Rose King

Seventeen

[ Sam]

"mmh--wait. Wait a minute." I push Ollie back and fumble around the sheets for my phone. He pouts and leans back, turning the lamp on. I feel the stupid thing buzzing somewhere, I reach under my pillow and feel it there. It's Ash. 

"Hello?" My voice cracks and I try again. "Hey, what's up?"

"It's Liam." Ash sounds exhausted. I bolt up and run for my joggers and shoes. 

"Is he okay? What's wrong. What happened?" I trip around like a fool. 

"What's wrong?" Ollie mouths, sitting up and looking for his shirt. Hair askew, he throws me my other shoe. 

"E--someone jumped him a bit ago." Ash says. "Listen, we need to keep this in the family. I know you're probably with Ollie right now, but we seriously need to talk. Just us." 

I glance at Ollie's concerned expression. "Okay, I'll be there in ten." 

I let him go and then turn to Ollie. "I have to go."

"I'll come with, where's Liam?  He was fine when we went to dinner." 

"Listen," I step forward and place a hand on his cheek. "I don't want to lie to you, so I won't try to come up with some pathetic excuse. I have to go now, but I'll call you later." 

"I-- okay. Just drive safe, there's going to be an all out blizzard starting soon." He sighs and kisses me goodbye. 

I'm out the door with a grateful smile and running out to my bike. My heart is beating quickly, what happened to him? Who in this city in their right mind would attack Liam outright?

I swipe at the snow flurries frosting the pane of my helmet, it falls endlessly and I can barely see. Somerset General comes into view a while later and I thank god that I made it alive. Inside I ask the receptionist for his room number. 

666. 

Kidding, fuck sorry. I'm a mess. I take the elevator to the fourth floor where he actually is and fast walk past scrub nurses and duck around interns. Ash's head comes into view and I run over. 

"Is he okay? What's going on?" I bend down in front of him. He raises his exhausted eyes up to me and startles. 

"Sam!" He jumps to his feet. "They--he's in surgery now."

"Fuck, fuck. Is he going to survive? What's going on? How bad was he hit?"

"I don't know, I just.... I'm dealing with my mom about France. A blizzard is coming and Audrey Rose is still at Brookdale. Mrs. Gerrimonte needs to get home to her family. The doctors Collins will be here all weekend dealing with the snow injuries and Camille still has a fever, and...and..."

Why am I the level headed one right now? 

"Hey, hey. Calm down, it'll be okay. The winds and snow have died down outside, calm before the storm I suppose. I'll round everyone up, Camille and Audrey Rose can stay here with us. Surely the staff won't mind, this place is huge. You stay here and wait for Liam and tell your mom to fuck off." I offer. 

"You're not driving my car." Ash glares, obviously back to his normal self. "I'll go, you stay." 

"Sheesh, go for it." He nods and runs off towards the elevator. 

I bump into a doctor on my way to the receptionists desk again, hoping for an update. I apologize and see that her badge says 'Dr. Collins'. 

"Hey, your Camille's mom." I smile. "Unless of course you're her sister." 

I watch her face morph from confusion to a blush and back again. "Yes, I am. Walk with me, I'm in a hurry. How do you know Camille?"

"I'm Sam. I'm a friend of hers, our friend is in the hospital actually." I blab, nerves getting me. I'm worried about Liam. 

"Here, the charts from 4B." She says to the nurse. Then to me, "Liam Davis?" 

"Yeah, do you know how he's doing?" I perk up. 

"I can't release that information to anyone but next of kin." She says apologetically. 

"I'm his brother." I say without skipping a beat. 

"Do you have ID to prove that?"

"I'm only fifteen, no license." I counter.

"Birth certificate."

"I was born in Canada, you won't be able to access it." 

"But you're brothers?"

"Long lost."

 "Sam, you seem like a nice boy," she sighs. "But I really can't tell you anything if you aren't family. It's illegal to lie about that stuff."

"I'm not lying." I lie with a smile. She smiles, and I can tell she doesn't believe me. Dr. Collins tells me anyways.

"He's not doing well. He lost a lot of blood. We have to do a transfusion." 

"Oh." My smile falls. "Please, do everything you can for him."

"We will." She squeezes my hand. 

Before she turns away I remember, "Ash, he went to get Camille. The blizzard, he didn't want her to be alone." 

"Bless that boy." She gasps. "Tell him thank you for me. 

She runs off and I return to my seat in the waiting room. My leg bounces uncontrollably and I ignore Ollie's concerned texts. We'd left Evie's only a couple hours ago to have a little slumber party of our own, and now I'm in the hospital. 

And we can't forget the blizzard blowing in. I pop my earbuds in and stare at the wall. I'm actually alone for the first time in a while and it gives me time to think. About something I didn't want to think about ever again.

Home. 

The General, and Jack. Kitty, Jethro, Ben, Maddox, Austin, Brock, and Emmett. What is he doing here? Are the others close? A shiver goes up my spine thinking about it. I haven't seen any of them in four years. And that was too few. 

Ollie's face lights up my screen, stopping my music. I look down and sigh, biting my lip. I decline it and close my eyes. One thing at a time. I beg my mind to stay away from the planning and worrying. 

What if he dies? Stop.

What then? Stop. 

Ash wouldn't even tell me how this happened, I don't know anything other than he was jumped and that he's lost a lot of blood. Do I need to be preparing for the worst or will he be just fine in the end. . .

Ash and I, we aren't that close. Would we drift apart without Liam? Stop.

He's my brother, his mom was better to me than my own. Stop.

He'd want to be buried next to her. Please, stop.