Chapter 25-Aftermath
Warning: There are still small mentions of violence in this chapter. It's not near as graphic as the last chapter, but I just wanted to give a warning just in case.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any song lyrics used in this chapter or the previous chapters.
Pam Anderson-Friday, September 25, 2009
Nick was acting really strange after he received those texts, which made me really nervous. I wanted Blaine to go to the dance and have fun, but it bothered me that Derek was still allowed at that school. He took off too quickly. Something had to be wrong.
At 10 after 10, my suspicions and worst fears were confirmed with a text:
Nick to Pam: Go to Lima Memorial. Blaine and Thomas are on their way there. I'm in the ambulance with Blaine. He's been beaten up, but he should be ok after he spends a couple days in the hospital.
Pam to Nick: What happened?
Nick to Pam: The boys were attacked at the dance. Blaine was able to fight Michael off for a while, but he's may have some broken ribs and he looks pretty rough. Thomas was stabbed in the stomach. He also has a head injury and apparently some broken bones.
Nick to Pam: Thomas is in critical condition. Please contact Abby and let her know where Thomas is. I don't know all of the details, but I know Michael and Derek set this up.
Nick To Pam: : Derek and another boy, Carl, is also on their way to the hospital. Carl apparently saved Thomas' life, and Thomas saved Blaine's.
At 10:12- Pam Anderson and Abby Hendrix_
Pam to Abby Hendrix: Go to Lima Memorial. Thomas and Blaine were attacked at school. Thomas was stabbed. That's all I know, but I'll let you know if I find out something else.
Abby to Pam: What happened!
Pam to Abby: They were attacked by Michael, Derek, and another boy.
Abby to Pam: I knew something like this happen. If anything happens to my boy, I swear someone will pay!
10:15- Pam and Cooper text _
Pam to Cooper: Book a flight home; Blaine is in the hospital. He was attacked. He's going to need his brother. Thomas was attacked too.
Cooper to Pam: Is he ok mom? What happened? Did Derek do it? I'm going to kill him!
Pam to Cooper: They were attacked by three boys, Derek, Michael, and a boy named Carl. Derek pulled a knife, and Thomas and Carl were stabbed.
Cooper to Pam: What about Thomas? Is he going to be ok?
Pam to Cooper: Blaine was roughed up pretty bad, but he will recover. Thomas is in serious condition. Apparently, Thomas saved Blaine and was stabbed himself.
Cooper to Pam: OH MY GOD! Mom, Blaine's going to blame himself. Do you think he'll pull through?
Cooper to Pam: I've already booked my flight. I'll be there in the morning. Text me if anything happens.
Cooper to Pam: Mom?
Cooper to Pam: ? MOM!
Pam to Cooper: Driving to hospital. Text you when I get there.
At 10:17-Pam to Nick Phone call
"Hey honey, are you on your way" Nick said to me over the phone.
"I'll be there in 5 minutes. I texted Abby and Cooper. Abby is on her way, and Cooper will be here in the morning. He's flying in.
"Pam, are you sure you should've told Cooper right now." Especially when those other boys are in the same hospital?" he asked me. "You know Cooper's temper. It's worse than mine or Blaine's. I bet he's pissed off."
"Um, maybe I should've waited, but I was worried that he would be upset if I didn't tell him too. How's Blaine?"
"We're at the hospital now. They are examining him. I have a mountain of paperwork to fill out, but I'll need your help. I don't know the answer to all of these medical history questions."
"I'll take care of that when I arrive, Dear." I said. I thought Nick actually sounded a lot calmer than I thought he might. "How's Thomas? Is he there yet?"
"Yes, he got here before us. I asked them when I was checking in Blaine. They had to revive him in the ambulance."
"Is Abby there yet?" I heard yelling in the waiting room, and I had the answer to my question before he even had to answer. "Is that her?"
"Uh, got to go! She's pretty pissed. She's headed toward me."
At 10:25- Cooper and Pam _
Pam to Cooper: I'm at the hospital. They have Blaine and Thomas back in the emergency room right now.
Cooper to Pam: Tell him I love tell him I'm sorry. This is my fault!
Pam to Cooper: Cooper, don't you say that! This isn't your fault at all.
Cooper to Pam: I talked dad into letting Blaine go.
Pam to Cooper: You did not attack Blaine or cause those boys to do so.
Cooper to Pam: But I convinced Blaine to come out of the closet. I'm the reason everybody knew he was gay. And I told him to stand up for himself.
