Dispatched || Maddie Buckley

Chapter Thirty-Three: Positive

Mikey had been home from the hospital for a few days now, the bruises on his face were lighter and the staples in the back of his head were finally removed. He spent most of his time in bed, being taken care of by Maddie.

During the night, Mikey woke to the sounds of Maddie in the bathroom vomiting. It has become a common thing over the past few days. He rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes as he made his way to the bathroom to see Maddie hunched over the toilet.

"Sick again?" He mumbled sleepily, walking over to her to hold back her hair for her as she continued to get sick.

She looked up at him in agony, "This is terrible.."

"Should I take you to the doctor? It's been days of this.." Mikey said, rubbing her back with his free hand.

"No, no.. It's probably something I picked up from the hospital. I'll be fine." She insisted, standing up from the floor.

Mikey nodded, accepting that she was stubborn and wouldn't go unless absolutely necessary. "We've got May's graduation party coming up soon but I'm sure Athena will understand if we can't make it."

"No, I'm sure I'll be feeling better by then. Really, I'm okay." She said as she started to brush her teeth.

Mikey held up his hands in defeat, "Okay okay, I'll stop nagging you about it." He walked behind her and rested his hands on each of her arms, reaching around to press a kiss to her cheek, "You're so stubborn, babe."

She spit out the toothpaste in her mouth and smiled, "But you love it.."

"I sure do." Mikey said, smiling wide at her.

-

Despite Maddie being sick, she had decided to make her way to work. Mikey on the other hand was still stuck at home because of his prior injuries. He couldn't stand another second being cooped away and decided to change and head out to see his close friend, Athena.

He pulled up outside of her home and made his way to her front door, knocking on it gently.

Once the door was opened, he was greeted with a smile from Athena, "Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Shouldn't you? Instead of planning an entire party by yourself?"

Athena shook her head, "Just get inside." She said, opening her door wider for him to step into easier.

"You need any help with anything?" Mikey asked, stepping inside of her home.

"No, no... I can handle it." Athena walked into her kitchen and turned to Mikey, "You want a drink?" She asked, opening her fridge.

"You got some water?" Mikey said, sitting down at the dining room table.

"Mikey.. Yes.. I've got water." She grabbed a water bottle for Mikey and sat down across from him. She swallowed thickly and tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "I do have a question for you because it's been a bit difficult for me.. since the storage unit."

"Okay, you can ask anything." Mikey stated, looking over at her with concern.

"What do you remember about it?"

Mikey took a deep breath, "Honestly, I remember I fought for you. As much as I could. I remember getting hit in the head.." He paused for a moment and chewed on his inner cheek, "I remember being scared. Not for me.. But for you.. I heard the gunshot go off and thought that you.." He looked up at her with a frown on his face, "I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, Me too.." Athena muttered, letting out a deeper sigh.

"I'm sorry." Mikey said, taking a sip of his water to try and stay calm.