Unresponsive
Part 1/1
Disclaimer: I do not belong the characters or anything else you recognize in this fic. Passions belongs to NBC, JER and a couple of other people, I'm sure. I am not making any money off of this. I write fanfic purely for pleasure, although I'm not opposed to receiving feedback :)
Posted: Wednesday, August 21, 2002
Summary: Miguel talks to Kay, reflecting on their past together and on the event that left them where they are today. Charguel, Kayguel
Note: Thanks go to Sofia for beta'ing this for me. Any lingering mistakes are my own.
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Takes place sometime in the near future.
Beep.
"I'm sorry Kay."
Beep.
"I didn't mean for this to happen."
Beep.
"I never wanted you to get hurt."
Beep.
"If I could go back and change it, I would."
Beep.
"You have to believe me, Kay."
Beep.
The body on the hospital bed didn't answer. Kay didn't answer. It was Kay on the hospital bed, still as death - no, not death, not a body, Kay!
Beep.
Miguel slumped forward. Still no change. He had hoped hearing his voice would maybe wake her up. Maybe if she heard him apologize, she would realize just how sorry he was and find the strength to fight back.
Beep.
It had happened before, hadn't it? His brother had had his miracle; Sheridan had come back from the dead, not once but twice. Charity had survived a heart transplant even after the doctors had all warned them the chances of her living were so low they shouldn't get their hopes up. Kay was just in a coma. She could wake up.
Beep.
She had to wake up.
Beep.
"Please," Miguel begged. "Please Kay. You can do this. You're strong. You always were."
Beep.
"What will I do without you, Kay? You're my best friend."
Beep.
She lay there, unmoving. He knew that if only he found the right thing to say, right combinations of words, she would wake up. She would smile at him. She would forgive him. Things would go back to normal.
Beep.
"Oh, Kay," he said, feeling utterly and hopelessly lost.
Beep.
"Oh, Miguel," Charity sighed. She stared at him adoringly and Miguel took his eyes off the road long enough to return her tender gaze.
In the back seat of the car, Kay sat with her arms crossed over her chest, watching the two lovebirds dourly.
"But Kay," Miguel said. "Charity and I are in love and we want the entire world to know."
"Not while you're driving," Kay said, forcing a smile that ended up looking more sardonic than pleasant "We don't want to get into an accident, do we?"
"Kay's right," Charity said. "We have the rest of our lives to show everyone how much we love each other."
Kay made a face, which Miguel caught sight of in the rearview mirror. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No," Kay said. "Everything's peachy-keen good!"
"You're probably just missing Reese, isn't that right?" Charity asked. "Don't worry, He's just gone for two weeks. He'll be back from vacation before you know it."
"I don't think I'd be able to live without you for two weeks, Charity," Miguel proclaimed. After stopping at a stop sign, he leaned over and kissed Charity on the lips. She giggled.
Kay scowled.
Beep.
"Is there any change?"
Beep.
It was Grace who spoke. Both of Kay's parents were there. She looked at Miguel entreatingly.
Beep.
"No."
Beep.
Sam Bennett looked as haggard as Miguel felt. He avoided looking at the teen. Miguel didn't blame him; he wouldn't be able to face the boy who did this to his daughter either.
Beep.
"There shouldn't be this many people in here," Dr. Russell said. She had come in to check Kay's vital signs.
Beep.
They were the same. No changes from the last time. Or the time before that.
Beep.
Or the time before that.
Beep.
"Come on, Sam," Grace said, taking her husband by the hand. "Let's go."
Beep.
Sam pulled away from her. His grief was too great for words; he shook his head, no.
Beep.
"Sam?" Grace tried again.
Beep.
Sam was immoveable. Grace squeezed his hand in a comforting gesture, but then left him alone. Dr. Russell turned to Miguel.
"That means you, too, Miguel," she said. "Kay needs peace and quiet if she's going to recover."
Beep.
Miguel stared passed her. Kay should be protesting right now that peace and quiet was exactly what she didn't need. She had always been so active, always right in the middle of things. Peace and quiet bored her.
Beep.
She didn't move.
Beep.
"Miguel?"
He didn't react. Across the room, Sam met his eyes. For one clear minute, they understood each other perfectly, understood each other's pain, understood each other's sorrow.
Beep.
"He can stay." Sam's voice was hoarse and the words seemed to scratch his throat.
"But - "
Beep.
Miguel eased his foot slowly onto the gas pedal.
"Miguel WATCH OUT!" Kay screamed.
They were almost through the intersection when out of nowhere, the car was hit. It went spinning, crashing into a pole. Miguel recovered first.
"Is anyone hurt?" he asked after checking for any injuries on himself.
"My arm," Charity moaned. "Oh! My arm. It hurts. Miguel, my arm hurts."
