Important author's note at the end, please make sure you read it! Also- warning, swearing- Patricia does drop the f-bomb twice.
"We'll have to unplug him if this continues. He isn't getting any better- the machines are what's keeping him alive right now."
Patricia stares at Doctor Parker, tears falling down her cheeks at a rapid rate. "It c-can't be…"
Doctor Parker sighs. "I'm so sorry, Patricia. He's not getting better- his heart is barely beating, and he isn't breathing on his own. His body is so weak- it's not even able to work on healing his other injuries. It'll be a miracle if he survives the night- but right now, we aren't sure. I promise you- we're going to do everything we can to save him, but I can't promise he'll survive. I don't want to sugarcoat anything- something tells me you're not the type of girl to go for something like that. This is the truth- and it's cold and hard to swallow- but if you have hope, maybe a miracle will grace you."
He nods to her, grabbing his clipboard, and leaves the room to give her some privacy.
Patricia slumps back into the chair next to Eddie's bed, sobbing silently. "This isn't fair, weasel. You can't make me love you and then do something like this! It doesn't work that way…" A sob shakes her, and she looks over at his motionless, battered body, more tears forming in her eyes.
"How can I go on without you? You're my reason to live, slimeball…I can't do this without you. I've gotten so attached…I rely on you now, and it makes me sound cheesy and sappy and cliché, but it's fucking true. I just…I need you, Eddie…before I completely fall apart.
The other girls have their boyfriends back- Fabes has even woken up, but you're gonna die. If fate has anything to do with this, I may as well say goodbye now. It won't save you- I don't deserve to be happy- and if my happiness is you, fate will kill you.
I'm talking to you, and it's like I'm talking to myself. You can't fucking hear me, and it's shattering my heart. I need you to wake up. Our anniversary is in eight days, and if you're not awake by then, Eddie…I'm going to kill myself."
"How are you doing, Fabian?"
Amber hovers at the doorway of his hospital room, just as Fabian glances up at her. He's lying against Nina, his head against her stomach, eyes half-closed. He's still tired- surprisingly, after being comatose for two weeks.
"Okay, but could be a lot better, Amber," he replies, motioning her over. "How's Alfie?"
"Getting better," she whispers. Amber walks over to Fabian's bedside and leans down to hug him gently. He wraps his good arm around her back, leaning up to kiss her head gently.
"I'm fine, alright?" He says gently, as she pulls back. "We're all okay."
Amber shakes her head. "Eddie isn't…"
Fabian's eyes widen, and Amber hears Nina sigh. Fabian glances at her, and Nina exhales a deep breath. "Eddie's still in a coma…they have him on a bunch of machines, and those are what's keeping him alive. Patricia's a wreck."
Fabian nods. "I can imagine…" He sighs and shakes his head. "Why did this have to happen to us…? We only went out for our anniversary gifts…"
Nina's eyes widen. "What?"
Fabian gives another sigh, hanging his head. "Eddie and I wanted to get gifts from the jewelry shop a few miles away, for you and Patricia- for our anniversaries. Ours is the 9th, and Eddie and Patricia's is the 11th, so we wanted to get the jewelry ahead of time. We brought the other three along because Amber, Mara, and Joy have gotten necklaces/bracelets for their one-year anniversaries, and we thought Alfie, Jerome, and Mick would be able to advise us."
Nina's mouth drops open. Amber knows exactly what she's thinking. She believes that Patricia and herself were responsible for their accident. That's crazy, but she knows that both Nina and Patricia will believe it, no matter how Fabian tries to reassure them.
As much as she doesn't want to see Patricia destroy herself, she doesn't think Eddie will make it. After all- the doctor could very well pull the plug on all the machines, and then he'd be dead. Amber knows she's a horrid friend for thinking this, but she's trying not to get her hopes up- just for tragedy to strike.
"Alright, Mick. I think you can be released. There's really no reason to keep you here."
Mick glances up at the doctor, his eyes lighting up. "Seriously? That's awesome!"
Doctor Samuels chuckles. "It's not going to be that easy, I'm afraid. You're still severely injured- the only reason you're not writhing in pain right now is because of the morphine. You won't be on a morphine drip back at Anubis."
Mick sighs. "Is there any way for me to ever play football again?"
The doctor nods. "You may be able to- it'll probably be at least six months before you do, however. Your casts may come off around the end of June, but you'll need extensive physical therapy- as these were bad breaks."
"You'll be fine," Joy murmurs, leaning up to kiss him gently. Mick smiles when they pull back, holding her closer to his chest. "So, what exactly is in store for him?"
Doctor Samuels flips a page on his clipboard and sighs. "I'm going to give him another week off from school. Keep in mind- he will be in a wheelchair, and he can't transfer on his own. You'll need to figure out how to transfer him in and out of the chair. Anyway- I'd suggest elevation. For his legs, maybe even a pillow behind his back to support his ribs. He is going to be in a lot of pain, and there's not much I can do about it, I'm afraid. I'm prescribing oxycodone for him. One dosage every 4-6 hours, and it should keep him comfortable. I'd like to see him in a week, for a follow-up, but that's it." He rips a page from his clipboard and hands it to Joy. "His prescription. I'd fill it immediately, you don't want to leave him without meds for too long."
"Thanks, doc," Mick smiles, shaking the doctor's hand.
Doctor Samuels nods. "Take care, Mick."
Thoughts? Eddie is not going to die- let me make that clear. He's in really bad shape, but I'm not killing him. He'll wake up soon, I'm actually writing the Peddie scene right now.
Onto other matters- I posed the same chapter I posted in the last chapter, to my boyfriend, and this is what he had to say:
"Hm...Eddie
You can do more with him, even if jerome's backstory in the show is more along the lines of the story you want to write. Create a good backstory, make it so that his confident, upbeat personality is a mask that hides his pain. But make sure you develop his character fully before you think about writing any shit, yeah? And also…don't make it cliche like all those stories where he's cutting and patricia walks in on him and helps him recover and shit. Make it different- unique. That'll excite your readers."
Thoughts on that? I will most likely pick Eddie- for the reasons he's stated. But I'd love your opinions on what he had to say, that would really help me decide in which direction I'll be taking this new story.
-Neha
