Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own the characters...please don't sue me ...yadda...yadda....yadda. Officer Hastings is my little addition to the family.
Author's Note: To my few, but faithful reviewers. Forgive me for not updating sooner. I had some connection problems but I'm back online now. Warning, more emotional vibes emanating!
Chapter 4
"I think I can answer that," a familiar interrupted.
The entire group turned to the doorway where officers Doug Witter and John Hastings were now standing.
"We're sorry about our rather uninvited entrance Coach Leary, but the door was open and we didn't want to disturb your conversation," Doug replied.
Gale Leary smiled softly. "You know you don't ever need an invitation to drop by Doug. We were just talking about our son Dawson. He drove off, early this morning, pretty upset, and until Pacey and Joey came by we had no idea where he'd gone."
"But he's missing again," Joey added.
"You haven't seen him this morning, have you Dougie?" Pacey asked his brother.
Doug bent his head sadly then straightened up into a more professional mode. When he looked back up all eyes, including his partner's, were on him.
"Yeah Pace, I have seen him." He paused slightly contemplating his next words carefully. "There's...There's been an accident Pacey." Doug began.
No one in the room moved. He could see the beginnings of fear in the foursome's eyes. His partner gave him an encouraging look. He decided to rush on without waiting for any interruptions.
"A blue truck ran off the highway about thirty minutes ago, and smashed into a telephone pole." There, he had done it, put the whole situation out in the open.
Pacey stared at his brother. "It wasn't Dawson Doug? It couldn't have been, could it?" He asked.
Doug Witter frowned sadly at his little brother. "I'm sorry Pacey," he whispered. He looked to his partner for help. Even though he had made house calls like this one a dozen times, the situation never got any easier, but he had somehow dealt with it anyway. However, this time, watching the expressions on the Leary's and Joey's faces and seeing the disbelief in his brother's eyes. He looked to his partner for help. Officer Hastings nodded his head in return. Doug closed his eyes, relieved that he would not have to convey the gory details.
"Uh, John knows more about the crash since he was on the scene before I was, so I'll let him fill you in on the details."
Mitch Leary, who had long since stopped pacing after the officer's arrival, sat back down beside his wife who gripped his arm in fear.
"What happened John?" He choked out.
Officer Hastings began abruptly. "We have reason to believe your son was upset about something...something that caused him to remove his hands from the wheel and increase his speed to 80 miles per hour while he was driving. Our eyewitness accounts claim that as a result of this sudden course of events, he swerved off of the road, still with his hands off the wheel and straight for oncoming traffic. At the last moment, we believe he either got a fit of conscience or was out of it and snapped back in only having enough time to turn the wheel and smash head on into a telephone pole."
He was finished. The whole story had been told and all that was left was the reaction. Mitch Leary held his wife, who had begun sobbing halfway through the officer's story, attempting to comfort her while holding back his own tears. Pacey had subconsciously wrapped his arm around a somber Joey who was sitting in stiff silence with tears cascading down her face. He guessed she was in shock.
"Pacey?" Doug asked his brother, "Are you alright?"
Keeping his arm wrapped tightly around Joey, Pacey stared into space remembering the way he'd fallen asleep on Dawson, and what he thought was rambling only hours earlier. But Dawson hadn't been rambling at all; he'd really needed to talk to someone and he'd turned to his two best friends for help. Unfortunately, one of those so-called "best friends" had fallen asleep on him. He could feel tears of guilt and pain welling up in his eyes. He blinked them back and hardened his features. He arose from the love seat and headed for the door.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Dawson needs us and I think we've kept him waiting long enough. I assume he's at Capeside General Dougie?"
Doug Witter only stared at his brother as he gave him a slow nod "yes." Pacey walked out the door and headed for his car. Doug started to go after him, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to come face to face with Joey.
"Don't worry Dough I'll keep an eye on him, I won't let him do anything stupid." She reassured him.
He nodded; worry still etched across his face. "Okay." He watched her run after Pacey and slip into the passenger seat just before Pacey took off. Gale Leary got up from the couch and grabbed her coat off the hook in the hallway. Her husband joined her and they walked out the door together with the two officers in tow. In minutes they were all enroute to the hospital.