"Charity!" he yelled, panicking. He fumbled to unbuckle his seatbelt, cursing inability to move any faster when his girlfriend was in pain. Rushing around the car to her side, he opened the door and she stumbled out of the car. Her arm hung by an odd angle at her side; it was broken.
"Oh my God." A young, ghastly looking man came running up to them. "Are you all right? Is anyone hurt? I couldn't stop in time. I tried to stop. I couldn't. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"Weren't you watching?" Miguel snapped. "You could have killed us."
"Miguel, don't yell at him. He didn't mean to," said Charity.
The other driver wasn't paying attention. Instead he stared at Miguel's car in horror. "There's someone else in there!"
As he flung open the passenger side back door, Miguel got a good look at his car for the first time. The trunk and back part of the driver's side was smashed in. The driver's side. Where Kay was sitting.
Kay!
The man had crawled into the back seat of Miguel's car, trying to revive Kay. Though he blocked his view of her, Miguel could still see her body slumped against the window, blood dripping down the side of her head.
Beep.
Jessica came in next, crying. "I'm sorry Kay," she said. "I'm so sorry for everything."
Beep.
"I never meant any of those awful things I said to you, or any of the mean things I did to you. Please, please. Just don't die."
Beep.
She broke down after that, her tears so violent that she was unable to even stand. Sam pulled her into his embrace and the father and daughter shared their grief together. Jessica eventually cried herself out and fell asleep. She didn't protest when, an hour later, Dr. Russell came in to claim her and take her away.
Beep.
As the policeman - a rookie that Miguel didn't know, Sam and Luis both being too close to the participants to be objective about the crash - finished taking their statements, the other driver, a visitor to Harmony by the name of Simon, asked, "How is she? How is the other girl doing?"
"They won't tell us anything," Sam said, sounding and looking more broken than Miguel had ever known a man to be.
"I'm sorry," Simon said again.
"You should be," Miguel said belligerently, getting into the other driver's face. "You could have killed her!"
A choked sob came from Sam, and the rookie who had taken their statements, came between Miguel and Simon, hoping to avoid a fight. Luis took his brother to the side.
"Get off of me," Miguel said, trying to shake Luis loose. "That bastard ran through a stop sign. We could all have died."
Luis laid a calming hand on his brother's arm. "Miguel," he said gently, "it wasn't a four-way stop."
"What?"
"It was two-way. The other driver didn't run the stop sign."
Beep.
"Sam? Sam we have a situation."
Beep.
"Sam? Are you listening to me? You have to come down to the police station."
Beep.
"Sam, I know you want to stay here with Kay, but your job has to come first. You're the police chief. Harmony needs you."
Beep.
Luis then turned to his little brother. Some of his words had struck a chord with Sam getting through his grief-addled brain and the elder cop was standing, getting ready to leave his daughter.
Beep.
"No," Miguel said as a preemptory to anything his brother was planning to say to him.
"You can't stay here Miguel," Luis said, typically acting as if he knew what was best for Miguel, what was best for everyone.
"No," Miguel repeated. "I'm staying here. With Kay."
Beep.
"Miguel," Luis started in his no-nonsense, listen-to-me-because-I-know-better-than-you voice.
"Let him stay."
"What?" Luis didn't bother hiding his shock.
"I said, let him stay. Someone needs to be here for Kay."
Beep.
She was so white. Too white. That was what disturbed him the most. His beautiful, vibrant Kay was lying there, paler than a ghost.
Even when they were younger, when all the other girls her age would stay inside and play with dolls and have tea, she would be outside in the sun, playing softball with him. In every single memory he had of her, her cheeks were a healthy rose from a mixture of sunshine and exertion, but now she was just lying there, her cheeks like porcelain and he couldn't help but think how wrong it was, how wrong it was that Kay look so pale when she should be bright and full of life.
Beep.
He took a deep breath.
Beep.
Kay couldn't - the machines regulated her breathing.
Beep.
"Kay's going to be all right, isn't she?" Miguel asked.
The doctor hesitated. "I really shouldn't be giving this information out unless you're family." Miguel just wished Dr. Russell were there; she knew how close Miguel was to the Bennetts and would let him know.
"I'm family," Charity said. "I'm her cousin."
"I'm sorry, miss," he said. "Immediate family only."
Beep.
"Mi hijo?" It was his mother. She came in and gently dragged her arms around his shoulders.
"Mama?" he asked.
"Oh, mi hijo," she said, hugging him tightly. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Mama. It's Kay - "
Beep.
The words stuck in his throat.
Beep.
"I know, mi hijo." Unlike the others, his mother didn't try to talk him into leaving. She sat down beside him, pulling him closer. Miguel rested his head on her shoulder. They stayed that way for some time, watching.
