?
In a Heartbeat
Chapter Four- "They Say You Can Never Come Home Again"
* * *
Finally the fog of night lifted and daylight shown.
He opened his eyes and saw her sitting in a chair by his bed,. Only she wasn't sitting. The upper part of her body lay sprawled across his legs. His blue eyes wandered curiously across the room. He struggled to remember the fire… Tyler's mind was to hazy. He could only remember the few times he had been conscious . Doctors, Nurses and his parent's worried faces.
He didn't know why they were so worried. He was fine. A few burns from the fire and that was all.
Right?
Val moaned softly as she opened her eyes. Her slender body sat up, rubbing the sleep from them. She reached for the coffee when she saw him.
"Tyler?"
He smiled weakly, confined past the tubes and machines that held him to the bed and this earth. Tyler motioned to his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
"The doctors put a tube down your throat. That's why you can't talk." she muttered, reaching over to hug him. He winced slightly. Sharp pain was starting to go through his chest and arms. But not in his legs- before the pain in them was so intolerable that it was beyond words, now they felt like they weren't there.
Val noticed, "I think your pain meds are wearing off. I'll get the nurse."
Tyler nodded slowly to her and watched Val leave the room. He noticed that his room was located right outside the nurses station. Was he in ICU? How bad off am I? He wondered as he drifted back into the world of night.
* * *
"Honey?….Tyler wake up…"
Tyler heard vaguely. He didn't want to wake up. Sleeping meant not knowing. He didn't want to find out what was wrong. If he didn't open his eyes, then he could go on pretending that the pain in his chest and arms was nothing to worry about, that numbness in his legs was normal. That-
"Tyler, please don't go! Sweetie, I need you !" he heard his mother yell. "Doctor do something! Don't let my son die."
Die? What was she talking about? He certainly wasn't dying. The fog and night was just letting him sleep. Where he was couldn't be heaven.
Could it?
"We're doing the best we can." a female voice called , then turned to someone else. "Get her out of here."
"Charge to fifty!"
"Clear!"
He didn't want to die.
* * *
Jamie sighed as he sat down next to Hank. "How is he?"
Hank rubbed his neck and let out a breath. "It's the second time he's crashed. The doctors are trying to start his heart."
"Damn it." Jamie muttered. He didn't know how to deal with what was happening to Tyler. Normally he just laughed or made a joke. But when things became serious , he didn't know what to say or do. He was just a puppet. Whose motions and actions were just at the hands of someone else.
"Have you seen Val or Caitie?" Hank questioned.
"Mrs. Stein sent her home with Caitie."
"Good… She hasn't been getting any sleep."
"Yeah." Jamie nodded. "Want some coffee?"
"Sure."
"Okay, I'll be right back." he said , relieved to be getting away.
*
~Five days later~
*Ring*
Sleepily Val turned around and faced the clock. 4 am. She clumsily reached for the phone, knocking down several items to the floor as well. "Hello?"
"Val, it's Tyler." Jamie spoke.
She sat up quick. "He's okay, right? He's not…dead?"
Jamie laughed happily. 'No, no he is okay. Actually he just woke up, and the doctor thinks that if no more infections set in, he should be okay…but there are some complications…"
"I'll be right there."
* * *
"Mom, why isn't anyone telling me anything?" Tyler asked, the tube finally out of his mouth.
"Not telling you what?" the woman replied innocently.
"Mom."
"We don't want to worry you honey. Maybe in a couple more days."
"Please?"
*
"You received some first and second degree burns from the fire. However our main concern is you legs."
"What's wrong with them?"
"You damaged part of you spine. Leaving you now, paralyzed from the waist down. We did surgery on it, but we haven't been able to repair it completely."
Tyler felt as if the ceiling had fallen on him again. Paralyzed? He had know something was with his legs….but not this.
"Will I walk again?"
"Until the swelling goes down, we can't be sure. However, you're young and strong. In time, perhaps you may get back some mobility."
May? If? Some? How could he not walk? He tried to imagine life confined to a wheelchair. All the things he loved , would only be a memory. Football. Being an EMT. Val. He doubt she'd want a boyfriend who couldn't walk. Sure, at first she'd say it was fine. But in time, he knew she'd drift away.
