Chapter Seven

A/N: Thank you to zoe and .7 for reviewing the last chapter.

Simon sat slumped against the white-washed walls of the hospital waiting room, half-heartedly sipping a bitter cup of coffee he had acquired from a vending machine nearby. Dr. Kirby had been examining Sue for around half an hour and he had suggested that he go and find something else to do, saying that it would be a tedious wait. He had considered going down to the school, to check that everything was alright after the fire, but somehow, he could not bring himself to venture that far away from his fiancée.

He had received several phone calls since arriving at the hospital, from Christine, Vix, Robert Bain and even Audrey, all containing the same messages of condolence and concern. By the third ring of his phone, Simon had stopped listening to the caller, knowing that all the calls contained the same empty words.

The fourth ring of his mobile drew a sigh from Simon's lips, but no sooner had he pressed the 'End Call' button than Dr. Kirby appeared from around the corner. Simon leapt from his seat so quickly that coffee spilled over the rim of his cup. Luckily, the liquid had been tepid to begin with and so did not do too much damage.

"How is she?" Simon could not even think to summon up a greeting for the man, such was his desperation to know how the situation had progressed.

"Still stable, for now." Dr. Kirby answered without delay, understanding how much reassurance was needed when the man was so fragile- 'He must have seen this situation so many times.' Simon realised. "I've been taking a look at her back, where the majority of the damage from the fire was done. I'm afraid this isn't going to be good news, Mr. Lowsley."

Immediately, Simon's relief-filled smile faded from his face. He had known that there would be consequences; after all, she had been caught in a blaze and had been lucky to escape with her life. But there had still been a part of him, the naive boy that slept inside his heart, which thought Sue could have escaped unscathed.

"How bad is it?" he asked. He had dreaded asking the question, but knew the truth, however harsh, would be infinitely better than the scenarios he was inventing in his mind.

"The burns to her shoulders and legs are healing nicely, which is something," the man began and Simon could not help but feel he was being set up for a fall. "However, the burns on her back are another matter. She has suffered second-degree burns, which are less likely to heal on their own. Now, there are many options we can discuss, including surgery to try and minimise scarring."

"So why don't you just do that now?" Simon asked incredulously, trying not to sound so harsh as he did so. "Surely the longer we leave it, the more damage its going to do."

"That's very true, Mr. Lowsley, and I respect your opinion on this, but unfortunately, as Sue remains unconscious, we have to wait for permission from her next-of-kin before we can go any further."

Suddenly, Simon understood and had to conceal a sigh. Here he was, waiting anxiously to see how seriously this accident had affected his fiancée's future, yet the decision did not rest in his hands; it rested in Robert Bain's. 'I wish I'd have married her sooner.' Simon could not restrain the thought. 'That way the decision would've been mine to make.'

He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it just as quickly. There was no point in arguing the matter. He and Sue had not yet married, leaving her father as her next-of-kin: no amount of squabbling would change that.

"So we just have to wait, then?" Simon asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. He was long past the phase of trying to sound like the strong, confident man he was as the Deputy Head of Waterloo Road. Now, he was just a man, timid with fear for the woman he loved.

"We just have to wait." the doctor affirmed, nodding his head solemnly. He was trying to look positive, but Simon could see the regret in his eyes. It seemed he was just as fearful about leaving Sue's injuries to time as her fiancé was. "I'll try calling him again, if you wish."

"Yes, please." Simon was grateful for the offer, knowing it was for the best that someone else spoke to Robert on his behalf. He had always found it difficult to understand how the man could spend so much more time at his desk than with his two children, although he imagined he may do almost the same in later life if he was not certain Sue would stop him. He had addressed the matter with Robert and if he did so now, he was sure he would scream at him down the phone.

Dr. Kirby nodded in his direction, before walking off towards his office, presumably to phone Robert Bain for the dozenth time, in the hope that he would leave his meetings for long enough to realise his daughter was in hospital. 'He must have heard about what happened at Waterloo Road.' Simon knew, gritting his teeth. 'So why hasn't he thought to phone her, or me, to see if she's alright?'

With a deep sigh, Simon collapsed back into the uncomfortable seat, preparing himself for further hours of waiting and hoping for the best. He checked his mobile phone one more time, in the hope that there would be a missed call from Robert, but found only a text message from Vix asking if there had been any change. He gave a brief reply, before turning off his phone, replacing it in his jacket pocket. There was an image of Sue on his lock screen, smiling and full of life; it was far too painful, to remember a time before everything had gone wrong.

"Just hang in there, sweetheart." he whispered to the silent room. "Just a little bit longer and then you'll be alright, I promise."

Even though he knew she could not hear him, Simon felt guilt pulling at his heartstrings. He could not promise she would be alright, not when he himself thought it was a lie.

A/N: Please review!