Long Live Us

*Rian POV*

~

Rian was awoken from his peaceful slumber by his phone vibrating. He groaned loudly, glancing at the clock and seeing it was three am.
'Who the fuck is calling at this time in the morning?' He wondered, leaning over and grabbing his phone.
'Jack, of course.' Rolling his eyes he answered the phone, wondering how he didn't guess it would be his mad friend.
"Jack what the hell's it's three in the morning?" Rian grumbled, trying to wake himself up enough to have some what of a conversation. A strangled, pain filled reply came from Jack, and the short haired boy was instantly up and awake, worry and panic coursing through his blood.
'Help.'
"Jack? Jack what's wrong? What's happened? Where are you?" He frantically asked, pulling on a jumper and a coat and his shoes, grabbing his keys ready to flee out the door.
'The park.' The boy said, coughing, Rian nodded, glad it was the one near him so he could run there. 'I think- I t-think Mark... S-shot me...'
Rian froze. His eyes widened, his grip on his phone tightened and his feet seemed glued to the ground. What the hell? If it wasn't for the way Jack's voice sounded, he wouldn't believe him and just brush it off as the lanky boy playing a prank in his drunken state. This, however, sounded and felt different. It felt serious.
"You've been shot? Who the fuck is Mark?" Rian then asked, coming back to his senses and bounding down the stairs, dashing into the kitchen to grab a torch - just in case.
"Matt's friend... I'll ex-explain later... J-just come a-and get me... Please..." Jack whimpered, before the line went dead. Rian's protective mode then burst through, and he was out the door and sprinting down the road in a matter of seconds. The street was deserted, only illuminated by the street lamps. The short haired boy silently thanked Zack for forcing him into training with him for a while, otherwise this run would've stretched out even longer.
Minutes later he arrived at the edge of the park, praying and hoping Jack was nearby. Scanning the trees he couldn't see anything, or anyone, and he cursed as he took a step into the park.
"Dammit Jack where are you?!" He mumbled angrily as he paced up and down, scanning the trees. He was reluctant to stray to far from the road - due to worry for his own life and maybe his fear of the dark. Pulling the torch out of his pocket he shone the light in front of him, continuing his now frantic search.
"Jack?" He yelled, flinching at the way his voice echoed. This was creepy. When the sound of his own voice drifted away, Rian was met by silence. A chilling silence, one which worried him.
"Jack!" He shouted again. Hope seeping from his body. Now, however, he heard a whimper.
"Jay? Where are you?" Rian ran to where the sound came from, and where it kept coming from. Then he noticed him.
Jack was just a lump on the floor. You would easily be able to walk past without spotting him. If it wasn't for the noises escaping the body, Rian would think he was dead. Anger and pain coursed through his body. His best friend was in front of him, curled up on the ground, hair all over the place and pain etched onto his face. The smell of blood clung to him and pitiful wails filled the air.
"Jack?" The short haired boy quickly closed the gap between himself and the boy, crouching down near his face. The dark haired boy let out another pained cry, looking up at Rian. His usually bright eyes were dark, pain and desperation clear in them.
"What do I need to do? Do you need to go to hospital?" Rian asked, trying desperately to remain calm. Jack mumbled a reply, but it was a jumbled up mess of words and emotions.
"Fuck it." Reaching into his pocket, Rian dialled 911 and called an ambulance. Whilst they were waiting, Jack was slipping in and out of consciousness, his eyelids too heavy for the weak boy to keep open. Rian investigated the wound and noticed he had lost a lot of blood, a large section of his previously grey shirt now black. His back was rising and falling quickly as his lungs desperately took in air, his body fighting hard to keep functioning. Jack was low to the ground, the long grass casting dark shadows over his face, darkening his features further. His raven hair was no longer styled and organised, but looked more like a birds nest, beads of sweat forming at the top of his forehead. With his eyes clenched shut and his jaws twisting in pain, Jack looked like the ground would swallow him up any second. It looked like he had nothing left to fight with, each second causing more and more to seep away from him. Rian sat stock still next to him, holding the boys' stone cold hands, silently praying and begging that he would stay.
The image in front of his eyes would never leave him, he already knew that, and damn he felt like killing the boy who had put Jack through this. Sirens sounded in the distance, waking the injured boy up again.
"Sorry for waking you up Rian." He mumbled, opening his eyes for a split second before his head dropped down again.
"Don't be so silly, Barakat." The short haired boy replied, his gaze wandering over his friend before getting the attention of the ambulance crew as they pulled up.

