Shattered
by Foxy
This is perhaps a little hard to follow but I've had this idea for ages! It is dedicated to the fantastic actress Courteney Cox Arquette, THE Gale Weathers!! If review are good, I will add chapters.
She knew... There they were; standing above her, huddled together somber-faced, like people at a funeral, exchanging glances and hushed whispers. It was not hard to interpret what they were thinking. 'Who did this?', 'Why?', and 'Oh god, how long was she lying there before Dewey found her?'
She knew the answer to every single one of their questions, yet she found herself unwilling (or was that unable?) to put them at rest. It had only been a matter of hours and, somehow, she didn't feel ready.
She studied each face individually. Sidney looked stricken, her lips tightly-pursed together and her eyes unblinking, staring not at her but at the wall infront.
Mark had that look of someone who was concerned, but didn't quite know how to comfort those around him. He had his hand on Sidney's shoulder, firm but slightly shaky.
Her parents were at the foot of the bed, standing slightly apart, just like they always did she noticed bitterly. Affection was not something that came easily to them, especially her mother. The mother who was the woman she had longed for as a child, despised as a teenager and partly identified with as an adult. The mother that so many people said she was "like in every way..."
Thank god for Dewey. He stood closest to her, his face ashen. He seemed afraid to touch her, like one touch would shatter her now fragile form. She could see the glisten of fresh tears in his hazel eyes and she tried to lift her hand to touch him. It didn't move. Panic seized her suddenly. Why wouldn't it move? 'It's simple enough for gods sake; your brain tells your arm to move, and it moves. Why not now?' She tried again. Nothing.
It all came crashing down on her at once and a feeling of pure terror like she'd never experienced before engulfed her whole body. There was a reason why they all stared at her so hopelessly but didn't try to speak to her. There was a reason why she was surrounded by what seemed to her like a thousand humming and bleeping machines. There was a reason why Dewey stood stricken, his pupils dilated and his lips pursed tightly together, not uttering a single word...
"I'm sorry people, we're gonna have to do some tests now". The thick, swirling silence was shattered by a young male doctor standing in the doorway, shifting uneasily. "We have to pin-point exactly what happened to Miss Weathers. We won't be able to treat her properly until we do".
She watched, unwillingly silent as each one of the people infront of her registered the doctor's words individually, and made their way slowly out of the room. Mark went first, his head bent low and his hand gripped tightly around Sidney's wrist who followed soberly behind him.
Her parents headed slowly after them. Nancy Weathers' perfectly made-up face was unreadable. Her father Jack had tears in his eyes but she could see that he was desperately trying to blink them back. 'Yeah, that's it Dad. Don't want to ruin the macho image now do we?' The bitter thought floated through her head instinctively and she felt bad about it immediately. That wasn't fair. Sure, he wasn't exactly the model father but he'd been there for her a whole lot more than her mother ever had.
Dewey was last. He walked mechanically, still not uttering a single word; he hadn't the whole time he'd been there. Just before he reached the door, he stopped and turned his whole body to face her. "I love you". He didn't speak the words aloud but mouthed them soundlessly in her direction before letting his eyes take one more lasting glance and exiting slowly.
* * * * * * * *
He'd tried desperately to sleep, but finding it impossible had taken the decision to drive. Originally, he hadn't even known where but after a while it soon became apparent that he'd subconsciously headed back towards the hospital. Not knowing what had happened was killing him. The woman he loved was in a coma when just this morning when he'd left the house, she'd been fine. Granted, she'd been slightly quiet over breakfast but Dewey had just put it down to the fact that she'd had an important interview to prepare for.
As he argued with the receptionist and Head Nurse over whether they should let him see her, he got to thinking about how typical this all was. They'd worked so hard at their relationship over the past few months, especially after the last bout of trouble, they'd sworn that they'd make it work. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her now.
"Okay, okay... you can see her. But try and keep it down, there are other people in this hospital". The Nurse shook her head resignedly and set off down the corridor, indicating for him to follow her.
He spent the whole night just sitting next to her bed, watching her, clinging to every last hope. Sometimes, he pretended that she was just sleeping; she looked like she was sleeping. But it was so unlike her, peace and passiveness were not within her usual character. Dewey smiled and thought that she was perhaps the firiest person he'd ever met. That got her into trouble a lot, but the short temper and passionate personality were just her, he couldn't imagine her any other way.
