AN: This is my first attempt at a completed Eastenders fan fiction. Please review honestly, but try to be constructive. Sorry, but Danielle in this is dead. I know, it hurt me to write this. But I wanted to make it different to other Eastenders' Ronnie and Danielle fan fictions. Enjoy:
Waiting for her
A soft beep filled the pale room. The stench of disinfectant over powered the grim brains of the people sitting inside the room. The Mitchell's and a Branning. Watching over a peaceful blonde. Her eyes firmly shut, not willing to open. Sitting on the chair next to her, sat Jack Branning. Hand gripped inside of his lovers'. His face showed obvious sadness, as he looked heart broken. He didn't understand how only five hours ago they were happily drinking in the Vic. Talking, smiling, laughing. His brain dwelled on that moment:
"'Nother one 'ere Rox!" Ronnie shouted slamming her glass on the bar. Not purposely, just because she was to drunk to control the speed of her moving arm.
"Maybe we shouldn't." Jack came into the image, sitting next to Ronnie. Roxy stopped from where she was going to get Ronnie another drink in time to hear her protest.
"Ah, but Jacky baby, I want more." She used her puppy dog eyes, pleading. "Just think, the more I drink, the more sex you get." That was too much for her sister to hear.
"Eugh! Ron, at least try to be discreet!" She called, laughing. Finally happy to see her sister smiling again.
"Ah, but Ronnie bear." He tried to 'pet name' her back, "the less time we spend arguing, the quicker we can get to doing... you know." Roxy knew she wanted discreet, but that was still to obvious.
"Eugh!" She cried in disgust again, "I'm gone." She left to serve another customer just as Jack leaned into Ronnie's ear, his nose moving her hair as he whispered something. It was obviously something dirty as Ronnie pushed him away and cried, "Jack, you naughty boy!" But she seemed keen to grab her jacket and leave. An eye roll was all Roxy could do as she saw them begin to leave. But her eyes locked with Ronnie's drunk, watery eyes.
"Two secs." She walked to her sister, leaned over the bar, pushing away Mo and Charlie as she did so, and informed her sister. "I'm off to 'ninky-nonk', hold up the fort!" She left.
Roxy just laughed at Ronnie's use of 'ninky-nonk' to try and be discreet. Mentally, she noted to inform her not to use that around Amy because it could possibly give her a complex to do with 'in the night garden.'
Outside, Ronnie drunkenly sang, "Dancing Queen! Young and sweet only seventeen!" Her words slurred and her singing was horrendous. Jack watched her, laughing as she started to dance. But as he saw her slowly starting to fall over the pavement, he caught her.
"Watch it madam!" He kissed her and helped her to stand back up.
"Why thank-you sir Brannington."
"Brannington?" He looked in disgust as the both walked through the square. Ronnie ahead of him and walking backwards as she replied to him.
"Yes Brannington. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Only if you don't mind being called Michelin."
"As in Michelin Star?" Her foot missed the curb as she stood into the road. Stopping still for a minute for Jack to catch up to her.
"Exactly."
"I do think it's okay... but I prefer Queen Ronnie!"
"Well I don't think Victoria would be happy." He referred to the pub, making them both laugh. He'd just caught up to the pavement, when he was blinded by lights. Lights that lit up Ronnie's body. He froze. Tires screeching, trying to stop. But it was too late, Ronnie flew. Right the way over the car. The car didn't stop, it kept going, right into the railings of the square, quickly out stood his driver, apologising greatly as he called an ambulance. Jack raced to her side, to help her. See if she was okay.
"Ron. Ron are you okay?" He defiantly was sober know. A crowed had gathered as everyone heard the car crashing against the railings of the square. He panicked, trying to see if she was okay. Her face covered with blood. His hand searched for a pulse. But he couldn't find one.
Then his life came crashing down, he couldn't lose her. Not again. Not for good. She had to be okay. Please?
"Phil, take Ben and Roxy home Darlin'." Peggy looked up to her son where he paced the room. Her arm wrapped around Ben as he had cried himself to sleep.
"I'm not going anywhere!" Roxy protested.
"You need your rest." Phil sided with his mother and sent Roxy a sympathetic look.
"I'll sleep when she is fine again." Her hand re-clasped Ronnie's as she looked at Jack across from her. He didn't look back, his face expressionless. No emotion showing at all. "You go Aunty Peg. Me and Jack can watch her." At the mention of his name Jack manage to look up at everyone. He saw as Peggy nodded.
"I'll put Amy to sleep for you." She gave her a grateful smile and watched as Phil picked Ben up and they left the room. The only noise being Ronnie's heartbeat slowly beeping from the monitor.
Hours passed, nothing happened. Everyone barely moved. Like they were statues stuck in time. Roxy didn't dare to blink in case something happened with her sister. She was terrified, exhausted. Her eyes slowly gave in, shutting slowly. She tried to fight against it but it won eventually, and she fell asleep. Jack smiled, thankful for finally being 'alone' with Ronnie. Well alone as he would get. His free hand reached up and wiped a bloody piece of hair from her face, smiling as he did so.
"Hey, sweetheart. You need to wake up soon. Roxy needs you. And so do I." He lightly kissed her forehead as he said, "Do you think you can do that for me?" The steady heart beat on the monitor quickened suddenly. But then it turned high pitched, and didn't return to normal. Fearful, Jack knew that tone, he looked at the monitor and saw a flat line. Suddenly all he remembers is a flash of Ronnie, as he was pulled out of the room along with Roxy. He just hoped that that wasn't the last time he'd see her again, alive.
