It was now quarter to six in the morning.
Everyone was still in the hospital but sleeping. Duke and Madison were curled up on an armchair at one side of the bed whilst Oliver and Vinny was on another one at the other side.
Vinny had been sleeping for about three hours now. He tried to stay up for as long as he could, supporting his soulmate. But he was exhausted and eventually drifted off.
Oliver, on the other hand, hasn't slept a wink.
How could he?
The person who brought him up in this world, protecting him and raising him was going to die way before his time.
John only had a few hours left, and then it would all be over.
Everything Oliver has ever experienced with this man will become a memory instead of an opportunity. His voice will become a memory and so will his laugh and even his smile. He'll never get to hear the words "I love you Ollie" Or hear him crack a joke.
Everything was gone and it slipped through Oliver's fingers like dust.
He didn't see it coming and that's what is so heart-breaking. He couldn't prepare his mind. This night had gone incredibly fast. He needed more time, they needed more time together.
But why? They were putting John out of his misery, but if Oliver could be selfish just for one time, it would be now.
He would keep his dad on life support, just so he could see him breathing and pretend like he was Just asleep.
That's it, he's just sleeping.
Oliver's chest throbbed from the heartache and the sorrow.
He leant back in the chair, making Vinny's head fall gently against his shoulder, but it didn't wake him up.
Oliver was physically shaking. He was filled with great sadness.
He watched his dad's chest raise up and down.
He would do anything to hear the sound of his voice.
Anything.
Just then, Oliver's eyelids started dropping. Tiredness suddenly washed over him as he tried fighting against it, but it was like he wasn't in control. He didn't want to sleep, he couldn't.
He needed to spend every moment watching his dad.
But sleep took over his thoughts as he felt himself rest his head into Vinny's hair.
He still tried fighting it, but he was pulled deeper and deeper into a sleep. His breathing became heavier as he then drifted off.
Oliver instantly started to dream. The boys didn't know that since they connected their souls by one hundred percent, they dream the same things. Mostly because they never remember them.
But this dream would be hard to forget:
Oliver looked around, there was nothing in his sights, but white. He blinked and rubbed his eyes but he could see nothing.
As he walked forwards, he shouted and waited for a response but he heard nothing.
Where is he?
What an unusual place.
Even though everything was white, it came with a very soothing atmosphere.
Oliver sighed and turned around, But suddenly Vinny was right behind him. He jumped and placed a hand on his heart.
"Don't do that" He chuckled.
Vinny watched him, but he seemed different.
"Where are we?" Oliver asked as he took his hand.
"You'll see," Vinny said as he looked over Oliver's shoulder and into the distance.
Oliver turned to see a figure, making its way through the mist.
He squinted his eyes to get a better look, but the person reached them faster than he thought.
All of a sudden, a boy was standing in front of them. He looked about their age and he was perfect beyond belief.
He wore a white t-shirt with beige jeans. His aura was incredibly calming.
"Hello Oliver," The boy said politely. "Do not ask where you are. That is irrelevant"
"How do you know who I am?" Oliver asked as he looked at Vinny, but he seemed normal. Like they were talking to a friend.
"I am going to tell you something very important," The person said, ignoring Oliver's question. "So do not interrupt me"
Oliver nodded, but he knew this was a dream otherwise he would've gone crazy with questions.
"Your dad will not lose his life," He said, making Oliver frown. His dad was dying, why would he forget something like that? "The time will come and you'll believe it's all over. But for today Oliver, I am your miracle. Things may turn out well, but watch out. All good things come with a price, and if you're not careful, you'll get hurt"
Oliver listened with such confusion.
What the boy was saying, made perfect sense.
Maybe it would piece together when Oliver was awake? But deep down he somehow understood.
"I must go now," The boy said as he took a step back.
Oliver opened his mouth, he wanted to ask a million things, but the boy was fading.
"Wait!" He shouted. "What's your name?"
The boy was almost gone, but Oliver saw him turn back.
"My name is Panuleon," He said before showing Oliver a smile. And just like that, he was gone again.
Oliver stared after him.
What Just happened?
He then turned to Vinny, who was watching him calmly.
"It's time to wake up now"
Oliver frowned at this. He was aware that he was dreaming, but he couldn't control when to wake up.
Vinny then lifted his hand and gave Oliver a smile.
He connected his fingers and clicked.
Oliver suddenly sat up on in the armchair.
He looked around as the familiar walls of the hospital room made him remember.
Vinny had woken up at the same time as him, he was confused about the dream he just had but didn't want to share it with Oliver. It would sound crazy and he wouldn't want to hear it, not now.
Duke and Madison were standing by the window when they noticed the boys were up.
It was almost half past seven in the morning.
