Brax and Charlie had arrived at hospital just as Lola was being taken into surgery. Liam looked desperate with worry "Liam what have they said?" Brax asked as he rushed towards Liam.
"Er…they think the bullet's pierced an artery but they won't know until they open her up" Liam explained with his hands on his head. Brax and Charlie shared the same horrified glance.
"Brax maybe you should stay here while I speak to the doctor" Charlie suggested.
"No I'm coming too; Lola wouldn't want me to leave you right now" Brax frowned "Please I need to know our baby is alright"
"Ok babe" Charlie smiled as she took Brax's hand and led him towards an available doctor "Liam tell us if there is any change"
-x-
Brax and Charlie had already rejoined Liam in the corridor after being given the all clear by the doctor. As Brax waited for news on his sister Charlie and Liam made some phone calls. Suddenly one of the doctors came out of the operating theatre "How is she doc?" Brax exclaimed as he stood up quickly to greet the nervous looking doctor.
"Are you a relative?" The doctor asked as he assessed the blood and sand tattoo on Brax's collarbone.
"Yeah I'm her brother; now please what's going on?" Brax frowned.
"Ok so you'll be pleased to know its good news, the damage wasn't as bad as we first thought, luckily the wound was just a flesh wound" the doctor explained.
"So why did her heart stop?" Liam wondered.
"Lauren's heart stopped because of a mixture of shock and the drugs that were in her system" The doctor explained
"What drugs?" Brax wondered nervously.
"Methamphetamine" the doctor replied.
"Crystal Meth?" Liam exclaimed as he tried to take in the news.
"Yes I'm afraid so" the doctor replied dryly "Look I know your sister has had some problems with drug abuse in the past and I know you are aware of her medical condition"
Brax nodded "Yes, but is she going to be ok?" All Brax wanted to know was, is Lola going to survive.
"Yes Lola will survive but I'm afraid because of he high volume of Methamphetamine in her body her heart was weakened" the doctor explained "I'm afraid this damage is irreversible and will remain a condition which she will need to be on medication for throughout the rest of her life"
"But she will be ok?" Liam finally spoke.
"Yes she will be fine" the doctor smiled causing Brax, Liam and Charlie to finally relax.
"Can we see her?" Brax wondered.
"Yes but she is still sedated, we have cut the dose and she should be waking up within the next hour or so" the doctor smiled "But she will need to be kept quiet, stress is something Lola can't cope with right now" he added as he watched Casey, Ruby and Heath rush through the door.
Brax nodded as he eyed his middle brother walking nervously towards him "What do you want?" Brax frowned.
"I just came to make sure she is ok?" Heath replied honestly. Suddenly out of no-where Liam flew at Heath.
"You bastard you did this" Liam snapped as he punched Heath "She's here because of you"
Brax quickly grabbed Liam and restrained him "Get out of here Heath" Brax yelled.
"Please mate I just wanted to make sure she was ok" Heath tried again.
"Firstly I'm not your mate and secondly yes Lola is going to be fine no thanks to you" Brax replied harshly "Now get lost"
Heath decided now wasn't the right time to make amends with his family so he left it. As Heath walked away Casey approached Brax "What the hell was that about?"
"It's a long story, I'll explain later" Brax sighed as he let Liam go.
"Brax" Casey said firmly he knew Brax was keeping something from him.
"Not now eh case" Brax drew Casey's attention to a furious looking Liam, Casey quickly backed off. He nodded at Brax acknowledging his warning.
-x-x-
Brax and Casey had gone in to see Lola; it was doctor's orders that only two visit at a time. Liam, Charlie and Ruby were all sat in the corridor. None of them had spoken a word to eachother and they didn't need to because after about 20 minutes of waiting a man came rushing towards them, he was 5 ft 11 and he short brown hair which he was hiding under a black trilby style hat. He was also wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt and black shoes.
Ruby's jaw hit the floor as she saw the guy approach as did Charlie's they both stood up quickly "Oh my god" Charlie gasped "Is that…"
"Gavin Degraw" Ruby replied finishing Charlie's sentence. Liam quickly stood when he saw Gavin arrive.
"Liam where is she?" Gavin asked urgently.
