On The Line (Ashton Irwin)

Chapter 2- Now

Chapter 2- Now

-Ashton's POV-

Twenty hours and one extremely long airplane ride later, I was in Sydney. Though I barely noticed anything, the only thing I kept seeing was her. Madison, my Madison, the one who I didn't know how badly she was broken.

Since coming along with me for support, Luke held onto me the entire time, leading me out to where my mother's car was in the parking lot, her sitting alone in the vehicle, in the driver's seat.

"Mrs. Irwin," Luke said, opening up the door and helping me into the backseat, where I immediately laid down, the younger boy crawling up front.

"It's nice to see you boys," Mum said. "Though I wish I didn't have to."

"How is she?" I asked, one of the first things I had said since the phone call.

"She's not doing good," Mum said, and more tears escaped from my eyes. "Maddy was placed in a coma upon arriving at the hospital yesterday."

"Is she going to be alright?" Luke asked.

"We don't know," Mum said, and finally pulled up at the hospital fifteen minutes later.

Hopping out of the car, I sprinted inside, leaving Luke and my mother still in the vehicle. I ran through the double doors, stopping at the information desk.

"Madison Holmes," I told the woman, and she looked down at her computer monitor.

"Are you family?" she asked in a monotone voice.

"I'm her boyfriend," I said. "Please," I pleaded. "I have to see her."

"Ashton Irwin?" she asked, not looking up from the screen.

"That's me," I said.

"Her parents left your name with us to be let in, she's on the fifth floor, go right once you get out of the elevators, can't miss it." she said.

"Thank you," I said, running towards the elevators and squeezing in next to a janitor with a cart just as the doors were closing.

Tapping my foot impatiently as the elevator moved, she was still all I could think about. Madison, the same Madison I haven't seen in months, was here. In this very building. The girl I loved was lying broken in a hospital bed.

The doors opened, and I sprinted out, stopping as a voice called my name.

"Ashton," it said, and I turned to see Madison's parents sitting in chairs in the hallway, her father comforting her mother, who was holding a handkerchief to her face as she cried.

Seeing Madison's parents here was one of the strangest things I had seen. Madison told me after I met her that her parents had promised her they wouldn't move again until after she graduated, but they had moved away a couple months before we graduated.

Because Madison didn't want to leave, she had moved in with me and my family until we were both eighteen, when we were able to get the apartment together. The apartment we lived in now. And her parents hadn't come back to this area of Sydney since they left; they were barely ever in contact with her, and they only really talked on holidays.

"Mr. and Mrs. Holmes," I said, shaking her father's hand. "It's nice to see you two again."

"You as well, son." Mr. Holmes said.

"How is she?" I asked, my voice cracking again.

"She's in there," he said.

I nodded, opening the closed door slowly and shutting it behind me, finally seeing her. And that's what made my heart finally break.

She was laying down, her eyes shut and a bandage around her head. She looked so peaceful, but at the same time she looked so troubled. But either way, she looked beautiful.

"Madison," I whispered, rushing over to her and sitting down next to the bed, taking her hand in my own.

She didn't stir when our hands touched, and I didn't expect her to.

"Maddy," I said, lifting her hand up to my lips and kissing it. "It's me, Mad, it's Ashton. I love you so much, baby girl. Please wake up, for me. Please wake up."

"You know, Maddy," I said, tears still streaming down my face. "I remember the first day we met. It was your first day at Richmond. You were my locker neighbor, and then you were stolen away on a welcome tour by Jordan Kaplan. I'd only seen you a few other times that day, in the few classes we had together. Those were my favorite."

My phone buzzing, I pulled it out of my pocket to see a text from Luke.

Luke: In the cafeteria with your mum, not allowed in.

Stuffing in back in my pocket, I turned back towards Madison, continuing on with my story.

"Everyone at the school was so afraid of me. I only ever talked to teachers when they asked me questions, otherwise I was silent. I had just ran out of things to say. But you were lost, after school. You heard me playing the drums, and followed the sound until you found me. And then I spoke to you. I knew from that day that I was completely in love with you."

****

"Ashton," a voice said, and I turned away from Madison to see Mr. Holmes in the doorway. "Visiting hours are over, son."

"I can't leave her," I said.

"You can see her in the morning. For now, go home, get some rest. And we'll see you tomorrow." he said.

"Alright," I said, kissing Maddy's hand one more time and setting it down on her bed. "I love you," I whispered to her, getting up and following him out, shaking his hand one more time and getting in the elevator.

When the doors opened to reveal my mum and Luke waiting, I immediately ran to both of them, hugging them tightly. The tears hadn't stopped falling, but I soon hoped they would. Madison was my rock, but now I needed to be strong, for her.

"Come on, Ash," Luke said. "Let's go home."

"I am home," I told them. "Madison's my home, and she's here."

"Then we'll come back to her." Luke assured me.

I nodded, following them out of the building and into the car when my phone rang, and I looked to see that it was from Calum.

"Hello?" I said into the phone, my voice weakened.

"Ashton," Cal said. "How is everything?"

"The same," I said. "I saw her today."

"And?" he asked.

"I'm the only one who's not related to her that's allowed to see her." I told him.

"She will be alright, Ash," Cal assured me. "She just needs time."

"I hope you're right, Cal." I said.

"Of course I'm right," he said. "Now I'll talk to you later,"

"Alright," I said, hanging up the phone.

"Now come on, Ash." Luke said. "Let's go home."