Oliver's gaze then wandered to his dad, who was still unresponsive.
He just had the strangest dream, but now was not the time to think about it, he needed to cherish his dad.
He stood up from the armchair and his side immediately felt cold without Vinny resting against it. He walked over to John and took his hand.
Little did he know, this may be his final time.
His tired eyes stared into his dad's emotionless face. He couldn't believe this was happening.
Today he was going to lose his dad, forever.
Vinny watched as the pain from Oliver kicked him right in the chest. He felt so helpless.
The atmosphere in the room was almost suffocating. It was gloomy and full of remorse from Duke.
He felt extremely responsible.
Just then, the door opened and two doctors walked in. They immediately glanced at Oliver, their expressions were sad too.
"No," Oliver said as his eyes grew fearful. "I'm not ready" His hands had begun to shake again.
"I'm so sorry Oliver," The guy said, and he did truly look it. "But your dad's not getting any better and we need the machine"
Oliver's breathing was shaky as the tears built in his eyes.
"I don't want him to go," He said as Vinny stood up and wrapped his arms around him. "I can't... I can't lose him" Oliver sobbed into Vinny's neck as Madison let her tears fall at such a heart-breaking moment.
Vinny rubbed his back. He began to collect tears in his eyes too, but he did his best to blink them away.
The doctors didn't know what to say, but someone else needed the machine, someone who was actually going to live.
They walked over to the wires as Vinny pulled Oliver to the foot of the bed.
"Please," Oliver sobbed as he lifted his head. His eyes were red and puffy as the tears covered his cheeks. He was gripping onto Vinny's waistcoat. "I-I can't live without him"
Oliver knew that his desperate plead's wouldn't change their minds, but he was longing for a miracle.
The doctors looked at each other and he knew it was time.
"I love you, dad," Oliver said in-between sobs of sorrow.
That brought a tear to Dukes eye as he gripped Madison's hand tight.
This was it.
The doctor gave Oliver a sympathetic look, before reaching up and hovering his hand over the switch.
Oliver felt like everything he had ever loved was going to die right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do. He felt all the happiness suck out of his soul and of course, Vinny felt it too.
Now, everything played out in slow motion.
Everyone watched as the guy put pressure on the switch and flicked the machine off.
The noise instantly faded down as John's breathing mellowed. The heart monitor became slower and slower until there was a faint line of an awful high pitched noise.
John's heart had stopped beating.
Oliver was hoping and hoping, but nothing happened.
"Time of death-"
"No" Oliver wailed as he sunk his face deep into Vinny's neck once more and started to cry heavy tears.
Madison also hugged her husband for comfort as they both felt tears lightly stream down their cheeks.
The pain that hit Vinny was so overwhelming, he felt his knees become weak. Oliver was so grief-stricken, he could barely even hold onto his mind.
As Vinny squeezed him tight, he still didn't feel close enough.
But suddenly, something happened.
There was a little blip on the monitor, stopping the doctors.
John's heart just did a single beat.
They watched it for a few seconds, but nothing happened so they carried on.
But then, it happened again.
They stopped and placed a few fingers over John's cold wrist, wanting to get his pulse.
Nothing happened for a few more seconds, but then the impossible did.
John's heart started beating again.
"What the?" The doctor gasped.
Vinny looked up when the monitor showed signs of life.
He gasped when the doctors started helping John to breathe again.
"Oliver," He said as he lifted his head from his shoulder and forced him to look in that direction.
Oliver could barely see anything, his eyes were glazed over with tears. But he brought up his hands and wiped them.
When he could see, John's eyes were starting to flicker.
"What" Oliver breathed as he sprinted over to his dad in disbelief. His heart was full of hope. "Dad?" He took his hand and surprisingly, he felt him squeeze it back.
John frowned and blinked back the blur of his son. He felt extremely strange and had no idea what was going on.
Vinny stared as he could feel Oliver's relief, seeping through his chest.
Nobody expected that.
But as Vinny continued to watch, he noticed something that wasn't quite right. As John open his eyes once more, danger suddenly struck him.
His eyes were red.
"Oliver," He said in a low voice. He knew that in any second, John was going to attack his son. He knows that blood is the one thing a Vampire cannot resist.
Oliver also spotted the same thing, only he was too happy to see that his dad was now alive, to care.
Everything he thought he was losing, just came back in a blink of an eye.
"Oliver," Vinny said again as he tried edging forwards. "Come here"
That's when Duke and Madison noticed the danger.
John looked at his son, he was confused. Why did Oliver look so distraught? Where is he? Why is he in a hospital bed and why is he having thought about blood?
But there was one thing, in particular, he couldn't get his mind to change.
He wanted Oliver's blood. And he would kill to get it.