Warnings: Mentions of illness/death, hospital setting

Word Count: 3587

Author's Note: This is my second entry for ​the Tumblr writing challenge! Like last time, the prompt is bolded within the fic. Requests will be back next week!

*     *     *

You grabbed your bag from the passenger seat and closed the car door with your hip. There were still a few minutes before visitation hours officially started, but you hoped that the nurses would be nice and let you slip in a few minutes early. With Tyler's condition getting worse, you tried to get in as much time with him as possible.

Your phone buzzed as you were walking through the front doors of the hospital. Without missing a beat, you pulled it out of your pocket and read the text.

Josh: Got a late start. Will be at the hospital ASAP

You finished typing out a response just as you reached the front desk. The nurse smiled at you.

"Y/N Joseph, nice to see you again."

"You too," you said, trying to put on a brave face. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"I do, but visitation hours don't start for another ten minutes."

You tried not to let the disappointment show on your face. Instead, you forced a smile and headed down the hallway that you knew led to the coffee shop. Picking up a drink for you and Tyler would help kill time and hopefully cheer him up a little bit.

You arrived back at the check-in desk at exactly 10:59, armed with two warm drinks and a smile on your face. The nurse looked up as you gently set one of the drinks on the counter.

"There's still a minute," she smiled.

"My husband is terminally ill, I think you can make a sixty second exception."

"ID, please."

You grabbed your ID and slid it across the counter to the nurse. By the time she was done checking you in, the clock read 11:00.

"Have a nice day."

"You too."

You grabbed the second drink from the counter and walked down the hallway towards Tyler's room. He was already awake as you slowly pushed the door open with your forearm. His face lit up as soon as he realized that it was you and not another nurse.

"Lovely," he grinned.

You smiled at the nickname he had given you years ago. "I brought you some coffee."

"You did?"

You noticed that the bags under his eyes had gotten deeper since you had last seen him yesterday. His hands shook a bit as he reached out to take the coffee from you, but you tried not to pay too much attention. Tyler hated when anyone brought too much attention to his condition.

"I got here too early and the nurse wouldn't let me come see you yet, so I thought getting you a nice warm drink might cheer you up."

"I appreciate it. Thank you, lovely."

You walked over and took a seat next to his hospital bed. The chair was still in the same position that you had left it yesterday. Tyler slowly brought the cup to his lips and took the tiniest of sips.

"Josh said that he got a late start this morning but he'll be here as soon as possible."

Tyler nodded as he pulled the lid off the top of his cup.

"It's hot," he explained. "Hopefully this cools it down."

"How was last night?"

"Fine," he shrugged. "I didn't eat much, but I guess that isn't really news."

You reached out and grabbed his hand, "You should try and eat, Ty. You need to keep your strength up."

"I know. I'm trying. I really am."

"That's good."

You gave his hand a light squeeze. He managed a weak smile before bringing the cup to his lips again.

"I talked on the phone with your mom last night. She said that they're going to try and come visit again next week."

Tyler nodded slowly, "She told me about that. All my siblings are coming into town."

"Are you going to be able to handle that?"

He let out a weak laugh, "It's family, I'm not really sure that I have a choice."

You rubbed your thumb against the back of his hand and smiled. Even when he was sick, he was still putting others before himself.

"You know, I watched a movie last night," he continued.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I can't remember the name, but you would have really liked it. I wish I had waited to watch it when you were here."

"You didn't know I would like it," you reassured him. "Maybe I'll watch it at home tonight and then we can talk about it tomorrow."

"Ok," he smiled and gave your hand a light squeeze. "I'll ask one of the nurses what movie it was."

Suddenly, he pulled away his hand from yours as he started coughing yet again. You quickly took his coffee out of his hand and began to rub his back. He sounded worse than he had yesterday, if that was possible, but you tried not to worry too much. Tyler was going to be ok.

"Sorry," he muttered once he finally calmed down.

"No, don't apologize." You handed his coffee back to him. "You're ok."

Tyler was about to say something else when the door to the room swung open. Josh stood in the doorway, holding a variety of coffee cups in his hands. His face fell when he realized that you and Tyler already had drinks.