**********
Gale Leary stoked her son's bandaged forehead for the thousandth time. She did her best not to disturb the bandages but it seemed like they were everywhere. They were on his face, his hands, his legs. She was almost scared to touch him. She looked up at her husband who'd retreated to a far corner of the room. Desperation filled her eyes.
"My god Mitch," she sobbed, "I can't even hold my baby!"
Mitch rushed to her side and held her as she wept into his shoulder.
"I'm so scared," She sobbed into his shirt.
Mitch closed his eyes. He felt the same way, but he had to be strong for them both. He couldn't let himself fall apart just yet. She needed to know it was going to be okay. He grabbed hold of his ex-wife's shoulders and pushed her out to arms length so she was staring straight into his eyes.
"Dawson's going to make it Gale. Do you hear me? Our son is going to make it...and do you know why?"
She stared back at him feebly nodding no, and feeling upset and confused.
"Because he's like his mother. He's determined and he's a fighter...two wonderful qualities and just the one he needs to get through this." He sighed and turned to his son. "What I don't understand is why he would take his hands off the wheel. You don't think he was so mad at us that he was considering..." He felt his wife grip him hard and thought better about his next words.
"No," She said with the same intensity he had used. "Dawson would never do that!" She searched his eyes for confirmation. He nodded to appease her distress. He ran a hand through his hair frustrated.
"But I still don't understand why he would take his hands off the wheel. It just doesn't make any sense," He whispered. He gazed fondly at his son, the one boy they had always seemed to be able to trust. He was their good boy, hardly ever getting into trouble, big dreams, and great ambitions...what had caused him to remove his hands from the wheel that night? Dawson hadn't even contemplated shoplifting much less suicide.
"It just doesn't make any sense."
*****
Meanwhile, out in the waiting room, a small group of friends was forming. Pacey had phoned them as soon as he and Joey had arrived. Andie McPhee placed a comforting arm around a stunned Joey Potter who stared at the floor in an effort to extinguish the pain she was going through. Dawson had struck it rich that night; the only bed left in the ICU wing was the "Presidential Suite" of hospital rooms. It included a private, furnished waiting room just off of the patient's room. Although she was sitting in the rather posh room, all she could see were the little ringlets of yarn that formed the carpet. They somehow served as a rather callous background for her mind's endless display of the pained expression on Dawson's face earlier that morning like a movie screen. It was the same image over and over; Dawson was staring at the floor, then suddenly he would look up and she'd see the tears in his eyes. She blinked back countless numbers of tears. Why was this happening?! Dawson had been one of the most put together people she'd ever known and to compare that with the Dawson she'd seen earlier that morning was unsettling.
As if on cue, the door to Dawson's hospital room opened and the Leary's exited looking very exhausted and upset. Gale Leary took a seat on one of the plush chairs and her husband stood beside her. Mitch Leary cleared his throat and glanced sadly at the visitors in the room.
"Uh, listen up everybody!" The room went completely silent. He continued. "Gale and I would like to thank all of you for coming and lending your support. Family, friends,...especially friends," he said eyeing Pacey and Joey sympathetically. "Ah,...we know that you've all been waiting really patiently for quite a while now. We talked to the doctor and she will allow you all a short visit as long as no more than three people are in the room at a time. Please feel free to go in."
No one moved. No one dared. It was such an awkward moment. Everyone knew they'd have to split up, but no one knew who should go first. Finally Dawson's grandfather and grandmother Leary, who had arrived while Dawson was still in surgery, stood up and advanced toward the room; it had been decided and the decision was unanimous...family first.
In they went. Some were loners, some were coupled, and some, like Jen, Jack, and Andie, went as a threesome. Finally, it came down to Joey and Pacey. Everyone was aware that they'd been the last ones to see Dawson that morning. An eerie silence filled the room as they started toward the door to Dawson's hospital room.
To be continued......
Evil aren't I? But don't worry, because I updated so late I'm also giving you Chapter 5 as well. Let me know if you like it, Enjoy!