He looked at her again. Her dark hair was spread out on the pillow around her head like a halo and her skin was deathly white, which only high-lighted the stitches and ugly purple bruises across her neck, torso and arms even more. He felt something snap inside of him and he did the thing he'd tried to hold off all day; he put his head in his arms and wept feverishly from pure anger and helplessness.
* * * * * * * *
Nancy Weathers couldn't sleep either. She paced the hotel balcony furtively, puffing on a cigarette like there was no tomorrow. Guilt and fear hacked their way through her slight frame in equal proportions. She was terrified for her daughter and she was terrified for herself. She'd thought that this was over fourteen years ago. How was she to know that it would come back and haunt them after all this time?
She could recall that night vividly. How she'd begged her shaking daughter to not tell anyone what had happened. How she'd told her that her career..., and her life would be ruined if this little secret got out...
She tipped her face upwards and took a deep breath of the cool midnight air. She caught a glimpse of herself in the glass of the french doors. Her face looked exhausted and old, pale as the moon with eyes as wide and as staring as an owls. Her right hand clutching the cigarette shook uncontrollably.
It wasn't until she was about to look away that she saw the shadowed figure on the other side of the glass, staring out at her. A strange calmness came over her, perhaps it was shock, but she'd definitely been expecting him.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long"
"Did you do it?... Did you put my daughter in the hospital again you bastard?"
He sighed perfectly sanely and ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't want to..., but she wouldn't let me touch her..., she kept screaming"
There was silence. Nancy wished she'd just die right there on the spot. Anything was better than what he undoubtedly had planned.
"There's no way she's gonna wake up Nancy... So now, the only person that knows is you. Am I right?"
Silence.
"I said, 'Am I right'?!"
"Yeah!"
He smiled and turned his back to her, humming insanely to himself.
Nancy didn't even notice the cigarette fall from her hand onto her bare foot, didn't feel the pain as it scorched her now goosepimpled flesh.
All she saw was him turn swiftly, without missing a beat, something large and heavy clutched in his hands. She didn't even have time to scream or throw up her hands in defence as he brought it crashing down hard onto her skull.
The last image that crossed her mind before the darkness enclosed her eternally was that of her daughter, lying helpless and broken in the hospital bed, eyes open, glazed and staring.
Then the pain ceased, the darkness surrounded her and she was gone.
by Foxy
This is perhaps a little hard to follow but I've had this idea for ages! It is dedicated to the fantastic actress Courteney Cox Arquette, THE Gale Weathers!! If review are good, I will add chapters.
She knew... There they were; standing above her, huddled together somber-faced, like people at a funeral, exchanging glances and hushed whispers. It was not hard to interpret what they were thinking. 'Who did this?', 'Why?', and 'Oh god, how long was she lying there before Dewey found her?'
She knew the answer to every single one of their questions, yet she found herself unwilling (or was that unable?) to put them at rest. It had only been a matter of hours and, somehow, she didn't feel ready.
She studied each face individually. Sidney looked stricken, her lips tightly-pursed together and her eyes unblinking, staring not at her but at the wall infront.
Mark had that look of someone who was concerned, but didn't quite know how to comfort those around him. He had his hand on Sidney's shoulder, firm but slightly shaky.
Her parents were at the foot of the bed, standing slightly apart, just like they always did she noticed bitterly. Affection was not something that came easily to them, especially her mother. The mother who was the woman she had longed for as a child, despised as a teenager and partly identified with as an adult. The mother that so many people said she was "like in every way..."
Thank god for Dewey. He stood closest to her, his face ashen. He seemed afraid to touch her, like one touch would shatter her now fragile form. She could see the glisten of fresh tears in his hazel eyes and she tried to lift her hand to touch him. It didn't move. Panic seized her suddenly. Why wouldn't it move? 'It's simple enough for gods sake; your brain tells your arm to move, and it moves. Why not now?' She tried again. Nothing.
It all came crashing down on her at once and a feeling of pure terror like she'd never experienced before engulfed her whole body. There was a reason why they all stared at her so hopelessly but didn't try to speak to her. There was a reason why she was surrounded by what seemed to her like a thousand humming and bleeping machines. There was a reason why Dewey stood stricken, his pupils dilated and his lips pursed tightly together, not uttering a single word...
"I'm sorry people, we're gonna have to do some tests now". The thick, swirling silence was shattered by a young male doctor standing in the doorway, shifting uneasily. "We have to pin-point exactly what happened to Miss Weathers. We won't be able to treat her properly until we do".
