Stay with me, lay with me.

Please Don't Go

[ A/N : I know this chapter is painfully short, please forgive me, but I've rewritten it like twice and I can't bring myself to add anything else. I promise the next chapter will be longer, and hopefully will be out much faster. Enjoy <3 ]

Gladion was petting Umbreon absent-mindedly as he listened to Lillie, Lana, and Mallow speak amongst themselves, his back against the car door as his legs sprawled across the seats carelessly. Despite the growing ache in his back from his awkward position, his exhausted brain was too focused on his thoughts for him to care.

Gladion swallowed thickly as he stared at the door, his legs feeling like they were cemented to the floor while his conversation with Holly echoed in his mind.

He walked across the hall and hesitated as he reached for the door handle, practically forcing himself to open it when he felt passing strangers staring at him. He returned to his spot by Ash's side after placing Umbreon gently between the two Lycanroc and Pikachu, who were all sleeping peacefully at the foot of the bed. He noticed Ash had something laying on his chest, which seemed to have fallen out of his hands. Gladion picked it up, surprised to see it was a ring. He placed it carefully on the tray connected to the bed and refocused his attention to Ash.

He brushed a stray hair off of Ash's cheek and let his hand stay there, cradling his face tenderly. He rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin and sighed. "I don't know what's going on in that beautiful head of yours, but... I hope you'll let me help you."

He bit his lip, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself to speak. Just as he gathered his composure and opened his mouth, a resounding knock at the door startled him.

Burnet opened the door slowly, peeking her head through to see Gladion. "Hey, sorry for barging in." He assured her that it was okay and she stepped into the room, Daisy appearing by her side. The young girl looked at Gladion first, waving at him with a smile.

"Hi, Gladion!"

"Hello, Daisy."

"Is big brother gonna be okay?" She glanced at Ash, her eyebrows creased with worry, before looking up at her mother for an answer.

Burnet looked down at her and stroked her hair reassuringly, "Of course, Petal." She let her go to Ash's bedside while Gladion stood and forced himself to let go of Ash's hand. "Oh, by the way, Lillie is waiting for you in the lobby."

As it turned out, Lillie was indeed in the lobby, with Mallow and Lana as well. When they noticed him, they told him that they were there to bring him back to the mansion for a bit, at least until Ash was released. "It should only be a day or two. You need to come home and get some rest."

"Yeah, you look like you haven't slept in forever." Mallow pointed out, the three girls all clearly worried about him. He took a shocked step back and touched his face, able to feel the deep circles beneath his eyes.

"But, what if Ash wakes up and-"

"Ash will be okay Gladion. If you don't get sleep, you won't be able to stay awake to see Ash, so you're coming with us."

And that's how he ended up in the limo, sulking against the seat and desperately wanting to return to the hospital already. He sighed internally, knowing that there was no hope of escaping his concerned sister and her friends.

-----

His head was pounding and attempting to open his eyes proved to be a mistake, as his vision was flooded with bright light, causing him to blink harshly. His face scrunched up in pain as he tried to move, his muscles incredibly sore.