**Chapter Seventeen**
"Brian suffered the impact of the accident."
Corrin shook her head. "Wait, hold up a minute here. Now, what accident, nobody has said shit about an accident. I want to know the full story." Corrin demanded.
"The car they were driving along was hit by another vehicle coming out of a side street going 120mph. The car they were travelling in slammed straight into a power pole on the passenger's side. The side intrusion bars on the drivers side probably saved Mia's life, but were unable to take the force off the passenger." He explained.
Corrin couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Dr Smith thought it best to continue, let everything sink in at once. "Brian is in a coma. And in the unlikely event of him ever waking up from that coma, there is a 90 per cent chance he will be clinically brain-dead."
"Oh god no." Corrin broke down crying. Dom got off his chair and held her through her sobs.
Dr Smith looked away, allowing them their moment. "I am sorry." He said before getting up and leaving the room for Dom and Corrin to be alone.
She pulled away. "Oh god Dom, what's gonna happen? Does that mean we have to turn the machine off? How could this have happened?"
It killed Dom to see anyone hurting like this. "We'll figure something out baby. I promise. But right now he just gotta hope for that ten per cent chance of him wakin' up fine. Ok?"
She broke down in sobs again as he kissed her forehead and held her close.
"Do you think they've heard by now?" Vince asked as he paced back and forth. They had all woken up to find Dom and Corrin missing and expected them to be back any minute with news on Mia and Brian.
"I don't know bro." Leon said quietly. The mood in the room was depressing.
Letty looked up, her soulful eyes casting a glance on Dom holding Corrin as he they walked back to the waiting room. "Oh shit, what happened?" she said as she jumped off the couch and ran up to give them both a hug. "How's Mia? And Brian, what about Brian?" she asked eager to rest her mind at ease.
Dom let Corrin walk over to the couch to sit. He watched her as he replied, "Mia's good. She'll be fine. It's Brian. He's not lookin' so great." He rubbed his head and it finally hit him how tired he was.
Letty sighed. "How bad is he?"
"He's in a coma, and if he ever wakes up from that, he'd be a vegetable. He took the impact. Shit!" he said sitting down. He felt somehow responsible for this.
Letty sat down and rubbed his back. "It'll be all good Dom. You watch." She reassured him.
He raised an eyebrow as he lifted his head from his hands. "Since when did you become so optimistic?" he laughed, only a little.
"Since I dumped yo ass and realised there was life after Dominic Toretto." She joked, giving him a playful shove.
He smiled then looked over and saw how expressionless Corrin was for once. She didn't have that light about her, that glow. He got up and walked toward her, kneeling in front of her and holding her hands. "You need some sleep." She stared blankly at the floor beside him. "Come on, I'll get one of the guys to take you back to my place and you can stay there. I don't want you to be alone." She still didn't move. It was like she was in a trance. "Corrin? Babe what's up?"
She moved her head and stared blankly at Dom. "I can't leave Dom. I have to stay with Brian. I have to know he's ok."
Dom got off the ground and sat beside her. "We're here. I'll stay and wait."
"No! I'm staying." She said, hardening herself up. Listen to yourself Corrin. You sound pathetic!
"That's fine. You can do that." He stood up seeing a nurse walk by then quickly ran after her. "Excuse me? I was wondering if you knew when Mia Toretto or Brian O'Conner could have visitors?" he asked.
She smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry but after a surgical procedure it's usually best to leave visiting for a day or two. Give the patient time to recuperate a little." She smiled then walked off down the hallway. He turned around like he had been shot down and walked back to the group. "Looks like we're of no use around here folks. Lets go home and get some rest, all of us."
Corrin stood and grabbed her jacket. She wouldn't have left if he was staying but she knew if he was leaving too that meant no visitors were allowed. It was now 7 in the morning and the cool LA morning sun had been replaced with dark grey clouds.
"Well. We should head back to our own houses. Give us a breather, you know. Dom, if you hear anything, anything at all, call us." Letty said as she gathered Leon and Jesse up off the couch.
"Will do. You guys take care." Corrin walked up to him and just hugged him. "What was that for?" he asked, a little stunned that she was the one hugging him.
Corrin pulled back and smiled. "You looked like you needed a hug."
Brushing a strand of hair from her face he pulled her closer and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Come on. Lets go before we become a part of the furniture."
They pulled up the drive in Dom's RX-7. Corrin was thankful that the weather was miserable. She liked the heat, but she especially loved the sound of rain on a roof. She held his hand as she rested her head on his shoulders. "Are you ok Dom?" she asked, just curious to see how he was taking everything.
He opened the door and they walked inside, kicking the odd beer bottle out of the way. "I'd be better if this place wasn't such a mess." He frowned at the leftovers of the party last night.
Corrin took her jacket off and placed it on the hook, then took Dom's off and did the same. "Well, why don't you take a bath or a shower or whatever and I'll make a start on this place." She said as she pushed him slightly toward the staircase.
"No way, you're just as tired as I am and this is my house. You go have a bath first or whatever and I'll clean up." He protested trying to get past her tall figure.
"No! Now go Mr Toretto before I seriously get psycho!" she laughed a little to lighten the air. She leaned in and gave him the best kiss they had had so far.
"If you insist." He bounded up the stairs, taking three steps at a time.
Corrin turned around and inspected the mess. "What have I got myself into?" she evaluated the piles of empty cans and bottles on the floor and rubbish for miles. It was a good way to get her mind off everything though. Especially the thought of losing the only sibling she's known forever.
