Cammie POV
The hospital is just as bleak as I remember. The white washed walls reflecting light trying to brighten up the overwhelming stench of death. The nurses continued along the corridor, some glancing at me. One of two looking me up and down. I just ignored them. Others were busy on their rounds and looked like they hadn't slept in days. I sat in a plastic chair losing the feelings in my thighs and butt. This cannot be the end.
Zach was involved in a horrific crash; the fire brigade were called and had to cut the roof of the car off in order to free him and Karis. That bitch is lucky to still be breathing...barely. Zach was then airlifted out of the scene to hospital where he was immediately taken into the operating theatre. His condition from rescue to theatre remained at critical.
The whole journey to the hospital, I felt numb. Pure and utter numbness.
'Mrs Goode?' A doctor came out. My whole family had camped out here, apart from Abby who was looking after Sean. Everyone looked up at the doctor. I stood up.
'That's me' I said. The doctor gave me a sympathetic smile (one that I've become very equated with recently).
'May I have a word?' He asked. I nodded. My mom patted my arm.
'Would you like me to come with you?' She asked
'No' I shook my head 'I'll be okay'
I followed the doctor down a series of corridors. The sound of heart monitors going off made my heart sound so weak.
He led me into his office. His walls were decorated with diplomas of all different kinds, each one practially screaming at me you can trust him.
'Mrs Goode-'
'Cammie, please' I told him.
'Cammie' He began 'This whole ordeal must be a highly stressful and emotional time. Have you been seen to by a doctor about your baby?'
I shook my head.
'I know that we are here to talk about your husband, however under the circumstances, it would be best for me to check that everything is safe for you'
I nodded along.
The doctor moved across the room to get his tools.
'Could you lie down on this table please?' He helped me up.
'Now could you lift your shirt please?' He asked. I did.
'You aren't very talkative' He observed as he began checking my stomach.
'I'm going through a lot right now' I said plainly. He closed his mouth realising how stupid what he said was. Silence passed for several minutes.
'The good news is that your baby appears to be perfectly fine' He said
'And the bad news?' I asked. The doctor's head dropped slightly.
'It's your husband'
...
Zach was lying on one of the beds, his face covered with scratches and dried blood. There was a tube sticking out of his mouth to help him breathe. His torso was covered in bandages, some more so stained with dark crimson than others. His right arm and both of his legs were in casts. I moved over silently and held his left hand in my own. His hand was bruised, but it caused his wedding band to stand out even more. I bit my lip to stop the tears.
'The doctors have done all they can' The medic behind me said 'However, with the extent of his injuries, the outcome does not look good' I pulled my attention away from my husband to look at the doctor who hovered in the doorway.
'What are you saying?' I asked. He looked down at his hands, bit his lip and looked back at me.
'When the medics arrived at the scene earlier, Zach was unconscious and bleeding badly. There is swelling on his brain which hasn't subsided, there is also a hairline fracture on his spinal cord, meaning that we do not know precisely how much damage has been caused until...if Zach wakes up'
'I'm not following'
'Mr Goode's quality of life with change. If his spinal cord isn't damaged, he'll still need to learn how to use his right arm as well as mobility in his legs, therefore learning to walk again; these will take some time, your baby will probably be walking before Zach does' He cleared his throat 'Again, that is only if his spinal cord isn't damaged. He might have some brain damage which could change how he processes memories and other normal functions'
'And what...what if his spinal cord is broken?' I was hesitalnt to ask. Fearing the answer.
'He could be paralyzed. However this could be in one leg, both, from the waist down, the neck down...' He stopped when he say my grim expression. He sighed as if the next words could break all of us 'We believe that it is in Mr Goode's best interest that we turn off his life support machine'
I felt my legs cave under me. I slumped down in the seat next to Zach. His heart rate was slow. Mine was fast.
'Of course that is only our suggestion' He quickly added 'You are his wife after all, the decision lies with you'
I turned back to study Zach's face. Despite the fact that he was covered in scraps, he looked peaceful. It reminded me of my phone lock screen; Sean and Zach both cuddled up together, both fast asleep. My heart lurched again, a tear fell.