"And here I was thinking I was being original," he sighed.

Tyler began to laugh, but it was short lived before he was bent over in another coughing fit. You grabbed his hand and began to rub his thumb.

"I got here too early and had time to kill," you explained.

Josh nodded as he handed out the drinks that he had brought. The name brand coffee was a welcome change from the watered down drink that you had previously been sipping on. Tyler took a deep breath after recovering from his coughing fit and took his cup from Josh.

"What have I missed?" Josh asked as he pulled over a chair from the other side of the room.

"Not much," you said. "I really didn't get here that long ago."

"How are you feeling, Ty?"

Josh leaned forward so that he could rest a hand on Tyler's arm.

"I'm ok," Tyler nodded.

You and Josh shared a knowing look. Tyler was never one to let people know if he wasn't ok. He could have a limb missing and he would still tell people that everything was just fine.

"Have you been working on much music?" Josh asked.

"Not much," Tyler answered. "Whenever I try to write, my hand just tires out too fast. I've got some good stuff up here, though."

Tyler smiled and pointed to his temple, earning a laugh from both you and Josh. He seemed pleased by that.

"I'm excited to start working on the next album with you."

"Don't worry, Josh. I'll be out of here and we'll be working hard before you know it."

You smiled, but couldn't help the pang of sadness that shot through your chest. In the back of your mind, you knew there was a possibility that there wouldn't be a next album. Tyler might never be out of the hospital again. It was hard for you to think about,

Tyler must have noticed your distress, because he reached over and grabbed your hand.

"Are you doing alright, lovely?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," you nodded.

"Ok, good."

Josh reached over and gave you a pat on the back as well. You took a long sip of your drink and tried to direct your mind elsewhere. There was no point in worrying about something that wasn't even guaranteed to happen.

*     *     *

You and Josh decided to head down to the cafeteria around noon to grab something for the three of you to eat. Worries were still sitting at the back of your mind--as they seemed to be every day--but you were trying to make the most of what time you had.

"Are you sure you're doing ok?" Josh asked as you walked. "You seem more out of it than usual today."

"I'm just worried," you shrugged. "He seems worse than usual and I can't tell if it's my imagination or not."

"I think it's just your imagination. Tyler seems fine to me."

"You're right. And the nurses seem pretty optimistic about his condition. I really shouldn't be so stressed over this."

"Exactly," he said, pulling you into a side hug. "Remember what we said when he was first diagnosed?"

"No matter how much time he has, we're going to enjoy every second together."

"Right."

"Right," you repeated.

Tyler smiled as you and Josh walked into the room, now holding trays full of food. He carefully looked over his options.

"Are you going to eat?" you asked.

"I'm going to try," he said as he reached for a sandwich. "This food looks pretty good."

"Remind me to bring you some outside food tomorrow, Ty," Josh said. "I'm sure you're tired of hospital food."

He simply shrugged, "There's worse things to eat."

"Like bananas."

Tyler scrunched up his nose, "Yeah, like bananas."

You laughed and grabbed the food that you had picked up for yourself before taking a seat back in the chair next to Tyler's bed. He looked over at you and smiled.

"Did I tell you how nice you look today, Y/N?" Tyler said.

"I think you mentioned it," you giggled, thinking of the numerous times that he had given you the same compliment already.

"Good," he said. "Because you deserve to hear it."

"You look handsome today too, Ty."

"I do?"

"Yes, very handsome."

He set his sandwich down for a moment and simply grinned in the direction of his legs. It was nice to still see him get so giddy over the simplest things, especially when everything around him seemed so dismal.

"What about me?" Josh chimed in with a laugh.

"You've never looked better," Tyler said, still wearing the same dorky smile.

"Thank you."

"Thanks for bringing me food, guys. This sandwich is pretty good."

You reached out and lightly rubbed his arm, "It was no problem."

*      *     *

"I should probably get going," Josh announced. "Jim will be needing dinner soon."

