Sorry for the delay. Lyrics belong to Parachute..I own nothing. Enjoy =D
-NWJ
"I wish that I could tell you some good news but we don't exactly know what's going on...Right now she's in a medically induced coma and until she wakes up we can only hope for the best and that she stays stable fo-"
Daniel's fingers moved to eject the person's grip on his waist as he leapt forward, a surge of energy running through him, fueled by a mad anger like a jungle animal. The other's moved to restrain him as he attempted to charge towards Dr. Smith, the white of his knuckles becoming even more apparent then usual with his nails balled tightly against the skin that was beginning to break under pressure. Puffed up and angry, Claire moved to be in his view, her hands cupping his cheeks, the texture, rough and hot from his boiling blood pressure.
"Son...Son...Look at me.." She twisted his face in her direction and away from Willie's room which he was intent on, the white of his eyes; now a bloodshot crimson. Her concentration was to calm him down before he ended up in jail as well, and that was the last thing that they needed. So she instantly kicked into her mothering mode, her thumb stroking at the peak up his face, near his ear. His breathing slowed and she spoke again, her voice being that of a soothing tone that swept around the room. "Is this what Wilhelmina would want? Huh?...Do you think she would tolerate you acting like this or do you think she would kick your ass and tell you to pull it together before she pulls it together for you?"
He turned his head, grimacing at the thought of his mother saying the word ass. He didn't want to hear what his wife would do...He didn't want anybody to tell him what his wife would do or what they think she would do. He wanted her to do it herself. He wanted to hear her voice tell him that she was going to kick his ass and he would enjoy her doing it...But at this point all he could do was wish.
He shook loose from the person's hold and the small gathering of Modies opened up to let him go through. Betty started to go after him and Claire stopped her, her hand gracing her shoulder lightly. "Let him go...He'll come back." After watching him push through the double doors angrily and walk out of the hospital, her attention soon turned to the same tall blonde that held back Daniel as she stood closely next to her, towering over her in height. "When did you get here?"
"20 minutes ago." She responded, her brain obviously confused as to the madness that ensued around her. Claire looked around at the passers by and pulled her over to the side, tugging her by the arm.
"Who told you?" She whispered secretly, looking back at the seldom physicians that walked the strip of hallway.
"It was all over the news; Tragedy at Mode. I booked the next flight and at the airport I tried Daniel but he didn't answer and then I tried calling you but you didn't pick up the phone either ."
"I was making arrangements for Wilhelmina's son's care."
"And then I called Betty and she said that Wilhelmina had a heart attack..."
"Is that all she told you?"
"Yes...She said anything else that I hear on the news needs to either come from you or Daniel..."
"Well what else is there to say?"
"Why is Daniel acting like a raving maniac...I mean what the hell happened while I was gone?"
"A lot has transpired..."
"Like what? Did he sleep with her and get too attached?" She chuckled a bit, giggling at the prospect of Wilhelmina and Daniel even laying down together.
Claire took a deep, looking around once more, pushing her in the corner near the windows as they closed the blinds on the other side. "I'm afraid there's a bit more to it than that."
OoOoO
I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around,
But she takes it all for me.
And I lost my faith, in my darkest days,
But she makes me want to believe.
OoOoO
She stepped out of the Town Car, shutting the door behind her as she tip toed around the grass that attempted to wind itself around her feet. Her eyes searched for the person she had intended to find, finally locating him after a few darts of sight. Her footsteps advanced towards him, the French tip of her nails holding tightly to the buttons of her trench coat as the wind swept around her hair and down her back. She shook her head in disbelief as she made her way to him, not being able to wrap her mind around what Claire had told her or even the truth in the story. So when she sat down next to him, her words didn't flow easily, but they did flow.
"So when were you going to tell me that you were someone's hubby." Her sad attempt at a joke had failed as he turned his back, his hands washing over his face as his knees met his elbows with his back in a hunched state.
"How did you find me?"
"Well...You aren't exactly unpredictable...When Mom used to get drunk...Or when you would get grounded for something you didn't do...I could always find you here...Under the big Sequoia tree in Sunshine Park, right behind the house."
"They bulldozed the tree."
"But you're still here..."
"And why are you here?"
"Because I came to see about my brother...And I want him to explain to me, why he felt the need to hide his life from me."
