**Chapter Twenty One**
Dom held her shoulders as all colour drained from her already bleak features. "What?! What's wrong?"
Corrin wasn't just upset, she was angry. She was so many things right now, her mind couldn't think straight. She looked at Letty and straightaway Letty knew who was responsible.
"You're fucking kidding me." Letty let out slowly. She shook her head in anger.
"Would somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?!" Dom shouted. Just then the phone began to ring. Everybody turned but nobody made a run for it besides Dom. "Hello?" he growled into the phone. The features on his face lightened as he listened and nodded. "Ok, we'll be in soon." He hung the phone up and headed for upstairs. "That was the hospital. Mia's awake and asking after us." He disappeared into the bedroom and left everyone downstairs.
Corrin knew what she had to do. There'd be plenty of time to let Dom know later. She grabbed her bag she had stashed in the closet, got changed in Mia's room into a pair of black cargo pants and a black woollen turtleneck, grabbed the keys to her car, then gassed it out of the house before anyone could know she was gone.
She drove for ages, trying to figure out a plan. But no matter where she went she always ended up out the front entrance of the hospital. She parked her baby and walked in, past the waiting room they had spent the night in.
"Can I help you ma'am?" the nurse behind the front counter asked with a pleasant smile on her face.
Corrin looked around, not really knowing what to do. "Uh, hi. Um, I was wondering if Brian O'Conner was allowed visitors yet? I know he's in a coma and all, I just, I need to see him."
The nurse frowned and looked sad. "I'm sorry but we only allow family to visit patients with such a serious condition. It must be hard to know your boyfriend like that?" she said offering a sympathetic smile.
"Oh gosh, no, he's not my boyfriend. His girlfriend was in the same accident. I'm his adoptive sister." Her accent giving her away.
The nurse looked at her sideways. "Well, in that case, he already has visitors with him so if you'd like to wait in the waiting room I'll come out when they've finished."
"Thank you." Corrin said, pushing away from the counter and gingerly walking toward the waiting room.
"Corrin? Hunny is that you?"
Corrin turned around and tears started to fall as she saw the person calling out to her. "Mom?" she cried as Brian's mother enveloped her in a hug. His mother was a wreck. "Dad!" she said as she gave them both a hug. "How are you guys? Where are you staying? When did you get here?" Corrin said as his mother broke down crying again.
"We're staying with some friends who live here. How have you been holding up?" his father said as he held back his emotion.
"I'm good. I am." She tried to convince them. "How is he?" they walked over and sat down on the couches in the waiting room.
Catherine, Brian's mom, wiped the tears from her face as she tried to find the words to explain. "It doesn't look good hunny. But he's a fighter and what we can see isn't always what he feels."
Corrin nodded, fearing the worse. "I'm so glad you guys are here." She began crying. They sat in the waiting room for an hour or so, calming each other down before Gary, Brian's dad, stood up and stretched.
"Well hunny, I'm gonna take your mom home to get some sleep. I think she'll feel a lot better knowing someone's here with him. You gonna be ok?" he asked as they all stood.
Corrin nodded whole-heartedly. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You guys go home and get some rest. You must be exhausted from travelling." She rubbed Catherine on her back.
"Oh, come here darling." She said hugging Corrin.
"I love you mom." Corrin said purposely pronouncing her mom instead of what she'd usually call her real mum back in New Zealand.
"Love you too hunny." Catherine said as she pulled away.
Corrin and Gary hugged, "I love you dad."
"You take care hunny. We'll see you later." He replied.
She watched as they disappeared down the end of the corridor. Time to go see him. The nurse led her into the intensive care unit and down into a corridor of rooms with buzzing machines and grief stricken people entering and leaving. 'God this place is depressing,' she thought.
She kept an eye out for Dom but Mia obviously must have been transferred to another area where she didn't require so much attention. The nurse pointed to the room and left her to do as she pleased. "Thank you." She whispered as she pushed the door open.
The ECM machine beeped above his head to the right. The light above him illuminated his face in an eerie halo of white. He had a tube come from his nose, from his mouth, patches on his chest, needles in his arms. She kept watching him as she walked over to the side of his bed. She ran a finger over the bandage wrapped around his forehead. He looked so peaceful. So innocent. She bent over and placed a small kiss on his forehead then sat down.
"Hey Brian." She said, sniffing away the tears. "How's it goin?" 'Yeah I don't feel stupid talking to myself.'
She looked over his body and noticed how frail he looked. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers. "Oh god Brian, what have I done? Why didn't I just tell someone? Why didn't I just tell you?" she wiped the tears blocking her view. "Because I'm too fucking stubborn that's why! Good ol' Corrin can take care of herself. Doesn't need anybody's help. And look what's happened." She cried as she hung her head in his hand. "Oh God, what have I done to you Brian? This is all my fault."
She stayed with her head on his hand for about an hour or two. It was about ten past ten when she finally came to and realised it was time for her to stop feeling sorry for herself and do something about the situation.
"I have to go Brian." She said a lot calmer and a lot together. She bent over and kissed him again before letting go of his hand. "Love you big brother."
She sat in her car in the parking lot wondering what she would do next. It was a Saturday night and what would he be doing right now? He'd be down at the strip. She smiled evilly as she turned the key in the ignition, put her foot on the gas and did a burnout of the car park.
"CORRIN!" Dom called as he ran to the car park. As he reached where her car had been parked he threw his hands up in frustration then disappeared in the smoke.
