Disclaimer: Should I even bother.
Author's Note: I like really intense emotional hospital scenes....Be warned.
Chapter 5
They stepped inside the room, and immediately Joey's heart caught in her throat. She felt Pacey stiffen beside her. While both of them had been waiting, Joey and Pacey had established their own unique mental pictures of what they'd see, but neither of them had been prepared for what they were actually witnessing. Reality had slapped them both squarely in the face. Joey stumbled to a chair in shocked silence. She looked at the still, pale figure lying in the bed. His once shiny, well-groomed, blonde hair was wrapped in a bandage and plastered to his forehead by sweat and dried blood. His eyes were closed and swollen; there were cuts and bruises all over his face. They'd put some kind of tube down his throat to help him breathe and a cervical collar had been placed around his neck. Both arms were bandaged with only the fingers peeking out; his left leg was in a cast propped up in an over hanging sling.
This wasn't Dawson; it couldn't be. Dawson Leary was smart and funny and active, with pretty brown eyes and colored cheeks. This person was still and swollen, and as white as the sheets he lay on. This was not her Dawson. She'd made up her mind. This person was an imposter that looked like Dawson right down to the friendship ring on his right index finger. Suddenly, Joey went completely numb inside. She reached out her hand and touched the ring. As she stroked his right hand, tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"It's really him Pacey," She sniffed. She closed her eyes and pain and opened them again to see the same image before her. "It's Dawson. Oh, it's Dawson Pacey! It's Dawson!" She sobbed. Pacey crushed her against him in an effort to calm her. Over and over, she repeated it. Pacey felt like hours had passed when she finally went silent. He could hear her soft breaths as she inhaled and exhaled against his shirt; she had cried her self to sleep. He gently picked her up and carried from the room. Those who were still in the room, including Jen, Jack, and Andie, looked up as Pacey exited the room with Joey in his arms. Mitch and Jack hurried to help him and Pacey allowed the older man to take her. Jen came up beside him.
"What happened?" She asked concerned for him and Joey.
Pacey met her eyes and sighed. "She got a massive dose of reality." He said. As he walked away Jen thought she heard him whisper something softly that sounded strangely like, "and so did I."
Pacey followed Mr. Leary to his car. The adult placed the sleeping Joey in the passenger seat and buckled her in, while Pacey went around and got in the driver's side. Mitch leaned his head into the open passenger window."
"Be careful Pacey...and drive safe."
"Yeah...thanks." Pacey answered and pulled off down the street.
*****
Pacey pulled into Joey's driveway twenty minutes later. As he shut the car off he could see her stir out of the corner of his eye. She moaned sleepily.
"Dawson?" She whispered groggily. Pacey lowered his head sadly. What could he tell her? She was asking for him but he wasn't there.
"It's me Pacey, Joey." He replied. "You know, your boyfriend." He whispered incoherently.
At the sound of his voice, she opened her eyes widely and surveyed his surroundings.
"Pacey? Where am I? Where's Dawson? Is he better? Did he wake up?" She filed off her questions left and right.
Pacey got out of the car and went around to her side. He opened the door and reached over her unbuckling her seat belt. He helped her out of the car and walked her up the steps and into the B&B. They reached her bedroom where her sister met them outside the door. She and Pacey ushered Joey into the room and into her bed.
"Thank you Pacey." Bessie Potter insisted, "I'll take it from here okay?"
"Yeah sure," he returned solemnly. He turned and started for the door. He was rather surprised to hear Joey call his name.
"Pacey!" He heard her cry. "Pacey, please don't go!"
He did a one eighty and immediately came to her side. "What is it Joey?"
She grabbed his shirt firmly. "Please Pacey, I need to know. What happened? Why aren't we at the hospital?" He eyes searched his frantically. Bessie started to protest.
"Joey, I don't think..."
"No Bess!" Joey turned on her. "What happened Pacey? Why aren't we still with Dawson?"
Pacey took a deep breath and glanced in Bessie's direction. "Alright Joey, I'll tell you. But the minute you start to get upset, I'm stopping." He replied sternly. Joey only nodded her head silently coercing Pacey to begin. Pacey sat down on the edge of her bed. He took one of her hands in his; taking a deep breath, he began. He told her about how she'd stepped into the hospital room and after one look at Dawson broke into tears. He explained how she'd cried herself to sleep and then how he'd carried her out of the room and allowed Mr. Leary to carry her to Pacey's car.
"I drove you home, and the rest...well you know." He finished.
Joey shook her head solemnly. "I feel so foolish."
"What?" Pacey countered.
Tears sprang to Joey's eyes for the millionth time. "I've been so brave so many other times, but the one time something really tragic happens, I can't hold it together."
"Joey please don't do this to yourself. It wasn't your fault."
"I know," She sobbed. "But it was my job to be a good friend. I should still be there, helping him, pulling for him."
"Loving him." Pacey whispered unintelligibly.
"What?" she paused.
"Nothing...nothing important. Listen..." He changed the subject. "I agreed to only tell you what happened if you didn't get upset."
"I know what you said Pacey! I just can't think about it without feeling like I should have done more! I should have stayed with him." She grabbed at the fringes of her comforter. "How could I be such a coward?"
Tears streamed down her face. She didn't have any control anymore. She could see the worried glances between Pacey and her sister. Unfortunately, she was too upset to speak. All she could do was cry. She could feel her body rocking back and forth as the tears fell.
To be continued....
So, how is it so far? Should I post chapter 6 or have you had enough?
