On The Line (Ashton Irwin)

Chapter 10- Now

Chapter 10- Now

-Madison's POV-

"Do you have any sixes?" I asked Milo, looking at the cards in my hand before meeting his blue eyes.

"Go fish," he said, smirking.

"Dammit," I sighed. "I swear, you're cheating."

"Am not," he said. "Hey, Maddy,"

"What?" I asked.

"Do you have any sixes?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm done with this game," I said, getting up from the table, Milo soon following and the table disappearing, along with the deck of cards. "You're so much like Luke it's unbelievable."

Being here, Milo could make anything he wanted to just appear out of thin air, and then as soon as we were finished with that item, it'd just disappear, like it wasn't even here in the first place. That was the one good thing about being here; an endless supply of entertainment.

Looking down at the clear floor, I saw that it must've been early in the morning, since Ashton wasn't here yet. I don't know how many days it's been since the accident, three maybe? Four? I just remember that he came here with Luke yesterday, and then he was called out, Luke staying and eventually leaving, but Ash never returning. Was he okay?

"Okay, okay, Maddy, I'm sorry," Milo said. "What if, to make up for everything, I take you downstairs for awhile?"

Downstairs was our term for the real world. Where I was in a coma, and Ashton was missing.

"Sure," I said. "But Ashton's not here yet."

Milo shrugged. "We can go down anyways. You can wait for him."

I nodded, taking Milo's hand in mine as the bright flash of white light came, and then I looked around to see myself in the hospital room, my body still laying down in the white hospital bed.

Hearing a noise of a door opening, I looked to see Ashton walking in, a brown leather bracelet with metal plating around his wrist, and an identical one in his hands. He took a seat next to my bed, and then I bent down quickly, reading what was inscribed.

'<3 Austin F. Irwin <3'

Austin... our son.

Ashton knew.

But how did he find out? I never told him, unless...

"Hey Maddy," Ashton said, sniffling. "I know it's only been a few days, but... I'm breaking. Please know that."

"Ashton, I do know that." I told him. "I'm so sorry,"

"Sorry Luke couldn't come today," Ashton said. "Cal and Mikey are on their way home, and he went to go meet them at the airport."

"It's okay," I said, smiling softly.

"The doctor told me about Austin," Ashton continued. "Needed me to sign some paper. I didn't know I had a son, Maddy. But I do now, and... I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there for you. But I don't ever want to forget him."

"I don't either, Ash," I told him, even though he couldn't hear me.

"I had these made," he said, taking the one in his hands and tying it around my wrist. "He would've been the best baby ever. He could've had your eyes, and maybe my hair. We could've taught him so many things, like how to play the drums, and how to play catch. He could've been a superstar."

"Ashton," I said, tears falling from my eyes, and then something colorful laying on my bedside table caught my eye.

Walking over to it, I looked to see that it was a homemade get-well-soon card, from Lauren and Harry. Oh, how I missed them. Glancing at Milo quickly, I noticed him stiffen up before he spoke.

"Madison, get away from the mirror," he said, and I looked at the mirror next to me, surprised to see my own reflection.

"Milo, wha-?" I asked, unsure of what was happening.

"Madison, mirrors are dangerous for us. They're almost like a dimension merger, between the two worlds. Between upstairs and downstairs." Milo said cautiously. "Now please, step away from the mirror."

"Wait, you mean..." I said, but was cut off by Ashton's head snapping up in my direction.

"Madison?" Ashton asked, and I looked around, panicked before Milo grabbed my hand. Milo wasn't standing in front of a mirror, so Ashton couldn't see him. How weird would that be? Seeing his girlfriend in a mirror before she was taken away by his best friend.

The white flash came again, and then I was upstairs, looking down at where Ashton had gotten up from the chair and was now next to the mirror, poking it.

"Milo, what happened?" I asked.

"We shouldn't have gone this time." Milo said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Madison, Ashton's seen you. We can't go back anymore."

-Ashton's POV-

It was her. In the mirror.

"Madison?" I asked, panicked, though I knew it was her. She was looking at me, a panicked expression on her face before an arm reached out and grabbed her, and then she was gone.

Getting up from the chair, I ran over towards the mirror, sitting down next to it and poking it, waiting for that little ripple you see in movies before the main character gets dragged through it towards some different dimension.

Yeah, that didn't happen.

Nothing happened, it was exactly like it had always been. Nothing passing through it. But if she had been there, and I'm positive she had, then how else would I have seen her?

"Maddy, I know you're there." I said, weakly. "Though I don't know how. Please come back. Please," I begged, curling up into a ball on the floor, more tears leaking from my eyes.

I don't know how long I had been laying there, all I knew was that I was still there when Luke came in with Calum and Michael next to him.