My Only One (Jalex)

Jack's POV:

Eight hours. Eight whole hours and my mom still hadn't awoken. I'd tried to sleep but my mind was just filled with worry. The doctors didn't seem particularly concerned though, saying that it's not unheard of for patients to take a while to come around from anaesthetic, especially after extensive surgery, similar to what my mom underwent. Alex had been brilliant though. He'd stayed the whole time with me, comforting me and making me feel better. Him and May seemed to be getting on well, too. I was pleased. May is a very hard person to get along with and to see the love of my life getting on with my sister is great. I just hope that my mom takes to him in the same way.

Another few hours had passed and everyone, including the doctors were starting to get a little concerned. Again, they said that it's not unheard of but that's not the point. A doctor came in, holding a clip board and some sort of clear solution in a syringe.
"Right, it's nearing eleven hours since Mrs Barakat came out of surgery and we're starting to get a little concerned about her not waking up. This should help her, it usually helps most patients in her situation. If not, we'll assess the situation at that time to see if there's anything we can do."
Alex, May and I exchange worried glances and only nodded numbly at the doctor who was administering the drug into one of the lines going into my mom. The doctor was just about to leave the room before Alex spoke up.
"Doctor, could I maybe have a word outside please?"
"Of course, Sir."
I slid off Alex's knee, my seat for the past eleven hours, and allowed him to leave the room behind the doctor. I could only hear muffled voices from inside the room.
"May, what do you think Alex is asking?"
"I don't know, Jack, I really don't..."
"Can I ask you something, May?"
"You're going to anyway so go ahead."
"What do you think of Alex?"
"Well, he's a great guy, Jack, I can tell. You both seem happy together and that makes me happy but the age difference is concerning me a little. Jack, he's seven years older than you. What if he hurts you?"
"He won't, I know he won't. May, you've got to trust me here. He's helped me so much. The first day of school, he'd already sussed me out. He gave me a detention the first day and rang dad. I panicked and ended up passing out, he said it was a panic attack. He took me back to his office and lay me down on this leather sofa he has in there and-"
"What, Jack. Where did you meet him?"
Shit. Only then did I realise what I had just said. I had pretty much told her that he was my teacher.
"Um, the park?"
My answer came out as a question, obviously telling May that it was a lie.
"Bullshit. Tell me."
"Fine, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone. May, you have to promise, please?"
I'd started to cry, warm tears were cascading down my face.
"I promise, but if he's something dodgy then I can't just sit back and do nothing, Jack. You're my little brother, I have to look out for you."
"Okay, he's...he's the head teacher at Dulaney. He just started this year. Hear me out. I'm in my last year. I'll graduate in a matter of months and then it'll all be legal, well, until I turn eighteen. He's not a monster, he's nothing but pure gold. May, I'm not going to lie here. I've not been happy at all recently, anyone who knew me when I was happy would've been able to tell. I love him so much, May. I'd practically moved out of home because of...him. I'd been staying with my friend, Rian, but mostly with Alex. He loves me too. I'm not just some sex toy to him."
"Have you, you know, yet?"
"No, almost, but not. We've done some things but it was never forced, I wanted to do it."
"What do you mean by 'almost'?"
"Well, we were about to when you rang me last night. He'd made a lovely meal to celebrate our anniversary and it just felt...right."
"Too much information, Jack."
"You asked though."
"I did...Look, I won't say anything. It's clear how much you love him, Jack, and it's clear how much happier you are with him. I'd noticed your happiness deteriorating even when I moved out and that was years ago. I approve, Jack."
I ran over to May, engulfing her in possibly the biggest hug I'd ever given her.

"Wh-who do you ap-prove in, May?"
Both of our heads snapped up in the direction of the raspy voice. Tears, once again, filled my eyes as they scanned the batter and bruised, yet now awake, person.
"My boyfriend, Mom. He's outside."
"Go get him, Jacky. I want to see the guy who's made you happy."
I spun on my heal and practically threw the door open as I went to find Alex. I saw him sat on one of the hard plastic chairs that they have around hospitals, with his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking.
"Lex? What's wrong?"
"She's n-never going t-to wake up, J-Jay."
"Who isn't?"
"You're m-mom."
"Lex, she's just woken up. I came to get you, and also a doctor but mainly you."
"Jay, you don't get it. She...her brain was badly b-bashed. They had a-another look at her scans. She's n-not going to make it."
I fell to the floor, my legs giving out from underneath me. Sobs racked through my body. I felt a familiar pair of hands snake around me and pick me up. My face was buried in his chest as I cried.
"I can't l-lose my m-mom, Lex."
"I'm so sorry, Jay. If I could do something to stop it, you know I would."
"I know, Lex. I love you. She wanted to meet you though, let's go. I want to spend as much time as I can with her before she...goes."
I stood from Alex's lap and dried my face on my shirt. I held my hand out for Alex to hold, he took it and we both went into her room.