Author's Note: I like really intense emotional hospital scenes....Be warned.
Chapter 5
They stepped inside the room, and immediately Joey's heart caught in her throat. She felt Pacey stiffen beside her. While both of them had been waiting, Joey and Pacey had established their own unique mental pictures of what they'd see, but neither of them had been prepared for what they were actually witnessing. Reality had slapped them both squarely in the face. Joey stumbled to a chair in shocked silence. She looked at the still, pale figure lying in the bed. His once shiny, well-groomed, blonde hair was wrapped in a bandage and plastered to his forehead by sweat and dried blood. His eyes were closed and swollen; there were cuts and bruises all over his face. They'd put some kind of tube down his throat to help him breathe and a cervical collar had been placed around his neck. Both arms were bandaged with only the fingers peeking out; his left leg was in a cast propped up in an over hanging sling.
This wasn't Dawson; it couldn't be. Dawson Leary was smart and funny and active, with pretty brown eyes and colored cheeks. This person was still and swollen, and as white as the sheets he lay on. This was not her Dawson. She'd made up her mind. This person was an imposter that looked like Dawson right down to the friendship ring on his right index finger. Suddenly, Joey went completely numb inside. She reached out her hand and touched the ring. As she stroked his right hand, tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"It's really him Pacey," She sniffed. She closed her eyes and pain and opened them again to see the same image before her. "It's Dawson. Oh, it's Dawson Pacey! It's Dawson!" She sobbed. Pacey crushed her against him in an effort to calm her. Over and over, she repeated it. Pacey felt like hours had passed when she finally went silent. He could hear her soft breaths as she inhaled and exhaled against his shirt; she had cried her self to sleep. He gently picked her up and carried from the room. Those who were still in the room, including Jen, Jack, and Andie, looked up as Pacey exited the room with Joey in his arms. Mitch and Jack hurried to help him and Pacey allowed the older man to take her. Jen came up beside him.
"What happened?" She asked concerned for him and Joey.
Pacey met her eyes and sighed. "She got a massive dose of reality." He said. As he walked away Jen thought she heard him whisper something softly that sounded strangely like, "and so did I."
Pacey followed Mr. Leary to his car. The adult placed the sleeping Joey in the passenger seat and buckled her in, while Pacey went around and got in the driver's side. Mitch leaned his head into the open passenger window."
"Be careful Pacey...and drive safe."
"Yeah...thanks." Pacey answered and pulled off down the street.
*****
Pacey pulled into Joey's driveway twenty minutes later. As he shut the car off he could see her stir out of the corner of his eye. She moaned sleepily.
"Dawson?" She whispered groggily. Pacey lowered his head sadly. What could he tell her? She was asking for him but he wasn't there.
"It's me Pacey, Joey." He replied. "You know, your boyfriend." He whispered incoherently.
At the sound of his voice, she opened her eyes widely and surveyed his surroundings.
"Pacey? Where am I? Where's Dawson? Is he better? Did he wake up?" She filed off her questions left and right.
Pacey got out of the car and went around to her side. He opened the door and reached over her unbuckling her seat belt. He helped her out of the car and walked her up the steps and into the B&B. They reached her bedroom where her sister met them outside the door. She and Pacey ushered Joey into the room and into her bed.
"Thank you Pacey." Bessie Potter insisted, "I'll take it from here okay?"
"Yeah sure," he returned solemnly. He turned and started for the door. He was rather surprised to hear Joey call his name.
"Pacey!" He heard her cry. "Pacey, please don't go!"
He did a one eighty and immediately came to her side. "What is it Joey?"
She grabbed his shirt firmly. "Please Pacey, I need to know. What happened? Why aren't we at the hospital?" He eyes searched his frantically. Bessie started to protest.
"Joey, I don't think..."
"No Bess!" Joey turned on her. "What happened Pacey? Why aren't we still with Dawson?"
Pacey took a deep breath and glanced in Bessie's direction. "Alright Joey, I'll tell you. But the minute you start to get upset, I'm stopping." He replied sternly. Joey only nodded her head silently coercing Pacey to begin. Pacey sat down on the edge of her bed. He took one of her hands in his; taking a deep breath, he began. He told her about how she'd stepped into the hospital room and after one look at Dawson broke into tears. He explained how she'd cried herself to sleep and then how he'd carried her out of the room and allowed Mr. Leary to carry her to Pacey's car.
"I drove you home, and the rest...well you know." He finished.
Joey shook her head solemnly. "I feel so foolish."
"What?" Pacey countered.
Tears sprang to Joey's eyes for the millionth time. "I've been so brave so many other times, but the one time something really tragic happens, I can't hold it together."
"Joey please don't do this to yourself. It wasn't your fault."
"I know," She sobbed. "But it was my job to be a good friend. I should still be there, helping him, pulling for him."
"Loving him." Pacey whispered unintelligibly.
"What?" she paused.
"Nothing...nothing important. Listen..." He changed the subject. "I agreed to only tell you what happened if you didn't get upset."
"I know what you said Pacey! I just can't think about it without feeling like I should have done more! I should have stayed with him." She grabbed at the fringes of her comforter. "How could I be such a coward?"
Tears streamed down her face. She didn't have any control anymore. She could see the worried glances between Pacey and her sister. Unfortunately, she was too upset to speak. All she could do was cry. She could feel her body rocking back and forth as the tears fell.
To be continued....
So, how is it so far? Should I post chapter 6 or have you had enough?