You checked the time, which to your surprise showed that it was already six in the evening. Time had flown by and you only had an hour left with Tyler before the nurses would finally kick you out.

"Alright, drive safe," you said.

Josh pushed himself up out of his chair and walked over to the far side of Tyler's bed so that he could give him a quick hug.

"Same time tomorrow?" Josh asked as he started to back out of the room.

"It never changes," Tyler smiled.

"Great," Josh grinned before turning and walking out the door.

He waved through the window before disappearing. You scooted your chair a little closer so that you didn't have to stretch as far to reach Tyler's hand.

"You know, I like when Josh is here, but I look forward to the hour at the end of the day that I get to spend with just you," Tyler smiled.

You squeezed his hand, "I enjoy spending time with you, too."

"I can't wait until I get to come home again. I miss snuggling up with you in our bed. Especially when you fall asleep on my chest halfway through the movie we're watching."

"Things will be like that soon enough, Ty."

He nodded, "I think about those moments a lot."

"What moments?"

"Moments where the only thing that matters is you and I. Like when we got married. Or when we go on walks in the morning and the sun has just come up over the hill. Or right now."

"Those are good moments," you said, bringing his hand to your lips so that you could press a kiss to his knuckles.

"You know what the hardest part of all this is?" he asked.

You felt a lump form in your throat, but you swallowed it and kept talking, "What is that, Ty?"

"The thought that, if I don't get better, I might have to leave you."

Your eyes were brimmed with tears before he had even finished his sentence, "You're not gone yet."

"Not yet," he smiled. "And I won't be anytime soon."

"That's right."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With a shaky hand, he reached up and gently brushed one of your tears away. You grabbed his hand and held it to your cheek for a moment, just enjoying being close with him. He smiled and slowly rubbed his thumb along your cheekbone.

The two of you sat and talked for the rest of the hour, reliving some of your favorite memories together or just talking about life. Aside from the occasional coughing fit, Tyler seemed to be doing pretty good. He was happy, to say the least.

Right at seven, one of the nurses popped in and told you it was time to go. You gave her a thumbs up and said you would be out in just a minute, you just wanted to say goodbye to Tyler real quick.

"I'll be back right at eleven tomorrow, ok?"

"I think the nice nurse is working the morning shift tomorrow, so you might be able to slip in early."

"You know I would be here fifteen minutes early, anyway," you laughed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, lovely."

You bent over the edge of the bed so that you could give him a kiss. He held you close for a moment, claiming that he just wanted to admire you, before taking hold of your hand.

"I love you," he smiled. He made a point of telling you every day before you left.

"I love you too, Ty."

You each squeezed your hand for a moment before you let go and walked out into the hall. Tyler's face had fallen a little as soon as you left the room, but you knew that you couldn't stay.

*      *     *

You closed the front door with your hip and walked into the kitchen. Your arms were full of groceries that you had put off buying for weeks in hopes that Tyler would be able to go with you. Grocery shopping on your own had never exactly been a hobby of yours.

Tyler had texted you while you were driving home. Now that you were no longer occupied, you decided to take a look at it. It was a short text, but it made you smile nonetheless.

Thinking of you tonight (just like every night). I love you

You typed out a response and set your phone back on the counter. As soon as all the groceries were put away and dinner was made, you were going to watch the movie that Tyler had told you about earlier that day. It would help you take your mind off of not being by his side while also giving you a way to feel closer to him, which you were thankful for.

You hummed as you finished putting things away. It was one of the few things that made the house feel less empty.

*     *     *

The sound of your phone vibrating against the wooden coffee table woke you up. You hadn't even realized that you had fallen asleep towards the end of the movie, but it explained why you were still on the couch in the living room at close to two in the morning. The endcard of the movie was shining on the screen.

"Phone," you muttered as you reached forward.

You blinked your eyes a few times to clear the sleep from them. Your eyes scanned the name and your stomach immediately sank. The contact name was one simple word.

Hospital.

You hit answer call immediately and brought the phone to your ear, clearing your throat as you did so to sound less sleepy.

"Hello?"

"Is this Y/N Joseph?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Sorry to bother you so late, but we have news about your husband."