Author's Note: To my few, but faithful reviewers. Forgive me for not updating sooner. I had some connection problems but I'm back online now. Warning, more emotional vibes emanating!
Chapter 4
"I think I can answer that," a familiar interrupted.
The entire group turned to the doorway where officers Doug Witter and John Hastings were now standing.
"We're sorry about our rather uninvited entrance Coach Leary, but the door was open and we didn't want to disturb your conversation," Doug replied.
Gale Leary smiled softly. "You know you don't ever need an invitation to drop by Doug. We were just talking about our son Dawson. He drove off, early this morning, pretty upset, and until Pacey and Joey came by we had no idea where he'd gone."
"But he's missing again," Joey added.
"You haven't seen him this morning, have you Dougie?" Pacey asked his brother.
Doug bent his head sadly then straightened up into a more professional mode. When he looked back up all eyes, including his partner's, were on him.
"Yeah Pace, I have seen him." He paused slightly contemplating his next words carefully. "There's...There's been an accident Pacey." Doug began.
No one in the room moved. He could see the beginnings of fear in the foursome's eyes. His partner gave him an encouraging look. He decided to rush on without waiting for any interruptions.
"A blue truck ran off the highway about thirty minutes ago, and smashed into a telephone pole." There, he had done it, put the whole situation out in the open.
Pacey stared at his brother. "It wasn't Dawson Doug? It couldn't have been, could it?" He asked.
Doug Witter frowned sadly at his little brother. "I'm sorry Pacey," he whispered. He looked to his partner for help. Even though he had made house calls like this one a dozen times, the situation never got any easier, but he had somehow dealt with it anyway. However, this time, watching the expressions on the Leary's and Joey's faces and seeing the disbelief in his brother's eyes. He looked to his partner for help. Officer Hastings nodded his head in return. Doug closed his eyes, relieved that he would not have to convey the gory details.
"Uh, John knows more about the crash since he was on the scene before I was, so I'll let him fill you in on the details."
Mitch Leary, who had long since stopped pacing after the officer's arrival, sat back down beside his wife who gripped his arm in fear.
"What happened John?" He choked out.
Officer Hastings began abruptly. "We have reason to believe your son was upset about something...something that caused him to remove his hands from the wheel and increase his speed to 80 miles per hour while he was driving. Our eyewitness accounts claim that as a result of this sudden course of events, he swerved off of the road, still with his hands off the wheel and straight for oncoming traffic. At the last moment, we believe he either got a fit of conscience or was out of it and snapped back in only having enough time to turn the wheel and smash head on into a telephone pole."
He was finished. The whole story had been told and all that was left was the reaction. Mitch Leary held his wife, who had begun sobbing halfway through the officer's story, attempting to comfort her while holding back his own tears. Pacey had subconsciously wrapped his arm around a somber Joey who was sitting in stiff silence with tears cascading down her face. He guessed she was in shock.
"Pacey?" Doug asked his brother, "Are you alright?"
Keeping his arm wrapped tightly around Joey, Pacey stared into space remembering the way he'd fallen asleep on Dawson, and what he thought was rambling only hours earlier. But Dawson hadn't been rambling at all; he'd really needed to talk to someone and he'd turned to his two best friends for help. Unfortunately, one of those so-called "best friends" had fallen asleep on him. He could feel tears of guilt and pain welling up in his eyes. He blinked them back and hardened his features. He arose from the love seat and headed for the door.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Dawson needs us and I think we've kept him waiting long enough. I assume he's at Capeside General Dougie?"
Doug Witter only stared at his brother as he gave him a slow nod "yes." Pacey walked out the door and headed for his car. Doug started to go after him, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to come face to face with Joey.
"Don't worry Dough I'll keep an eye on him, I won't let him do anything stupid." She reassured him.
He nodded; worry still etched across his face. "Okay." He watched her run after Pacey and slip into the passenger seat just before Pacey took off. Gale Leary got up from the couch and grabbed her coat off the hook in the hallway. Her husband joined her and they walked out the door together with the two officers in tow. In minutes they were all enroute to the hospital.
