This is slightly too long but it stops making sense when I delete things so I'm leaving it be. Thanks to everyone reading/reviewing.
Ric looks up suddenly; has her hand just moved in his? He could swear he felt her fingers tighten around his hand. "Serena?" he cautiously speaks to her. Her eyelids are moving. She's in there somewhere, and he just knows she can hear him speaking to her.
It grabs the attention of the others, and Eleanor is leaning over the railing, her hand on her mother's bruised arm. Edward and Adrienne stop conversing. The only person who doesn't move is Shayna. She's sat like that for four hours. Not a word has come out of her, and she shifts position only because she's a nurse and she knows she has to. If that were not the case, Ric is convinced she would be sitting doing a brilliant impersonation of stone.
Serena stirs slightly, like she's only sleeping, and there's no mistaking it this time. She mutters something but he can't quite make out what; he glances around to see Shayna still has not moved or spoken. "Ellie," she murmurs. "Shayna."
"I'm here, Mum," Eleanor says. Shayna doesn't speak, and it worries Ric that a girl as frustratingly vocal as her mother will not open her mouth.
Serena's eyes open slowly, and she looks thoroughly dazed. Her face is still bruised, four days after being attacked – in fact, there are more bruises on her than untouched skin. "Serena," Ric breathes. "How are you feeling?"
"Like my son-in-law just tried to kill me. How else am I going to feel?" she retorts dryly. Her voice is cracked and hoarse, probably through lack of use, and her eyes are drawn and exhausted. But he has to laugh slightly; she's not lost her caustic sarcasm, at the very least. She looks directly at him and he resists the urge to berate her there and then for the insane selflessness she's displayed.
He looks at the monitor and quickly takes her pulse with his fingers. He'll call Guy up to do a neurological check on her later, since she has smacked her head, but there's no real urgency since her scans are all clear. It's simply been a matter of giving her body some peace to repair itself.
Her eyes dart around the room, taking in every face she sees. Her gaze lingers on Edward for a moment and she looks confused; Ric knows exactly why. Edward's not had a drink at all in four days and it's hit him hard – he's in withdrawal. It's not immediately obvious to Adrienne and Eleanor because they don't know what to look for, but Ric knows Shayna sees it too, even if she has said nothing.
"My, my," Serena says quietly. "I do believe I've shocked you into sobriety, Edward." It's said with a mischievous smirk that Edward returns. Ric cannot pretend to understand the bond they share, but he can only accept it. He's got no choice because he knows Edward will always be around and he knows there's some part of Serena that has to love him. He is, after all, the father of her child.
Adrienne stands up and moves around to Serena's side. "You stupid, stupid girl," she says quietly to her daughter. She's hardly a girl anymore – she's forty-eight years old – but Ric knows what Adrienne means. Serena's still her child, regardless of her age. "You could have died."
"I nearly did," is Serena's glib reply. She tries to sit up but she groans and falls back down, Ric's hand on her shoulder as he silently warns her to not even bother trying it. "Maybe not," she winces.
"Yeah, you broke four ribs, Mum," Eleanor solemnly informs her.
For the first time in hours, Shayna speaks up. "Mum didn't break anything. My husband did all the breaking." Ric stares at her and he suddenly understands her silence. She's blaming herself for what's happened to her mother. Adrienne has already tried to console her but she's having no help from her grandmother. She's determined to punish herself.
"Shayna, my dear," Adrienne says to her, her hand on her shoulder. "You've not eaten in hours. Let's go down to the cafeteria."
Shayna looks up and Ric says, "Your granny's right, Shayna. None of you have eaten since last night." He knows Edward might not have much of an appetite but he needs to eat – he's already been sick today. He looks around at Edward and at Eleanor. "She'll still be here when you get back." The reluctantly stand because they know he is right; regardless of anything, they need to sustain themselves, hence why he has been sticking to regular meals.
They straggle out of the room and he's left alone with Serena. "Do you realise you crashed in theatre?" he asks her gently. "Raf and I brought you back from the brink, Serena, and Mary-Claire had to kick our backsides into gear for us to do it."
"Mary-Claire?" she replies, her head falling to the side as she stares right at him. "Did you panic, Mr. Griffin?" she teases him with a weak smile. He looks away; he doesn't really want to admit it, but operating on Serena emotionally drained him. His vision had been clouded and he had struggled to think logically, as had Raf. They are all very lucky Mary-Claire was there – some Ric never expected himself to think about the young Irishwoman. "Come here and kiss me," she orders him.
The request surprises him. He has been thinking, honestly, that she will want nothing to do with him. After all, there's so much to get embroiled in, so much madness surrounding her, and he knows there must be a part of her that doesn't want him to suffer with her. But still she's asked him to kiss her, and he leans down and presses his lips to hers. He can feel her hand on the back of his head, and her smile against his mouth.
She breaks away but doesn't let him lean back, keeping his face near hers as she closes her eyes. "Did it work?" she whispers to him. "Did you find my phone?"
"Greg's up in court tomorrow morning," he tells her. "He's being charged with attempted murder." He gently forces himself away from her so he can study her face. She is relieved. Happy, even. "That must be the single most idiotic thing you've ever done, Serena," he softly berates her. She opens her mouth to argue and he knows exactly what she wants to say. "Yes, yes, I know. Greg Roberts will spend the foreseeable future in a prison cell. You're very clever. But you're also an idiot. You could have been killed, and I have no doubt you wouldn't have given a damn if it means he gets put away for a long time. You stupid, silly, reckless, selfless, loving, courageous, beautiful woman."
