Chapter 21

Declan used the button on his bed to sit himself up. "So Patrick bought it then?"

Jack nodded and gave his brother a smile. "He not only bought it, but he went straight to Victoria and told her everything. As far as the Graysons are concerned you are at death's door."

Declan smiled and looked around the room. "So any idea when I can get out of here?"

"The doctor Emily hired said that you could leave as soon as you were awake and he examined you once more. I gotta tell you little brother I know we all agreed to this plan but if you ever take those drugs Emily gave you again I will kick your ass. You really looked like you were about to die when I got here." Jack threatened, only half joking.

Declan laughed and scratched at the i.v. in his wrist. "Hey you were in on the plan from the beginning and you knew the drugs she gave me were going to drop my blood pressure for awhile. Plus you do know that kicking my ass is pretty pointless since I can't feel it right?"

Jack laughed and stood up. "Very funny. I'm going to get a cup of coffee." He tossed Declan his cellphone as he walked out of the room. "Call Charlotte, I promised her you'd call once you woke up so she'd know you're alright."

Declan nodded and waved Jack away as he dialed Charlotte's number.

"Hello?" Charlotte asked as soon as the phone rang, she'd obviously been waiting anxiously for the call.

"Hey Char it's me." He answered.

"Oh god Declan, I've been freaking out. Are you alright? Are you still at the hospital? What happened with Patrick? Did you know your wheelchair is still here? How did you get to the hospital without it?" The questions flew out of Charlotte so quickly that Declan could barely understand what she was saying.

"Whoa Char slow down. Take a breath. I'm fine, don't worry. The drugs wore off and I feel fine I promise. I'm still at the hospital, but I think they're going to let me go soon." He assured her.

"Well what about Patrick? What happened?" She pressed impatiently.

"He bought the whole thing and he went straight over to your mother's house to tell her everything. So as far as your parents and the rest of the world are concerned I'm dying of heart failure. You sure that you can handle all of this Charlotte? Most of this plan revolves around you."

Charlotte let out an annoyed groan. "Declan this whole thing was my idea remember? I know this is going to work. My father already thinks he's dying, if I get close to him again and cry on his shoulder about losing him and you, I know I can get him to confess." She stated sounding determined.

"I'm not saying it's a bad plan Charlotte. I think it's going to work perfectly, but I'm just worried about putting all this stress on you while you're pregnant. Are you sure you can deal with this right now?" Declan worried.

"Declan you have to stop worrying about me all the time. I'm not some fragile little girl who can't handle things. The baby and I are doing fine and we'll be doing even better once my parents are out of our lives and being punished for everything they've done." She lectured.

Declan sighed. "I know you're tough Charlotte. I just worry about you and the baby. You two are the most important things in my life. I love you so much."

"I love you too Dec. Okay but seriously you have to tell me how in the heck you got to the hospital without your wheelchair?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I honestly don't remember a lot of getting to the hospital. I think Patrick carried me out to his truck. Those drugs were really strong I was pretty out of it. It was hard remembering to blurt out all of the stuff about your dad. Can you just bring my chair out to Jack's truck when we get home?" Declan requested.

A knock on the door interrupted their phone conversation and Declan's cardiologist Dr. Johnston stuck his head into the room.

"Hey Char the doctor is here so I have to go, but I'll see you soon and I love you." Declan rushed and hung up the phone before she could reply.

"So Mr. Porter how are you feeling?" The doctor asked as he hurried into the room.

"I feel fine." Declan assured him.

The doctor nodded as he took his stethoscope and used it to listen to Declan's heart, occasionally instructing Declan to breath deeply. Once he finished examining Declan he moved over to the ekg machine which was spitting out a steady stream of paper with Declan's heart function readings on it.

"So Declan I know that you weren't actually here for a real heart condition. Miss Thorne paid me very well to play my part and I'm fine with that. But I actually did find a little problem in your ekg readings." The doctor explained.

Declan's heart rate spiked with anxiety and both of them looked at the machine as the beeping increased.

"Is it serious?" Declan asked.