'Would you like to be left alone?' He asked
'Could you bring my mom in? And my stepdad...and my father-in-law' I asked. The doctor nodded and left the room. I held Zach's hand again, pressing my lips to it.
'Please wake up' I muttered 'Please, please, please wake up'
...
'Cammie, you need to eat, sweetheart' My mom pushed some fries in front of me.
'I'm not hungry' I muttered.
'You might not be, but your baby will be. Eat' She said. I took one fry and ate it slowly.
'Happy now?' I asked her sarcastically. My mom pursed her lips, waiting to say something, but decided against it.
'It's a start' She said instead. I sighed. We were in the tiny canteen in the hospital. After telling Joe, Rachel and Edward about the decision the doctor gave to me, the dynamic in the room shifted. My mom was worried about the baby, Joe was worried about me, and Edward was worried about Zach.
Mom had taken me to get food whilst Joe informed the others and Townsend had a few moments with Zach alone.
'Abby's struggling with Sean' She offered.
'Really?' I asked, glad for the slight distraction. My mom raised her eyebrow.
'Out of all the years that Sean has been on this planet, when has Abby ever been left alone with Sean?' She pointed out.
'You're right' I chuckled 'The amount of missions she had during Sean's first year was slightly strange'
'She was like this when you were born!' My mom offered 'She once had the change your diaper, and ended up getting powder in the chimney' Rachel shook her head 'God knows how that happened, but that was the last time she did it'
'Abby's better at being the badass aunt' I said.
'Agreed' She smiled. Joe came into the room carrying three cups of coffee. He came and sat next to me.
'Drink' He ordered me. I rolled my eyes but took the cup.
'Really?' My mom raised her eyebrow 'You listen to him but not me?'
Joe and I both shrugged simultaneously. Rachel shook her head and chuckled.
'You two are unbelievable'
'Come on Rach' Joe threw his arm around me and smirked 'You love us both'
'I wonder why' She rolled her eyes playfully. I laughed lightly, resting my head on Joe's shoulder.
'Mom…' I began. 'Did you ever think about turning off Joe's oxygen machine?' I asked. My mom and Joe shared a look, his shoulder muscles tensed beneath my head. I looked up at him.
'What?' I asked, looking between them 'What aren't you telling me?'
'Considering that your mother and I were not married at the time, legally speaking, it wasn't her decision to make' Joe told me
'So what could have happened?' I asked. Joe looked at Rachel, then back at me.
'Knowing that I was doing something dangerous, I changed my medical files to assign a guardian to make the decision, if it ever arose, for me'
'Did you chose mom?' I asked
'No' He said 'I chose you'
'Me?' I sat back in surprise 'Why?'
'I knew that I was developing feeling for Rachel, and I had a feeling that she was too' He snuck a glance at his wife 'However, I knew that the decision would be a very much head vs heart battle. Whereas, I believed you would have seen the bigger picture'
'Why didn't I know about this?' I looked at my mom
'You went missing, Kiddo' She said plainly 'And you lost your memory. We thought it would be best that you only had one thing on your mind to deal with'
'Oh' I slumped back in the chair. Rachel's phone rang.
'Excuse me' She moved off out of the room.
'You don't have to make your decision right way' Joe said as if he was reading my mind. 'His condition might improve, or it might decline. We don't know yet'
'I can't have this baby without him Joe' My voice cracked.
'You had Sean without him, and if it came to it, you can have this baby without him as well. You aren't alone Cammie' He kissed my forehead 'You aren't alone'
'That was Abby' Rachel came back to the table 'She's bringing Sean here'
'Mom, him being here won't help me' I said
'Maybe not, but Sean hasn't seen you in weeks. He missed you terribly when you were away. Just seeing one parent would be good enough for him. Plus, having Sean here might be a good distraction for Edward' She looked at me carefully 'Edward hasn't had the same experience of being a parent as you or myself, but Zach is his son and everyone can see just how much pain he is in' My mom held my hand and squeezed. 'Trust me kiddo, Sean will work his magic on all of us'
...