Pam to Cooper: He did stand up. That's the reason he's alive. He fought back. He stood up for himself. He's tough. He's going to be ok.
Abby Hendrix, Lima Memorial, Sept. 25, 2009 10:40
"Thomas Hendrix, Is he here yet? Is he ok? I want to speak to a doctor right now!"
"Ma'am, all the doctors are currently busy working on patients. They will be with you as soon as possible. Please fill out the pages on the clipboard. Do you have your insurance card?
I tossed the card in her direction. "Here, this is all that matters to you people. My son is in serious condition, and all you care about is paperwork and money! I WANT TO SEE MY SON RIGHT NOW!"
Blaine's father was walking in my direction, and that man just didn't even want to mess with me right now. It is his fault I'm here for the second time in a week. Well, him and that son of his. Yes, Thomas had come out a while back, and he managed to stay out of trouble like this. But he meets this Blaine kid, and he's injured twice since.
"Abby, Did they tell you anything?"
SLAP!
I slapped that snooty man right across the face. "I told you that it wasn't safe for our kids to go, and your wife kept telling me it would be ok. MY SON IS NOT GOING BACK TO THAT SCHOOL AND HE"S NEVER GOING TO SEE BLAINE AGAIN EITHER!
"I'd like to thank him Abby. I want Blaine to be able to say it to!"
"My child may never get to hear anyone say anything, all because of Blaine. Derek never bothered my son until Blaine got involved."
"Look, my son is hurt too, and I'm sorry Abby! Tears started sliding down his cheeks. "I love Blaine, and I love your son. He's been so good for Blaine. I really believed they would be safe. I would've never sent my son or yours knowingly into a dangerous situation."
"ARE YOU REALLY THAT GULLIBLE OR ARE YOU JUST STUPID? DID YOU REALLY THINK THE SCHOOL WOULD PROTECT THEM?"
"I wanted to believe that yes. I'm sorry. But your son really is amazing. I want to tell him thank you." Blaine's father said.
"Ma'am, if you don't quit screaming, you will have to leave. This man called the ambulance and got your son the help he needed. He also helped his son administer first aide to your son until the EMTs arrived, so it really isn't fair for you to yell at him. His son's in there too."
I turned around and walked quickly out of the waiting room. I needed to calm down. Thomas was my only child, and he was all I had. I'd gladly exchange places with him if I could. I loved my son. He wasn't just my son. He was the best person I knew. I didn't want anything to happen to him. They said he was in critical condition. There was nothing I could do about it. That's truly the worst feeling in the world.
I took a few deep breaths. I needed to go back in there and apologize. I needed to finish filling out that paperwork. Right now, I needed to get it out. I collapsed right there in the parking, my eyes flooding with tears.
"Abby! Is he ok?"
It was Pam Anderson, rushing up to me, and she helped me to my feet, and embraced me firmly.
"I'm sorry I screamed at your husband!"
"You screamed at Nick?" It's ok. Did he deserve it?"
"Pam, I'm so terrified. I can't do this! I can't lose Thomas! He's my son, and I love him so much! What kind of sick monster does this to someone! I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND! I SOBBED. She held me so tightly as I broke down in her arms. "Pam, Blaine is a good boy. I hope he is ok.
"Abby, Thomas saved Blaine! But I'm sorry that that happened. I wish Nick could've gotten there sooner, or that it never happened. I'm just so sorry."
"Let's just pray that the boys are ok, because I can't think of my world without Thomas, and I know you'd feel the same way about Blaine. I need to get back in there. And I need to let you in there.
"Have they told you anything, Abby?"
"Not really. Just that he's in critical condition, and they had to revive him in the ambulance. They had him in surgery when I arrived, and he will be in there for awhile. They did tell me he had a head injury and a puncture to his liver. That's all they knew at the desk. I'm waiting for a doctor to tell me something else.
"Abby, let's go inside. I'll stay with you."
I sighed. "Thank you. And could you tell your husband I'm sorry. I don't think I could face him."
"Abby, it's ok. You are under a lot of stress."
"I need to tell him thank you. The receptionist said that he called the Ambulance and was doing first aide when they arrived. He helped my son. I yelled at him."
"Abby, it's ok." She put her arm around me again. Let's go see if a doctor can talk to us now."
We walked back into the hospital together, and I was feeling more fear than I ever knew was physically possible.
Pam Anderson, Friday Sept. 25, 11:00 P.M.
"Mrs. Hendrix," said an unfamiliar voice. It was a young doctor, probably in his late twenties. "I'm Dr. Richards. I need to tell you about your son's condition. Nick and I walked over to her and he grasped her hands.