The doctor shook his head and looked down at the ekg readings once again. "I don't believe so no. It just seems that perhaps the stent isn't working quite as well as it should. Which honestly is very typical. Whenever a biological piece of the body is replaced with something mechanical, well the mechanical part just can't perform as well as the original part. The stent just isn't moving blood as quickly in and out of your heart as your artery did. It's making your heart work a little too hard. Like I said it isn't a major problem. If you hadn't come in today because of whatever it is you're doing with Miss Thorne we probably would never have discovered it."

"So I don't need to do anything? I can just ignore it?" Declan asked, obviously relieved.

"Well I wouldn't go that far. Now that we know there is a problem I'd like to try and fix it. The extra effort your heart is putting in isn't much, but it could cause problems for you as you get older. It won't be anything drastic though. I'd like to increase the dosage of the blood thinners that you're already taking. If your blood is thinner then it won't be so difficult for your heart to pump it through the stent." He assured Declan.

Declan nodded. "Okay that seems easy enough."

The doctor nodded. "Just remember that you need to be careful of injuries. I know we already talked about this before you left the hospital, but with the increased dosage you'll need to be even more cautious. With your blood thinned if you get cut you will bleed quickly and your blood won't clot the way it should. If you do find yourself injured and can't control the bleeding you need to get medical care immediately. You also cannot stop taking your medication abruptly. I'm hopeful that once your body has had more time to heal and adjust to the stent we can slowly wean you off of the blood thinners."

"Yeah I remember you explaining all this before. I've been being careful, although every time I nick myself when I shave it takes forever to quit bleeding." Declan muttered.

The doctor gave Declan a sad smile. "I'm sorry, it's one of the many downfalls of having open heart surgery. But at least placing the stent was successful, you were one lucky young man that you even survived long enough to have the surgery."

"I know I was lucky. Thanks again for saving my life." Declan answered.

The doctor nodded and pulled out a prescription pad and began scribbling. "All part of my job Declan. Alright you're free to go, get this filled and start on the new dosage tomorrow."

Declan smiled widely at the news that he could leave, he'd always hated hospitals, but ever since the explosion his hatred had grown to a whole new level. "Could you ask a nurse to bring a hospital wheelchair in for me? Mine got left at my house." He asked.

"Of course I'll let the nurses station know that you're ready to be discharged and that you need a wheelchair. It was good to see you Declan, but how about no more secret plots that involve you taking dangerous levels of medication." He joked as he left the room.

Declan let out a sigh of relief when he and Jack returned to the beach house and he was able to transfer out of the truck and back into his chair. Declan had hated his wheelchair at first, it had felt like a prison that he was trapped in. But lately it had begun to feel more like freedom, it was the only way he could freely get around by himself. His wheelchair gave him back his independence and he had now felt panicky whenever he couldn't reach it.

As soon as he was settled in his chair Charlotte sat down in his lap and kissed him deeply. They didn't stop until Jack cleared his throat loudly.

"So it's been a long night. I'm going home. Declan get some rest, no more taking drugs from Emily. Actually just don't take drugs in general." He joked and clapped a hand on Declan's shoulder and then gave Charlotte a pat on the back.

"Thanks for everything Jack." Declan called as Jack climbed into his truck.

"Are you feeling alright?" Charlotte asked as she clumsily stood up and followed Declan as he wheeled into the house.

"Yeah I feel fine actually. A little tired, but that's it. How are you feeling?" He asked as he transferred from his chair into the stair lift.

"Tired, and my feet are killing me. It's been a long day." She revealed and groaned as she began climbing the stairs beside Declan.

Declan reached out and grabbed Charlotte's wrist and pulled her into his lap. "Well how about a ride since your feet are killing you?" He suggested and kissed her neck. "And when we get in bed I'll give you a foot massage."

She sighed happily and snuggled back against his chest. "I will never say no to a foot rub. But if we're getting into bed I can think of a few other things I'd like to do to. Unless you're too tired that is."

"Charlotte I'm never too tired for that." He assured her.

A/N- Ok so I know it was mean letting you think Declan was dying, but hey at least I updated in a timely fashion. :) Thanks again for reading and reviewing!