"You tried to kill her while she was pregnant, Alexis."
She turned her head, the wind suddenly getting a bit more sharper than before as he gave her the cold shoulder, lifting his head away from her in an attempt to end the conversation. "Daniel..."
"And you tried to frame me for it." He continued, a risen anger that he had put in a box, beginning to resurrect in his tone as he spoke to her.
"Daniel...listen...I was in a...a bad place...I apologize..."
"Well tell that to her...Oops you can't, she's in a coma!"
"That's not my fault..."
"I know it's not! His voice rose a bit as he shot up from the Park bench, the guilt he felt becoming more apparent as a sparkling shined in his eyes. "It's mine..." She shuddered, the wind suddenly ceasing in existent as his whisper hit her ears like a silent bomb.
"You can't blame yourself Daniel, heart att-"
"I don't want to talk about it..."
"But-"
"I said...I don't...want to talk about it..." His eyes met hers for the first time since their conversation and she instantly shut her mouth, the dead look in his eyes being enough to scare her into silence. She had never seen him in such a state of debilitation nor had she ever imagined seeing her brother again over these circumstances.
"Fine...fine, I...I guess we'll talk about something else...like...Mode...how...how are the sales doing?"
"They skyrocketed after...Izak was born which is good because of the financial situation." His answer; a monotonous response that said nothing more than Leave me the hell alone.
"Izak? Is that...your son?" She treaded lightly, her voice hollowly speaking because she couldn't believe it herself.
"Mom told you?"
"She told me everything..."
"Than why are you talking to me? I have nothing to say to you..."
"Daniel don't be like this...I flew here all the way from Paris...To come see about Mode...And I find out that you're married...to a woman that we all despise...and her child who was suppose to be our half-brother is also your child...Give me a break Daniel."
"Give you a break? You? The son that faked his own death and put his family through hell just so you could explore your sexuality? Then you come back like the prodigal son, try and have our father killed, but I never told anyone did I? You acted like the superhero and no matter how hard I tried, Dad never...ever...saw the potential in me that he saw in you...But I dealt with it...And I dealt with it when you lied to me about sleeping with DJ's mother...When you tried to kill Wilhelmina and framed me...When you moved to Paris and stopped calling..Sending all of your messages through mom...I dealt with it...But don't you dare think that you can come back a year later and act like you still run things...Because I refuse to deal with it anymore..."
"Daniel-" With an exasperated sigh, he began to walk off, trekking down the brick stone path that curved around the wooded park as Alexis sat on the old, chipped bench. She told herself that it was just the stress getting to him and that he was misplacing his anger but something deep inside her quickly rebutted her verbal anecdote. Something inside her knew that instead of it being just a regurgitation of current events, He actually meant it...They never really solved anything...She left and Daniel moved on but they never really talked it over...and by the way things went just then...She could tell that they wouldn't be so any time soon.
OoOoO
Well I had my ways, they were all in vain,
But she waited patiently.
It was all the same, all my pride and shame,
And she put me on my feet.
OoOoO
Marc quickly hung up his phone, stuffing the pink blackberry in hit vest pocket before slumping down in the uncomfortable waiting room chair that he detested. He pinched the bridge of his nose, growing more and more impatient with each passing moment since everyone refused to tell him anything because he wasn't considered family. And boy did this strike a nerve...Since when was Claire Meade any kin to a Slater? Since when was a Meade any kin to a Slater, period!
"Marc." There goes ol' chicken neck now. Claire approached him slowly, sitting down next to him as she attempted to be cordial. "Where is Betty?"
"She went to go get the baby...The nanny quit."
"Why?"
"Izak won't stop crying and as you can imagine, he takes after his mother in the temper department so she said that she can't take it anymore and Betty went to go get him."
"And how will that solve anything?"
"Well if we find Daniel, maybe seeing him will calm the little guy down."
"Maybe...By the way...It's nothing personal...With the doctor's and all."
"Oh no...I'm aware...You are...legally her mother-in-law and I am just her...assistant." He was actually hurt by the whole situation. Usually her confidant, her tell-all know-all, go-to person, but as of late she just didn't tell him anything...He was like a jealous step-kid when his mother gets married and he's no longer the only one she has to depend on. And of all the people to take his place...a Meade? Yes, he had championed the relationship but still...it hurts to feel replaced. But what he didn't know was that, you can never replace a GBFF.