"Er…she's in there" Liam stuttered, Gavin rushed towards the room but Liam grabbed his arm "Her brothers are with her" he said causing Gavin to stop.
"Oh right ok" Gavin said as he stepped away. He smiled when he noticed Ruby and Charlie staring at him with wide mouths "Hi"
"Hello" Charlie and Ruby blushed.
Liam frowned at the look on Ruby and Charlie's faces "Gav what are you doing here?" Liam wondered curiously.
"I was doing a few gigs in Sydney and I got a call from Lenny" Gavin explained "He said Lola was in a town called Summer Bay, so I asked him to make a few phone calls and then he told me about what had happened"
Liam looked a little uneasy around Gavin "And you rushed straight here?"
"Yeah" Gavin nodded, his head shot up when he saw two men walk out of the room Liam said Lola was in. Brax and Casey saw Gavin and looked confused.
"Hi I'm Gavin Degraw" Gavin said as he extended is hand to Brax and Casey "I'm a friend of Lola's" he added. Brax and Casey still shared the same confused expression.
"We played gigs together while she was in LA" Gavin added hoping this would shine some light.
"Oh right yeah" Brax finally replied "Good to meet you, Lola told me all about you"
Brax's comment caused Gavin to look a little nervous, like he was worried about Brax knowing about him and Lola.
"Oh my god is that?" a voice came from behind Ruby, as she turned she saw Dex standing behind her.
"Gavin Degraw? Yep" she answered quickly; none of them could still believe he was standing in front of them. As Brax and Gavin talked Casey walked over to Ruby, he still had no idea why people were so excited to see the stranger, even the nurses had started to gather in the corridor.
"I still can't believe he's here to see Lola" Ruby sighed.
"Yeah I know" Casey replied clueless "Who is he exactly?"
Charlie, Ruby and Dex all looked at him like he was talking in a different language "I don't wanna be anything other than me" Dex sang as he did his best impression of the One Tree Hill theme tune. Casey shook his head slowly "One Tree Hill" Dex frowned.
Casey's eyebrows raised when he thought about the girly show Ruby watched regularly "Indi watches it ok" Dex replied defending his knowledge.
"Yeh right" Casey teased "So I take it he's pretty famous then"
"Er Yeh just a bit Case" Ruby giggled
Liam was still glaring at Gavin something which hadn't gone unnoticed by Charlie. She wondered why Liam seemed so hostile towards what seemed like a good friend of Lola's. Then it dawned on her a 'good friend' Oh my god he's an ex of Lola's.
"Charlie" Brax interrupted Charlie's thoughts "Are you hungry?"
"What? Oh sorry no I'm ok thanks" Charlie replied. She watched Gavin walk into Lola's room alone, Liam was already in there.
x-x-x-x
"I can't believe you came here" Liam spat angrily.
"Why wouldn't I?" Gavin defended himself quickly "I've got as much right to be here as you, more in fact"
Liam looked a little confused so Gavin took out his Blackberry and showed Liam a recent e-mail from Lola Hey Gav, I hear you have been trying to get in touch. Well I am back at home at the moment. Lenny tells me you are in Sydney for a few days doing some secret location gigs. Secret from me? If not I'll pop by and say hi. It's been a while. Speak soon Lola x
The realisation hit Liam like a tonne of bricks; Lola had been trying to get in touch with Gavin. He was about to respond but was interrupted by a stirring sound from Lola. Gavin and Liam both moved forwards as they watched her eyes open.
"MMM" Lola groaned as she looked around the room. She was trying to get everything in focus and that's when she saw him, a beautiful refreshing face from her past "Gav" she wondered as she continued to stare at his familiar grin.
"Hey baby" Gavin smiled as he felt Lola grab his hand.
"Oh my god it's not a dream, you're really here" Lola gasped as she felt his warm skin.
"Yeah I'm really here" Gavin chuckled.
"It's so good to see you" Lola sighed "I've missed you"
Liam wasn't sure if he should speak, he was a little scared that Lola wouldn't give him the same warm reception "Liam" Lola frowned kindly interrupting Liam's thoughts.
"Hey you" Liam smiled as he walked closer to the bed "How are you feeling?"
