"Overcome"

WRITTEN BY DAYNE DINNING

~This fanfic follows on directly on from October 6th 2010

# Disclaimer – I do not own Emmerdale or any of the characters used.

Jackson ran.

Ran as fast as his legs would allow him, which was fast. The tarmac of the road just seemed to slide beneath him at the speed he was running. His breath was sharp, quick and loud, not out of tiredness but out of the sheer panic and horror of what he knew or rather guessed had happened to Aaron in the van. It was no coincidence that while he was ringing him, there was a loud crashing sound and noise of commotion in the distance. He needed to be with Aaron, he instantly regretted those words he had said to his boyfriend as soon as they left his mouth. But also accompanied by that regret was the feeling of immense guilt – This was Jackson's fault. Jackson kept that blame circling in his mind constantly.

Gut wrenching pains threatened him with vomit as he ran but he stopped it. He needed to see Aaron, see if he was okay but as he ran it seemed like he wasn't going anywhere. Until a few minutes later when he reached the stationary vehicle which Aaron had swerved to avoid just minutes earlier. Jackson stopped and looked around, it was quite hard to see in the dark but he saw the gap in the fence and a pretty much clear trail through the bushes. He began running again, each step becoming quicker and quicker. His eyes widened when he ran out of the bush area and the realisation of where he was sent shivers and sheer dread throughout his body.

The large stones clicked against one another as Jackson ran over them, all he could see was his van, and that was his target, nothing else mattered. He suddenly felt a hand grab him but he pulled away. "Get off! " Jackson screamed at the top of his voice as he ran away from the person, he didn't see who it was, he didn't even see if it was a man or woman who tried to pull him back.

Jackson slowed himself down as he reached the van, he grabbed a crate that was in his way and pulled it toward him quickly and in an effortless lift he threw it away from the van...and another until he could get close enough to climb a few of them so he could see Aaron.

When he did, he'd wished he hadn't. He instantly covered his mouth at the sight of him. The blood, the awkward position in which his head rested. Jackson cry was more like a shriek, it hurt so badly and the guilt and blame started again, the tears filled his eyes and he cried so hard he almost lost his breath a few times. "I'm so sorry..." Jackson cried. "I never meant it Aaron..." Jackson was beside himself, he shook his head frantically as he spoke. He never meant it. He tried to calm himself but he was overcome. The few deep breaths he'd managed to take calmed the hysteria but the panic and sadness was still evidently there. He knew not to move him. As he stared down at him through teary eyes he began to speak to him. "I love you so much Aaron, I never meant what I said to you" he breathed and wiped his eyes. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, Aaron. Meeting you started something special..." he dropped his head into his hands and cried, and he heard sirens in the distance. He looked up, then back at Aaron. "You're going to be alright Aaron, just hang in there..." he took a breath. "I'm with you it's alright...I love you..." Jackson dropped his head in his hands again and sobbed until he felt strong, big hands pulling him away from the van. He turned and saw a very much older man in a high visibility jacket – a fireman.

"It's alright son, we'll get him out..." The fireman spoke to him softly and Jackson nodded as he was passed over to a paramedic. He guessed it was procedure but he frowned anyway.

"I'm not hurt, just leave me be..." he placed his hand up and stepped back a few metres and stood alone as he reached for his phone. How could he tell Chas what had just happened to her son? Somehow he'd find the strength and the words to explain.

Jackson's feet stomped heavily on the floor of the corridor outside resus; his hands were clasped together and held tightly to his mouth, as if glued. The tears fell continuously down his cheeks.

Hazel watched her son; she'd never seen him like that before. He was broken or at least half way to being broken, the outcome of whether he would fully break would be down to Aaron and if he came back to him. She stepped forward and took his arm in her hand and gripped it with enough tightness to grab his attention and stop him from pacing. "Jackson, he'll be okay" she soothed.

Jackson shook his head as he cried. "How do you know mum?" he snapped. "This is bad, really bad, a train hit him for god sake!" he sobbed and lowered his head, and with all the emotion he fell back to the wall and slid down it with his head in his hands. "He's gunna die" Jackson sobbed.

Hazel frowned and shook her head. "He won't"

"Please don't let him die mum" Jackson pleaded as he looked up to her as he cried.

Tears fell from Hazel's eyes as she knelt down to him and took him in her arms.

The double doors further down the corridor swung open harshly and hit the walls on either side and hard, loud clicks from shoes could be heard. Hazel turned and saw Chas rushing towards them with a panicked expression, closely followed by Paddy. Chas' tears were close to falling. Hazel instinctively moved herself in Chas' path in front of Jackson, she knew what she could be like and she didn't want Jackson to endure her brutality. Not then and not there.

"I got your message, kinda...something about a crash?" Chas asked Hazel, and then looked at Paddy; he was as confused as she was. In the end, Jackson couldn't tell Chas, he called his mum first.

Hazel nodded. "Y-yeah...from what I've been told the boys had a bit of an argument..."

"What's new?" Chas said with a raised eyebrow.

"Jackson was a bit drunk and Aaron was driving" Hazel sighed. "...He stopped the van, and apparently got out and talked which didn't end well, Aaron drove off and left him and that's when the accident happened..." she explained it all to the best of her knowledge.

Chas' attention was quickly diverted when a doctor in blue overalls came around a corner and she rushed to him. "My son? Aaron, what's happened? Is he okay? Can I see him?" she asked as the tears fell from her eyes.

The doctor placed his hands out, palms facing Chas. "Your son has endured extreme trauma to his spinal cord from the impact of the train...-" the doctor was cut off.

"TRAIN?" Chas shot a look to Jackson, who had remained quiet and was sat not looking at anyone. Then she looked at Hazel.

"I WAS about to explain Chas..." Hazel said with a sigh and lowered her head and walked and sat by her son.

"He is stable for the moment but the next forty eight hours are crucial" the doctor carried on. "You can see him but I'm afraid I have to limit it to one person at a time."

Chas nodded as the doctor began walking back the way he came. She turned to Jackson who was now looking up. "You better hope he's alright!" she warned him as she pointed a finger at him.

The doctor closed the door behind Chas and left her in the room where Aaron lay, she had spent a few minutes being told about the equipment on and around Aaron and not to be too shocked by it. But that advice quickly disappeared from her memory and she covered her mouth as she slowly stepped over to her son. His head was in a metal apparatus, with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, tubes and wires were attached in several places over his chest. She stood at his side and held his hand. "Oh love...what you done now eh?" she whispered. "You're gunna be alright, you know why?" she told him, but as she said that, her mind outweighed what she had just said, she wanted so hard to believe he would be fine but deep down, even just looking at the head brace, she knew he'd be far from okay. "Because you're a fighter, and we need you around, we love you so much, so you need to wake up alright?" her voice was shaky and it worsened with each word she spoke, she lifted his hand up and kissed it softly with closed eyes.

To Be Continued...