Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > I'm Just A Ghost, Haunting My Own Life
Still with my eyes closed, I listened. I wasn’t trying to be sneaky; I was just tired and sore and probably very heavily medicated. I heard the muffled sound of the toilet flushing followed by the sound of a running tap, a brief pause and finally the bathroom door opening.
“Do I have to ask you to leave this room again, Mr Wentz?”
“Aww, come on, let me stay, please?” I heard Pete use his best ‘pity me’ tone; she would have to have had a heart of stone to ignore that. “I need to be here when he wakes up.”
“And what Mr Stump needs is peace and quiet.”
“But… but I’ve been really quiet.”
“It’s true,” I finally murmured. “He’s been very quiet.”
“Patrick!” Pete cried; sounding elated. “You’re awake!”
I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious and it was impossible to tell from Pete’s tone. Don’t get me wrong, it sounded as though I’d been asleep for about three days. But knowing Pete’s frequently over-the-top reactions, it could just as easily have been ten minutes! Opening my eyes, I could see the nurse, probably about to suggest that Pete was crowding me and she needed him gone to check on my vitals.
“Please let him stay,” I asked, well, if I’m honest, I practically begged.
She looked the no nonsense sort. Someone who would be quite stern and adhere to the rules, but I could only hope that she would soften with a warm smile. As it turned out, I couldn’t manage a warm smile. All I could do was grimace painfully. Somehow, that did the trick. Ah! Pity is such an indefinable quality!
“Well, I’ve got to fetch the doctor, so, I guess he can stay until he arrives.”
She gave me a look that I can only say was designed to remind me that this was a temporary arrangement only. I would have to make the most of it. But, without needing to say a word, she was right. I’d been awake for only two minutes and already I was drained.
“Patrick,” Pete settled back in the chair next to my bed, gently placing his left hand on my arm. “How are you feeling? Can you feel your toes?”
“I feel terrible,” I sighed.
“This is all my fault!”
I glanced to my left and there he was, head bowed with his shoulders slumped forward.
“Yeah! You know it kinda is!”
Pete looked up in disbelief and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“Pete, you tried to protect me from your misery at being separated from your family. That’s admirable, but dumb!”
“But…”
“Yeah, I know, I was right in the middle of PPP.”
Pete’s eyes widened and I almost laughed at the sight.
“How do you know about that?”
“Pete, you’ve been a well-intentioned dumbass. I will never be too wrapped up in my own issues to care about yours! Do you understand?”
“But if you knew… why didn’t you tell me?” Pete frowned.
“I didn’t know. You’re quite the actor, Pete. But I had plenty of time to think about it after I fell.”
Pete shook his head in confusion. “But you were out cold and even then only a few minutes.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Believe me, it felt like a week. But I had time to see how things really were. Never do that again, Pete.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” he nodded, head bowed. “Are… are we good?”
“We’re best friends, remember?” I replied. “Of course we’re good.”
The door opened and the nurse returned with the doctor. They were talking to me, I knew, but I was distracted. Beyond the door, in the corridor, stood a young girl, no more than seventeen. I recognised her immediately. Smiling at me, Alice blew me a kiss before fading from sight.
“Patrick? Patrick are you okay?”
I was brought back to reality with a jolt at the sound of the urgency in Pete’s voice, immediately followed by the irritation in the nurse’s tone.
“You kinda zoned out there, Trick,” he added with concern.
“Mr Wentz, will you please leave the room?”
Glancing at me for reassurance, Pete seemed so worried, but it was unnecessary. I’d come to my senses and I would make sure he would too.
“It’s okay, Pete, I’m fine, really. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Something about the way I said it, perhaps, brought the first genuine smile I’d seen on Pete’s lips for a long time. I’d missed his smile. I vowed then and there to make sure I saw it every day I was with him. No more pretending. No more protecting. Just best friends looking out for each other.
I don’t know how it had happened and yet at the same time, not happened, but I would be eternally grateful for my time with Alice and the valuable lessons she taught me. Live a full life, because you can’t go back and add more later. Love your friends and let them love you back and take nothing for granted.