She laughs slightly and pulls him down into a deep, loving kiss. He can't help but smile, just happy to have her in his arms. "I love you," she moans slightly.
"I love you," he answers her, his hand resting gently on her chest, right against her heart, feeling it beating into his skin. "But if you ever put me through that again..." he begins.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Serena mutters. "You'll slap me from here to Kingdom Come. And I wouldn't blame you either." She catches her mouth in his and he realises suddenly the pain kissing him must cause her, and yet she does it anyway. She seems to want to live life for everything in it; has this ordeal made her want to make more of her life, and the people in it? So he kisses her with the same intensity she gives him, because she is here and she's alive, and they're lucky she's survived.
She pulls away and he kisses her forehead, touching her cheekbone lightly. She's bruised and battered, but she's still as beautiful as she's always been, inside and out.
Serena lies in her ICU bed in lonely silence. It's seven o'clock at night, and they've all left her for a while. She knows she's lucky to be alive, and she will not forget that. She's lucky to have Ric at her side as well, because she knows she cannot walk this path alone anymore. She's not brave enough anymore to do that, and she's not sure she wants to. She would survive it, as her determination and willpower don't allow for complete failure, but she would much rather be in love than alone.
The doors open and Adrienne walks in; Serena groans as she looks around at her mother. She's not had the chance to talk to her yet. They've had no time alone. Her mother sits down and takes one of Serena's hands in both of hers, and she lightly presses her lips to the skin. "Why didn't you tell me about all this?" Adrienne demands quietly. "Ric told me. Not that I needed told. She's got your eyes and your smile."
"My favourite mistake," Serena mumbles. She can't deny that, at the time, Shayna's conception had very much been a mistake. There aren't many girls who get pregnant at sixteen on purpose. "I'm sorry, Mum." She stares into her mothers eyes and sees there is no need to seek forgiveness because there's nothing Adrienne feels needs to be forgiven. "It all happened so fast. She showed up here and I didn't know who she was until she shouted 'Mum' across AAU at me."
"Ric says you knew before that," Adrienne contradicts her.
Serena raises an eyebrow and retorts, "You and Ric are getting a little to pally for my liking." Adrienne smirks to herself and Serena adds, "I knew in my heart the moment I met her. I just...I was so terrified it was her that I pretended to myself she was just my colleague, or a friend." She feels her eyes welling up and she swallows back her tears. She never speaks about Shayna to her mum, mostly because she's always tried to leave that life behind her. "I thought she would hate me. I hated myself," she confesses. It's rare for her to be so open with her mother but there's no point in lying now.
"Well, she loves you," Adrienne firmly tells her. "And I see I'm now a great-grandmother. They've still got her in the AAU side room, just to keep an eye on her."
"Oh, God, yes. I'm a granny. I feel ancient," she groans as she moves slightly, a bruise on her hip sitting awkwardly against the mattress. "What's happened with Edward?" she asks curiously. "Last time I spoke to him, he was off his face."
Adrienne sighs and bluntly says to her, "It would seem that the thought of you dying has made him see there's more to live for than drink and women. So now he's staying out of the bottle, and he's suffering for it." Serena looks away and her mother, as always, knows what she wants but is too scared to ask for. "You want to see him, don't you?" Serena meets her gaze and silently node; Adrienne rises and leaves with a smile, and it's only a few moments before Edward has walked in.
"Your mum says you want to see me," he smiles at her. She sees the effort it takes him, and how ill he must be feeling. As he sits down in the chair Adrienne has just left, she sees the sweat on his forehead and the gauntness of his face. He faintly smells of alcohol still, but it's the scent of stale whisky, not a fresh bottle of vodka.
"You look like hell," she comments.
"You're one to talk," he replies. She holds his stare for a moment and laughs, causing him to smile. "Why didn't you ever tell me you have another daughter?" he asks her gently. "What did you think I would do?" She closes her eyes and decides the answer to the question. The truth is she did not trust him, and she knew he was stupid – he still is. But there had been one more thing, and it had been a single, crippling fear.
Serena opens her eyes and tells him, "I didn't think you were mature enough to handle it, and I thought you would hate me." He lets out a quiet chuckle and, for some reason, it annoys her when he keeps laughing. "What's so funny?" she snaps at him.
"That's our problem," he laughs. "We're a mismatch. You're right. I am immature, but you're also too mature." Serena smiles just a little, knowing he is right on both counts. The lack of alcohol in his system seems to make him less moronic, though he's more levelled than she's been expecting, given he's going through alcohol withdrawal. "Do you want Ric? And Shayna and Ellie?"
She nods her head and adds, "Aren't you just a bit uncomfortable with me and Ric? God knows I was with you and Milly Molly Mandy."
Edward smiles gently and stands up, leaning on the white railing; his hands are shaking, she notices. He leans down and kisses her cheek. "I'm just glad you're alive, Serena. And if you're happy with Ric, then so be it. At least he'll treat you better than I have."
He walks away, leaving her astounded that he can be so grown-up. It's not like him. Have her actions and their consequences actually managed to knock some sense and decency into the ever-foolish Edward Campbell? She doesn't have time to think, though, because Ellie saunters in with Ric at her heels. Shayna lags behind looking tortured and introverted, and it dawns on Serena that she's going to have to sit both her children down together and tell them the truth. There's no use in holding back.
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