Title: While you were gone.
Genre: Drama/Angst
Rating: R
Summary: Flatline fic. Suicide. Nelson flatlines again and this time, he
doesn't come back. Do not read if you are very religious. Words in italic
are past events or memories.
December 1990
The following weeks after the Flatline incident, Labraccio and Rachel got closer then ever. Before anyone knew it, they were announcing their engagement and planning their wedding for after graduation.
The wedding was like a dream. White roses and string quartet, Rachel couldn't believe it. It was just like she had dreamt. All their friends attended, including Joe, Steckle, and Nelson. Nelson was best man. He stood behind Labraccio and watched as they took their vows.
He smiled sadly as Labraccio kissed the woman they both loved. He was glad they were happy, but knew he would never be happy. He had made amends with Billy two months previous, so everything was going well for him. His research funds had skyrocketed and he actually had a place where he could do his work.
Labraccio carried Rachel down the red carpet and to the car. Nelson watched as the back of the car disappeared, cans and paper strips streaming behind them. Rachel turned and blew kisses to the crowd.
October 31, 1992
The rain poured down miserably and steadily with no signs of letting up. A rather bedraggled looking Nelson rant through the downpour twards the shelter of the phone booth. He pushed open the door and slipped inside, breathing hard and painfully.
Rachel smiled at him and hugged him close, tears in her eyes. "Thank God you're all right!" she sobbed.
He coughed and blinked, bleary eyed. "Don't you ever do that again!" she half smiled, half scolded.
Nelson smiled to himself at that happy memory, of a time when Rachel had loved him. He picked up the phone and dialed Rachel's number. It rang a couple times before he heard Rachel's voice. "Hello?" she said. "Uh. Hi, Rachel?" he mumbled gruffly. "Nelson! Hi! How are you!?" she asked him excitedly. "We haven't heard from you in so long!" "Me. I'm fine how're David and Mackie?" "Oh, David's fine. He just got another grant for his research project. Mackie's crawling now. Well.. What brings us this rare occasion?"
Nelson paused. "I.I just wanted to hear you're voice. I haven't been doing to well with.. Oh never mind. Are you guys still in the burbs?"
They talked for a while, Nelson just liking to hear her talk. She sounded so happy. He felt tears begin to trickle down his cheeks. Rachel was married with a kid. What chance could he have? Then and there he decided. "Listen, Rachel. I'm going under again." He said suddenly.
Rachel was shocked. "No Nelson!" she almost screamed. "Tell everyone I said hi." "Nelson, please don't! Why would you-" "I love you Rachel. Goodbye."
Nelson hung up the phone. Lost for anything else to do, Nelson began to run.
Miles away, Rachel Labraccio was desperately looking for help.
The rain soaked him through as he burst into his research facility. A young intern looked up. "Ah! Dr.-" the girl started. "Not now. Is room four free?" "Yes, but-" "Not now! If anyone comes, tell them I'm busy!" "Doctor!"
Too late. Nelson tore off to oblivion.
Rachel's hands trembled as she drove downtown. Joe, Steckle, and David were on their way. They said they would meet her there. She rounded the corner and then she was there.
Nelson locked and bared the door with a chair. He lay down on the table and grabbed the bottle of poison and a syringe.
The four friends almost collided outside the double door. "He's doing it again?" Steckle half yelled. "Yeah. He's lost it. Something about. Forget it. Let's just save him." Rachel said. "Again." Joe put in.
The two-inch needle disappeared in his arm as he injected the lethal dosage into his blood stream. "Oh god. I forgot how much this hurts." he mumbled to himself as he lay back and let the poison take effect.
The four raced down the hall. "Where's Nelson?" Joe yelled at the intern. "The Doctor just went into room four." "Thanks!"
They ran down the long hall to find room four. They found it in time to see him go into convulsions. Joe slammed into the door. Evidently finding it was locked. He ran into it again. Finally, he smashed open the glass window and pushed the chair away. They all raced in. "NELSON!" cried Rachel.
He let out a small moan of pain, his hands clenching and unclenching. Rachel grabbed his hand and held on. "Nelson, please don't die. Please Nelson! We all love you!" she said. "It's too late, even if you did. Oh Rachel. I love you." he whimpered as his body was slowly paralyzed.
She clasped his hands between hers as his body seized up in pain. He choked and a trickle of black blood ran out of his mouth. Rachel let out a sob. "Nelson.." she moaned.