And PPP? Well, I’ll work on that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N Thanks to everyone who came along on Patrick's journey. I really hope you enjoyed it!! Thanks too for all the reviews and ratings. I really appreciate when people take the time to do that :)
Sas x
“Do I have to ask you to leave this room again, Mr Wentz?”
“Aww, come on, let me stay, please?” I heard Pete use his best ‘pity me’ tone; she would have to have had a heart of stone to ignore that. “I need to be here when he wakes up.”
“And what Mr Stump needs is peace and quiet.”
“But… but I’ve been really quiet.”
“It’s true,” I finally murmured. “He’s been very quiet.”
“Patrick!” Pete cried; sounding elated. “You’re awake!”
I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious and it was impossible to tell from Pete’s tone. Don’t get me wrong, it sounded as though I’d been asleep for about three days. But knowing Pete’s frequently over-the-top reactions, it could just as easily have been ten minutes! Opening my eyes, I could see the nurse, probably about to suggest that Pete was crowding me and she needed him gone to check on my vitals.
“Please let him stay,” I asked, well, if I’m honest, I practically begged.
She looked the no nonsense sort. Someone who would be quite stern and adhere to the rules, but I could only hope that she would soften with a warm smile. As it turned out, I couldn’t manage a warm smile. All I could do was grimace painfully. Somehow, that did the trick. Ah! Pity is such an indefinable quality!
“Well, I’ve got to fetch the doctor, so, I guess he can stay until he arrives.”
She gave me a look that I can only say was designed to remind me that this was a temporary arrangement only. I would have to make the most of it. But, without needing to say a word, she was right. I’d been awake for only two minutes and already I was drained.
“Patrick,” Pete settled back in the chair next to my bed, gently placing his left hand on my arm. “How are you feeling? Can you feel your toes?”
“I feel terrible,” I sighed.
“This is all my fault!”
I glanced to my left and there he was, head bowed with his shoulders slumped forward.
“Yeah! You know it kinda is!”
Pete looked up in disbelief and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“Pete, you tried to protect me from your misery at being separated from your family. That’s admirable, but dumb!”
“But…”
“Yeah, I know, I was right in the middle of PPP.”
Pete’s eyes widened and I almost laughed at the sight.
“How do you know about that?”
“Pete, you’ve been a well-intentioned dumbass. I will never be too wrapped up in my own issues to care about yours! Do you understand?”
“But if you knew… why didn’t you tell me?” Pete frowned.
“I didn’t know. You’re quite the actor, Pete. But I had plenty of time to think about it after I fell.”
Pete shook his head in confusion. “But you were out cold and even then only a few minutes.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Believe me, it felt like a week. But I had time to see how things really were. Never do that again, Pete.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” he nodded, head bowed. “Are… are we good?”
“We’re best friends, remember?” I replied. “Of course we’re good.”
The door opened and the nurse returned with the doctor. They were talking to me, I knew, but I was distracted. Beyond the door, in the corridor, stood a young girl, no more than seventeen. I recognised her immediately. Smiling at me, Alice blew me a kiss before fading from sight.
“Patrick? Patrick are you okay?”
I was brought back to reality with a jolt at the sound of the urgency in Pete’s voice, immediately followed by the irritation in the nurse’s tone.
“You kinda zoned out there, Trick,” he added with concern.
“Mr Wentz, will you please leave the room?”
Glancing at me for reassurance, Pete seemed so worried, but it was unnecessary. I’d come to my senses and I would make sure he would too.
“It’s okay, Pete, I’m fine, really. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Something about the way I said it, perhaps, brought the first genuine smile I’d seen on Pete’s lips for a long time. I’d missed his smile. I vowed then and there to make sure I saw it every day I was with him. No more pretending. No more protecting. Just best friends looking out for each other.
I don’t know how it had happened and yet at the same time, not happened, but I would be eternally grateful for my time with Alice and the valuable lessons she taught me. Live a full life, because you can’t go back and add more later. Love your friends and let them love you back and take nothing for granted.
And PPP? Well, I’ll work on that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N Thanks to everyone who came along on Patrick's journey. I really hope you enjoyed it!! Thanks too for all the reviews and ratings. I really appreciate when people take the time to do that :)
Sas x
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