the half of it

chapter nineteen

grayson sat up in his bed, the small lap beside his bed illuminating a golden glow that just reached him.

he was hot to the point where it was uncomfortable, blankets pulled off of him but his hands and chest were still sweating.

grayson thought he must have slept funny on his neck as when he moved it it created a sharp pain.

it was 2 in the morning where he was, however for owen it was 11pm and he had just come back after team dinner.

hey, win any matches? - grayson

you bet - owen

i miss you - owen

i miss you too - grayson

i'll see you saturday right? - owen

you better - grayson

grayson put his phone back down on the table and lifted himself up, slowly dropping down off the bed and swinging himself forward with his hands until he got to the bathroom.

the hot water made the bathroom fill with steam, the mirror fogging up as grayson lifted himself up onto the chair in the shower.

the shampoo quickly built up a lather in his hair, running down with the water down his back and between his shoulder blades.

water trickled and eventually stopped. grayson reached and opened the drawer underneath the sink, getting supplies out to change his colostomy.

around 3 in the morning he crawled back into bed, tired but unable to sleep he lay there and stared at the popcorn ceiling.

his back ached, shoulder blades tingling all the way down to his hands as grayson lay curled on his side. finally grayson could feel himself drifting to the sleep, his head heavy against the pillow as his eyes fell closed.

the sun glared through the window, shining rays into graysons eyes as he covered them with his left arm. as soon as grayson moved he knew it was a bad day, the pain more than usual.

grayson put all his effort into lifting his head, using his fist to punch another pillow beneath his head as his fingers refused to unfurl.

he was out of breath and shaky, already tired although he had only been awake for 10 minutes. a silent tear fell from his left eye, quickly wiped away with his sleeve.

a knock startled grayson, the door slowly creaking open and the familiar feet lined up with the door frame before stepping into the room.

"hey gray" aaron said as he walked over to graysons bed, sitting down on the couch and hitting his fist against the plush arm.

"you're usually in the shower by now, i thought you might need help" aaron said and stood up as grayson nodded.

"bad day?" aaron asked as he slipped his hands underneath graysons head and back, helping him sit up against the bed frame.

"yeah" grayson grimaced as aaron held up his wrist, examining the curled fingers.

"here, take this" aaron reached in one of the drawers and pulled out two foam balls, pulling graysons fingers and placing the foam in his palm so his fingers wrapped around it.

"your hands haven't been this bad in a while gray" aaron said as he changed the colostomy bag, keeping one hand under graysons back so he wouldn't fall over.

"thanks" grayson said as aaron finished and laid him back down flat on his back.

"can you get your arm around me?" aaron asked as he slipped his hands underneath, lifting slightly.

"yeah, i don't know how tight i can hold on though" grayson tried to put on a smile but the pain coursed through his body, his chest rising and falling quickly from rough breathing.

"if you feel unsteady just tell me" aaron lifted slowly, moving him to his chair and strapping the belt around his chest tight.

"we might have to go to the hospital, see what's wrong" aaron grabbed the handles of graysons chair, unlocking the breaks with his foot and pushing him out of the room.

"we know what's wrong" grayson said as he stopped in the kitchen, aaron tossed a dry rag to him so he could dry the dishes after aaron washed them.

"we will leave in an hour" aaron said as grayson rolled his eyes, using his wrist to rub the plate dry with the towel.

when the dishes were done grayson pulled his phone out of his pocket, pulling up owens contact and sending a quick text.

what are you up to? - owen

hello? 😣 - owen

sorry i didn't answer sooner, aaron's taking me to the hospital but don't worry - grayson

if there was something wrong you would tell me right? - owen

yes, i'll tell you every detail - grayson

"i think we'll stop by a&w on our way" aaron said as he helped grayson into the car, hopping into the drivers side and reaching over to click graysons seatbelt in.

"how's gracie, your 3 years and 6 months is this weekend" grayson asked, slightly out of breath still from the physical exertion of getting in the car.

"we're going to that fancy restaurant that just opened, i think it's near bellview" aaron spoke quickly, a tone of urgency in his voice as he looked at grayson.

"the pasta place?" grayson asked, his heart beating quicker with nerves as they got closer and closer to the hospital.

"yeah i think so, gracie does all the planning" aaron joked, gracie was the only one he trusted enough to be in charge of things.

"she still taking all those AP classes?" grayson groaned slightly as they hit a bump, every muscle in his body aching with every movement.

"yep, and continuing them into senior year too" aaron sped up, hovering just above the speed limit as they approached the hospital in the distance.

"jesus shes smart" grayson joked, sweat dripping from his brow and clamming up his hands.

"that's what you said the day you met her" aaron smiled widely as he pulled into the parking lot, screeching into a parking spot and unlocking the doors.

"don't move gray, i don't want you to hurt yourself" aaron said as he hopped out of the car, pulling the wheelchair out of the trunk and setting it close to the passenger side door.

"okay, slowly" aaron lifted grayson slowly, trying to avoid looking at his brothers face furled in pain.

"back home" grayson joked, barely able to keep his eyes open as aaron rolled him through the hospital doors.