Ugly : clifford a.u

Spencer

Staring down at my converse I waited.
I waited until my mom and dad got there.
Waited for news.
And waited to see if my best friend in the entire world was alive.

Michael has gotten me a cup of shitty watered down hospital coffee at one point however it had long since gone cold.

On the wall across the room, a clock ticked, on the other side of the waiting room a woman cried, and every so often a doctor would be paved over the intercom.

It was three hours before someone came out and told us Luke was stable.

It was two more hours before I got to see him.

He looked small in the large hospital bed, his head poking out from the top of a brace which seemed to elongate his neck like one of those tribal women in Africa.

Immediately memories of the car accident came rushing back, and my heart skipped a beat in my chest realizing how close I'd come to loosing Luke again.

On the wall, machines that were starched to the various wires attached to his body beeped. He was pale, deathly so, and his under eyes were shadowed a deep purple.

My parents wasted no time in rushing to his bedside and tearfully whispering words of love and encouragement.

I on the other hand felt as if I were being held in the doorway by some invisible force.

After what felt like a small eternity, my mom noticed.

"He's okay honey," she said softly.

"What if he tries again and he's not." I mumbled, my voice hoarse from screaming.

My Mom winced.

"He won't." My Dad said firmly, as if he had any idea, as if he'd been there, as if the only reason his precious son was alive right now wasn't because of me.

"You don't know that." I snapped.

"Spence." My Mom warned.

"Why are you even here?" I demanded of my Dad, "Since when do you actually give a fuck about Luke, about any of us?"

"Spencer!" Mom gasped.

"You don't think of me as your daughter and you never have. Mom is amazing and you cheated on her! And In case you forgot, Luke is gay. Sorry to ruin your deluded fantasy about what you wish your family would be, but this is it. So why don't you stop acting like you give a shit and go back to your new family."

The next thing I knew, something was moving quickly towards me, I felt a sharp pain and then I was looking down at the ground.

Moving my hands up to cup my stinging cheek I looked at my Dad. My ears rang as if I'd just survived a bomb.

"Don't you ever hit her!" My Mom was shouting.

"If it weren't for homophobes like you, Luke would have never done this." I whispered.

"How dare you..." my dad started.

"No how dare you!" My mom interrupted, "Get out."

My dad started to argue then stopped as if thinking better of it. Clenching his jaw he turned on his heel and left the room.

Looking to my Mom I found her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, "I just..."

"Come here Spency." She interrupted, using the nickname Luke had given me when I was a baby.

I crossed over to her and taking my hand she pulled me down on her lap. Resting her forehead on my bag, she rubbed her thumb over my hand.

"I'm sorry." I repeated, the events of the day replaying in my head.

My eyes filled with tears and my lip trembled.

"It's okay." Mom soothed, "it's all going to be okay."

Looking down at Luke I reached out and touched his cool hand, beyond grateful that it hadn't worked and I still had my brother.