Untitled

Hello! It's super good to meet you. I'm Madison McCarthy, but you may know me as one-half of the best duo both on and off the cheerleading team at UCLA. If you haven't met my twin brother Mason, what are you still doing here, silly? Get to it! When I'm not practicing my log rolls or basket tosses, you can see me around with this cutie named Ryder Lynn. He's my boyfriend and is the dorkiest, sweetest guy I know. We met during high school, and it's been a fairy tale ever since. ♥

[the-mads-mccarthy]

Forgotten || Rydison

[acting-ryder-lynn]

Ryder was tired of only seeing nurses who seemed to feel the need to check his vitals every 30 minutes. He really just wanted to see Madison, who he was still worried got hurt in the wreck or if she was with him at all. He heard the door open, which since he was expecting it to just be a nurse he didn’t look up. When he heard a familiar voice saying hi to him, he shot up as quickly as he could and smiled at her. “Madi!” He said in a over happy tone. She was there, in front of him and she was alright. “So you weren’t with me when I wrecked? Good. I was worried.” He said sighing of relief. “Sore and confused. I probably look that way too, the last thing I remember was us going with Mason and Jane to see Mockingjay in Lima. Which clearly we didn’t just go see that movie. If we did I wouldn’t be in a hospital in LA in February.” He said awkwardly laughing before realizing how it actually hurt to laugh. “I’m glad you’re here and that you weren’t in a wreck with me.” He said as he put his hand out, wanting to pull her closer to him. 

[the-mads-mccarthy]

To say Madison was worried was an understatement. When the doctor had mentioned Ryder having memory loss, she didn't believe it to the extent of which he was forgetting months of his life. That meant he hadn't remembered they had broken up, which killed her because the last time he had looked at her, nothing but hurt had filled his eyes. And now he was looking at her the way he used to, and one of the first thoughts when he had woken up had been about her. "I'm completely fine, Ry," she said softly when she had snapped out of her momentary freak-out and despite the fact that she felt the complete opposite of her words.

Might as well not make his condition any worse by breaking up with him all over again. Later once he's fine, she thought, rationalizing it. "We weren't together when you were in the accident. You were actually, um... well, you were drinking and driving. The other people are totally fine. You got the worst of it; they'll probably just have a sore neck for a few days. But what's important is that you're here." She smiled encouragingly, knowing just that information could be too much for him in that moment. "Really, all the way back to November? Do you at least remember the ending of Mockingjay? I remember crying into your shoulder because talk about a plot twist," Madison said as she widened her eyes and shook her head before breaking into a laugh. 

Seeing his hand reaching for her, she momentarily hesitated before she slipped her smaller hand into his much bigger one, allowing him to pull her closer. "I'm glad I'm here, too," she murmured. "I've been so worried, Ryder... I've been here for a majority of the two days you were out. Mason actually had to come by and force me to sleep back in my dorm for a few hours because sleeping in a vertical position in a hospital chair is not comfortable, let me tell you. He'll probably stop by later to check on you." She felt the tension in her shoulders ease as the pad of her thumb absentmindedly ran against the hand she held. "You are not allowed to scare me like that again, mister," Madison warned him, the corners of her lips ever so curving into a small pout.

[the-mads-mccarthy]

Forgotten || Rydison

[acting-ryder-lynn]

Ryder was surprised and hurt when Madison wanted to break up with him, wanting to experience life. He knew they were in some routine, having been together for years. He didn’t even care though, he liked that routine and he loved being with her. She was the love of his life and he didn’t like the whole ‘needing to experience life’ without her. So when she decided on that, he couldn’t help but be heartbroken. Afterwards he became distant from her brother, who was his best friend and roommate. He just couldn’t stand being around him without thinking of her. He tried to be in their room as little as possible and spent more time than usual at the library.