"But I will tell you this...Daniel was upset because Dr. Smith had told him that after the surgery, she could begin recovery...But then, her heart stopped again and now they're scratching their heads because they put stints in her heart to help repair the damage but she's still shows no signs of progress...So now she's in a medically induced coma..."
"Will she wake up?"
"We don't know." She turned away from him, feeling him tense up from her answer. "He said that if her heart continues to weaken, she can literally become...A sleeping beauty."
"Have you told Daniel?"
"No...He left before I had the chance..."
"I-I have to go..." He removed himself from the room, hoisting his man bag over his shoulder as he exited, his real emotions becoming apparent when she saw his Gucci sleeve move to dry is moistened eyes, a gesture which he tried to hide.
Claire sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall before shaking her head, confused as to how she got there. Everything was so complicated and sometimes she wished that they had just stuck to their old ways of hating each other's guts but that wouldn't have solved anything at all considering they were actually beginning to tolerate their personalities. And she hated to admit it but she was beginning to like Wilhelmina...Despite her evil ways. She knew what only few people did...The Willie that they witnessed in the office was not who she really was...She was a nurturer...a mother...a wife and believe it or not, she had a heart...Which was now obviously apparent given the circumstances
"Alexis..." She spoke softly upon seeing the blonde coming around the corridor, head down.
"Yes I found him and no he did not come back with me." Her tone, voiced her feelings monotonously as she took a seat behind her mother, huffing in confusion. "Mom, how did this even happen."
"He fell in love." She stated simply, shrugging as if she didn't understand it herself.
"But with Wilhelmina?"
"Love is a strange thing Alexis...Your brother...found it in one of the most unconventional ways possible but...he found it...and he's happy...or was...happy."
"What do you mean was...happy."
"Well this incident could go 2 ways...She could never wake up...and just remain dormant or...She could wake up and forget their entire relationship..."
"Wait...there's no chance of her regaining her memory?" Her voice soon turned to panic as she thought of the fragile state that her brother was and what something like this could do to him.
"They're very slim...Her brain went without oxygen for so long...She could wake up not even knowing her own name..."
"Does Daniel know?"
"No not yet..."
"This is a disaster..."
Claire sighed, letting out a large huff as she leaned back against the wall. "Yes...Yes it is...Of epic ...proportions."
OoOoO
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
OoOoO
Marc's finger traced lightly against the large orange doughnut that was the receptionist desk, a glum look on his face as he stopped at the door and hopped over, too lazy to open it. He sat next to Amanda, his elbows mocking hers as they propped up on the desk next to the phone that was ringing endlessly.
"Aren't you going to get that?"
"Answering the phone is not in my job description."
"Mandy...It is your job description...it's like the only thing you have to do."
"Enough about me...Why aren't you at the hospital with Wilhelmina?"
"I was beginning to drown in all of the Meadeness."
"Claire and Daniel?"
"Yup..." He nodded plainly
"One Question...Why was Daniel crying when Wilhelmina got put in the ambulance..."
"Uhhhh...The...uh...the...EMT's accidentally rolled over his foot."
"Oh...That explains it...If I didn't any better, I would have thought that he actually cared."
"Nope...Just...flat...toes..." He sighed, shruggin a bit as his eyes began to well up once again.
"You okay?" Her hand fell on his shoulder sympathetically and he shook his head, not wanting any pity.
"I'm fine...I just...I don't want her to die." Amanda shifted her head in his direction, noticing the tone of the conversation being weighed down. Instead of speaking and risking the chance of ruining the moment with crude humor, she just tilted her head against his shoulder as his tears fell silently on the orange dashboard.
OoOoO
And when that world slows down, dear.
And when those stars burn out, here.
Oh she'll be there, yes she'll be there,
OoOoO
Claire stood up and shifted her weight to face the room door in which she pushed herself inside, closing it quietly behind her as if it made a difference. She stood on the back wall, watching the silent body in the bed that laid parallel to her. Her face was completely relaxed, as curls graced her face, fallen from the hair cap that they had placed on her head during the surgery.
