FicWad

We'd all been sitting in the hospital waiting room for a few hours, with no news other than "We're doing all we can. The guys were still mad at me, and I was getting sick and tired of the silence. I could feel my stomach churning, I wanted was to talk to Jay one last time.

Seb, who was still sitting beside me, elbowed my arm before standing up, "Let's go talk."

I didn't reply, I just stood up slowly and followed him until we were outside.

"Before you say anything, Seb, you have no right to be mad at me." I leaned against the side of the building and went rummaging trough my purse for a cigarette.

"Like hell I do." He snapped, but handed me a smoke. He lit his smoke and held the light up so I could light mine. "You slept with Pierre. A guy you spent 4 years trying to get over. I watched you torture yourself to not look at him when he entered a room, or to not get jealous when he brought a girl to band practice. And then Jay-"

"I didn't-"

"Sorry Beth, but you pretty much did. But what makes me most mad is the fact that you didn't tell me."

"So? You're doing the exact same thing by not telling any one that you've slept with me. "

"That's completely different-" He started.

"No it's not! you-"

"I would never do to you what Pierre did!" He raised his voice a little, "I would never not be there in the morning. I would never use you like that!"

"That wasn't his intentions." I couldn't figure out if I was now trying to defend Pierre, or just argue with Seb.

"But that's what he did." Seb sighed, and took a drag of his smoke. "I care about you too much to watch you get hurt by him again."

"I won't."

"I don't believe you."

"Then don't." I snapped, "I'm capable of taking care of myself, Seb. I don't need you to keep protecting me anymore. I lived in New York on my own for three years. I'm all grown up."

"If you'd grown up at all in New York, you would've called, or visited or something! You left, Beth!" He started to look a little flustered, I'd been waiting for this since I came back to Montreal. I'd been waiting for him to let me have it. "You just left! How could you just forget about us?"

"I didn't forget about anyone." I replied, walking up to him. I put my hand on the side of his face and said, "I couldn't forget you, or the rest of the guys even if I tried. and I'm back now, okay?"

He nodded, he looked like he was almost in tears. "Bethany, you are someone I don't want to live without ever again... you hear me?" I smiled as Seb leaned down and kissed my lips lightly.

"Seb, Beth, we can go talk to Jay-"

I stepped away from Seb quickly and turned to look at Pierre who'd come out the door at the wrong time.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Pierre, don't freak out-" Seb started.

"How can I not?" He asked, then looked at me, "How can you do this while Jay's in a hospital bed, waiting to talk to you!"

"Pierre, it was just a kiss." I defended myself, now feeling guilty.

"It's never just a kiss with you two!" He took a step towards me, but Sebastien stepped between us.

"Don't you dare go anywhere near her!" He snapped, but it just seemed to make Pierre even more upset.

"Why are you always protecting her, Seb?" His face was only inches from Seb's. "She's all grown up, she can fight her own battles."

"Thank you!" I said, not really meaning to. "Seb, please go inside."

"But-"

"Now!"

Seb walked around Pierre, not talking his eyes off of him until he was in the door.

"How could you?" Pierre asked.

"How could I what, Pierre? I haven't done anything wrong."

"Jay-"

"I'm not dating Jay anymore, Pierre. If anything he wants me to move on!" I leaned against the wall, feeling exhausted from the past few day's events.

"So you're moving on to Seb?" Pierre leaned against the wall beside me.

"No, I'm not. But I'm 25 and single, If I want to give my friend a kiss, I'm going to." I stood up straight, "I think all of you guys need to stop treating me like I'm 15, and stay out of my business." I walked past him and through the doors.

To my surprise, everyone was still in the waiting room, and they all immediately looked up at me as I walked in.

"Why aren't you with Jay?" I asked.

"He wants to talk to you, alone." Johnathan replied.

I felt my heart start beating wildly against my chest, and my hands get clammy as I made my way down the hallway to Jay's room. I got to the door, but for a few moments I was unable to turn the handle, and walk in. I held back tears as I took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"What took you so long?" Jay smiled from the bed. There was no longer any colour to his skin, his eyes were bloodshot and he could barely sit up the slightest bit. His voice was weak and cracked, but he still smiled at me.

"I- I was-"

"Come, sit." He lifted his hand barely two inches from the bed before it dropped back down beside him.

I felt tears pour from my eyes as I sat down beside him.

"What did I tell you last time about crying?" He spoke slowly. "Smile, Beth."

I smiled as best I could and wiped some tears from my face. "I'm so sorry-"

"None of that." He hushed me, "Beth, I want to tell you that you are one of the most amazing girls I have ever met. You're going to do great things in life if you don't let anything hold you back. I feel absolutely blessed to have had you in my life. So don't feel guilty about anything. Not me, not New York, not anything."

I nodded, "Okay."

"Promise me that you're going find a guy that treats you like a princess, and loves you more than anything. Don't settle for anything less."

I reached over and grabbed his hand, "I couldn't do any better than you."

He laughed, but it sounded more like a cough that made me flinch, "You could find better than me, trust me."

I didn't say anything more because Pierre walked in. "I'm going to go. But I'll be back, okay?" Jay nodded, and I reminded him I loved him before getting up. As I walked past Pierre, the tears were pouring from my eyes. He grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me into a quick hug.

"I'm sorry." He whispered before letting me go so I could leave the room. Seb was waiting for me in the hallway and had seen me hugging Pierre.

"Don't forgive him." He said quietly. We sat down on the floor of the hallway, with out back against the wall.

"I'll forgive him if I want to." I protested quietly. Seb wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him.

"Then don't come crying to me when he hurts you."

We didn't say anything else, we just sat silently as nurses, and patients hurried past us. For the first time since I came back to Montreal, my mind wasn't going a million miles a minute.