It's so funny - I end up posting more chapters of this story when I'm right in the middle of exam period haha. I want to shoutout for their little message on whether or not I was okay during one of my hiatuses: hope you enjoy this chapter love, and the rest of you enjoy it too.
Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally or any of its characters.
The next few hours of the night went by in a blur in Ally's mind. Nothing made sense. She answered questions without remembering her answers. She only saw the whites of the ambulance and the hospital wards, the reds of the lights and sirens, and only felt herself clutching to Austin's hand.
"Do you remember what these boys looked like, Ally?" a policeman asked her as she sat down in an isolated bank of chairs outside the hospital ward. Ally didn't look at anything, she just absently stared into space.
"Ally?" he gently asked. Ally looked at the ground toward where the policeman sat, and only slightly nodded.
"I don't remember what they looked like … I'm-I'm sorry. But the bar I went to …. Pale Waters … I think that was the name. The bartender there knew them well. Tell him about me … he'll know who you're talking about." Ally replied so quietly she almost sounded dazed.
The policeman gently patted Ally's shoulder, letting another tear stroll down Ally's cheek.
"You did the right thing, Ally." He tried to comfort her. Ally nodded between her silent tears, knowing nothing could comfort her in this moment.
With that the policeman left and Ally buried her face in her hands, letting out her long-awaited sobs.
Her mind burned with guilt, seared with pain, weakened with thought.
How could she have possibly let this happen? She always thought about the consequences of her decisions – yet somehow, her one mistake had caused such a cost.
"Ally?" another male voice called her. Ally weakened her sobs and looked up, seeing a doctor dressed in a white coat standing a few feet away from her.
"We need to discuss Austin's case. And your mother has just arrived." He said gently, turning around to see Penny walking down the white corridors. Ally bit her lip. As much as the accident had primarily been the cause of her inability to forgive her own mother, Ally sobbed and ran to her, holding her tight.
"It's okay, sweetie. Everything is going to be okay." She whispered, stroking Ally's hair and hugging her tight.
"This way, ladies." The doctor gently intervened, walking past them toward an office down the end of the hall. As Penny led Ally in his footsteps, Ally peered into the window where Austin lay and saw his sleeping body through the gaps of the blinds.
As Penny and Ally walked into the office, the doctor gestured for them to sit down in the chairs. He sat down in his own chair and folded his arms on the table.
"My name is Doctor Choudhry, and I'm the head doctor of Austin's case," he began.
He took a breath before continuing. "Well, it seems that Austin has suffered a minor blow to the head, and is currently suffering from a minor concussion." he began, seeing the two women waiting for him to go on.
"He has cracked most of his ribs, and he may be out for a while. Thankfully, his brain seems to be functioning well at this point in time, but we'd like to keep him here in the hospital overnight so we can run some tests."
Ally bit her lips, trying to keep herself together.
"He is awake right now, but he needs as much rest as possible. I'm going to need permission to conduct some tests on his brain and go ahead with the treatment." He finished, pushing a clipboard in front of the two women.
Penny looked at Ally and held the clipboard toward her daughter. Ally, her hands still shaking, slowly took the pen and signed her name at the bottom of the page, sobbing internally as she did.
"I know it's hard. But it's almost crucial that Austin receives your emotional support through this treatment." He said. Ally nodded, still looking at the wooden fragments of the desk.
"Can-can I see him?" Ally asked in the quietest voice she had. Dr Choudhry looked solemnly at Ally and nodded once, getting up from his seat.
As Ally got up from her seat, she looked down at her mother, and placed her hand on her shoulder as she looked back at her.
"You're not going anywhere, mom." It sounded more like a statement than a request as the words left her lips. Penny took her own hand and placed it over her daughter's.
"No, I'm not. I promise." She said sincerely. Ally just looked at her for a moment before she left with the doctor.
When the doctor opened the door to Austin's room, sorrow filled Ally's body, leaving her with a numb sensation. Austin's head was wrapped with a white cloth, tubes hanging around his face and bandages wrapped around his waist.
Ally approached the bed with a shake in her every step, slowly leaning toward Austin and kneeling to the stool next to the bed. She took hold of his hand, and lowered her head to the space between his body and the edge of the mattress, resting her cheek near his arm. She cried again, clutching tightly to his warm hand.
"I'm so sorry …" she whispered in between her sobs again. She kept repeating the words over and over again as she sunk her face into the mattress, wanting to rid herself of this nightmare.
"Dr Choudhry?" Penny called after Austin's doctor. The doctor turned to see Ally's mum in front of him.
"My daughter and Austin are planning to be married in just a few days …" she began, unable to bring herself to ask if he would heal in time before the wedding.
"I'm so sorry, but we really can't say anything just yet," he said.
Penny nodded before he sighed. "Honestly, I do think he will be all right, but we will only know for sure by tomorrow." He went on, giving a soft smile before heading down the hall once again.
Penny looked toward the ground as he left, and turned her gaze Ally at Austin's hospital bed, buried in the mattress and clutching to his hand as he lay fast asleep.
Ally opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at Austin again.
"Baby, you're … you're so strong. You've always been so brave and willing to be … to be there for me. To take my fall. I'm sorry …" Ally whispered.
She continued to look at him contently, and she saw his eyes rolling around while they were still closed. Ally remembered the doctor saying he was awake.
"Al-ly?" he mumbled softly. Ally grabbed his hand and kissed his fingers.
"Yes, yes, Austin." She said with a smile.
"It's … not your fault … please don't be sorry." He muttered.
She moved her fingers to brush some hair away from his forehead. Ally leaned down slowly, and kissed his forehead, sniffling sombrely, wondering when this nightmare would be over.
Shortish chapter but the next chapter should be up later this week. Please leave a review, I love reading your feedback.