These Different Times (Nick Clark FF)

03.

By the time his mom got here, Nick was long gone and I was forced to tell a disappointed Maddie what had happened.

"I'm sorry," I said as I sat on the sofa beside her, "He saw you call and left."

"I knew I shouldn't have done it," she muttered, "But Trav insisted before I drove all the way over here."

"I'm sorry it was a wasted journey."

"No," she shook her head, "How did he look?"

I shrugged, "Honestly? Not good. I don't know if he's been eating. He just looks really ill."

She sniffled quietly and got up, wiping her face, "If he comes back-"

"I don't think he will."

"If he does," she continued, scribbling a number down on a piece of paper from her bag, "Call Travis or Alicia. You have her number right?"

After confirming that I did, she left, leaving me along and I stared down at the number in my hands.

Travis Manawa. The teacher. Maddie's boyfriend who I believed has just moved in with the family. He was also one of Alicia and Nick's least favourite people. I probably wouldn't call him.

**

The next couple of days, I went to work, did my shift and then went home again and it wasn't until the Wednesday that I heard from anybody about Nick.

I was luckily on my break when my phone rang and my heart started beating faster at the sight of Alicia's name. She never calls me.

When I picked up, I didn't even say hello. No, I just asked what had happened.

"He's been hit by a car," she said quietly and I could hear Maddie's voice in the background.

I let out a shaky breath and ran my hand through my hair, "Where is he now?"

"The hospital. Mom knows that you're working but if you can get here...she thinks he'll talk to you."

"Will he?" I mumbled, "He didn't tell me anything the other night."

"Taylor, please. She's desperate." she pleaded softly, "He still cares about you."

"Don't," I said quietly, "I'll try and get off early and then I'll make my way there. It depends on the buses."

She said a quiet thank you and goodbye before she hanging up.

Luckily, Fran was a huge fan of Nick and I. When we were dating, she'd always ask for details of our dates and would gush when he'd come to walk me home after we closed. So when I asked if I could leave early, something I never did, she happily let me go, calling for me to let her know how everything went.

The hospital building loomed over me as I approached the entrance and as I walked in, I was surprised to see so many people waiting to be seen. I mean, hospitals are busy, I know that but today, it was insane.

I curled in on myself as I walked through the crowded corridors, grimacing when numerous people began coughing and I quickly made my way up the floor that Alicia had text me.

Maddie was stood outside talking to Travis, the younger girl was sat on a chair a few feet away.

"Taylor," Maddie said one she saw me approaching, wrapping her arms around me, "Thank you for coming. Was Fran alright about it?"

"Yeah, she's cool," I nodded, "Is he okay?"

"Mostly superficial," Travis said quietly, "He's been asking for you."

"Okay," I breathed, "Okay."

Entering the room, I glanced at the elderly man in the bed next to him who was hooked up to a ventilator and was separated from Nick by a blue curtain.

Nick was asleep, or at least I think he was. Maybe he was sedated and my eyes scanned his body, looking for injuries but found nothing visible but I did see that he had leather straps around his wrists, restraining him to the bed.

I moved to his bedside, my hand -on it's own accord- pushed some of his hair from his face and I saw his lips turn up at the sides.

"You came," he said roughly, eyes fluttering open, "I didn't think you would."

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shifted on the bed, wincing as he did so, "After what happened the other day."

I took a seat on the side of the bed, eying the restraints, "Why are you tied down? Did you...?"

"No. No."

"Then what happened?" I asked, looking down when his fingers brushed against mine, "I know you got hit by a car, but how?"

He gave me a lazy grin, "I went for a run." I groaned and moved to get off the bed but his fingers wrapped around my wrist, "No. Stay there. Please."

"Then cut the bullshit and tell me what happened."

The teasing smile that was on his face disappeared, replaced by a look that I couldn't quite decipher and he turned his head away from me.

"Nick?" I pleaded quietly, holding his hand properly.

"Everyone was dead."

My thumb stopped it's rubbing of soothing circles and I stared at him. Did I hear him right? Dead? What was he talking about?

"I woke up," he continued, grabbing my attention again, "And Gloria was gone. I went looking for her and found her, but it wasn't her...it couldn't have been."

"Why not?"

He finally looked at me, "She had a knife sticking out of her chest."

My eyes flitted between his, searching for any evidence to signal that he was joking, letting out a sigh of disbelief when I found nothing, "Were...were you high?"

"No!" he protested, "I-I thought it was the effects of the stuff but it wasn't. I hadn't used since the night before!"

"So they were dead?"

"Yes! Tay, I am telling you. I woke up. They were all dead and Gloria, she was eating them."

I shook my head, "Now she was eating people? Jesus, Nick! What kind of shit have you been taking?"

The adults, hearing our raised voices came in, Maddie with a concerned look on her face, "What? What did he tell you?"

I looked back at her son, expecting him to say something but he stayed quiet, just staring at me.

"Why aren't you saying anything?!" I demanded, "Tell them what you saw!"

He stayed quiet, eyes darting to his 'family' before landing on mine again, "Don't. Please."

Shaking my head, I turned for the door."I gotta get back to work." I lied, "See you later, Nick."

I ignored as he started calling my name. If he was going to even attempt to help with his treatment and by that, I mean telling the doctors what stuff he had taken to make him see that crap, I wasn't going to stick around. I had been through it with him twice before. I couldn't do it again; see him get so far in it and then just fall off the wagon again.

"Taylor!" I heard from behind me, "Taylor, wait!"

"What is it, Alicia?" I muttered, pausing with my hand on the door to the stairs.

"What did he say?"

I closed my eyes. I wanted to tell her, anybody what he had told me but for some stupid reason, I felt I couldn't. I felt some sense of loyalty to Nick and if I told, I would be betraying him. When he asked me not to say anything, that was it.

"He didn't say anything," I forced out, "Nothing of importance anyway. He just said he wanted to talk about us. Listen, I gotta go, I'm late."

If she knew I was lying, she didn't say anything and I took the opportunity of her silence to slip out of the door and into the stairwell.