Beep.
Waiting.
Beep.
"You can't stay here all night, Miguel," his mother said at last. He blinked sleepily, not realizing that he had almost been asleep until she spoke.
"I have to Mama," he said.
"At least come home for a couple hours and sleep on a real bed," his mother urged.
"No, Mama. I can't. Kay needs me."
Beep.
"Oh, mi hijo. There's nothing you can do for her."
Beep.
The blood from her wound had long ago been cleaned, but Miguel could still remember it vividly. He could picture the red mess dripping down the side of her head. Her blood had been smeared across the window, splattered all over the seat. Miguel remembered a heart-stopping moment when he feared that it was already too late.
Beep.
Now all that remained of her wound was a small, thin scab, already healing. A small scar and a coma.
Beep.
"Miguel . . . "
Beep.
"I'm staying." Miguel whispered the words so quietly that even he had difficulty hearing them. His mother, however, realized that there was no changing his mind. With a final kiss on the top of his head, and a quick prayer in front of Kay, she left.
Beep.
Outside voices convened. Miguel could hear snatches of the conversation.
Beep.
"He won't leave - "
Beep.
"He's been there since the accident - "
Beep.
"Maybe Charity - "
Beep.
Miguel tuned the voices out.
Beep.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Russell said. She had come as soon as she heard the news, but it had still been hours since the accident, hours of waiting and wondering and worrying about Kay.
Sam paled.
"Kay suffered a traumatic head injury. Her head banged against the window and part of the glass broke on impact, embedding itself into her skull."
"But she's going to be all right, right?" Miguel asked. Sam looked to Dr. Russell, pleading her to agree with Miguel.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Russell said again.
"No," Sam protested. "She can't be dead. My Kay is strong. She's a fighter."
"She isn't dead, Sam," Dr. Russell said, "but she's in a coma.
"She's completely unresponsive."
"How is she?" a new voice asked gently.
Beep.
Miguel hadn't heard Charity come in. He looked up long enough to identify her, but then went back to staring at Kay. "The same. She hasn't changed."
Beep.
Charity stared at her cousin in morbid fascination. "It could have been me lying there, Miguel," she said. "I could just as easily been the one on that bed."
Beep.
"No, Charity. It wouldn't have been you. It would never have been you."
Beep.
"I've been praying for her." She slipped her hand, the one that wasn't bound up in a cast, into Miguel's, but he took no notice.
Beep.
"She would appreciate that, Charity. The two of you always were so close."
Beep.
"I'm going back to the chapel. Are you coming with me Miguel?" Charity asked.
Beep.
"No." Miguel stared at the even spikes of Kay's life monitor and didn't see what his girlfriend's hurt expression.
Beep.
"Miguel, you've barely left her room since Kay was brought here. You need to get out. Come with me to the chapel."
Beep.
"No."
Beep.
"Miguel, please. Come pray with me," Charity pleaded.
Beep.
"Someone needs to be here for Kay," Miguel said obstinately. Charity hadn't been the first one to get him from his vigil - his mother, the Bennetts, Dr. Eve had all tried before - but Charity had had the most chance of getting him to abandon his post at Kay's bed. "I stayed by your side when you're in the hospital."
Beep.
"But I'm your girlfriend," Charity whispered so lowly that Miguel could scarcely hear her.
Beep.
Miguel watched as Kay's chest rose ever-so-slightly, the machines hooked up to her body forcing her lungs to draw in air.
Beep.
He didn't notice Charity leave.
Beep.
The lights were turned out for the night. In the darkness, he could almost ignore the tubes running into Kay's body, the machines hooked up to her. In the darkness, it almost looked as if she were sleeping. Miguel could lean over, shake her gently and wake her up. She would smile at him and ask him what he wanted.
Beep.
"Please Kay. Wake up. Please! Please come back to me," he begged.
Beep.
She slept on.
Beep.
Miguel sat back down in his chair, defeated. No matter what he did, it didn't help. Dr. Russell's horrific words came back to him. "She's completely unresponsive."
Beep.
Completely unresponsive.
Beep.
"Miguel!" He could hear her screaming his name.
Beep.
"Miguel!" Her voice echoed
- beep - in his brain, reverberating - beep - around his - beep - skull. - beep - He could - beep - see her - Beep - see her panic-stricken face - Beep - see her eyes - Beep - looking at him - Beep - begging - Beep. - him - Beep. - asking him to help - Beep. - her, asking - Beep. - him to - Beep. - save her - Beep."Miguel!"
- Beep! - "Please - Beep! - Miguel!" - Beep!"HELP ME!" Kay screamed.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
Miguel woke up, breathing heavily.
All was quiet.