This chapter was prompted by Bronny9, with the prompt: Richard gets bad news about one of his parents, will they be ok? And will Richard accept comfort from his friend and colleague, George?
bronny9: Thank you for the review.
The Secret Life Of Casualty.
Chapter 224.
Richard and George were getting ready for work when Richard got the phone call that he never expected to get. He pressed "accept" and was surprised to hear his fathers voice.
"What's wrong, dad?" He asked, as he listened to his father, he was in shock and couldn't believe it.
When the call come to an end, he let the phone slip out of his grasp as he struggled to comprehend what had happened, he hadn't seen his parents in a while as his working schedule was hectic and now it seemed that he was going to lose her. But he couldn't show weakness to George as he had to finish getting ready as they were both due on the set. He walked in to his bedroom where his characters grey scrubs were hanging up on the wardrobe door. He pulled them on, grabbed Cal's stethoscope, putting it around his neck and left the room, meeting his friend down the stairs where they checked they had everything they needed for their day on set. There was nothing worse than arriving at the studio's and realising you didn't have what you needed. When they arrived they headed in to the set and prepared to start the day.
Richard's first scene of the day saw him in RESUS, a patient was wheeled in, but as she was, and the cameras were put on him, he felt his mouth go dry and sweat trickle down his back.
He knew he was supposed to say his line, but his mind had gone blank and he couldn't remember it. He looked at his colleagues around him, who were in the scene with him, but they couldn't say their line until Richard had said his.
"Come on, mate" Michel muttered, he was getting frustrated, he was in his paramedics uniform and it caused him to sweat.
Richard's line was simple, he didn't have much to say. "She needs surgery"
The director who was responsible for running the show, looked aspirated as he screwed a script up in his hands and threw it. Usually Richard was one of his best actors but not today he was not on his game.
"That's not the line!" He shouted, he flipped through the spare script another director handed him, until he got to Richard's part. "Your line was. "There's nothing more we can do for her. "
Feeling the sting of tears in his eyes, Richard turned and ran.
George ran after his friend concerned about him, it wasn't like him to run off. Richard was a aster runner so George wasn't able to keep up with him, but he soon fond his friend in the sets bathroom, he had locked himself in, George had to knock.
"Come on, mate, open up, " He whispered, he couldn't do anything if his friend didn't let him in and he wanted to help him.
"What's wrong, Richard?" George asked, when Richard had finally let him in to the small cubicle.
"It's my mum" He whispered.
"What's the matter with her?" George asked, sensitively as he stroked his friends hair, he hated seeing him upset and vice versa.
"She had a fall down the stairs, she's fractured her hip. Doctors say she needs surgery to reset it. I'm worried she won't survive the angelisa " Richard sniffs. "She's in her 80's, George"
George nods, in his role as an doctor, he's learnt a great deal of medical knowledge such as how to relocate a broken bone. He could diagnose a fractured leg, a tension Pneumothorax.
"I'm sure she'll be ok, " He eventually says, as he's been silent for a while.
A lone tear slips down his cheek at the thought of loosing his mum. When he first started out in acting, his mother had been his biggest supporter and when it was announced he had been cast in BBC drama Casualty, his mum, as a Casualty fan, had been delighted. He can't imagine loosing her, the funeral would be hell.
Richard got a call from his dad, telling him that his mum's surgery had been a success. Richard was relieved. He decided to visit her and take George a long with him, as his mum was also a fan of his character, Ethan.
Richard asked the woman on the reception desk what room his mum was in. Being a fan of Richard's, she'd asked for an autograph and a picture, Richard had promised to send her one and was informed that his mother was on floor 1, in room 1. The two of them headed for the lifts, George could see that his friend was worried about his mum and reached out to give his hand a gentle squeeze as the lift doors opened and the two walked out.
"Hi mum" Richard whispered, quietly, so not to disturb her. He looked over at her, she was in a hospital gown, pulse oximeter was on her finger, an oygen mask was on her face, she looked just like their patients did.
The doctor enters the room, he looks shocked to have two stars in his hospital. "You play Caleb and Ethan" He said.
George nodded. "We do, "
"We love your characters, " Said a nurse.
Richard wasn't sure how to react, he usually loved posing for pictures with fans and signing autographs, but right now he couldn't deal with the pressure, it felt like he was going to scream and he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop.
As they left the room, as they were both on an early start, Richard lensed on the wall, outside and suddenly burst in to tears. George had never seen his friend cry before but he knew that he had to comfort him. He put a hand on his friends back and rubbed it softly as he felt in his pocket, for a tissue, he always carried a packet round with him as he had two small children. Richard blew his nose and dabbed his eyes as they walked slowly along the corridor, to the lifts as George pressed the button, it arrived after a few minutes and they both got in, saying nothing as the lift moved.
It was dark when the two eventually reached George's car, and he unlocked it as the two got in, George started the engine ad roared out of the car park and drove home.
Richard went to his bedroom, took off his uniform and screwed it in to a ball in the corner of the room as he lay face own on the bed, pressing his face in tob the pillows, it felt like he was a child again when his mum had to be hospitalised after a short illness, Richard and his brother Thomas were worried she wasn't going to survive, so the boys had taken on the chores in the house. Richard had done the washing and cleaning of the dishes while Thomas dealt with the bills and they took turns in cooking.
George waked in to his friends room and sat on the bed, whispering soothing words to him, it reminded him of when he interacted with patients.
A few weeks later, Richard got good news and was delighted for his father, as his mum was coming home.
Out of his pay-packet, Richard hired some help for his mum as he knew his dad wouldn't cope on his own and when he had a day off from filming, he and George cooked her meals and gave her, her medication that the docs had sent her home with and made sure she was comfortable and had someone with her, when he couldn't be as he was working.
When his mum was a bit stronger, Richard, spoke to the producers, who were now aware of why he had, had his meltdown, a few weeks back, it was because he was worried about his mum, the producers had apologised and offered to give her a private tour of the set, with her meeting some of Richards cast mates. She met, both Amanda's, Tony,
Exhausted after meeting the cast and getting signed pics, Richard and George returned her home, stayig with her.
Richard's mother shut her eyes and slowly took her last breath
George took her pulse, he knew how to because of the show, but he couldn't feel one. Her lips were blue and she looked like she has o breath in her body. George stepped back. She was dead. Hearing footsteps, George knew he had to protect his friend.
As he stood in the doorway, it's like time has stood still for him, George is doing CPR on his mother, his fingers interlocked as he presses down on her chest.
The post mortem revealed that she had passed because of complications with the surgery.
The funeral had Richard, George, Richard's father and his brother. As the coffin was lowered in too the ground, all George can hear is his friends sobbing and his heart hurts heavily for him. His own mum is still with him and he too can't imagine life without her.
Richard takes flowers to his mothers and spends some time, alone, thinking about her when George reaches him, he wasn't at the flat and somehow he knew he'd be at his mum's last resting place,
They go to the shop and buy some sweet treats that they both liked.
Richard digs out some of his childhood films of his mum and both boys relax back and watch them as Rchard watches on of his nursery vidoes and spots a little boy, with a mop of blonde hair. It looks like. It can't be. Was it possible that the two of them went to nursery together and not realised?
"Were you?" Richard asked.
George nods. "Yep,"
The two boys laugh, it's fate that has brought them back together, all these years ago.
Richard robbed George's juice box and then chased after him as they play together. The bell rings and the two young boys head inside, to their different rooms.
As the DVD finishes, the now grown up, boys stare at each other in disbelief, still not beilving that they are
Thank you for reading and thank you to bronny9, for the prompt, I enjoyed writing it.