Ryder’s friends were getting sick of him hiding away in the library after a few weeks, they dragged him to a club. He didn’t even get why he had to go since he hated going to those. He forced himself to have some fun and drank a little more than he intended to. His friend eventually tried to set him up with some girl. Ryder decided to try the new experience thing and just try and talk to her. Which he tried and eventually they started making out, which was when he realized how much he hated it. He pulled away from her and just left the building. For some reason, he had the car keys in his pocket, which he didn’t understand since he wasn’t the designated driver. Regardless, he didn’t care. He just needed to get out of there and his first thought was to go see Madison. 

Ryder got into the car, forgetting about the fact he was leaving his friends behind, and drove in the way of their school. In his mind, nothing could go wrong and that Madison would be happy to see him, even if he was drunk. It had been weeks since they talked or even really looked at each other. Minus his occasional glance over at her in class. Suddenly his thoughts went blank, everything did. He just had one moment to respond to the fact he was coming head on with another car. Then everything went black. 

He was immediately rushed to the hospital, hooked up to many tubes that were keeping him alive. It was unsure if he would live since his brain was giving little signal of life. His heart had a somewhat steady beat though, which gave the doctors hope. He was put into a medically induced coma when they got to the hospital. After a day it was clear he would live, even if they were unsure of the damage it would bring him. 

Two days later, he finally woke up from the coma. Their was a nurse in there when he awoke who immediately ran off to get a doctor. He had no idea what was going on. The hospital didn’t look like the Lima one he had seen so many times before. He was confused why he was hooked up to so many cords. He just wanted someone to answer him but the doctor asked him what felt like a million questions and shined a light in his eyes. From what he could gather, the date was not November 25th and they were not in Lima. His immediate thought knowing that he wasn’t in Lima was wondering if Madison was okay, if she was in the car with him. He tried to ask the doctor that question but he left the room before he could even talk. 

[the-mads-mccarthy]

"His vitals have stabilized and he in conscious. The only thing is that with head injuries such as his, it's not uncommon to experience some memory loss, which is what Ryder's experiencing," the doctor told Madison, who was hanging on to his every word. "With any luck, he'll begin remembering within the next few days or weeks, but there may also be a chance that he doesn't. You have to prepare for that. You can see him now, if you'd like." With that, the doctor continued making his rounds, checking on his other patients. Madison just stood there, glued to her place in the ground. Her green eyes traveled to the door in which he had walked out of not even five minutes ago. Ryder was only a few feet away, the same Ryder she had practically cut completely out of her life in a matter of weeks. Would he be mad to see me? Would he send me away? Would he even remember why he hates me? she asked herself, nervously biting her lower lip. 

She began pacing, which wasn't so uncommon to see in the hallways of a hospital. Almost everyone was hanging on by a thin string with their loved ones in the hospital. On one hand, I broke his heart. Bitchy move. But on the other, I am the only one here right now and maybe he wants to see a familiar face, or, really, any face other than a nurse's or a doctor's. But he might hate me. But he might want to see me. Madison fought with herself, weighing every advantage and disadvantage. After a few minutes, she squared her shoulders and rose her head high. She had been waiting for days to see him and make sure he was alright, and now that she had an opportunity to, she wasn't going to let it slip through her fingers so easily. With the thought fueling her sudden surge of confidence, she walked into the room and when her eyes landed on him, it was as if she had been deflated. It had been the first time she actually looked at him in weeks.

He looked so fragile under the harsh white lights and laid against the dull blue hospital bed. There were machines surrounding him and the constant beep of the heart monitor reminded her that he was alive and well. Madison let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She slowly walked up to him, her hands laced together in front of her. "Hi, Ryder," she greeted softly as she pulled up a seat to sit beside his bed. "I'm glad you're okay," she started before beginning to stumble over her words, "Well, not okay. You look like hell. No offense! I'm just glad you're alright. I mean, you might not feel alright, but just... I meant to say that I'm glad you're alive. And awake." Madison attempted a small grin. "How do you feel?" she asked, hoping she could take the attention off how nervous she felt to be around him again.