She looked incredibly frail. The colour was drained from her cheeks and her eyes seemed sunken. She still looked beautiful though. She'll always be my beautiful mom.
"I love you, Mom. I never told you it enough."
"Shh, Jack. I know you do, I love you too. Now, who's this handsome fellow you've got with you?"
"This is Alex, Mom. He's my boyfriend...of six months."
"Six months?! And you didn't tell me?"
"No, sorry. I didn't know how you'd react to me being gay."
"Oh, honey, I always had my suspicions. Anyway, hello, Alex. I hope you're treating my son right."
Her voice was weak too, but it still had that joyful tone to it.
"I hope I am, Mrs Barakat. I'm so lucky to have found him."
My mom's smile grew wider, her perfectly straight teeth showing.
"You look adorable together. I'm glad you're both happy."
We all sat and conversed for a few more minutes, before Alex excused himself to go to the bathroom rather quickly. Once Alex had left the room, my mom turned to me, her face now serious.
"Jack, baby. How old is Alex?"
"Um, twenty five just turned."
"He's a little..."
"Old? I know. I've already heard this speech before. I love him though, Mom, okay?"
"Hey, Jack? I never said that you two couldn't date, did I? He makes you happy and as long as you're happy then I'm happy. You're the happiest I've seen you be in God know ho-"
Her sentence was cut off by a beeping from one of the multiple monitors that she was hooked up to. May and I turned to look at our mother. Her body was shaking violently, a trail of blood was slowly making its way down her lips, originating from her nose. May smacked the emergency buzzer on the wall, her eyes filling with tears. I ran out of the room, screaming for a doctor. Several doctors ran into the room, May soon being pushed out of the room shortly afterwards. We held each other as we cried, waiting for any news on her condition, although, I pretty much knew what to outcome would be.

We heard footsteps coming down the hallway, the sounds soon after each other, indicating the person was running. I turned my head, seeing Alex racing down the hall towards May and I. He wrapped us both in his arms, both of May and I's tiny frames fitting in his big arms. He let us both cry into his chest, both of us heaving for breath whenever our sobs allowed us. May was the first to pull away, tears still streaming down her face. We could hear the beeping of machines and the muffled shout of many voices, all asking for different medical things to try and help my mom. I knew nothing would work though. She'd gone.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom."
May sauntered off, her shoulders hunched and her feet dragging behind her.
"You knew, didn't you, Lex? You knew that she was about to go."
"I did, yeah. Um, I'll explain why and how later though, now's not the time. It might take a bit to get your head around it too so I'll explain at home."
I nodded against his chest, still refusing to move from my position.
"Lex...I don't have anyone now. Both of my parents are gone."
"True, but that doesn't mean that you've got no one. You've got me, May, Rian. You've even got my mom and dad, Jay. I've told them a lot about you and they're excited to meet you. My mom already regards you as family now."
"R-really?"
"Really."
"I love you so much, Lex."
"I love you too, Jay. I love you so fucking much."

May came back a few minutes later, the hallway filled with the muffled voices of multiple doctors and sniffles, even a few from Alex. The hallway fell silent soon afterwards. It was so silent that it made my ears ring. It was horrifying. I felt like I was in a horror film, but, unfortunately, it was reality. My reality. It wasn't a dream, it wasn't some sort of scary movie. It was real life and that scared the shit out of me. There was shuffling coming from inside the room. Alex guided myself and May over to the row of three plastic chairs against a wall and sat us down. Alex's hand found mine, our fingers slotting together. I knew she'd gone. She was gone the moment my monster of a father threw her down the stairs. I refuse to call him my dad now. He killed my mom. The woman who brought up her three children virtually on her own, thanks to him not wanting anything to do with it, more so when I was born. That was the whole top and bottom of it. I wasn't planned. They'd already had May and Joe, my older brother and May's twin. I wasn't planned. There's eight years between Joe, May and I. My mom loved me like I was planned, she never treated me any different but my father was a different story. He resented me. I'd never really felt wanted by him and that was because I wasn't. I wasn't wanted.

The door to my mom's room swung open slowly, several deflated looking doctors, mostly carrying or pushing medical equipment left the room, all with sad smiles on their faces. One doctor didn't follow the rest though. He made his way over to us, a sad look in his eye. I didn't need to be told what the outcome was. I zoned out. I saw him mouth moving but I heard no works. All I could hear was my heartbeat inside my chest, reminding me that this was actually happening. Alex wrapped me in a hug as the doctor left us to it. May decided to go back into the room and say her goodbyes properly. I, however, chose not to: I felt like it wasn't needed. I'd already said goodbye to her in my head.

"Come on, let's get you home, Jay."
"Home?"
"Yeah, home. My place, well, ours. It's ours now."
I smiled, placing a kiss on Alex's lips for the first time today.
"Let's go."
I laced my fingers with Alex's and walked out to his car, both of us needing sleep. We arranged with the doctors to get the funeral directors to collect her body later on today, we'd have a meeting about her funeral the day after. May followed us out of the hospital, crying all the time. We waited with her until her boyfriend, James, picked her up. He threw a sad smile my way before driving off without another word or gesture. I hopped up into Alex's car and buckled myself in, Alex doing the same.
"Thank you, Lex."
"What for?"
"For everything."

Notes

Hi,

This chapter is very emotional and I may or may not have cried a little whilst writing it.
Please tell me what you think though because it's always really nice to read through them and reply.

Thanks for the 4k reads and for the votes and subs, it means a lot.
Stay rad,
Em x