**********
Gale Leary stoked her son's bandaged forehead for the thousandth time. She did her best not to disturb the bandages but it seemed like they were everywhere. They were on his face, his hands, his legs. She was almost scared to touch him. She looked up at her husband who'd retreated to a far corner of the room. Desperation filled her eyes.
"My god Mitch," she sobbed, "I can't even hold my baby!"
Mitch rushed to her side and held her as she wept into his shoulder.
"I'm so scared," She sobbed into his shirt.
Mitch closed his eyes. He felt the same way, but he had to be strong for them both. He couldn't let himself fall apart just yet. She needed to know it was going to be okay. He grabbed hold of his ex-wife's shoulders and pushed her out to arms length so she was staring straight into his eyes.
"Dawson's going to make it Gale. Do you hear me? Our son is going to make it...and do you know why?"
She stared back at him feebly nodding no, and feeling upset and confused.
"Because he's like his mother. He's determined and he's a fighter...two wonderful qualities and just the one he needs to get through this." He sighed and turned to his son. "What I don't understand is why he would take his hands off the wheel. You don't think he was so mad at us that he was considering..." He felt his wife grip him hard and thought better about his next words.
"No," She said with the same intensity he had used. "Dawson would never do that!" She searched his eyes for confirmation. He nodded to appease her distress. He ran a hand through his hair frustrated.
"But I still don't understand why he would take his hands off the wheel. It just doesn't make any sense," He whispered. He gazed fondly at his son, the one boy they had always seemed to be able to trust. He was their good boy, hardly ever getting into trouble, big dreams, and great ambitions...what had caused him to remove his hands from the wheel that night? Dawson hadn't even contemplated shoplifting much less suicide.
"It just doesn't make any sense."
*****
Meanwhile, out in the waiting room, a small group of friends was forming. Pacey had phoned them as soon as he and Joey had arrived. Andie McPhee placed a comforting arm around a stunned Joey Potter who stared at the floor in an effort to extinguish the pain she was going through. Dawson had struck it rich that night; the only bed left in the ICU wing was the "Presidential Suite" of hospital rooms. It included a private, furnished waiting room just off of the patient's room. Although she was sitting in the rather posh room, all she could see were the little ringlets of yarn that formed the carpet. They somehow served as a rather callous background for her mind's endless display of the pained expression on Dawson's face earlier that morning like a movie screen. It was the same image over and over; Dawson was staring at the floor, then suddenly he would look up and she'd see the tears in his eyes. She blinked back countless numbers of tears. Why was this happening?! Dawson had been one of the most put together people she'd ever known and to compare that with the Dawson she'd seen earlier that morning was unsettling.
As if on cue, the door to Dawson's hospital room opened and the Leary's exited looking very exhausted and upset. Gale Leary took a seat on one of the plush chairs and her husband stood beside her. Mitch Leary cleared his throat and glanced sadly at the visitors in the room.
"Uh, listen up everybody!" The room went completely silent. He continued. "Gale and I would like to thank all of you for coming and lending your support. Family, friends,...especially friends," he said eyeing Pacey and Joey sympathetically. "Ah,...we know that you've all been waiting really patiently for quite a while now. We talked to the doctor and she will allow you all a short visit as long as no more than three people are in the room at a time. Please feel free to go in."
No one moved. No one dared. It was such an awkward moment. Everyone knew they'd have to split up, but no one knew who should go first. Finally Dawson's grandfather and grandmother Leary, who had arrived while Dawson was still in surgery, stood up and advanced toward the room; it had been decided and the decision was unanimous...family first.
In they went. Some were loners, some were coupled, and some, like Jen, Jack, and Andie, went as a threesome. Finally, it came down to Joey and Pacey. Everyone was aware that they'd been the last ones to see Dawson that morning. An eerie silence filled the room as they started toward the door to Dawson's hospital room.
To be continued......
Evil aren't I? But don't worry, because I updated so late I'm also giving you Chapter 5 as well. Let me know if you like it, Enjoy!