She watched, unwillingly silent as each one of the people infront of her registered the doctor's words individually, and made their way slowly out of the room. Mark went first, his head bent low and his hand gripped tightly around Sidney's wrist who followed soberly behind him.
Her parents headed slowly after them. Nancy Weathers' perfectly made-up face was unreadable. Her father Jack had tears in his eyes but she could see that he was desperately trying to blink them back. 'Yeah, that's it Dad. Don't want to ruin the macho image now do we?' The bitter thought floated through her head instinctively and she felt bad about it immediately. That wasn't fair. Sure, he wasn't exactly the model father but he'd been there for her a whole lot more than her mother ever had.
Dewey was last. He walked mechanically, still not uttering a single word; he hadn't the whole time he'd been there. Just before he reached the door, he stopped and turned his whole body to face her. "I love you". He didn't speak the words aloud but mouthed them soundlessly in her direction before letting his eyes take one more lasting glance and exiting slowly.
* * * * * * * *
He'd tried desperately to sleep, but finding it impossible had taken the decision to drive. Originally, he hadn't even known where but after a while it soon became apparent that he'd subconsciously headed back towards the hospital. Not knowing what had happened was killing him. The woman he loved was in a coma when just this morning when he'd left the house, she'd been fine. Granted, she'd been slightly quiet over breakfast but Dewey had just put it down to the fact that she'd had an important interview to prepare for.
As he argued with the receptionist and Head Nurse over whether they should let him see her, he got to thinking about how typical this all was. They'd worked so hard at their relationship over the past few months, especially after the last bout of trouble, they'd sworn that they'd make it work. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her now.
"Okay, okay... you can see her. But try and keep it down, there are other people in this hospital". The Nurse shook her head resignedly and set off down the corridor, indicating for him to follow her.
He spent the whole night just sitting next to her bed, watching her, clinging to every last hope. Sometimes, he pretended that she was just sleeping; she looked like she was sleeping. But it was so unlike her, peace and passiveness were not within her usual character. Dewey smiled and thought that she was perhaps the firiest person he'd ever met. That got her into trouble a lot, but the short temper and passionate personality were just her, he couldn't imagine her any other way.
He looked at her again. Her dark hair was spread out on the pillow around her head like a halo and her skin was deathly white, which only high-lighted the stitches and ugly purple bruises across her neck, torso and arms even more. He felt something snap inside of him and he did the thing he'd tried to hold off all day; he put his head in his arms and wept feverishly from pure anger and helplessness.
* * * * * * * *
Nancy Weathers couldn't sleep either. She paced the hotel balcony furtively, puffing on a cigarette like there was no tomorrow. Guilt and fear hacked their way through her slight frame in equal proportions. She was terrified for her daughter and she was terrified for herself. She'd thought that this was over fourteen years ago. How was she to know that it would come back and haunt them after all this time?
She could recall that night vividly. How she'd begged her shaking daughter to not tell anyone what had happened. How she'd told her that her career..., and her life would be ruined if this little secret got out...
She tipped her face upwards and took a deep breath of the cool midnight air. She caught a glimpse of herself in the glass of the french doors. Her face looked exhausted and old, pale as the moon with eyes as wide and as staring as an owls. Her right hand clutching the cigarette shook uncontrollably.
It wasn't until she was about to look away that she saw the shadowed figure on the other side of the glass, staring out at her. A strange calmness came over her, perhaps it was shock, but she'd definitely been expecting him.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long"
"Did you do it?... Did you put my daughter in the hospital again you bastard?"
He sighed perfectly sanely and ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't want to..., but she wouldn't let me touch her..., she kept screaming"
There was silence. Nancy wished she'd just die right there on the spot. Anything was better than what he undoubtedly had planned.
"There's no way she's gonna wake up Nancy... So now, the only person that knows is you. Am I right?"
Silence.
"I said, 'Am I right'?!"
"Yeah!"
He smiled and turned his back to her, humming insanely to himself.
Nancy didn't even notice the cigarette fall from her hand onto her bare foot, didn't feel the pain as it scorched her now goosepimpled flesh.
All she saw was him turn swiftly, without missing a beat, something large and heavy clutched in his hands. She didn't even have time to scream or throw up her hands in defence as he brought it crashing down hard onto her skull.
The last image that crossed her mind before the darkness enclosed her eternally was that of her daughter, lying helpless and broken in the hospital bed, eyes open, glazed and staring.
Then the pain ceased, the darkness surrounded her and she was gone.