Rachel hung her head and tried not to look at Nelson's dead face. He finally looked at peace and that was what hurt the most.
*&^%^&*
K. Read and review. Nothing more to say.
December 1990
The following weeks after the Flatline incident, Labraccio and Rachel got closer then ever. Before anyone knew it, they were announcing their engagement and planning their wedding for after graduation.
The wedding was like a dream. White roses and string quartet, Rachel couldn't believe it. It was just like she had dreamt. All their friends attended, including Joe, Steckle, and Nelson. Nelson was best man. He stood behind Labraccio and watched as they took their vows.
He smiled sadly as Labraccio kissed the woman they both loved. He was glad they were happy, but knew he would never be happy. He had made amends with Billy two months previous, so everything was going well for him. His research funds had skyrocketed and he actually had a place where he could do his work.
Labraccio carried Rachel down the red carpet and to the car. Nelson watched as the back of the car disappeared, cans and paper strips streaming behind them. Rachel turned and blew kisses to the crowd.
October 31, 1992
The rain poured down miserably and steadily with no signs of letting up. A rather bedraggled looking Nelson rant through the downpour twards the shelter of the phone booth. He pushed open the door and slipped inside, breathing hard and painfully.
Rachel smiled at him and hugged him close, tears in her eyes. "Thank God you're all right!" she sobbed.
He coughed and blinked, bleary eyed. "Don't you ever do that again!" she half smiled, half scolded.
Nelson smiled to himself at that happy memory, of a time when Rachel had loved him. He picked up the phone and dialed Rachel's number. It rang a couple times before he heard Rachel's voice. "Hello?" she said. "Uh. Hi, Rachel?" he mumbled gruffly. "Nelson! Hi! How are you!?" she asked him excitedly. "We haven't heard from you in so long!" "Me. I'm fine how're David and Mackie?" "Oh, David's fine. He just got another grant for his research project. Mackie's crawling now. Well.. What brings us this rare occasion?"
Nelson paused. "I.I just wanted to hear you're voice. I haven't been doing to well with.. Oh never mind. Are you guys still in the burbs?"
They talked for a while, Nelson just liking to hear her talk. She sounded so happy. He felt tears begin to trickle down his cheeks. Rachel was married with a kid. What chance could he have? Then and there he decided. "Listen, Rachel. I'm going under again." He said suddenly.
Rachel was shocked. "No Nelson!" she almost screamed. "Tell everyone I said hi." "Nelson, please don't! Why would you-" "I love you Rachel. Goodbye."
Nelson hung up the phone. Lost for anything else to do, Nelson began to run.
Miles away, Rachel Labraccio was desperately looking for help.
The rain soaked him through as he burst into his research facility. A young intern looked up. "Ah! Dr.-" the girl started. "Not now. Is room four free?" "Yes, but-" "Not now! If anyone comes, tell them I'm busy!" "Doctor!"
Too late. Nelson tore off to oblivion.
Rachel's hands trembled as she drove downtown. Joe, Steckle, and David were on their way. They said they would meet her there. She rounded the corner and then she was there.
Nelson locked and bared the door with a chair. He lay down on the table and grabbed the bottle of poison and a syringe.
The four friends almost collided outside the double door. "He's doing it again?" Steckle half yelled. "Yeah. He's lost it. Something about. Forget it. Let's just save him." Rachel said. "Again." Joe put in.
The two-inch needle disappeared in his arm as he injected the lethal dosage into his blood stream. "Oh god. I forgot how much this hurts." he mumbled to himself as he lay back and let the poison take effect.
The four raced down the hall. "Where's Nelson?" Joe yelled at the intern. "The Doctor just went into room four." "Thanks!"
They ran down the long hall to find room four. They found it in time to see him go into convulsions. Joe slammed into the door. Evidently finding it was locked. He ran into it again. Finally, he smashed open the glass window and pushed the chair away. They all raced in. "NELSON!" cried Rachel.
He let out a small moan of pain, his hands clenching and unclenching. Rachel grabbed his hand and held on. "Nelson, please don't die. Please Nelson! We all love you!" she said. "It's too late, even if you did. Oh Rachel. I love you." he whimpered as his body was slowly paralyzed.
She clasped his hands between hers as his body seized up in pain. He choked and a trickle of black blood ran out of his mouth. Rachel let out a sob. "Nelson.." she moaned.
Rachel hung her head and tried not to look at Nelson's dead face. He finally looked at peace and that was what hurt the most.
*&^%^&*
K. Read and review. Nothing more to say.