"Sore but better now" she replied as she looked at Gavin. The look in Lola's eyes as she looked at Gavin pierced Liam like a knife through the heart.
x-x-x-x
It had been a few weeks since Gavin Degraw came to see Lola in hospital; he had gone back to Sydney for his gigs but was still in touch with Lola.
Lola had been out of hospital for a week and she was staying at The Sands. Lola had been thinking about a proposition Gavin had given her just before he left for Sydney
Flashback
Gavin and Lola were alone in the room, Lola was sat in bed and Gavin was perched on the end "Are you sure you'll be ok while I go back to Sydney?" Gavin asked. Lola had filled him in on everything that had happened with Bianca and Liam and Jake. She had also told him about her Liver and Heart conditions. Gavin was already aware of Lola's drug issues.
"I'm a big girl Gav, besides I've gotta cope when you go back to LA" Lola giggled.
"Not necessarily" Gavin's expression was serious.
"What do you mean?" Lola wondered.
"Well I've spoken to Lenny and he agreed with me" Gavin sat up and looked straight at Lola "We both think it would be awesome to have you on tour with us"
"You serious" Lola gasped.
"Yeh, come to LA with me" Gavin asked "Look you don't need to decide straight away, I go back to Sydney tonight. Take some time to sort things out with your family and I'll come back and see what you have decided"
Lola just stared at Gavin for a few moments before nodding "OK"
End of Flashback
A message beeped on Lola's iphone causing her to jump Be back in 3 hours, decision time ;) Gav x
Lola smiled when she read the message; she had already arranged to meet Casey. In fact as she looked at her watch she realised she was running late "Shit" she exclaimed as she pulled on her ballerina pumps. Lola was wearing a pair of white short shorts and a turquoise singlet. Her brown hair was hanging in loose curls around her shoulders. Lola quickly grabbed her bag and Iphone and rushed out of the door.
Casey smiled as he saw his sister hurrying along the beach nothing changes he thought to himself with a smile "I'm sorry Case" Lola gasped as she approached the teenager, she gave him a hug.
"Hey it's ok, you're early actually" Casey said with a cheeky grin "Well earlier than I was expecting anyway"
"Cheeky sod" Lola laughed as she hit Casey's arm playfully.
"So what did you wanna talk about?" Casey wondered why Lola needed to see him so urgently.
"Maybe you should sit down Casey" Lola said as she pulled Casey's hand towards the sand. Casey sat in the sand next to his sister "I'm leaving the bay"
"What?" Casey cried.
"While I was in hospital Gavin made me an offer" Lola explained "He asked me to go back to LA with him, he wants me to join him on tour"
"America" Casey exclaimed "You're going to America on tour with a guy you sang with a few times"
"I did a bit more than sing with him Case" Lola blushed causing Casey to frown.
"He's an ex" Casey wondered "That's even worse Lo"
"Case I know Gavin better than anyone and I would trust him with my life, please don't be angry" Lola tried to talk Casey round.
"I'm not" Casey ran his hand through his hair "Is it really what you want?"
"Yes" Lola nodded "I need to get away Case"
"Ok as long as you will be happy" Casey finally gave in.
"I will" Lola smiled as she hugged Casey excitedly.
"So when do you leave?" Casey wondered how long he had left with Lola.
"Tonight, Gav will be back in a few hours" Lola's tone saddened a little.
Casey just stared at his sister he had no idea what to say. He didn't expect to only have a little bit of time with her "What about Brax and Charlie and Liam?"
"What about them, they made their decision about me a few weeks ago when they doubted me" Lola replied harshly.
x-x-x
Lola was extremely excited; Gavin had called and told her he was nearing Summer Bay. She was just packing the last few of her things in her suitcase. Lola was surprised when she heard a gentle knocking on the door.
Lola was stunned when she saw Brax and Charlie stood at the door "Hey"
"Lo we need to talk" Brax sighed as he walked past Lola and into her room.
Lola closed the door and turned to face Brax and Charlie "What?" she frowned.
"Were you honestly just going to leave without saying goodbye" Brax said as he looked at the suitcase on the bed "I said I was sorry for what happened"
"Yeh Brax you said it" Lola replied "It still doesn't change to fact you believed her over me"
"That wasn't his fault" Charlie interrupted "I made him doubt you"
"No offence Charlie but he didn't take much persuading to think the worst of me" Lola snapped.