A long, dreary six hours later, Rian was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, waiting for the doctors to tell him something - anything - about Jack. They had taken the tall boy in the ambulance, speeding off to A&E, pushed him off in a stretcher and that was it. They told him to wait and that's what he was doing. He had phoned his mum and Jack's mum to tell them what had happened, and then contacted Josh, Jenna and Zack. Each had agreed to come and see him when they could, and more than happy to bullshit to the teachers as to why the two boys were absent. Rian had decided he was not leaving without Jack, silently pledging that he would sit here for weeks until he knew his friend was okay.
Pacing for hours had worn the short haired boy out, and he was genuinely fighting tears over worrying about Jack. Why hadn't the doctors said anything yet? He was going to be okay, wasn't he? Jack was always okay. That loony was the only think keeping Rian going - he would always be smiling, even if he was dealing with so much shit he couldn't bare it. And now? He was lying in a hospital bed with a gaping big hole in the side of his body. Yet Rian would bet money that when he woke up, he would be smiling.
Pushing any thoughts of Jack not making it out of his mind, he aimlessly picked up one of the out of date magazines from the table and flicked through the pages of rubbish that he had no interest in.
'Come on Jack, please be okay.'

His wish was granted another hour later.
"Are you Mr Dawson?" A short, young women questioned from next to him. Her dark brown hair was slicked back in a long pony tail, and despite her kind smile, tiredness and worry were evident in her eyes.
"Er, yes, Rian, is he okay?" The short haired boy asked quickly, standing up in the hope this women would take him to his friend. She took in a deep breath, looked Rian dead in the eye, before talking.
"Mr Barakat lost a lot of blood. We have had to do a minor blood transfusion - luckily we had a close match in stock here. He is still unconscious, but the signs are all positive." Rian let the words sink in, uncertain whether to be relieved or not.
"But is he going to be fine?" He repeated, making the nurse smile - he guessed at the nervousness, worry and care that laced his voice.
"We think so. He's not out of the dark yet, but we think he will be. Would you like to see him?" Rian nodded instantly, impatiently following behind the nurse as they weaved their way through the building to where Jack's room was.
She soon paused at a door, looking back and Rian before pushing the door open. After taking a deep breath, he followed her in, and almost wished he hadn't.
Jack was lying in the bed, his skinny frame covered by an awful blue hospital robe. His face was pale, white as a ghost, large bags under his closed eyes. His dark hair was all over the place, pushed back and up in the wrong places. His arms were joined to various drops either side of the bed, an oxygen mask covering the rest of his face. The beeping of his heart monitor echoed around the dull room, various machines buzzing away in the background. Jack looked so peaceful, in a strange, haunted way. Rian chocked back a sob as he went up to the bed. Placing his hand gently over Jack's cheek, the feeling of how cold he was concerned him. After reminding himself that the doctors knew what they were doing and they had said he would be fine, he let one tear fall down his cheek. In that moment he truly appreciated Jack and everything he had done for him and everyone else around them. He was irreplaceable. And Rian couldn't live without him. Everyone needed the dark haired boy, he was the rock of the group. The laugher, the joker, the light hearted moron. The usual guilt then flooded over Rian, as his eyes once again scanned his lifeless looking friend. He should've done more to stop him going out. Why didn't he invite him over? Why did he knowingly let Jack wander round a park?
'Dammit Rian.' He said to himself, rubbing his hand across his head before crossing his arms on the bed next to Jack and laying his chin on them.
"I'm sorry Jack. I'm so so sorry..."