"Is he ok?"

"Unfortunately, he passed away about an hour ago due to complications from his illness. Doctors tried to revive him, but they were unsuccessful. I'm sorry."

You sat frozen in place, staring at the ground. Everything had seemed fine earlier today. Had Tyler even known that something was wrong?

"Is there anything that I need to do?"

"We'll be in contact with you about steps to take from here."

"Ok, thank you."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

It felt like time had stopped as you slowly reached forward and set your phone on the coffee table. All of the air from your lungs was gone, taken away in an instant. Your hands were shaking as you reached up and brushed back the hair that was stuck to your forehead.

You weren't sure how long it was before you finally got yourself to get off the couch and walk towards your bedroom. Your legs felt stiff and slow, like they weren't moving quite right. Nothing felt right, if you really thought about it. The world felt different, now that you knew he was gone.

The bed was cold as you slid under the covers and pulled them up around your neck. You no longer felt tired. Or sad. Or anything, really. Everything just seemed empty. But it was late and now you had a whole new list of things that would have to be dealt with in the morning, so you decided to try and get some rest.

All you could think of as you fell asleep was Tyler.

*     *     *

"Hey, come on," Josh said, pulling the covers down off of your shoulders a little bit.

"No," you grumbled, pulling them right back up again.

"Y/N, you can't stay in bed forever. That's not what Tyler would want for you."

"Don't you dare drag him into this," you snapped, finally turning to look at him.

You know you looked like a mess. The last few days had consisted of nothing but laying in bed sobbing. It was the only thing that you could get yourself to do.

"I didn't mean it like-," Josh sighed. "I'm just worried about you."

"I'll be fine. I just need some time."

"Will you at least come downstairs with me? I brought stuff to make you your favorite lunch."

You felt the bed dip with Josh's weight. He rested a hand on your arm and gently rubbed it with his thumb.

"Do I have to get dressed?"

"Nope, you can wear exactly what you're in right now."

"I'll be down in a second."

"Ok."

You waited until you heard the sound of the bedroom door closing before you actually got up. Slowly, you shuffled towards the bathroom, deciding that you could probably do with a quick face wash and brushing out your hair.

You took a long look at yourself as you stood at the bathroom sink, still not quite wanting to go through the motions of washing your face. Your entire face was puffy from crying, especially around your eyes. The bags under your eyes were deep from barely sleeping and Tyler's sweatshirt that you were wearing was dotted with stains from crying. It was a wonder that Josh could even manage to look at you, really.

You took your time making yourself look somewhat decent before heading downstairs. Josh was already in the kitchen, working on making the food for the two of you. Jim, who you hadn't realized Josh had brought along, perked up when he noticed you come down the stairs.

"Do you want to take a seat at the counter?"

"Sure," you mumbled.

You slid into one of the stools and rested your elbows on the counter. Josh managed a small smile and you wondered how he seemed so put together despite everything that had happened.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"I just don't understand," you said, voice already beginning to break. "He seemed like he was doing well when we went to see him a few days ago, and then I got the call that he was gone. They said that he had more time."

"They can't always accurately predict those things."

"I know. I just wish that I had known it was our last day together. I could have prepared myself or said more to him."

Josh walked around the counter and pulled you into his chest. You were surprised that there were any more tears left in you.

"I just... I wasn't ready to say goodbye."

"I don't think any of us were."

"How am I supposed to move on from this? And keep living without him?"

Josh stepped away to hold you at arm's length.

"We'll find little ways to make it through. Then, one day, it might not hurt as much to think about."

You nodded slowly, "There's so much that needs to be done. His family and the funeral and the fans. There's too much."

"Hey," Josh rubbed your arm slowly. "Right now you only need to focus on today. This moment, even. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, I can."

"Tyler loved you. Never forget that. He would want you to be happy."

You wiped away a tear with the back of your hand, "You're right."

Josh smiled and went back to making food. You took a deep breath and leaned back in your chair. He was right, the pain wouldn't last forever. Things would just have to be handled one at a time.

Then, one day, you and Tyler would be together again.