor says I’ll be out in no time, in a few days in fact, so stop worrying. I’m not gonna kick the bucket.”
Cringing was almost hard to not do at his boyfriend’s choice words.
“Glad you’ll be home soon but don’t even joke, okay?” Scotty looked back up to meet his eyes. “You scared me, Abrams.”
Casey frowned as he took his hand back, any merriment in his expression leaving and Scotty looked away.
He shouldn’t feel guilty for being worried about his boyfriend. People wound up in the hospital for usually very serious reasons after all, and just because Casey wasn’t going to take it seriously didn’t mean he wasn’t. His health wasn’t a joking matter.
“Look, I’m sorry okay? I didn’t want to scare you or end up here. You know that.”
Scotty shrugged as he tried to will away the prickling at his eyes. “I know.”
“I mean it. I’m sorry Scotty.”
He swallowed still not meeting Casey’s eyes. “I know.”
Casey sighed and Scotty looked up to see him actually look like a very tired hospital patient.
“I wanna go home.”
“I know.” He reached for his hand. “I want you home too.”
His boyfriend smiled sadly. “You’re gonna watch me like an overprotective hawk when I do come home, huh?”
“You bet your ass I am Abrams.” He looked at him with the hardest expression he could muster, eyes still warm. “You’re not ending up here again, not for a very very long time, you hear me?”
Casey laughed. “I hear you.”
“You better!”
“I do!”
“Good.”
He began rubbing at Casey’s knuckles and almost sighed in relief at how warm they felt. His own were cold…
Finding him at home…he was cold then, he thought but quickly tried to shoo away.
He hated how hospitals made him think morbid thoughts. Thoughts he should never ever entertain.
There go his eyes prickling again.
Stupid hospital.
Stupid brain.
Stupid Casey and his stupid sensitive intestines.
“You okay?”
He must have been staring off again as his eyes snapped to meet Casey’s.
“Aww dude don’t cry.” Dammit stupid red prickly eyes. It was all the hospital’s fault!
He stopped rubbing and breathed in. “I’m fine.”
“No you’re not.”
Well, of course he wasn’t. He hasn’t been sleeping well ever since Casey was admitted. The empty space in their bed keeps him up all night. The home phone and his cell phone are on the nightstand in case anything happens. He tries to sleep only to have horrible snippets of things he doesn’t want to try to figure out.
If he could he’d stay at the hospital 24/7 but he knows it’s not allowed.
So he continues to be miserable. He continues to think the worst is going to happen if he lets himself get too hopeful. He prays every night for some relief and comfort. He should be grateful that Casey is getting out soon but he can’t help that he’s scared. It scares the hell out of him. Casey shouldn’t be in the hospital in the first place. But no, the idiot had to be stupid and eat something he knew he wasn’t supposed to eat and got himself sent to this place!
He doesn’t realize that the prickly feeling has won out and he’s freely crying now.
It figures.
Casey just moves aside to make room for him then pulls him onto the bed. Scotty doesn’t even argue as Casey holds him, letting him cry and carry on. It’s ridiculous. Casey’s the one in the hospital yet here he was being a total mess and being comforted. But it’s all Casey’s fault in the first place. He’s the reason why they’re in the hospital and why he’s so tired and…
“Shh…it’s okay, Scott.”
Scotty just blubbers something as he continues to weep.
“I got ya’, I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Better,” he manages to utter before breaking back out into ugly crying noises. He stays close to Casey’s side and for the first time in days he feels like he could just sleep.
It barely registers that Casey’s running his hands through his hair while humming something quietly. He’s just so exhausted as the tears finally let up and he can breathe evenly. He still doesn’t trust himself to speak though. He’s pretty sure his voice might crack or come out too tight and low to hear so he just stays silent and listens.
Suddenly the humming stops (just as Scotty was sure he had figured out the tune) along with the hair stroking. He looks at Casey who just looks thoughtful.
“Casey?” He wondered what his boyfriend was thinking about.
He met his eyes and smiled before wiping the last of the tears from his cheeks. “You know what I’m gonna do when I get home?”
Scotty shrugged before hazarding a guess. “I-I dunno pick up and play your sitar?”
“Nope! But not a bad idea! I’m totally out of practice.” He pursed his lips then grinned. “I was thinking you and I could relax then we could marathon South Park.”
Scotty rolled his eyes. “South Park.”
“Yup! Laughter will make my recovery even better.”
“Is that right?”
“Laughter is the best medicine.”
He couldn’t help the snort that he released.
“See? This whole thing could’ve been sped up if you were funnier.”
“Dangnabit Casey Abrams I’m gonna hit you.”
Casey let out a laugh. “See? I’m feeling better already!”
Scotty resisted the urge to just shove him off the bed (he was still hospital patient-y looking after all). “You’re such a goof.”
“You love me anyway.”
He shifted in his spot to face his boyfriend better. “I love you anyway.”
Casey smiled before swooping in for a quick kiss. “And I love you.”
“Better.”
He shifted in his spot again.
“By the way it’s called a toothbrush and toothpaste you heard of ‘em?”
“I’m in the hospital!”
“Ain’t no excuse Stink-breath.”
“Whatever!”
It wasn’t long before they both fell into a round of laughter.
Maybe hospitals weren’t so horrible. Sure they smelled that certain hospital way and there was still this foreboding feeling accompanying it. The coffee and food wasn’t that great and the people were hard to make eye-contact with. Yet if people were still able to laugh and smile it couldn’t be all that bad.