"No shhh let him sleep he's not hurting anyone." The next thing Rian knew was he was being awoken by a voice that was obviously trying to be quiet, but it wasn't working. Recognising it as Jack's voice, the boy just shifted slightly, attempting to go back to sleep.
"Okay, fine. But you'll need to be questioned, and so will Mr Dawson I expect." A deep male voice spoke, reminding Rian of what happened. Everything came rushing back to him in one big blur.
"Jack!" He exclaimed, probably way too loud, eyes scanning over the dark haired boys now awake face. "Oh my god are you okay? Thank fuck you're awake!"
"Ri calm down!" Jack protested as the shorter boy flung his arms around the lanky boys shoulders, holding him tightly as if it was the last time he would ever see him. It almost felt like it could be, considering how close he was too losing him last night.
"Please don't ever scare me like that again." The shorter boy mumbled, scrunching up his eyes in a desperate attempt to stop tears spilling over again.
"I don't plan too." Jack replied with a light hearted laugh, happily returning the hug before the boys pulled away. Rian looked at the younger boys face, checking his eyes for their usual bright spark to let him know that the boy was truly okay. And sure enough, behind a dark layer of pain, tiredness and confusion that had formed, the Barakat sparkle was still there. That tiny glimmer of hope that never left Jack's being - the very same flame that carried everyone around him. Rian quickly rubbed his eyes and let out a chuckle, he hated crying. Especially in front of people, but it did take a lot to get him crying.
"Stop crying Dawson! I'm fineeee!" Jack whined, pouting and childishly poking the short haired boys' cheek. Rian swatted his hand away with a laugh, reminding himself that his friend was okay. Or as okay as he could be.
"Sorry I'm just... Worried."
"Well don't be. Ima have a bullet wound, that's kinda cool isn't it?" Jack responded with a grin. Rian glared at him with raised eyebrows, was he serious?
"Well, not cool cool but like, hey not many people get them!" He defended, whining slightly, trying to find something positive in the situation. Rian dismissed him with a roll of his eyes, not seeing the humour in what he was saying. The boy doubted he would ever see anything even remotely funny about this ordeal.
Before their conversation could continue, the door swung open and the doctor walked in. Rian looked up at him expectedly whilst Jack let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms against his sides.
"Mr Barakat, Mr Dawson." He greeted them with a small smile, walking over to all the machines attached to Jack and writing down the readings on the clipboard before putting it back on the shelf.
"What's up Doc?" The dark haired boy questioned happily, his signature goofy grin plastered to his face.
"Well you do seem fine don't you?" He responded with a small laugh, pulling up a chair and sitting on the opposite side of the bed to Rian. "But there's a few things that need to be sorted."
"Can't I go home?" The doctor shook his head, a sad look on his face. Rian took in a deep breath, worried about what was about to be said.
"Not yet, I'm afraid. We need to keep you in under observation to ensure you haven't got any internal injuries." Jack let out a loud and dramatic sigh before the doctor continued. "And you'll need to be questioned - both of you. The police will be looking into what happened."
Both boys nodded, looking at each other for silent support in wrapping their minds around everything.
"When?" Rian asked, stifling his own yawn, silently admitting how tired he was, but he was determined not too leave the hospital without Jack by his side.
"Now, for you, and we'll ask Jack when he feels ready." Both boys nodded again, and the doctor walked outside, hovering on the other side of the door for Rian to follow him. The short haired boy stood up and stretched a little, frowning when he saw Jack fiddling with his fingers - something he always and only did when he was nervous.
"You are alright, aren't you?" He questioned, standing close to the bed again.
"I don't know... I just.. I'm sorry..." The lanky boy mumbled, dropping his head.
"Don't be ridiculous. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry, I should have tried harder to stop you going out..." Rian let out another sigh, wishing he could go back in time and stop this all from happening.
"Shut up you potato, this wasn't your fault." Jack replied, bringing his gaze back up to Rian. Sighing, he shrugged, before saying he'd be back as soon as he could and turned to walk out the door. The doctor greeted him with a smile and began leading him down the winding white corridors of the hospital and into a small room. Rian took a few deep breaths, steadying his body before stepping in. His hands shook but he wanted to do this for Jack.

So as he sat in front of the officers, he recalled the events of the night, knowing they would be carved into his mind forever, and that things wouldn't be the same from here on in.

Notes

this isnt very jalex-y is it? one more chapter then Alex is back!
sorry this isnt great but whatevs, thanks & enjoy if youre reading!