"Damn you...Damn you and your failing heart...I honestly don't know how you do it." She shrugged, her arms hugging the tiny band she called her waist, pacing the room that was shaded in a heavy silence besides the beeping of machines. "I hate to say it but...I was beginning to...I was beginning to...to like you...And I swore...to never even grow tolerable of you yet here we are...and for some inane reason...I started to like your personality...your ruthless ambition suddenly became...admirable...your bitchy ways, humorous and seductive ways...something to hope for...Hell, Daniel even fell for you...That boy loves you...probably more than Bradford did me...And then you go and have a heart attack...It's like you're immune to happiness!" Claire spoke candidly, not sure if she was venting or just spewing random words to fill the awkwardness. She was worried though...It was one thing for her to not wake up and have Daniel suffer, watching her slip away but it was another to have her wake up yet not remember all that they had gone through to get where they were in their relationship. So she hoped for the best...Whatever the best would bring.
"They said she'd be in here..." Claire's head craned to the left as a small voice crept into earshot. Though she didn't know much about the young girl, she knew family resemblance when she saw it.
"You must be Ariel..."
The young girl, sighed shakily, standing in the doorframe as if she was afraid to take anymore steps forward. "I wanted to make sure that she was okay..."
"It's okay...come in..." She extended her hand in the girl's direction, surprised when she complied and allowed Claire to lead her into the room. Her heart nearly broke in two for Ariel when she heard a small gasp escape from her lips upon seeing her mother in such a pale state, vulnerable and seemingly unprotected.
"I thought...I thought he was lying...Just to get me to come back...I-I didn't mean what I said I swear.." She shook her head as the tears welled up in her eyes and the clutch on her Grey Gucci bag tightened. "I-I was angry...I'm not a horrible person...I never...I love my mother..you have to believe me...I never would have wanted her to d-..." She couldn't even bring herself to speak the last word, it being her worst nightmare. A violent shaking of her shoulders began as the tears poured from her eyes and Claire engulfed her in a tight hug that seemed to help. After a long embrace, she retracted, looking Ariel over to see Wilhelmina in her, every mannerism and facial expression, like a carbon copy.
Before she could speak, her attention was taken by that of a spectacle that was occurring outside in the hallway. She excused herself from the young girl's presence and dashed out of the room to see what all of the commotion was about. But what she was predicting paled in comparison to what she saw as her eyes witnessed Daniel brawling with an anonymous man, throwing punches in every direction.
"Daniel, stop!" His strength forced the man into the back of the wall, bashing his back into its cement, over and over until security was able to restrain him. Claire ran over to him, his hands shaking as his breathing oddly spanned out beyond explanation." What the hell is wrong with you?" She unraveled his hands to find an odd photograph of a white pole with a crimson circle on it.
The man was Detective Castellar and the crimson stain, a finger print left behind after a night of tireless scrubbing and cleaning. Nico and Willie had tried to cover their tracks yet failed in one spot in which they left behind one single piece of evidence that Castellar successfully recovered. He then had the gull to show up just as Daniel had found the courage to come back to the hospital. Spotting him, Detective Castellar took the opportunity to present what he knew and offer him two options. Meet his asking price or send his sick wife and step-daughter to prison. And then, that was when Daniel introduced Mr. Castellar to his two friends: Jab and Right Hook.
"Daniel, you can't afford to go to jail right now over an assault...You need to calm down." He heard his mother but then again he didn't. His concentration was focused on that of the bruised body of Detective Castellar as nurses helped him up and he turned back to Daniel, a sly smile on his face as his index finger rubbed against his thumb as if to symbolize the payoff that he was expecting. "Honey, I know you're going through a lot right now but you have been making some rash decisions, including this fight...Not to mention the press conference that you scheduled for this afternoon..."
"I'm tired of lying..." He answered, looking around at the glares and stares he was getting from security and passing doctors.
"About what? Wilhelmina? Izak? Meade?"
"EVERYTHING! It's the reason she's in here...There are hundreds of reporters outside and every one of them wants to know why we haven't released a statement, why Alexis has flown in and why we are all here...They suspect something."
"Let them suspect all they want...If Wilhelmina wakes up and remembers everything...Do you really thinks she'll be happy to have even more paparazzi following her because now they know her secrets..."
"What do you mean if she wakes up and remembers everything...?"
