Disclaimer: All the characters in this fanfic belong to Disney and any other company that owns the series 'In A Heartbeat'. This is my 6th fic. Please read and review!!!J
Scenes from the previous episode…
"Val, we have to go," he told her. "We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible," he insisted.
Val nodded and headed in the backseat of the ambulance. She gave Hank the signal and the ambulance quickly moved. Val looked at Tyler's body again, and this time, she finally broke down in tears. 'How could this be? You were all right yesterday. Who could have done this to you? You're the nicest person I know. Why did you have to go through all this?' As she took a hold of one of his hands, brand new tears fell from her eyes. He felt so cold,…so lifeless.
"Tyler," she whispered in between her sobs. "I love you, too. Please don't leave me," she finished as she grasped his hand, hoping that one day, he will be able to grasp her hand back.
To be continued…
No One Else but You: "Man in the mirror"
The hospital seemed deserted. Usually, tons people could be seen coming in and out of the door. Doctors and nurses would be present going through the hallways. And the place would be filled with such volume, that no one could even hear themselves speak. This day deemed to be the opposite. Barely anyone was in the building. As one would walk down the hall, the sound of a foot against the floor would echo through the walls. Then again, it was still late Saturday morning. Hardly anything happens around this time. Except maybe today. Earlier Jamie, Hank, and Val found Tyler's body, beaten and hammered, inside his demolished car. As they mounted him in the ambulance, they directly headed to the nearest hospital. When they arrived, they quickly brought him in, and he was immediately sent to the emergency room. It was almost noon, and still no word came about Tyler's condition. Just then, someone with a familiar face came in…
"What is going on here?" asked an annoyed Alex. "I was in the middle of a VERY important meeting when I got your message to come to the hospital as soon as possible because there was some sort of an emergency."
"It's Tyler. We found his body all beaten up inside his car earlier after a call," informed Hank as he stood up to meet him.
"How is he doing?" asked Alex, now filled with concern.
"He's still in the emergency room right now," replied Jamie.
"There was no word yet, sir," added Hank returning to his seat.
"How did this happen?" inquired Alex.
"We don't know sir…we just don't know," responded Val as she burst into tears.
"Have you called the police?" asked Alex.
"Yes. We called them as soon as we got Tyler to the hospital. They believed he was attacked somewhere along Huntington Drive, and that his attacker or attackers moved the car in an attempt to hide it. They theorize that the attacker's or attackers' intent was to hide the body in a concealed place, secluded enough to avoid anyone from finding it, and leaving the body to helpless to die. They assumed it was an attempted murder," narrated Hank.
"Luckily, the assailant or assailants were stupid enough to leave their fingerprints on the car, especially on the wheel. Well, they're human after all," added Jamie.
"I suppose there are no suspects yet," remarked Alex. "In the meantime, you guys better get back to work. I know this is hard for all of you, but you have other responsibilities to attend to. Tyler is the hospital's responsibility now. I'll inform you guys if there's any progress."
Alex left and started to dial a number on his cell phone. The squad then got up from their seats and headed outside.
"What time is our shift over?" asked Jamie.
"Our shift is over at 6. That means we still have about 6 hours to go," replied Val.
"This is gonna be a long day," commented Hank as they got in the ambulance.
Tyler's parents finally came to the hospital. William had a business trip in London, and Tyler's mom decided to accompany him. They got on the quickest flight to Kingsport as soon as they heard the news. The time was 3:00. They headed for the front desk.
"I would like to know where Tyler Connell's room is please?" asked Tyler's mom.
"It's right down the hall, to the left, in room 166," replied the person in the desk.
Tyler's mom, with William behind her, hurried to the room. When they neared the room, Alex came over to meet them.
"Hello Mr. Jenks…Mrs. Jenks," greeted Alex. "Tyler was put in intensive care earlier. The doctor reported that he had a severe head trauma. They haven't updated me on that one yet. Aside from the head trauma, he has 4 broken ribs, a fractured left arm, and injured right knee, and just some minor bruises."
"Oh Tyler," cried Tyler's mom as William comforted her.
"Who did this to him?" exclaimed William, obviously angered by the situation.
"The police are on to it, sir," replied Alex.
Once again, the air was silent between them.
More than a few hours later, a doctor approached them. From the look on his face, Alex knew for sure that it wasn't a good sign. The doctor removed his mask and began to talk.
"Hello. My name is Andrew Bradford. I'm the neurosurgeon in charge of Tyler. I assume you must be Tyler's parents," he stated.
"Yes. I'm his mom, and this is his stepdad, William Jenks," she introduced herself.
"Pleased to meet you," spoke William as he shook the doctor's hands.