"I'm sorry", she whispered to Nick, as tears fell from her eyes. I put my hand on her shoulder.
"I know. It's ok," he told her. "I would've done the same thing if it would've been Blaine."
"Mrs. Hendrix, You're son's condition is critical, but he's currently stable. He quit breathing in the ambulance, but they were able to revive him. He woke up and was awake when they brought him in, but there was concern that he was showing signs of a concussion, which could indicate bleeding on the brain. We will have to do more tests to determine that, and he will need to be awake for that. He has a broken rib, a couple of bruised ribs, and his liver was punctured. We had to put him under for the surgery to stop the internal bleeding due to stab wound. They are currently working to repair his liver and stop the bleeding. He's going to need to be here awhile to recover from his injuries. I'm sorry, but we can't let you see him until we complete the surgery on his liver. We will have someone update you as soon as the surgery is completed.
"Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, Dr. Kline will be out in a moment to let you know more on Blaine's condition."
I sat over in the waiting area, trying to fill out the information that Nick had left blank.
"Thomas? Blaine? Mrs. Anderson!" Jenny ran into the hospital and collapsed into my arms. "Are they ok?" she sobbed. Erik texted me, and he said that Derek, Carl , and Michael had attacked them. Was it bad? Are they ok? Tell me they are ok?" At that moment, a couple other teenagers walked in and sat in the waiting area.
"Jenny, sweetie, calm down! We haven't talked to the doctors yet, but Blaine was weak in the ambulance, and they were concerned that he might have a broken rib or some internal injuries and a lot of cuts and bruises. Thomas is in critical condition. He is in surgery to repair a tear in his liver, due to a knife wound. He also has a broken rib, a possible concussion, and some major bruises and cuts."
Jenny sobbed hysterically. "Thomas! Blaine. I should've been there. I might could've noticed that something was wrong."
"Jenny, they could've just hurt you too! Does your mother know you are here?"
"No, Mrs. Anderson. Eric picked me up at your house. I waited in the tree house. I snuck out after I got the texts. I'm not even supposed to be around them. "
One of the boys walked over to me. I'm Blaine's and Thomas' friend, Erik." Nick shook his hand.
"Thank you so much for all of your help. Pam, this boy helped me find Blaine and Thomas. He noticed that the boys weren't at the dance, and he went searching for them."
The emergency doors opened, and in rushed a girl with a dark red, swinging ponytail behind her. She ran up to the boy, Eric. "Have you heard anything? Is Carl ok? What about Blaine and Thomas?"
"KATLYN, THIS IS PARTLY YOUR FAULT. WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE? YOU HELPED SET ALL OF THIS UP?"
"Eric, Carl is my stepbrother. I have a right to be here. Blaine and Thomas are my friends."
"You have a funny way of showing it. YOU SET THEM UP!"
"I didn't know, Erik. They didn't say what they were planning, but I never imagined that they would hurt them, or I would've never helped them.
"Erik, come here, son," said Nick. "We can't do this now. If her brother is Carl, he saved Thomas. He stepped in front of Derek when Derek tried to attack Thomas with the knife. That's what Blaine saw, and he was attacked in the process."
"Oh my God! Is he ok?"
Nick led her to the reception area. "I don't know. He wasn't in good shape when I got there. The ambulance took him first. Let's go check. Are your parents on their way?"
"Yes, they were parking the car. A couple walked in and joined the redhead.
"A patient, Carl Daniels, has been brought in," said the lady who was probably Carl's mom. We need to know his condition."
"A doctor will be with you shortly, she replied." She handed them a stack of forms.
"You can't tell us anything?"
"Several boys were brought in at the same time, and I would have to verify which one. I'll check with the doctors, and someone should be out soon to speak to you," she replied.
"Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, I'm Dr. Kline. I need to discuss your son's condition. If you will step over here so we can speak privately. You son was viciously attacked, but he is in stable condition. He had internal bleeding due to blunt force trauma, which is common in assaults like Blaine experienced. However, we don't think that any major organs were severely damaged. The bleeding is probably from broken blood vessels due, and they normally heal on their own. He has a broken rib, which is going to be painful but it is a closed fracture, which means that it should heal on its own. He has a lot of cuts and bruises. He's showing mild symptoms of a concussion, which can be an indication of a head injury, but we are only seeing mild symptoms. We are going to monitor his condition for 48 hours to keep an eye on the internal bleeding. He's remembering parts of the attack, and he's panicked and been hysterical once. We worry that he might need someone to stay in there to help him stay calm. He's been screaming for Thomas. We fear he may need to see a trauma specialist. He needs to speak to an officer regarding the assault."