"Charging 50." a nurse said as a beep filled and the pads on Ronnie's chest charged up, before letting loose a pulse of electricity. Causing her body to shake. But her heart stayed the same... unchanging.
"Where... Where am I?" Her voice asked, as she looked around her, the white, bright room blinded her. She noticed as she stood alone. No one in sight. But she could hear someone. Or something. "Charging 60." It was almost in slow motion. A door opened to her side and she was blinded by arms being thrown around her, hugging her tightly. Then she heard it.
"Mum!" The name she wanted to be called all her life. Since she gave birth to her daughter. Her Amy.
"Danielle?" She asked and saw as her daughter pulled away from her. She still wore the clothes on the night of her car accident. But she hadn't been in it yet. There was no blood. Just a bit of dirt at the knee. Ronnie knew why. It pained her to remember. That night. When she threw her daughter out of the pub. Called her names. Horrible things. But then she said the worst of all, "Who'd want you as a daughter?!" She did. She loved her Amy. Or Danielle. Her baby.
"Stop dwelling on it mum. I know, you didn't mean it, I'm over it know." Danielle sat down at a white table that just appeared at the middle of the room. Sitting at one of the two chairs.
"But I'm so sorry. I - I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled. Causing Ronnie to smile. She'd always wanted to see her little girl smile and this was perfect.
"But... If I'm here... doesn't that mean I'm dead?" Danielle saw her mother gulp, nervously. "What... What happened?" Ronnie regretted asking as soon as she finished the question. Did she really want to know?
"Car accident. Who knew we'd both go out the same way." Her daughter joked, at least she laughed at it, because Ronnie wasn't finding this amusing at all. She was run over? Why didn't she remember any of this. She couldn't be…
"Doesn't that mean I'm dead?" Her eyes caught in her daughters' once again, locked in time as her eyes welled up slowly.
"No. Not yet." Danielle responded. She felt Ronnie's hand reach hers, as she stroked it with her thumb gently. She knew this must be hard on Danielle, this being the first conversation she had had fully aware that she was her daughter.
"But what if I don't want to?" A sigh left the younger blonde's body as she slumped in the chair.
"Then you go back, you wake up and live happily ever after." She sounded slightly sad. Sad that her mother was going to leave her once again. Knowing that she wouldn't see her for quite sometime. But the other part of her was happy. She knew that Ronnie would be looking after Roxy. Her aunt Roxy. And her cousin Amy.
"How?" She shortened her questions as she saw her little girl's disappointment. She hated making her sad. She had already caused Danielle a lifetime of sadness, which was pretty ironic really. But she didn't want to cause her any more.
"You'll know." For a minute she stood confused at her daughter's sudden calmness. She wondered. Should she stay here? With her daughter? Or return to Jack? What if she never got to see Danielle again.
"Don't worry. I'll always be here." Danielle had almost read her thoughts, and answered her mother's worries with a smile.
"Promise?" For a moment Ronnie thought Danielle was lying to her, trying to get her to return.
"Of course!" The smile that was on Danielle's face answered her fully as she saw her daughter's trusting eyes, lit up by her smile.
"I think I want to go back." Stated Ronnie.
"I thought you would." Danielle stood back up and lounged her arms back around her mother's neck, whispering, "I love you mum." She allowed Ronnie to softly kiss her forehead.
"I love you." She closed her eyes, letting a tear drop onto her daughters yellow cardigan. But then it all disappeared. "Danielle."
"There we go. She's back with us. Welcome back." A doctor smiled at her as they rushed back to fix her. After what seemed hours to Ronnie, she saw the final nurse leave the room, and her sisters and boyfriends face return to the room. It brought a smile back to her face.
"Oh My God!" Roxy clasped her arms around Ronnie, before moving and allowing Jack to kiss her.
"Hey, welcome back." He smiled at her and sat down. "Bet you're wondering what happened?" Her head shook.
"I know, it was a car. She told me." Jack watched Ronnie in concern, how could she already know?
"She? You mean Danielle?" Ronnie's head snapped at Roxy, how did she know. Jack did the same. Obviously, he'd missed out on this piece of information. "The doctor said you said her name when you came around. Sounds like you were in one hell of a coma." She managed to make her sister laugh.
"She told me she loved me, she hugged me, my baby girl." She slowly started to cry. Jack sent a worried look to Roxy, mentally asking if he should get a doctor. But Roxy, noticed his expression and shook her head.
"I bet she did." Roxy's hand smoothed down Ronnie's hair, comfortingly. Calming her tears and moving the hair that had stuck to her wet cheeks.
"No, she did really." She looked down, "She said I could stay with her... or come back to you." Jack thought Ronnie was still drunk. Or crazy. He knew she wasn't okay. Maybe it was just her concussion. But he knew she hadn't saw Danielle. He pondered for a while, what to do. But he thought and realised what Ronnie needed. That was his decision made. He would keep up with her fantasy and dream, to see the love of his life finally happy again.
"And you chose us?" He questioned, doing the same as Roxy to the other side, and let his hand wipe away a few of her tears.
"Of course." Came Ronnie's response.
"You picked us over your Amy?" Roxy wiped away a soft tear that had just fell on Ronnie's cheek. She knew this was all a charade. She knew it wasn't real, but for Ronnie's sake, she played along.
"Yeah. But she said she'd always be there." She smiled and held hands with Jack and with Roxy. When the time came, her daughter would be there. A smile on her face, open arms. But for now she had them. Her family. Her love. Always safe with the knowledge that someday, Danielle will be there.
Waiting for her.