* * *
A/N: See, you guys finally find out what's wrong with Tyler. I bet you thought he was going to die. Well, I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think. =)
In a Heartbeat
Chapter Four- "They Say You Can Never Come Home Again"
* * *
Finally the fog of night lifted and daylight shown.
He opened his eyes and saw her sitting in a chair by his bed,. Only she wasn't sitting. The upper part of her body lay sprawled across his legs. His blue eyes wandered curiously across the room. He struggled to remember the fire… Tyler's mind was to hazy. He could only remember the few times he had been conscious . Doctors, Nurses and his parent's worried faces.
He didn't know why they were so worried. He was fine. A few burns from the fire and that was all.
Right?
Val moaned softly as she opened her eyes. Her slender body sat up, rubbing the sleep from them. She reached for the coffee when she saw him.
"Tyler?"
He smiled weakly, confined past the tubes and machines that held him to the bed and this earth. Tyler motioned to his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
"The doctors put a tube down your throat. That's why you can't talk." she muttered, reaching over to hug him. He winced slightly. Sharp pain was starting to go through his chest and arms. But not in his legs- before the pain in them was so intolerable that it was beyond words, now they felt like they weren't there.
Val noticed, "I think your pain meds are wearing off. I'll get the nurse."
Tyler nodded slowly to her and watched Val leave the room. He noticed that his room was located right outside the nurses station. Was he in ICU? How bad off am I? He wondered as he drifted back into the world of night.
* * *
"Honey?….Tyler wake up…"
Tyler heard vaguely. He didn't want to wake up. Sleeping meant not knowing. He didn't want to find out what was wrong. If he didn't open his eyes, then he could go on pretending that the pain in his chest and arms was nothing to worry about, that numbness in his legs was normal. That-
"Tyler, please don't go! Sweetie, I need you !" he heard his mother yell. "Doctor do something! Don't let my son die."
Die? What was she talking about? He certainly wasn't dying. The fog and night was just letting him sleep. Where he was couldn't be heaven.
Could it?
"We're doing the best we can." a female voice called , then turned to someone else. "Get her out of here."
"Charge to fifty!"
"Clear!"
He didn't want to die.
* * *
Jamie sighed as he sat down next to Hank. "How is he?"
Hank rubbed his neck and let out a breath. "It's the second time he's crashed. The doctors are trying to start his heart."
"Damn it." Jamie muttered. He didn't know how to deal with what was happening to Tyler. Normally he just laughed or made a joke. But when things became serious , he didn't know what to say or do. He was just a puppet. Whose motions and actions were just at the hands of someone else.
"Have you seen Val or Caitie?" Hank questioned.
"Mrs. Stein sent her home with Caitie."
"Good… She hasn't been getting any sleep."
"Yeah." Jamie nodded. "Want some coffee?"
"Sure."
"Okay, I'll be right back." he said , relieved to be getting away.
*
~Five days later~
*Ring*
Sleepily Val turned around and faced the clock. 4 am. She clumsily reached for the phone, knocking down several items to the floor as well. "Hello?"
"Val, it's Tyler." Jamie spoke.
She sat up quick. "He's okay, right? He's not…dead?"
Jamie laughed happily. 'No, no he is okay. Actually he just woke up, and the doctor thinks that if no more infections set in, he should be okay…but there are some complications…"
"I'll be right there."
* * *
"Mom, why isn't anyone telling me anything?" Tyler asked, the tube finally out of his mouth.
"Not telling you what?" the woman replied innocently.
"Mom."
"We don't want to worry you honey. Maybe in a couple more days."
"Please?"
*
"You received some first and second degree burns from the fire. However our main concern is you legs."
"What's wrong with them?"
"You damaged part of you spine. Leaving you now, paralyzed from the waist down. We did surgery on it, but we haven't been able to repair it completely."
Tyler felt as if the ceiling had fallen on him again. Paralyzed? He had know something was with his legs….but not this.
"Will I walk again?"
"Until the swelling goes down, we can't be sure. However, you're young and strong. In time, perhaps you may get back some mobility."
May? If? Some? How could he not walk? He tried to imagine life confined to a wheelchair. All the things he loved , would only be a memory. Football. Being an EMT. Val. He doubt she'd want a boyfriend who couldn't walk. Sure, at first she'd say it was fine. But in time, he knew she'd drift away.
* * *
A/N: See, you guys finally find out what's wrong with Tyler. I bet you thought he was going to die. Well, I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think. =)