Disclaimer: Blah Blah Blah…same as before…
A/N: The characters might be a little out of character in this chapter… it's a bit hard to write emotions for them that I haven't seen portrayed. This entire chapter was written while listening to Into the Light, by In this moment. I cried a little, so it's a bit mess...
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They waited in tense silence for five hours, though it felt like eternity. Every few minutes they looked back at the clock, making time seem to move that much slower. Drake had been rushed into the E.R upon arrival, and no one was being let in. So Audrey, Walter Josh and Meghan could only wait. Each of them with breath held that he would come out of there alive.
After forever had finally passed, a tired older man walked out, cleaning his thick rimmed glasses on the clean part of his shirt. Despite removing the bloodied overcoat, there were still faint stains of blood on his clothing. Drake's blood.
Tired grey eyes looked over toward the family as his wrinkled hands replaced the glasses. "I'll assume you're Drake's family." He said, walking toward them slowly. "Armand Gourmen." He introduced himself.
Audrey was on her feet in secounds, eyes searching for any sign. "Is he okay?" She asked hurridly.
He sighed, his brow wrinkling more. "Okay isnt an ideal word…" He could think of many words for what he'd seen while working on that boy, but he wouldn't burden the family with them. "He's alive, and that's the important part. He's very lucky to be." He said, looking deep into Audrey's worried eyes.
"The damage is extensive, most of the lacerations will heal, but there will be at least a dozen scars. Luckily there was no infection." Lucky seemed such an inappropriate word. "He has a fractured rib, broken wrist and a sprained ankle. That's the worst of the physical damage. He's also severely dehydrated and malnourished."
Audrey nodded her head, there were no words. She had hoped for more good news, but knowing that drake was alive was the most important thing to her now.
Dr. Gourman offered a thin smile and took Audrey's hand. "Your son is alive, and he's stable. Given what he's been through it's a very good sign. It takes a great amount of will and strength to live through such a situation."
She smiled back. "Can I see him?"
Dr. Gourman hesitated. "Briefly. He's asleep and needs much time to rest his body. I can give you and your family about fifteen minutes. He wont be awake, but I believe it'll ease your tension to see him non-the-less." He said, motioning for them to follow him.
They walked down the hall, watching as doctors and nurses moved from room to room. So many people were suffering right now. How many of them hadn't had Drake's luck? They felt sorrow for those lost, but they thanked God for Drake being alive.
When they made it to the door to Drake's room Dr. Gourman stopped them. "One at a time, please." He said.
Josh stepped forward before anyone else could. He needed to see drake, and, even if he couldn't hear him he had to apologize. "I'd like to go first." He said quietly.
Dr. Gourman looked toward Audrey and Walter, waiting for their consent. They nodded, Walter holding Audrey close as josh disappeared into the dim room.
It took a moment for Josh to be able to do anything but look across the room to where Drake lay asleep. There seemed to be more bandage then boy laying in that bed, his breathing hidden by the sounds of all monitors and machines.
Josh walked as quietly as he could toward the small plastic chair beside the bed, sitting in it cautiously. He looked at drake's sleeping for as if it were a ghost. He was deathly pale. It seemed as though his face was the only part of him not bandaged or heavily bruised. He looked from the twitching eyelids to the bruised cheek. The cut lip to the finger shaped bruises around Drake's throat.
Holding back tears josh carefully took Drake's hand, startled by how cold it was. "I don't know if you can hear me," he started, clearing the sorrow from his throat. "but I have to try. I'm sorry Drake." He said, tears burning in the corners of his eyes. "I should have done more on the night your dad took you. There had to have been a way for me to stop this, but didn't find it." He closed his eyes, the machine reading Drake's pulse echoing into his mind.
"I'm so sorry," he choked. It took four or five deep breathes before josh could open his eyes and look at drake. Drake was his best friend, his brother, and he was alive. There wasn't much more josh could wish for at that moment. "I love you, brother." Josh said as he slowly let go of Drake's hand. He couldn't look back as he left the room because he knew that if he did he would break down completely.
He didn't look at anyone when he walked out of drake's room. Eyes down he walked over to his parents, taking comfort in Walter's hand on his shoulder.
Meghan stepped forward next, swallowing fear to look so much stronger then she felt. There wasn't much in the world that could scare her, but she had felt fear today. When she stood on the porch of that house, watching as Detective Grey had carried an unconscious Drake out from the woods her heart had trembled with fear.
Now she looked at drake, alive but dead to the world around him. Even in the peaceful induced sleep he looked like he was suffering. She walked over to his bed, and standing there took his limp hand in her own. It was so cold that the late day sunlight on her back from the window sent chills down her spine.
"Hold on, Drake." She said softly. "You've gotta stay strong because I'm not ready to say goodbye to you." She whispered as tears fell from her eyes. She shook her head, her hair falling around her face to hide the pain.
It had always been so easy to torment him, to prove that she was smarter and stronger. But she didn't feel strong right now. Now she felt like that little girl who had fallen from her tricycle and cut open her knee. And when it had happened it had been Drake who had picked her up and told her that it would be okay. He'd carried her and her bike up the apartment stairs. He'd always been there for her, even when their father had been hurting him.