Dom held her shoulders as all colour drained from her already bleak features. "What?! What's wrong?"
Corrin wasn't just upset, she was angry. She was so many things right now, her mind couldn't think straight. She looked at Letty and straightaway Letty knew who was responsible.
"You're fucking kidding me." Letty let out slowly. She shook her head in anger.
"Would somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?!" Dom shouted. Just then the phone began to ring. Everybody turned but nobody made a run for it besides Dom. "Hello?" he growled into the phone. The features on his face lightened as he listened and nodded. "Ok, we'll be in soon." He hung the phone up and headed for upstairs. "That was the hospital. Mia's awake and asking after us." He disappeared into the bedroom and left everyone downstairs.
Corrin knew what she had to do. There'd be plenty of time to let Dom know later. She grabbed her bag she had stashed in the closet, got changed in Mia's room into a pair of black cargo pants and a black woollen turtleneck, grabbed the keys to her car, then gassed it out of the house before anyone could know she was gone.
She drove for ages, trying to figure out a plan. But no matter where she went she always ended up out the front entrance of the hospital. She parked her baby and walked in, past the waiting room they had spent the night in.
"Can I help you ma'am?" the nurse behind the front counter asked with a pleasant smile on her face.
Corrin looked around, not really knowing what to do. "Uh, hi. Um, I was wondering if Brian O'Conner was allowed visitors yet? I know he's in a coma and all, I just, I need to see him."
The nurse frowned and looked sad. "I'm sorry but we only allow family to visit patients with such a serious condition. It must be hard to know your boyfriend like that?" she said offering a sympathetic smile.
"Oh gosh, no, he's not my boyfriend. His girlfriend was in the same accident. I'm his adoptive sister." Her accent giving her away.
The nurse looked at her sideways. "Well, in that case, he already has visitors with him so if you'd like to wait in the waiting room I'll come out when they've finished."
"Thank you." Corrin said, pushing away from the counter and gingerly walking toward the waiting room.
"Corrin? Hunny is that you?"
Corrin turned around and tears started to fall as she saw the person calling out to her. "Mom?" she cried as Brian's mother enveloped her in a hug. His mother was a wreck. "Dad!" she said as she gave them both a hug. "How are you guys? Where are you staying? When did you get here?" Corrin said as his mother broke down crying again.
"We're staying with some friends who live here. How have you been holding up?" his father said as he held back his emotion.
"I'm good. I am." She tried to convince them. "How is he?" they walked over and sat down on the couches in the waiting room.
Catherine, Brian's mom, wiped the tears from her face as she tried to find the words to explain. "It doesn't look good hunny. But he's a fighter and what we can see isn't always what he feels."
Corrin nodded, fearing the worse. "I'm so glad you guys are here." She began crying. They sat in the waiting room for an hour or so, calming each other down before Gary, Brian's dad, stood up and stretched.
"Well hunny, I'm gonna take your mom home to get some sleep. I think she'll feel a lot better knowing someone's here with him. You gonna be ok?" he asked as they all stood.
Corrin nodded whole-heartedly. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You guys go home and get some rest. You must be exhausted from travelling." She rubbed Catherine on her back.
"Oh, come here darling." She said hugging Corrin.
"I love you mom." Corrin said purposely pronouncing her mom instead of what she'd usually call her real mum back in New Zealand.
"Love you too hunny." Catherine said as she pulled away.
Corrin and Gary hugged, "I love you dad."
"You take care hunny. We'll see you later." He replied.
She watched as they disappeared down the end of the corridor. Time to go see him. The nurse led her into the intensive care unit and down into a corridor of rooms with buzzing machines and grief stricken people entering and leaving. 'God this place is depressing,' she thought.
She kept an eye out for Dom but Mia obviously must have been transferred to another area where she didn't require so much attention. The nurse pointed to the room and left her to do as she pleased. "Thank you." She whispered as she pushed the door open.
The ECM machine beeped above his head to the right. The light above him illuminated his face in an eerie halo of white. He had a tube come from his nose, from his mouth, patches on his chest, needles in his arms. She kept watching him as she walked over to the side of his bed. She ran a finger over the bandage wrapped around his forehead. He looked so peaceful. So innocent. She bent over and placed a small kiss on his forehead then sat down.
"Hey Brian." She said, sniffing away the tears. "How's it goin?" 'Yeah I don't feel stupid talking to myself.'
She looked over his body and noticed how frail he looked. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers. "Oh god Brian, what have I done? Why didn't I just tell someone? Why didn't I just tell you?" she wiped the tears blocking her view. "Because I'm too fucking stubborn that's why! Good ol' Corrin can take care of herself. Doesn't need anybody's help. And look what's happened." She cried as she hung her head in his hand. "Oh God, what have I done to you Brian? This is all my fault."
She stayed with her head on his hand for about an hour or two. It was about ten past ten when she finally came to and realised it was time for her to stop feeling sorry for herself and do something about the situation.
"I have to go Brian." She said a lot calmer and a lot together. She bent over and kissed him again before letting go of his hand. "Love you big brother."
She sat in her car in the parking lot wondering what she would do next. It was a Saturday night and what would he be doing right now? He'd be down at the strip. She smiled evilly as she turned the key in the ignition, put her foot on the gas and did a burnout of the car park.
"CORRIN!" Dom called as he ran to the car park. As he reached where her car had been parked he threw his hands up in frustration then disappeared in the smoke.
