Six: Deals With The Devil

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~Nikki~

March 18th, 2012

My heart and breathing stopped the moment Nick said Chandler was in a accident. I felt as if I couldn’t breath, like a 400 pound sack of bricks had just been dropped on my chest. The idea of losing Chandler…I didn’t even want to think about it. ‘Its not looking good.’ is what continued to ring through my head as we drove to the Hospital. I felt completely numb the whole drive here.

But now I feel scared. Completely and utterly scared out of my mind as my family and I sit in the waiting room, waiting for the Doctor to come back and tell us what was going on with Chandler. As worried as I felt, I can’t even manage to sit still. Every few minutes I get up to walk the length of the room, biting my nails or pulling at my hair as I did so. 

“There was so much blood.” Liz told us, shaking as Nick held her into his chest. “I-I didn’t even see the pole. And Chandler…he told me not to drive. But I wouldn’t listen…so he came with me and I…I…it’s all my fault.” was all she managed to choke out before she started bawling.

We’d been sitting in this stupid waiting room for a good four hours now. If you look out of the window, you can see the sun start to rise. It would be beautiful if I was seeing it under different circumstances. But, of course, I can’t even focus on that. I can‘t focus on anything. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson about drunk driving, Liz.” I said to her, trying very hard not to sound rude. However, there was not an ounce of pity in my tone. Nick shot me a glare but I ignored it. “I hope you never do anything like this again.”

She looked up at me, tears still in her eyes. But I could see the anger building as she glared at me. “You think I don’t feel bad enough without you judging me?!” she snapped back, pulling away from Nick. “I said I was sorry, what the hell do you want from me!?”

“Sorry?” I repeated her words in a disbelieving tone. Did she really think sorry was going to fix things? “You’re sorry?” I raised an eyebrow at her. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed. And more importantly, you’ve nearly gotten Chandler killed. Do you honestly think that by saying sorry, and crying, and feeling bad is going to change what happened?”

Nick mumbled something to Liz before she pushed him away. “Stay out of it, Nick. This is between me and her.” Liz mumbled before standing up and walking toward me. “Look, I know I made a fucking mistake by driving drunk, I know it was stupid! I’m sorry I can’t be like the ever-so-perfect Nicole Clark!”

“Oh, I am far from perfect. But I know better than getting drunk and crashing cars!” I yelled back, feeling the rage boiling my blood. “You got lucky. You managed to walk away with a few cuts, but Chandler? Chandler was nearly killed by your stupidity, Elizabeth! And I can honestly say that, if he hadn’t made it through this accident, you wouldn’t be standing here breathing right now. I can promise you that.”

Liz opened her mouth to return the threat, but was cut off by the doctor entering the room. “I’m terribly sorry if I’m interrupting something--”

“You aren’t.” Nick said quickly. “Any update, Doc?”

The blonde man smiled. “Yes, actually. Mr. Alexander is out of surgery and he‘s awake. He has a few broken bones and a concision, so we‘re going to keep him for a few days. But…” he trailed off, looking down at his clipboard. “Other than that, he’s doing very well. You may go in to see him now.”

Nick smiled at the Doctor. “Thanks, Doc.”

----

I poked my head into the white hospital room, looking around to make sure I was in the right room before entering completely. “Hey.” I whispered that for unknown reasons. I guess I was scared to speak any louder.

Chandler’s eyes slid from away from the window he was starting at and locked with mine. A breath taking smile immediately spread across his face. “Hey, Nikki.” he said happily. I noticed him flinch when he tried to smile wider. Poor thing. The cut on his lip probably hurts.

My heart twisted in pain as I took in his bruised figure. A white cast covered his left leg at it sat on a stack of pillows, his right arm half-way hugging his body in its cast, there were three or four purple bruises marking his beautiful feature, small cuts were lining his jaw, and finally a small red cut marked the side of his perfect lower lip. I felt my eyes sting as I thought about what was going on in his body.

“It isn‘t as bad as it looks.” Chandler said with a reassuring smile, making me lose my train of thought. Even bruised and bloody Chandler Alexander manages to take my breath away. Gorgeous boy, he is.

I fought the urge to smile back at him, and thankfully, I won. I kept my face neutral. A calm mask that showed nothing. I couldn‘t let him see how happy I am to know he‘s okay, or let see how hurt I am that he‘s in pain. I’m so afraid that I’ll  accidentally confess everything I;ve been trying so hard to hind for the past three months. I‘ve come to far to blurt it out now and ruin everything. “They said you broke two ribs.”

He shrugged. “A few broken ribs never hurt anyone.”

I sighed, crossing my arms as I walked to the small couch across from his bed. “One of them nearly punctured your lung.”

He rolled his eyes. “But it didn’t.”

“But it could’ve.” I said firmly, getting a little bit upset. I know he knows better than getting in the car with someone who’s drunk. Of all people, I know he knows better. The stress I’ve felt in the last four hours has probably taken at least ten years of off my life. I put my fingers on my temples, trying to calm myself. “Why did you get in the car with Liz if you knew she was drunk?”