I began to pace the corridor. My six year old son was on his way to the hospital. How am I going to explain that Zach, his dad, might not wake up any time soon?
'You need to rest' Edward was sat on one of the plastic chairs that lined the hallway.
'I can't. If I sit down then the baby starts moving and it's uncomfortable'
'I said rest not sit' He raised an eyebrow at me 'When was the last time you slept?'
'When was the last time you did?' I countered.
'Touche'
The doors opened at the other end of the hallway, Joe came in holding Sean's hand. Sean looked worried and unsure. In all fairness, the last time he was at the hospital, it was me that was in the bed not waking up.
'MOMMY!' Sean's face lit up when he spotted me. He let go of Joe's hand and sprinted town the corridor. He leapt into my arms.
'I've missed you!' He said
'I've missed you too' I kissed his cheek 'So, so, so, much'
'I've got another wobbly tooth!' He opened his mouth and jabbed a finger inside.
'Oh no! Not another one! Do I need to get super glue?' I teased
'Noooo, that would be silly' He giggled. Joe and Townsend were both smiling. I leant down to Sean's ear.
'Have you said hello to grandpa Ed?' I asked. Sean shook his head. 'Go on then'
'Grandpa Ed!' Sean jumped on to Townsend's lap 'I've got a wobbly tooth!' He opened his mouth again
'Really?' Edward said in mock surprise. 'How did it happen?'
'I was playing hide and seek with Auntie Abby. Then I fell over and smacked my chin. But I didn't cry! I was a brave boy'
'You were' Edward pulled him into a hug.
'Grandpa, you look tired' Sean placed his hands on Edwards cheeks, pushing and pulling them 'You'll get wrinkles' He told him
'I do not have wrinkles' Edward teased.
'Yes you do! You get lines right here when you're thinking' Sean prodded Edward's forehead. I held back my laughter.
'I do not!'
'You do' I said. Sean covered his mouth and giggled.
'See, mommy knows!' Sean turned back to look at me. He looked up and down the corridor. His smile fading.
'Mommy, where's daddy?' He asked. My smile too disappeared. I took a seat next to Edward. Sean shifted on his lap.
'Daddy's not feeling very well' I told him
'Is he poorly?' Sean asked
'A little. That's why he has to stay here for a while'
'Can I see him?' Sean wondered. I looked at Edward and Joe, not sure that to say.
'It's up to you' Joe told me. I took a deep breath.
'Sean' I began 'Daddy's asleep right now. He's very tired and you might not be able to wake him up'
'Why isn't daddy waking up?' Such an innocent question. Not such an innocent answer
'He hurt himself and needs to sleep'
'Daddy's silly'
'Yes. He is'
Author's note: My heart broke a lot in this chapter. Poor, poor Cammie. The weight of all of this will be hard on her and the baby. But at least Sean's back! Sean will keep Cammie sain and bring some hope for Townsend. Find out on Monday what happens next where Cammie will have a gut wrenching decision to make...to love or to lose? Also the beginning of this chapter is also the beginning of Chapter 20 of Selling Our Soul from Zach's perspective. Thought I needed these two parallels. See you all soon xxx
GirafeRosie: Oops...sorry, Zach and Cammie aren't completely safe for now...The baby is perfectly healthy, let's just hope that Cammie can maintain this. What do you think of Sean's reaction to this whole situation? Should Cammie tell him the truth? xxx
Smiles180: There is so much drama with only two chapters left! In all fairness, these next two chapters are the longer than I usually do, so I hope you enjoy all the drama that is about to come your way xxx
GallagherGirlsEmbassyRowFan: Did Karis cause the accident? Or did Zach cause the accident to stop Karis? I think Rachel was so built up on emotions that she just acted on instinct; similar to Zach wanting to shoot Damian without knowing the whole story. Aww thank you! I love Townsend and Cammie's relationship and I've always pictured that it was stronger when Sean was born, because Townsend had missed on those parts with Zach. What did you think of Sean and Townsend's little moment? xxx
Guest: Sorry about that! Cliffhangers are my favourite thing! xxx