"Daniel-"
"What do you know that I don't?"
"Daniel...let's...let's talk in private."
OoOoO
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love. love.
OoOoO
"Son...Say something...anything." She pleaded, her heart breaking with every look he threw her way. He didn't know how to feel...He felt like speaking but the words continued to die in his throat, with only a dry feeling to be left in remembrance. His breath went short as he thought of the possibility of losing her...Even worse...seeing her everyday and she not remember that she loved him. How did a heart attack turn into this?
He shook himself of her gentle grasp on his forearm, marching towards her room in which he forced the room door open, immediately falling at her bedside. "Wake Up!" He yelled angrily, balling his hands into small fists that began to pale against his dark wash jeans. "Wake Up!" She didn't even flinch, still in the same state as if his tantrum had affected her none. He smirked as a couple tears fell, trying to act as if nothing had gone wrong. "Fine...Be stubborn...Wake up when you're ready but...but when you do wake up...You will remember everything...You have to."
"Daniel."
He jumped up at the sound of someone intruding on the moment. Seeing Betty, his nerves calmed until he saw the child in her arms. "Why is he here?" I don't want him to see his mother like this...You have to go."
Betty stepped back, knowing that he wasn't himself especially considering his bloodshot stare and domineering presence. "O-Okay...I just thought that you might want to see him."
"Why isn't he with his nanny?"
"She quit...He wouldn't stop screaming."
"He's not screaming now..."
"Yeah but he's still crying...quietly." Daniel peaked at the little boy and watched as clear tear drops cascaded down his face, his eyes flat from exhaustion. He sighed and took him from her arms, carefully holding him close to his chest as he rocked him slowly. He paced the back of the room, giving Betty the cue to leave as the two males calmed down on each end.
Soon enough, Claire entered the room. She walked in slowly, surprising Daniel as he stopped mid room from his pacing expedition. She looked around nervously, not wanting to upset him yet knowing that she had to say something.
"Daniel you need to cancel that press conference...Now."
"I'll think about it."
"No Daniel you need to do it now...The press conference is in 3 hours...what are you going to do?"
"What I want."
"Daniel honey...I'm trying to be supportive here but you're not making it very easy."
"Why should I make it easy...Nothing's easy for me anymore..."
"Daniel stop it..."
"Stop what?"
"Pitying yourself."
"I'm not pitying myself! And Even If I was...I think that I have kind of a right...don't you..."
"No I don't! I did not raise you to-"
"You didn't even raise me! the nanny did!"
"I was a good mother I-"
"-Drank yourself into a stupor every night!"
"Don't talk to me like th-"
"Ma...ma.."
"You really think-" Daniel looked down at the infant, only three months old as he began to squirm under his father's touch. He looked at his mother, confusion in his eyes as his head dealt with the disbelief. "Did he just say..."
"He's only three months..."
"Why would he say that?"
"Wilhelmina did get him that My Baby Can Read Thing...
"Daniel...I don't think that's the reason."
He furrowed his brows and followed her gaze to that of Wilhelmina's bed, where she laid, eyes surprisingly open. Daniel pushed Izak to his mother, nearly jumping over to her as he pressed the nurses button, almost breaking it with excitement. In an attempt to run, his feet slid to her bedside and he took her hand, calling out her name yet all she did was looking at him, a glassy look in her eyes. "Wilhelmina!" Dr. Smith rushed in and quickly took a small flashlight to her pupils, examining them thoroughly. "Why isn't she saying anything!"
"It could be shock, Mr. Meade please calm down..."
"Does she remember?"
"I don'-"
"Does she remember?" He asked, his glance still on her as she stared at him silently, an empty look in her eyes as if she didn't know what to say or even if she should speak. He gripped her hand firmly, growing irritated with each passing moment that he didn't have an answer.
"She's just woken up...Give it time..."
"How much time?"
"However much is needed."
"But will she remember..."
"I honestly...don't know."
OoOoO
They call her love, love, love, love, love
She is love, and she is all I need
OoOoO
Plz review and when you're done with this story, go ahead and review If We Would Only Remember To Breathe because only one of you did! Lol Reviews are great encouragement and for all who do, you know that I always reward at the end of the story =D You know I'm crazy so just comply Jk lolol ;)
-NWJ