Chapter 9

The nurse had just left and Brooke was again sat alone with her friend. She had her head down in Peyton's sheets and was just lost in her thoughts, then all of a sudden she felt a squeeze on her hand.

Shocked, she looked up and to her amazement she saw Peyton's eyes wide open looking straight at her.

'PEYTON! You're awake!! I knew you would wake up, I knew it'

Brooke flew out of the room and called to a nurse to get a doctor and then quickly returned to her friend's best side. The sight that greeted her was a horrendous one, Peyton was struggling. She was choking on the tube that was down her throat, she couldn't talk she just cried out to Brooke with the look of pain in her eyes.

'HELP' Brooke shouted, she could hear a doctor running down the corridor towards her.

Peyton's whole body was now shaking, and once again her eyes closed again and didn't reopen. The doctor ran to Peyton and immediately shouted for help

'I need some help in here! Now!' within seconds, another doctor and two nurses had joined him at Peyton's bedside.

Brooke was speechless, she just stood there in the corner too frightened to speak.

'We need to take the tube out NOW' the doctor shouted at the others 'We can intubate again but she's resisting this one so let's just get it out'

The tube was removed from Peyton's throat and immediately her pulse crashed down 'Now re-intubate, NOW!'

The nurse passed the doctor another tube but he shook his head impatiently 'She obviously wants to breathe on her own so let's try and get her to, get me a temp. tube nurse'

A smaller tube was passed to the doctor and he intubated Peyton once more, her pulse rose straight away and Brooke breathed a sigh of relief.

'She's stabilizing, good job people' the doctor said.

Brooke stepped out from her corner 'What the hell just happened?!' a teary eyed Brooke whispered.

'Well Peyton here was trying to come back to us, I know it looked scary but this really is a big step forward. When she came around, she was trying to breathe on her own and resisting the ventilator. Her body was just not ready for that yet so she when she became more stressed she began to choke on the tube. So what we have done is removed the large tube from her throat that wasn't bothering her while she was unconscious but obviously was when she came around and replaced it with a smaller tube that will still do her breathing for her but should be more comfortable for her when she comes around again'

'So she's definitely going to come round again?' said a worried Brooke.

'Yes I'm sure of it. Once her body calms down again she should become conscious again. The tube will stay in her throat to keep her breathing so she won't be able to talk but her eyes will be open, she'll be able to hear you and grip your hand, things like that' the doctor smiled.

'Thank you doctor' Brooke said as the doctors and nurses were leaving.

'P. Sawyer, you've really got to stop scaring me like this! You've just got to come back again honey, I know you can do this' Brooke said determinably .

Hours passed and there was still no change in Peyton and Brooke had drifted off to sleep. She was immersed in thoughts about her friend and her children but she was gently wakened by the familiar feeling of someone squeezing on her hand.

This time when Brooke looked up, she just saw a very tired Peyton looking back at her. No choking, no distress, obvious pain but she was calm.

Brooke just smiled, her praying had payed off she thought, 'Welcome back Goldilocks'