This story has been haunting me for… forever, actually, but I never really knew how to start it.
- Huge thanks to Annic who let me use her technique of starting in medias res from her And Sapphire EJ's story "Not just another dream".
I hope you like this story it but if you don't, just tell me. Thaaaanks :)
With every step his feet became heavier. Eventually he couldn't walk anymore.
No word.
Jamie let himself slump down at the wall and closed his eyes. How much time had passed?
No word of his wife… he had sworn to protect her with his life, and now she was hid behind a hospital door, and he was trapped in the corridor, unable to help her. Unable to do anything but wait.
Lately it seemed as if he couldn't help anybody. Every night shift filled with dead junkies showed him how powerless he was. He wanted to help, but how was he supposed to that if people didn't trust him? And they didn't, or at least they didn't trust the uniform.
He had tried to keep those dark thoughts away from his family, this was what he had always dreamt of, wasn't it? He loved his job. He loved his life.
And now the woman he loved more than his life was lying on a metal bed, alone and weak, and he was out here alone and didn't know if he would ever see her again.
"Jamie!" Danny's voice was filled with panic as he ran towards his brother. The short text message Jamie had sent him – obviously unable to speak – had made him fear for the worst.
Quickly, Jamie pushed himself up. "Hey." His voice cracked. As he swallowed he felt a lump in his throat. "Thanks for coming."
"Of course, kid." Danny grabbed his shoulders, feeling his little brother shiver under his hands. "What happened? What's with the baby?"
"The medics in the bus said he's okay…" He broke off as Danny smiled.
"It's a boy? Nicki won't like that." He hoped to see the glimmer of a smile on Jamie's face, but all he saw was fear, and the pain of being utterly helpless.
"How about Beth?"
"She's not waken up." Jamie started squirming in Danny's grip, "she collapsed after I came home and wouldn't wake up anymore. They gave her something on the way but I don't think she ever regained consciousness. She opened her eyes but… she didn't recognize me."
Danny's grip tightened, partly as a reaction to what he had just heard, partly to prevent Jamie from pacing the floor again.
"I can't" Jamie whispered. "I can't, Danny."
"You can't what?"
"I can't… be here and do nothing while… please…" The tears finally started falling. "Danny, please, I can't lose them."
"You won't!" He pulled his little brother in a bear hug, praying for his words to be right. If anything happened to Beth or her unborn son… the family would be devastated. Again.
Jamie… for a short moment Danny couldn't avoid the question how he would feel if Linda died.
Jamie wouldn't survive it.