“Because I was drunk too.” Chandler said flatly, looking away from me.

I gaped at him in shock. Chandler was drinking? Chandler was drinking to the point where he was drunk? What the hell? “Why?” I asked him, staring at the back of his head waiting for a response. But after a few seconds, I realized I wasn’t going to get one. “Chandler.” I said firmly.

He sighed. “I was…upset about something that happened earlier in the day.” was all he said, keeping his head turned away from me. His tone was hallow, no emotion put into it at all. I’d do anything to see the look on his face. “Don’t ask me what, please. I don’t want talk about it right now.”

“Alright.” I said, deciding not to push it. His head turned back toward me and a breath taking smile light up his face making me lose my train of thought. “Please don’t ever scare me like that again.” I blurted out before I knew what I was saying. I froze the moment the sentence was completely out, wishing that I could somehow stuff the words back into my mouth. This is what I meant. I can’t lose control of myself for a single second or I might say something stupid.

Chandler’s smile grew wider as he stared at me. “Were you worried about me?” he asked, and I swear I heard a hint of smugness in his voice.

I rolled my eyes at him, trying to fight the smile that was playing on my lips. I lost. “And if I was?”

He looked at me for a moment, his smile somehow growing wider and wider. His teeth were now showing and I felt like the air had been knocked from my chest. His full on smile literally the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. “Then I’d be happy because that means you care about me again.”

I rolled my eyes once more, feeling my cheeks turning hot. ‘Of course I care about you, Chandler.’ I thought to myself. ‘I care about you more than you’ll ever know.’

----------

“Mr. and Mrs. Clark?” the short woman in white coat questioned as she stepped into the waiting room with us.

My Mother and Father immediately turned stood up. “Yes?” they asked together.

“Will you step into the hallway with me?” she asked, a worried smile on her thin pink lips. “Doctor Andrews would like to speak to you as well.”

They didn’t even answer, they just followed after her.

“That didn’t sound good.” I mumbled under my breath before sitting down in the seat next to Nick. “This whole situation is just so fucked up.” I said, mostly to myself, as I slid down in the chair.

Nick wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. “Don‘t worry, Nikki. He‘s fine.” he whispered to me. For the first time in a very long time, my Brother is acting like…well, he’s acting my Brother. How long has it been since he’s even hugged me?

I laid my head on my Nick’s shoulder, nodding. “Yeah. I know. ” I said. Then silence fell on the waiting room. The only sound was the clock ticking slowly as we waited for our parents to come back and tell us what the Doctor wanted.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Nick said abruptly, making me jump from the sudden noise.

Then I realized what he said.

I completely froze. If Nick could see it then I’m obviously not doing such a good job at hiding my feelings. My Dad knows…Nick knows…what if Chandler knows? He hasn’t said anything, but then again, he wouldn’t embarrasses me like that. If he didn’t know…was Nick going to tell him? “Don’t tell him.” I pleaded, the sound of panic clear in my voice. “Please.”

Nick stared at me for a moment, his lips slowly pulling into a smirk. I know that he was thinking he now had something over me. Which he totally did. He knew my biggest secret. “I won’t. But,” he smirked at me. “You need tell him.”

I gaped at him in awe. Did my Brother REALLY just tell me to confess my undying love for his best friend since childhood? The guy who is supposed to be like a second Brother to me? What the heck is going on in the world? “I-I can’t, Nick.” I sighed, feeling my eyes began to sting from the coming tears. “He’ll think--”

“You don’t know what he’ll think.” he snapped, cutting me off. “Tell him. Before you move out. Or I’ll tell him for you.” he said, his eyes boring into mine, letting me know that he was competently serious. “Deal?”

I looked at him for a moment, trying to see if there was any humor in his eyes. But there was none. This isn’t a joke. Nick is for real. He’s basically blackmailing me into tell Chandler how I feel. That whole ‘Tell him or I will’ tactic isn’t new to me. But I can’t believe Nick is actually using it with a situation like this. “You told me never to make deals with the Devil.” I told him grimly, glaring slightly.

He smiled at me. “Sometimes you don't have a choice.”

I sighed in defeat, realizing that he was right and knowing there was no way to get out of his little trap without agreeing.  “Fine.” I mumbled, looking down.

He perked up a little bit. Probably happy that he didn’t have to full-on threaten me. “Good.”

And that was the end of it. Unless I can come up with a plan to somehow get out of this, I’m telling Chandler how I feel in the next few weeks. Even if I don’t, Nick will. This is pretty much a lose/lose situation. That being the case, I believe it’s appropriate for me to say fuck my life.

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Author’s Note: Short. I know. :/ But at least I updated and didn’t kill Chandler! :D I started to. I really did. Then thought twice. Besides, what would this book be without the ever so lovely Chandler Alexander making Nikki‘s head spin? Plus, I really like his character. He may be one of my favorites. :3

Vomment and fan, lovely darlings! Love ya for reading! (:

-Lexi Rain

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