[the-mads-mccarthy]

Forgotten || Rydison

The first day Madison had broken up with Ryder, she was a mess. She remembered her heart seeming to beat in her ears as she uttered the words that would crush the both of them, "I think we need to take an indefinite break. We need to experience new things and see other people. We've been together for so long, and it's felt like lately... we've just fallen in the same routine. Don't you ever wonder what it's like to be in a new place and take advantage of everything around you? Well, now's your chance!" The smile she wore quickly fell when she saw his expression. "This will be good for us," she promised. But she felt her heart clench when she remembered the way the hurt shone from his dark brown eyes. That night, she went into her dorm and clutched her pillow to her chest as she relived the memories they shared, playing in a constant loop throughout the brunette's mind as if taunting her. She cried, fearing she had made a mistake. Sensing his twin's emotional distress, Mason came bursting in not soon after and rocked her in his arms as she recounted what had happened. He assured her that if she thought it was the best move for them, then it was. 

"Mads, we are McCarthys. We are nothing if not thorough. You thought this through, and you came to the conclusion that it was time for change. Ryder is one of my best friends, but you have to think about yourself sometimes. Now, how about we watch a Disney movie on Netflix? I'll even run out to get you some mint chocolate chip ice cream, if you want. My treat." Her brother's endless encouragement was enough to unearth her sweet smile. She eventually found herself having a bounce in her step once more after that, though she would avoid passing through the ways Ryder did to get to their classes. Seeing him just made the memory of his hurt swim back up to the forefront of her mind and she was trying her best to keep that tightly concealed. Madison even found herself going out on a date, but it was nothing serious. The cute guy in her class had taken to chatting her up after the lecture, and now that she wasn't involved with anyone, she decided it was as good a time as any to experience the "new things" she had gone on about. It was an eventful few weeks for her until she got the call.

One night, she was out with a few of her friends at a bar that was only a few blocks away from the campus. They had taken to eyeing the cute fraternity guys from across the bar, but Madison simply sat and sipped away at her fruity drink. Just as she pulled out her phone to text Mason to bring Jane and come and join them, an unfamiliar number popped up on the screen. She slid the screen to answer and pressed it against her ear, saying, "Hello?" The person on the other end was a woman and she asked, "Yes, hello. Is this Madison McCarthy?" She stood up from her seat and motioned that she was going to take the call in the restroom, the noise too loud to clearly hear her. "This is she. Who is this?" The woman cleared her throat before she said, "I'm from Saint Joseph's Hospital. You're listed as one of Ryder Lynn's emergency contacts, therefore we wanted to inform you that he was involved in an accident. It seems he was drinking and driving and got into a collision with another car." 

If it weren't for the fact that she had an iron grip on her phone, it would've fallen to the floor in shock. Tears immediately filled her green eyes, threatening to spill any second. "Oh, my god. Is he conscious? Is he okay?!" she demanded. "I'm afraid he isn't, and we won't be sure as to the extent of the injuries that may have happened to his brain until he is. We're hoping for the best at this point," she answered solemnly. "Th-thank you. I'll be right down," Madison responded before letting the silence ring through the empty restroom. She hid her face in her hands as she forced herself not to just crumple to the floor right then and there. The thought of losing him -- actually losing him -- made her chest tighten to the point where it became difficult to breathe. Once she had composed herself, albeit minimally, Madison excused herself from her friends and all but ran to her car, driving towards the direction of the hospital. All throughout the drive she couldn't help but wonder if it was too late. What if she got there and something had already happened?

Madison knew they were no longer together, but just because he wasn't her boyfriend didn't mean she didn't care for him. It wasn't as if she flipped a switch and abandoned all her feelings for him, despite what it had seemed like. When she got there, she ran up to the receptionist's desk and asked for the room he was in. The nurse directed her towards it, but said that he wasn't allowed any visitors until he woke up. She waited and waited and waited. Hours ticked by before anyone had come to give her any more information. Madison finished sending a text to Mason about what had happened and where she was when a doctor strode up to her, asking if she were there for Ryder. "Yes, I am," she said, finding her voice as she stood up. "How is he? Is he awake?" she asked, hoping the doctor had only good news to tell. Please be okay, Ryder, Madison silently pleaded in her head.