My eyelids felt heavy with tears, and I couldn't hold them back. Some of the tears were from relief that it wasn't worse. I also knew that this would have repercussions that would take awhile for him to recover from, especially if Thomas' condition took a turn for the worse.
Cindy Daniels, Friday Night (11:10)
Getting a call at night that your child is in the hospital is a mother's worst nightmare. Carl was a good boy. I couldn't believe that the call from the hospital said that he had been in a fight. He wasn't really a violent person. He had a big heart. My tears began spilling onto the stack of forms on the clipboard below me.
"Mr. and Mrs. Daniels." A woman in a white lab coat motioned us forward. "Your son came in with two stab wounds to the abdomen. He lost a lot of blood, and the knife blade lacerated his spleen. We had to remove it. HE lost a lot of blood, so we had to give him a blood transfusion. Fortunately, no other major organs were hit. The doctors are finishing the surgery, and then you can see him.
I took a deep breath and collapsed into Gary's arms. Although I was relieved that it wasn't worse, I just believe that Carl had been something so horrible. "Katlyn, come here darling." She was in tears.
"Mom, this is partly my fault."
"What happened?"
"Derek, Michael, and Carl apparently planned to attack two gay boys tonight in the parking lot. And helped them," she sobbed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know they planned to hurt them. I thought they were playing a prank. Blaine and Thomas are sweet boys, and I hope they are ok."
"What was Carl's role in all of this?"
"I think he was the lookout!"
"So how did he get stabbed?"
"Blaine's dad said that he stepped in when Derek pulled a knife."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, he saved Thomas' life. Derek wanted to kill him."
"DEREK? "
"Mom, I didn't know that's what they had planned, and I don't think Carl did either."
Gary spoke up. "I don't think we need to be talking about this right now. There are probably already cops around here trying to piece together what happened. All I know is that this kid attacked my son, and I want something done about it. HE better hopes Carl makes it through this."
I embraced my family, waiting for a moment when we could go and see him.
Mitchell Dodd, 11:15, Friday, Sept. 25
"DEREK!" I yelled a little louder than I intended. I rushed to the admit desk. "Derek Dodd. He was brought in earlier, and I need to see him."
"Sir, someone will be out soon to discuss your son's condition with you if you want to be seated in the waiting area. She gathered me insurance information, and handed me a clipboard. They will be out to see you in a moment."
I walked slowly to the waiting area, staring blanking at the form on top, when I saw a shadow in front of me.
It was the father of one of the boys from the meeting earlier this week.
"SO EVERYTHING YOU SAID ABOUT CONSEQUENCES FOR WHAT HE DID TO THOMAS AND JENNY WAS BULL. YOUR SON HAS ATTACKED THOMAS TWICE, AND MY SON AS WELL." And then his fist connected to my nose.
"Stop, Nick, stop! Leave him alone."
"He tried to kill my son, Pam, and his boyfriend. What kind of person does that?"
"Look, I tried to help my son. I love Derek, but I was really hard on him when I found out what he did."
" Yet, he didn't stop. Your son is a monster!"
A security guard walked over to us. "Gentlemen, you are going to have to break this up, or you are out of here, and your family needs you right now. So calm down and separate. This is not the time and place to handle this."
I walked to the farthest seat in the waiting room and sat down, and got lost in the paperwork. I could feel hatred-filled stares coming right toward me. I tried to focus on the paperwork, but my hands were shaking. Where did I go wrong? How could Derek do that to someone, TWICE! How could he hate someone that much? Mr. Anderson was right. My son had turned into a monster, and I had no idea how to stop him.
Michael, Friday, September 25, 2009, 11:30
Oh my God! What did I do? I stabbed Thomas. I stabbed him. I saw Derek hit the ground and I panicked. I quickly picked up the knife, and I think I was trying to get him to drop the rock. I was terrified. What if I killed him?"
I knew Derek carried the knife, but I never thought he would use it. I didn't like Thomas, and I hated Blaine, but the plan didn't involve killing either one of them. My head was spinning. I was still driving around, and I wasn't even sure where I was going. I looked down. I still had blood on my hands. I dropped the knife in the parking lot. There was no way they wouldn't figure out I was involved in this. At that moment, I longed for that knife, Because there was no way that I could fix this situation and what I had done. I turned the car around and started driving right in the direction of the Lima Police department.