"But you took a bullet for me and I doubted you" Charlie pleaded.
"Bianca was your friend Charlie, I wouldn't expect you to believe me over her, but you" Lola frowned turning her attention to Brax "I have looked up to you all my life, and the one time I needed you to be on my side you doubted me" Lola's eyes were full of tears.
"Lola I…" Brax tried to explain himself but Lola cut him off mid-sentence.
"You believed her over me Brax even though I looked into your eyes and told you I was telling the truth" tears started to fall down Lola's cheeks "I need you to go"
"Lola please" Brax begged.
Suddenly there was as knock at the door Lola quickly rushed to open it. Standing behind it was Gavin; he was like a gentle breeze. Lola just rushed into him, winding him slightly.
Gavin frowned as he looked into Lola's room and saw Brax and Charlie standing in front of him "Lola" Gavin said as he pulled her away gently.
"I wanna go" She replied "I need to go now" she added.
"Are you sure?" Gavin asked "Did you talk to your family?"
"I'm done talking; I have nothing else to say" Lola frowned "Please I wanna go"
"Ok" Gavin said as he followed Lola inside her room.
"Lola please" Brax tried again.
"Just go Brax, I'm done" Lola snapped, Brax grabbed Charlie's hand and led her out of the room. Gavin hugged Lola again when he saw the tears in her eyes.
Brax and Charlie were waiting in the Ute outside, Brax sat up when he saw Lola heading towards Gavin's Range Rover, he was watching through the rear view mirror. He watched as Gavin helped Lola inside the Range Rover and handed her suitcase to his driver.
"She'll come round" Charlie smiled weakly as she grabbed Brax's hand. Brax pulled Charlie's hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently.
x-x-x-x
Gavin watched Lola curiously when he got back inside the Range Rover "You sure you're ok Lo?" he asked
"Yeah" Lola smiled weakly as she watched Brax in his Ute as they drove past. Se traced the Braxton tattoo on her arm with her fingertips.
x-x-x
Liam had rushed with all he was worth to the airport. He had no idea where he was heading but he hoped he got their in time, as he rushed through the airport he spotted Lola just about to board the plane "Lola" he yelled as he ran towards her. Lola turned quickly when she heard Liam calling her name.
"Liam" Lola exclaimed as she walked towards him cautiously, Gavin followed close behind her.
"Don't go" he panted as he tried to catch his breath.
"What?" Lola was stunned by Liam's outburst.
"Please Lola don't go to America" Liam said again "Stay with me"
"Why should I?" Lola frowned as she moved forward a little so she was just in front of Gavin.
"Because I love you" Liam declared he didn't care who heard him "I want to be with you, please baby don't walk away from me"
Lola thought for a few moments before looking at Gavin, she took a deep breath before walking away from Gavin and towards Liam. Liam seemed relieved as he watched Lola walking towards him; she grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him before gently pulling away.
Liam's face had been filled with a wide grin, but that soon disappeared as Lola leant forward and whispered in his ear "I'm sorry Liam, but it's not enough. You chose Bianca" Lola kissed Liam's cheek before turning back to a stunned looking Gavin.
"Let's go" she smiled as she walked past him and handed the man her boarding pass. Liam watched helplessly as Lola disappeared out of sight. He couldn't believe he had left it so late to admit his feelings for her. Why didn't he just follow his instincts when Bianca told him about the accident? Why didn't he man up sooner and tell Lola how he felt? As all these questions rushed around in his head Liam came to one final conclusion…it was too late, she was gone and judging buy the way she had just said goodbye...Lola Braxton wasn't planning on coming back for a while.
Ok so this is the final chapter of this story. Hope my twist adding Gavin Degraw wasn't to confusing. I really wanted Lola to have links to other famous people and as I was watching the final ever episode of One Tree Hill and saw Gavin perform I thought he would be perfect.
I am planning a sequel to this story which will be mainly about Lola and her trip to the States. There will a bit of Chax in it as they get used to parenthood. Let me know if it is something you would be interested in reading.
I just want to say how amazing it has been to have so many loyal readers. And I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It's your reviews that have kept me going so thank you so much everyone.
I would love to know your final overall thoughts on this story so please review even if its only a few word x