I Need a Hero to Save me Now

"Evan's sick, really, really sick," Matt said. "I'm......I'm scared Chris."

"I'm...I'm scared Chris."

Chris froze when he heard Matt say that. He'd known Matt Hardy for a long time, and he'd NEVER heard the elder Hardy use that one word, EVER.

"Matt it'll be alright" he whispered soothingly "Jeff and I will be right there." He hung up and threw a pillow at his sleeping boyfriend "Wake up Jeff" he threw another pillow at the younger man and nodded when he groaned "Get dressed, we need to get to the hospital, Evan is extremely ill."

Jeff nodded. "Is Matt okay?" Jeff asked.

Chris loved his boyfriend but at times like this he really wanted to smack him "No he's not okay!" he practically snapped "He's SCARED Jeff, he told me so himself, your brother is SCARED!"

"Shit," Jeff muttered. "It's been a LONG time since I've heard him say that."

"I know, I know" Chris laid a gentle hand on Jeff's shoulder "But this time it's going to be different, come on, Matt needs us."

Jeff just nodded. "Knowing him if we don't get there fast he'll need a hospital bed of his own soon," Jeff said.

"That's what I'm afraid of" Chris murmured as they got to the car

"Me too Chris," Jeff muttered. "Me too."

Meanwhile, back at the hospital....

Evan's condition was getting worse. His fever was consistently hovering close to 105, if it went any higher he could die. He lay so still, that the only sign he was still alive was the beeping of the heart monitor. And what was worse. Matt had fled in sobs not too long ago. Without his lover's presence, Evan was in a virtual freefall towards a painful death.

Matt sat outside the hospital, tears streaming down his cheeks. How would he live if he lost Evan? COULD he go on without him?

Chris did a double-take when he saw Matt curled up outside the hospital. For a minute his heart fell into his stomach, surely they weren't too late?

"Matt...Matt..." Chris quietly knelt down and laid a hand on the elder Hardy's shoulder while Jeff wrapped his arms around him "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with Evan?"

"I can't do it," Matt sniffled. "Hurts too bad, brings back too many memories."

Chris knew all too well what Matt was referring to, watching your mother die would scar anyone for life "Matt, listen to me" he kept his voice soft, but firm "I know you're hurting badly right now, but you need to be in there, for Evan's sake. He needs you with him or he won't survive this."

"I've never seen him so...still," Matt muttered.

"I know" Chris murmured "But he's still in there and he NEEDS you."

Matt nodded. "you're right," Matt muttered. "You're right."

"Come on then" Chris and Jeff pulled Matt to his feet "Let's go to him then, he's going to make it Matt, you know he will."

Matt nodded, too emotionally drained to respond.

Chris' breath caught in his throat when he saw Evan for the first time. He'd had a feeling it would be bad, but nothing he'd imagined had come close to preparing him for the heartbreaking scene before him. The poor young man was attached to no less than three IV's, two of which were filled with saline in a desperate attempt to keep him hydrated. He was drenched from head to toe in a feverish sweat that made his body glisten, and it painfully accentuated how pale he'd become.

"Come on Matt" he tugged on the elder Hardy's arm gently "Go to him, he needs you."

Matt froze at the door. It terrified him to see Evan like this.

"Matt you can do this" Chris whispered, wincing when Evan softly whimpered "Please Matt, I know you're scared, but you need to go in there and be with him, we'll be there too."

Matt nodded, walking into the room to sit at Evan's bedside.

Evan looked like he was having a nightmare, his head was weakly twisting from side to side, pain scrunching up his pale features.

Matt took Evan's hand gently, rubbing it slowly with his thumb. "It'll be alright Evy," Matt muttered.