"Brian suffered the impact of the accident."
Corrin shook her head. "Wait, hold up a minute here. Now, what accident, nobody has said shit about an accident. I want to know the full story." Corrin demanded.
"The car they were driving along was hit by another vehicle coming out of a side street going 120mph. The car they were travelling in slammed straight into a power pole on the passenger's side. The side intrusion bars on the drivers side probably saved Mia's life, but were unable to take the force off the passenger." He explained.
Corrin couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Dr Smith thought it best to continue, let everything sink in at once. "Brian is in a coma. And in the unlikely event of him ever waking up from that coma, there is a 90 per cent chance he will be clinically brain-dead."
"Oh god no." Corrin broke down crying. Dom got off his chair and held her through her sobs.
Dr Smith looked away, allowing them their moment. "I am sorry." He said before getting up and leaving the room for Dom and Corrin to be alone.
She pulled away. "Oh god Dom, what's gonna happen? Does that mean we have to turn the machine off? How could this have happened?"
It killed Dom to see anyone hurting like this. "We'll figure something out baby. I promise. But right now he just gotta hope for that ten per cent chance of him wakin' up fine. Ok?"
She broke down in sobs again as he kissed her forehead and held her close.
"Do you think they've heard by now?" Vince asked as he paced back and forth. They had all woken up to find Dom and Corrin missing and expected them to be back any minute with news on Mia and Brian.
"I don't know bro." Leon said quietly. The mood in the room was depressing.
Letty looked up, her soulful eyes casting a glance on Dom holding Corrin as he they walked back to the waiting room. "Oh shit, what happened?" she said as she jumped off the couch and ran up to give them both a hug. "How's Mia? And Brian, what about Brian?" she asked eager to rest her mind at ease.
Dom let Corrin walk over to the couch to sit. He watched her as he replied, "Mia's good. She'll be fine. It's Brian. He's not lookin' so great." He rubbed his head and it finally hit him how tired he was.
Letty sighed. "How bad is he?"
"He's in a coma, and if he ever wakes up from that, he'd be a vegetable. He took the impact. Shit!" he said sitting down. He felt somehow responsible for this.
Letty sat down and rubbed his back. "It'll be all good Dom. You watch." She reassured him.
He raised an eyebrow as he lifted his head from his hands. "Since when did you become so optimistic?" he laughed, only a little.
"Since I dumped yo ass and realised there was life after Dominic Toretto." She joked, giving him a playful shove.
He smiled then looked over and saw how expressionless Corrin was for once. She didn't have that light about her, that glow. He got up and walked toward her, kneeling in front of her and holding her hands. "You need some sleep." She stared blankly at the floor beside him. "Come on, I'll get one of the guys to take you back to my place and you can stay there. I don't want you to be alone." She still didn't move. It was like she was in a trance. "Corrin? Babe what's up?"
She moved her head and stared blankly at Dom. "I can't leave Dom. I have to stay with Brian. I have to know he's ok."
Dom got off the ground and sat beside her. "We're here. I'll stay and wait."
"No! I'm staying." She said, hardening herself up. Listen to yourself Corrin. You sound pathetic!
"That's fine. You can do that." He stood up seeing a nurse walk by then quickly ran after her. "Excuse me? I was wondering if you knew when Mia Toretto or Brian O'Conner could have visitors?" he asked.
She smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry but after a surgical procedure it's usually best to leave visiting for a day or two. Give the patient time to recuperate a little." She smiled then walked off down the hallway. He turned around like he had been shot down and walked back to the group. "Looks like we're of no use around here folks. Lets go home and get some rest, all of us."
Corrin stood and grabbed her jacket. She wouldn't have left if he was staying but she knew if he was leaving too that meant no visitors were allowed. It was now 7 in the morning and the cool LA morning sun had been replaced with dark grey clouds.
"Well. We should head back to our own houses. Give us a breather, you know. Dom, if you hear anything, anything at all, call us." Letty said as she gathered Leon and Jesse up off the couch.
"Will do. You guys take care." Corrin walked up to him and just hugged him. "What was that for?" he asked, a little stunned that she was the one hugging him.
Corrin pulled back and smiled. "You looked like you needed a hug."
Brushing a strand of hair from her face he pulled her closer and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Come on. Lets go before we become a part of the furniture."
They pulled up the drive in Dom's RX-7. Corrin was thankful that the weather was miserable. She liked the heat, but she especially loved the sound of rain on a roof. She held his hand as she rested her head on his shoulders. "Are you ok Dom?" she asked, just curious to see how he was taking everything.
He opened the door and they walked inside, kicking the odd beer bottle out of the way. "I'd be better if this place wasn't such a mess." He frowned at the leftovers of the party last night.
Corrin took her jacket off and placed it on the hook, then took Dom's off and did the same. "Well, why don't you take a bath or a shower or whatever and I'll make a start on this place." She said as she pushed him slightly toward the staircase.
"No way, you're just as tired as I am and this is my house. You go have a bath first or whatever and I'll clean up." He protested trying to get past her tall figure.
"No! Now go Mr Toretto before I seriously get psycho!" she laughed a little to lighten the air. She leaned in and gave him the best kiss they had had so far.
"If you insist." He bounded up the stairs, taking three steps at a time.
Corrin turned around and inspected the mess. "What have I got myself into?" she evaluated the piles of empty cans and bottles on the floor and rubbish for miles. It was a good way to get her mind off everything though. Especially the thought of losing the only sibling she's known forever.
