As Gus opened the door to Shawn's room and started to enter, Henry felt himself frozen in place. Although Shawn was unconscious, he still didn't know if he could face him yet without breaking down on the spot. Gus gave him a confused look when he saw Henry hasn't entered yet. Henry snapped out of his daze and gave Gus a small smile, but Gus could see right through him. He knew something was wrong from the moment he arrived at the hospital, other than his son on the brink of death. Gus wasn't usually such a dark person, but he couldn't help but think the worst.
Henry cautiously entered the room while Gus closed the door. He was right about one thing, facing Shawn was a challenge in itself. He looked like death itself; ghostly pale, a tube down his throat, sunken eyes, and wires hooked from him to all sorts of machines. The only thing that convinced him that Shawn was still amongst the living was the steady beeping of the heart monitor.
He quickly turned his head away from Gus to hide the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Though Gus wasn't as shy with his emotions. He quickly moved over to the bed and knelt down, taking Shawn's limp hand in his. Gus sniffled, "Oh Shawn, I'm so so so so sorry. I should have been there. I mean I know there was no possible way I could have known where you are or any reason I'd be with you considering tonight was dinner with your dad." Then Gus thought for a second, and looked up to Henry. "Wait, why wasn't he with you?"
Now Henry could have lied and said Shawn left early, or cancelled (because he had done that before), but Gus has always been fairly good at reading him. He would know if he wasn't telling the truth, so Henry decided to come out with it now, rather than from Shawn later.
"We got into a fight. I had a woman over to join us for dinner, thinking he'd be mature about it. I should've known he'd be childish about it. He doesn't care about anyone but himself." Henry said in that tone of voice only two people had ever challenged, who both happened to be in that very room.
Gus stood up immediately, while still managing to softly set Shawn's hand down. "Are you kidding me right now?! Shawn got shot and you have the nerve to put it on him? You know how Shawn feels about you with other women! It might not be a big deal to you anymore letting go of Maddie as a wife, but Shawn will never be able to let go of her as his mom. You may not love each other the way you used to, but that hasn't changed anything for Shawn. You have to think from his point of view."
They both stood there in silence for a few moments, Henry in shock at the truth of the words, and Gus in shock that he had said them. Then Gus thought of something, "You said something to him didn't you?" Gus knew that Henry must have said something bad for Shawn to just decide to leave.
Henry couldn't tell him, he just couldn't. Gus would never forgive him if he knew. But Gus had already realized his words rang true with the prolonged silence.
"What did you say?"
Henry sighed, "I...I said that if he were never born, maybe Maddie and I would still be together."
Gus looked down at Shawn and closed his eyes, "You son of a…", but he cut himself off. He knew he'd regret saying it later.
"You must know that I regretted it the moment I said it, I would never say that to him."
"But you did." Gus snapped.
"I know, and I wish I could take it all back."
Gus sighed and pulled a chair up to the bed. He sat down taking Shawn's hand in his again. "Well it doesn't matter what I think. You'll just have to explain it to Shawn when he wakes up...and hop he believes you."
Henry decided he'd step out for a little while. He couldn't just stand there and wait and longer. "Hey, uh, I'm going to step out for a little bit, do you need anything?"
Gus sighed again at Henry's attempt to be nonchalant. "No, I'm fine. Just...come back soon. You should be here."
Gus was right. He should be here. In that very bed instead of his son. He didn't deserve to be breathing when Shawn could barely do it himself.
"You're right," Henry said suddenly, and then pulled up another chair on the opposite side of Gus, "I need to be here."
Gus nodded his head sadly. So they sat there until they both drifted off in the slightly-comfier chairs, awaiting further progression of Shawn's condition.
They both awoke awhile later to the quickening beeping of the heart monitor. Jolting up in a panic, both Henry and Gus looked down at Shawn who looked as though struggling to breathe.
Gus put a hand on Shawn's shoulder, "Shawn?! Shawn what's wrong?!" He asked, even though he knew Shawn couldn't answer with the tube down his throat. The tube.
"Shawn! Shawn. You can breathe, it's okay. It's just the ventilator down you throat. Just calm down, breathe." Shawn was still panicking but he looked to be coming to his senses. That's when the doctor and a couple nurses arrived. They escorted Gus and Henry aside, despite their futile resistance.
Dr. Lycan moved into Shawn's sight to get his attention and then started talking to Shawn explaining how if he held still and calmed down, he'd take the tube out. Shawn stilled himself as much as he could, though he was still shaking, and nodded.
A few minutes later and the ventilator was out and Shawn had physically calmed. Dr. Lycan them explained some things and talked to both Shawn, Gus, and Henry about his condition. "It seemed worse than it actually was, the bullet missed all major organs, in my professional opinion it was more of a graze. Though, if not for that cashier you would have easily bled out. The cashier has already given his statement, looks like you're the hero type, Mr. Spencer. Not everyone would have the courage to do what you did."
Shawn's throat still being sore from the tube just nodded. The doctor then smiled and left with the nurses, leaving a quiet and awkward silence in their wake.
Gus was the first to speak, "What did you do?"
Shawn finished the ice chips he was eating, cleared his throat, and told them a brief, downplayed version of what had occurred in the gas station. Shawn may have a fairly large ego, but he didn't like to be talked up to be some kind of hero. He just did what he'd been taught to do since he could walk.
Gus and Henry were shocked. Sure, they knew how reckless Shawn could be when others were in danger, but it never ceased to amaze them the lengths he would go to to keep people safe.
This time Henry spoke first, "Shawn, I'm so proud of you. I...I'm so sorry for what I said back at the house. I should never have said it, or even thought it. It's completely untrue. I was just looking for something to retort with. You have to know that I would never wish you gone. Shawn, you're my son, I love you and I've never been prouder of you."
Now it was Shawn's turn to be shocked. He honestly was expecting his father to try and throw the blame back to him. All anger had fled from him. He himself knew the wrongs that could be said in the heat of an argument.
Shawn then smiled. He wanted to say so much to his dad, but with his throat still sore he decided to keep it short. "I love you too, dad." Shawn all but whispered in a scratchy voice.
Gus smiled and walked over to Shawn and put his hand on his shoulder, "We're glad you're okay."
Shawn gave Gus a sideways smile as his eyes started to droop.
Henry noticed his drifting off and grinned. "You get some sleep, we'll be here when you wake up."
Shawn smiled again and shifted down into the bed. Henry and Gus both took their spots in the chairs again, feeling much more relaxed this time around.
Henry then cautiously took Shawn's hand in his and gave it a small squeeze, silently hoping he wouldn't reject it. But with the smile still gracing his lips, Shawn gently squeezed back. And in that moment, Henry knew that this time, they'd be okay.
Well, that's all, folks! I hope you enjoyed this and that I portrayed the characters well. Sorry for the short chapters, though. I'll work on that in future stories. Anyways, thanks for reading!
