The day had started out rather inconspicuously, which might have been why no one expected it to go so wrong so fast. It was raining, but Craig wasn’t fazed because he was rather used to the rain. Hearing the pitter - patter of it hitting against the car window made it feel more like home to him. Wildcat drove in the car behind him, and if Mini looked in the rear view mirror he could see Tyler’s car a mile or so behind him.
It was rather dark out, and Mini secretly cursed at how dark it got so fast in America in December as he leaned forward a little bit to try and see better. The fact that he wore glasses didn’t much help his poor vision, and his front light’s had being broken definitely didn’t help his case. The rain just got worse and worse, making the slippery road even more precautious as he drove down the road to Evan’s, and he felt relieved when he spotted a bridge in the distance.
“Perfect,” he thought to himself, “Halfway there.”
Craig sighed internally, but he seemed to have forgotten one vital part of the road leading to Evan’s– the stop sign he just blew through, which caused a waiting car to T-bone him at seventy five miles through an intersection. He didn’t remember anything from that night, even though he tried as hard as he could to remember, he never could, but Tyler did. It was something Tyler would never forget.
Tyler had been far enough to be rendered helpless, but close enough to get a first-hand account of everything. The screeching of car tires, blaring of several car horns, and the loud, resounding bang as the car slammed into Craig, sending him flying across the intersection and into a ditch. The second it happened, Tyler’s heart dropped out of his chest and he felt numb as he screamed, “Craig!!” At an ear splitting volume, darting out of his car as fast as Mini’s name left his mouth.
He stopped at the door, totally ignoring the other driver who apologized profusely and called 911, Tyler pacing frantically as the operator ensured him that an ambulance was on the way and thanking them with tightness in his throat he hung up and called Evan. The other man’s joy destroyed what was left of his sanity, considering Mini’s safety hinged on most of it. “Hey man, where are you?” He asked a smile evident in his voice.
Tyler almost felt sick as he told Evan the short of what happened, already repressing the memory. The silence on the other end was soul crushing as Evan stopped completely; dropping the controller he was holding. “Holy shit, do you want us to meet you at the hospital or pick you up?” Evan asked, knowing how important Mini was to Tyler.
Tyler just sighed, glancing at the ambulance as it approached. “I’ll ride with Craig, you guys just meet us there,” he hung up the phone and shoved it away, feeling like a part of his soul had been ripped out as they got the Jaws of Life to pry the car door open.
The ride to the hospital was the longest ride of his life, staring at Mini’s unconscious body and praying to any God that he’d wake up, come back to Tyler. He had to repress the urge to hold Mini’s hand since it was probably broken. The more he stared at Mini, the more he got the sinking feeling that maybe he cared more than he let on.
This resulted in a rather stressed out Tyler sitting in the waiting room, which terrified everyone else in the room mostly due to his large size. Evan arrived in minutes, and the first thing he noticed was that Tyler was an absolute nervous wreck. Evan just walked up to him and sighed, “Come here, dude, you look like you need a hug,” was all he had to say and Wildcat picked him up off the ground in a tight hug. Tyler nuzzled his face into Evan’s neck, mumbling, “I’m so fucking worried about him,” in a voice that was as shaky as the man that said it.
He let go of Evan to look around the room and find Delirious lingering nearby offering words of comfort, Lui and Nogla sitting in a few chairs not too far from them, Brock and Brian sitting across from Lui and Nogla while Marcel had just come in from parking the car. Tyler pauses for just a moment before he goes to sit beside Brock, Marcel is sitting beside him while Evan and Delirious sat across from them.
Evan watched Tyler for a long time, but the man seemed to be drowning in his thoughts. A nurse suddenly walked out and approached Tyler, who looked up almost hopeful. Evan knew that look, knew that Mini Ladd meant the world to him whether Tyler he knew it or not considering admitting it was out of the question. After a few minutes of trying to convince the nurse that Mini had no family nearby and that Tyler was as close as it got, he was allowed to go visit Mini in ICU once he got out of surgery, something that they had to call his parents to get confirmation to do.
Tyler never left his side, save for surgeries or visiting hours. Seven gruelling days highlighted by four hour sessions that he got to spend sitting beside Mini. They all pretty much went the same, since no one else was allowed in, four hours of Tyler talk to him and telling him what he missed that day, his fingers curled tightly around Mini’s.
It was Christmas Eve, and all the other guys were at Evan’s house celebrating. But Tyler sat in the hospital with Mini, celebrating the fact that he was allowed to stay all night. His eyelids dropped further as he got more tired, the lack of sleep finally getting to him. He jerked his head up and looked over, trying to focus on Mini and not how sleepy he was. “Fuck, please be okay,” he softly whimpered, squeezing Mini’s hand.
It didn’t take long for Tyler to pass out, a nurse coming in with a fond smile when she found that he hadn’t moved for two straight days. Mini quietly grumbled as he opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light of the hospital room and finding a figure hunched over beside him and another on his opposite side.
“Craig!” The figure on his left gasped, revealing herself as a nurse. At the sound of his name, Tyler’s hand squeezed his own and alerted Mini to his presence.
Mini glanced over at him, only to find him sound asleep. “How long has he been here?” He asks, earning a soft smile from the nurse as she headed for the door after she had checked his chart and stats.
“Oh, he never left,” is all she says, leaving Mini even more baffled than before as he stares at Tyler. “Why would he have stayed with me for however long I was out? He looks dead tired; he must’ve been awake for a long time waiting for me to get up.” But Tyler was completely out of it, and the room was otherwise empty.
The following day revealed the room to be just as empty as the night before, considering most all Craig’s friends had better things to do on Christmas. Aside from, for whatever reason, Tyler. Mini wasn’t really sure when he left, but he woke up alone to find it rather early. He’d just fallen asleep when the door creaked open, and he could only guess who it was that let their fingers brush against his wrist and intertwine with his own.
Just as Mini was about to surprise him, Tyler started talking. “Everybody misses you. It’s not the same at Evan’s. They keep telling me I should visit, but someone has to keep you company,” he paused, and Mini could feel Tyler’s thumb rubbing circles into the back of his hand. Tyler heaves a sigh, “I miss you,” he continues. But somehow, that statement feels different than when anyone else said it. As though Tyler is confessing something to him, but Craig can’t possibly guess what it is.
So he doesn’t say anything, just lets Tyler ramble on about his day while he relaxed at the man’s voice. He was suddenly jerked back to attention when Tyler’s voice dropped, growing upset. “Mini, please. Come back. I’m sorry. It’s…it’s not the same,” Tyler squeezed his hand, nearly jumping out of his chair when Mini squeezed his hand back, opening his eyes to look over at him.