"I'm going to be strong for you now." She promised. "Just be strong for now, pull through this and then I'll help you, like you helped me." She sobbed, wishing that he could hear her, that he could do anything but sleep. She needed him right now, because she was still afraid of loosing him. "I love you." She whispered as she leaned over him, kissing his cheek.
Meghan left the room silently, her hair still veiling the tears on her cheeks. She didn't want anyone to see. She let Audrey pull her into a tight hug as Walter walked toward the door.
Walter didn't have many words, not yet. It was more then enough for him to know that Drake was alive. His son was still breathing. He stood over the sleeping Drake, and wrapped his fingers around Drake's, feeling the faint warmth that radiated from them.
He smiled softly. "I'm glad," he said awkwardly. "that you're back. I was afraid that we'd loose you, it was an awful kind of pain." He said, though looking at Drake's pain he didn't think much of his own. "I couldn't protect you from your dad, and Im sorry for that…" He said, feeling an empty anger well beneath his skin.
Genetics be dammed, he'd come to believe that Drake was his son too. Part of his family and he loved them all so much. The fact that anyone could do this to their child, to his child, filled him with anger and sorrow.
"I know it'll be hard, but I hope you can forget the things your dad said to you. He was blind not to have seen the amazing person you are, Drake. You are a great son, you're my son…" He sighed, not knowing what else he could say. "I love you son." He said, then left the room. Their time was running out, and he knew that Audrey wanted to be by his side as long as possible.
Audrey could barley breath as she entered the room. Leaving the mall parking lot with Devon seemed so much easier then walking into this hospital room. She looked at all the wires and machines connected to her little boy and pain beat in her chest.
She sat down in the hard plastic chair and wrapped both of her hands around his, taking comfort in its warmth. He'd been so cold in the ambulance. There had been so much blood and pain in the last 36 hours. The things she'd seen Devon do, the pain that Drake had been forced to endure. Those memories would never go away for either of them. Their lives would never be the same.
Audrey starred deeply into his sleeping face, the artificial peace that hid the terrors that she knew where there. "I wish I could have done more." She said as she breathed deeply. "You must think I'm a terrible mother for everything you've been through. As a child, over the past week. I should have been able to protect you from the evils of the world, but I failed." She shook her head, pushing back tears.
"You were so strong drake." She said, proud of him. He'd fought to survive when he could have just given up. He was so much stronger then she ever could be. She tried to will his pain away from him and into herself. To give him some relief.
'I love you so much." She said as tears slid down from her cheeks and onto his fingers. "No matter what I love you. Your dad's words meant nothing to me." She said, remembering all of the things he'd said about Drake, the things he'd made Drake think. "They were empty bits of hate. He couldn't look past his own hurt to see what a wonderful boy you are. You give me such joy, such hope."
She took a moment to let the sobs pass so she could calm herself. She felt like his pain was flowing through her, searching for a bit of comfort. She was falling away from the world as she tried to give him every bit of love and hope she had. "You're going to make it through all of this, and I'll be here for every moment of it. I won't leave your side." She promised.
In silence she sat, holding his hand as the minutes ticked away. She could still remember the first time she'd ever held him, those big brown eyes locking up at her as her heart melted. No matter how old he got, he would always be her little miracle, her baby.
There was a knock on the door, followed by Dr. Gourman's voice telling her that it was time to go. Slowly she rose to her feet, Drake's hand still in her own. "I wont be far," She said, voice wavering. The last burst of sunlight filled the room before it was swallowed away. Glistening off of the equipment she shielded her eyes then looked down at her son. Still breathing, still fighting. "I love you." She said, voice strong. "You are everything that is good in my life, every second of your life has been a blessing." She tried to assure him as his hand slipped from hers.
"I love you." She said again, hearing the door open as Walter took her hand. It took everything she had to be able to walk out of that room, to leave her little boy in there alone. She couldn't say a word as the tears fell freely from her eyes.
Dr. Gourman waited a few minutes be for saying anything. "He'll probably sleep for the next few days." He stated. "But we will call you as soon as anything changes. Please, go home and get some rest."
"Thank you, for everything." Audrey managed before following her family toward their car.
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Everything was darkness, but at least there was no pain. He was floating in a void of numb nothingness. He wasn't sure what was happening, or where he was. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was breathing, and the pain was gone.
He felt the sensation of warmth as sound flowed against his ears. He couldn't make out the words, but he remembered the voices. Just the sounds of their voices filled him with a warmth he'd forgotten. It gave him comfort and dissolved the ever growing darkness until there were traces of light. Places where the black had turned a warm grey.
Drake felt his body relax as he drifted through the void, into deeper sleep. He just needed some rest, soon, he could be home. Soon, all of this would be behind him. More then anything he wanted to feel the sun, to be in the arms of his parents. He dreamt of them, distant memories of their love coursing through his body.
He thought he smiling, but he wasn't sure. He just knew that his heart was smiling for the first time in what felt like an eternity. I love them all… His thoughts echoed against his mind as he drifted off into the fading light...