"Likewise. Well, I have good news, and some bad news. The good news is that Tyler is in stable condition," he informed them.
Sighs of relief overcame the three adults.
"Now comes the bad news. As you all might know by now, Tyler suffered a severe head trauma. He regained consciousness a few minutes ago, but he's now sleeping. A blow in the head causes acute damage to the brain. The person might go into coma, have a seizure, or even have a change in mentation, or thinking. However………"
Jamie was on his way home from the station. Their shift finally ended after a long day of calls. Although equally important, they weren't at all as serious as to what happened to Tyler. Jamie went inside his house, and was greeted by his sisters. Then, he went up to his room, hoping to have some time to think.
"How did that happen to you, Tyler?" he asked himself. "Who could have done such a thing?"
Jamie went silent again, caught within his thoughts. 'He didn't even get a chance to go on his long-awaited date with Val. He was so happy to finally be able to go out with her. Who would have thought it would end like this? Hopefully, he'd still be alive. Life is so unexpected. Who knows, maybe Tyler lost his chance. What if that happens to me? No one knows what will happen in the future. I certainly learned one thing out of all of this. SEIZE THE MOMENT WHILE YOU CAN! That's it. That's what I should do. I should seize the moment, before I become someone else's memory. Just the thought of himself as dead made Jamie tremble. I know what I need to do. Tyler gave me the idea the other day. What have I got to lose? I have to go for it. Thanks Tyler…and get better soon.'
Hank was the last one to leave the station. As he headed outside the lockers, he noticed the stillness that filled the room. It just wasn't the same without Tyler. Usually, the two of them left the station together. As he went on and headed for the door, he noticed a wrapped object near Tyler's usual bunk. He went to check it out, and to his surprise, it was addressed to him. He opened it, and what he found made him cry and stifle a small laugh simultaneously. It was the football from the game the yesterday. Inside was a note from Tyler.
Hank,
Although this championship ball was awarded to me, I want you to have it as a token of my appreciation. You've always been there for me through good times and bad, and you've always been my inspiration. Thanks for being my best friend, and brother that I never had. Promise me that you'll never make me forget this night. I'll see you around.
Your best friend for life,
Tyler
~P.S. - If you're wondering, I sneaked in right after I left the game last night.
Hank put the football in his backpack. He saw the picture that the gang took when Jamie first became an official EMT. Taking one last glance at it, Hank left the room. As he got in his car, he sat there for a moment.
"Don't worry, Tyler," he spoke as though talking to him. "You'll be back here in no time. I'll make sure you won't forget that night."
He then sped off and headed for home.
Val finally got home after her long shift. She still couldn't believe what had just happened today. It happened all so quickly. When she got home, Brooke was watching the TV.
"Hey Val," she greeted her as she stood up from the couch and went over to her.
"Hey…," she replied, melancholy evident in her voice and face.
"Whoa, who died?" joked Brooke.
With that comment, Val went into tears.
"Did I say something wrong?" asked Brooke, a little bit concerned.
"No…yes…I don't know," answered Val.
Suddenly, Brooke remembered a call from Alex about Tyler being in the hospital.
"I'm sorry, Val. I forgot about Tyler," she told her.
"It's fine. I just need to go somewhere right now," she quickly said to her as she took her car keys and headed outside.
"Val! Wait! Where are you going?" yelled Brooke, but she was too late.
Val drove to the station. She knew her shift ended already, but she just had to go there. When she got there, she headed straight for the back, and into the basketball court. Waiting for a few moments, Val stepped into the court. The silence that enveloped her made tears fall from her eyes.
"Tyler,…come back," she whispered into the cold air.
She couldn't hear any ball dribbling like she used to. The ball was lying still on the concrete floor. There were no balls going into the hoop. There was no life in the court. Scared by the thought that the same thing might happen to Tyler, Val went over to pick up the ball.
"I'll help you live again," she mumbled as she began to dribble the ball and shooting it into the hoop, playing her own individual game of basketball.
His body felt as if a ton of bricks had fallen on it. Every single move he made felt like hell. As he opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling came to view. He looked around. He tried to get up, but can only manage an upright position. 'Where am I?' With all his might, he managed to sit on the bed. 'What is this place?' He tried to stand up, but almost fell as pain had overcome him. He let out a small cry. After a few seconds, he was able to move around a little. As he continued to move, a certain figure tended to intrigue him. In his mind, he kept wondering about the mysterious form. 'Who is that man in the mirror?'
"However,…" started to say the doctor. "…we've come to the conclusion from the neuro-scans that Tyler is going to endure a different illness. Mrs. Jenks…Mr. Jenks…Tyler has amnesia."
To be continued…