Disclaimer - The characters in this story or Emmerdale don't belong to me they belong to ITV
Chapter Eleven
As Aaron and Hazel walked into the side room of the A and E department, the sight that greeted them wasn't a pleasant one, the sight of Jackson lifeless body lay before them, breathing but being mechanically controlled by the ventilator, the sight of tubing coming out of his chest with a bag lying next to him on the bed with some yellowy coloured fluid in it, the bags of clear fluid hanging with giving sets trailing down attached to Jackson via cannulas and central lines. As Aaron walked closer to his boyfriend, attempting to control the emotions that where fighting to come out he instinctively grabbed Jacksons hand, maybe he could feel his presence, maybe this would give Jackson the fight to battle this, all these thought ran through Aarons head, but certain thoughts kept resurfacing: what if this was it, what if he never has the chance to tell Jackson how he truly feels.
hazel walked over to Aaron, placing an arm around him, hoping this would offer him some comfort, after all hazel was a bubbly optimistic 'glass half full' kind of person and it took a lot for her to crack, she knew then she had to be there for Aaron as well as her son.
As the pair stood in silence, the door opened and the anaesthetist and two ITU nurses walked into the room
'Hello Mrs Rhodes, my name is Dr Andrews I'll be taking over Jacksons care once he is in intensive care, this is Staff Nurse Sanderson', pointing to a young blonde haired, blue eyed woman probably in her mid-twenties, and this is Sister Thompson' pointing to a slightly older woman in her mid-forties, with brown hair and green eyes, holding a red bag with all the necessary equipment needed to transfer Jackson to ITU.
'if you could give us a few moments Mrs Rhodes we need to get things sorted to move Jackson, once we're done you can walk down with us and we'll have a little chat if that's okay?' the younger nurse explained as she escorted Aaron and Hazel out of the room
'Yes, yes that's fine, you do what you need to do…oh by the way can you perhaps tell him that if he doesn't wake up soon then I'll be forced to bring in his baby album, he hates his baby pictures' Hazel joked
The young nurse looked at hazel slightly puzzled at the comment, but then remembered something one of her tutors had said in her training 'everyone has different coping mechanisms and it shouldn't be looked upon as people being insensitive or uncaring' with that thought in her head she looked at the Mother and said.
'How about I tell him I've saw his baby photos, and how cute he was?' she laughed as she walked back into the room where Jackson was.
As Hazel and Aaron waited, yet again, Hazel watched Aaron, watching how worried he was, as he rubbed his hands over his head, as he every so often would rub his eyes clearing the tears that where welling up in them.
'Aaron' Hazel asked
Aaron looked up at her, trying his best to stay strong for her and Jackson,
'If you want to cry, Cry, I won't think nothing less of you, let your emotions out, it might make you feel better!'
Aaron listened to what she was saying, nodded to acknowledge he heard her words but placed his head back in his hands and stared back at the floor.
A few minutes later the door to Jackson's room was opened and the Dr and two nurses came out pushing Jackson's bed, the young nurse, without saying anything looked at the pair, giving them a signal to follow them.
Just as the Hazel and Aaron began to follow them they heard a familiar voice, Paddy was running to catch them up, shouting at them to grab their attention
'Sorry i wasn't here quicker, the car wouldn't start so I had to get a taxi in, what's happening?' asked the vet, breathless from his race to find them
As Hazel and Aarons gaze turned to the three people wheeling Jackson away, Paddy realised that it mustn't be good news.
Hazel looked at Paddy and gave him a brief outline as to what had happened
'He went into this funny heart rhythm in the ambulance…twice so they had to shock him, then when he got here they found he's got an infection in his heart, they tried to drain it, making Jackson go into respiratory distress, making his lung collapse so they had to ventilate him'
'Flippin' heck' Paddy chipped in 'so where they taking him now?' he asked
'ITU!' Aaron answered
As they caught up with Jackson, he was just about to be wheeled though the doors that led to the intensive care suite so the Nurse Sanderson hung back,
'Where going to get Jackson made comfortable, and sort all the machine then Dr Andrews and I will be in to have a chat with you and your husband.
'Oh he's not my husband, he's Aarons step father…Well sort of anyway' Hazel explained
As the three of them sat in the family room, waiting for news, or an update as to what was happening, you could feel the fear and terror in the air as to what news they would get, suddenly the door opened it was the ITU Sister, Sister Thompson,
'Aaron can I have a word please?'
Aaron looked at Hazel and Paddy, confused at why he had been summoned, before standing up and following the older woman out the door
'Follow me to my office' she said
Once in the office, she closed the door and gestured to Aaron to take a seat and on the desk next to it was a cup of tea.
'Dr Andrews and Nurse Sanderson are in with Jacksons Mum and Paddy'
'How do you know his name is Paddy?' Aaron asked
'I Have been a nurse for 19 years, 15 in this department, I remembered him from when you were in here Aaron, I never forget a face when I see one' explained the Sister
'The nurse that explained everything to you in A and E, she's my daughter and she told me when I came down to transfer Jackson about the situation, and asked me to keep an eye on you, as she thought all this was a front… Aaron I know you, and being in here you see a lot of different ways to cope. Was that why you tried to end it? Because you were gay?'
Aaron looked at the nurse and nodded
'And is this Jackson lad your boyfriend?'
Again Aaron looked at her and nodded
'can I say something to you Aaron, the way you look at him and the way I can read the sheer terror and fear on your face, you obviously like him, maybe even love him, its situations like these where one realises how much somebody means to them, but I'm guessing you already knew that, you already realised that didn't you?'
'I'm just scared I'll lose him, scared I'll never see him again, all I think about when I'm not with him, is him, if I'm in the house and he's not I count the hours minutes and seconds till he comes in. we had an argument about my temper his mum tried to get us together again but as usual I but my size nines in it, he stormed off and the next thing I know he's being wheeled into an ambulance and getting shocked, and that killed me, it felt like I was being forced to watch him die, watch him being taken away from me' Aaron explained
'If only I was able to tell him how I feel'
'well if you get some alone time with him, open your heart, he's in a side ward on his own, so it will be private, we encourage people to talk to their loved one as there is a chance they can still hear you, what you say is up to you, but I strongly advise you do so'
As Aaron listened to the words coming from the woman's mouth he realise she was right, if he truly wanted to be with Jackson he needed to grow up and stop thinking about what others thought, he needed to tell Jackson how he felt.. He needed to put Jacksons feeling first instead of his own, and he needed to do it before it was too late
A/N please review leave comment on whether you like the direction its going it helps me write!