AN: I know it's been a couple of days.Busy Busy Busy.Any who Thanks For
the Reviews.Here's the next part.
Four hours and a hot shower later, Richie was on his way back to the hospital. It hadn't taken him as long as he thought it would to match cords with lyrics. In fact it had come out better than he thought it would. Go figure.
He parked the car and made his way into the hospital. He passed nurse Brighton who had the sense to keep her mouth shut. She just put her head down and continued doing whatever it was that she had been doing.
Richie arrived back in Dri's room to see Joe sitting and one side of the bed, and (to his surprise) Duncan on the other. Both men looked up when they saw him walk in.
"Mac, what are you doing here?" Richie asked setting his guitar in the corner. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon."
"I left as soon as the funeral was over," Duncan told him. "Joe had told me what was going on."
"Oh, I see." Richie said looking down.
Duncan sighed and walked over to him. "Richie look at me."
Richie slowly looked up. "I'm sorry Mac."
Duncan looked perplexed. "Sorry for what?"
"I know I should have brought her sooner," He said frantically. "I mean she wouldn't be like this if I."
"Richie, Richie, calm down," Duncan said putting a hand on his shoulder. "This was not your fault. You didn't know she had appendicitis any more than I did. If anything I should have brought her before I left. It's nobody's fault do you understand?"
"But.."
"It's not your fault tough guy."
Richie sighed and nodded.
"Now, since we have that settled," The Highlander said putting his arm around Richie's shoulders. "What's the guitar for."
"Um.well, I," Richie looked down and blushed.
"What?" Duncan asked.
He was interrupted by Dri moaning. The two of them quickly walked over to the bed.
"Dri?" Richie said, seeing if she was awake.
"Mm..Mac?" She said slightly opening her eyes.
"Yeah sweet heart, it's me."
"Thought you were in Paris," She said weakly.
He smiled at her. "Couldn't stay there with you sick here."
"So I ruined your plans again."
"Nah, I went to the funeral. That's all I went for. Besides my friend is dead. You're alive. I wanted to be here for you."
Dri's began to cry soft, silent tears.
"Hey now," Mac said wiping a tear away with his thumb. "Why are you crying? Are you in pain?"
She slowly shook her head.
"Then what's wrong?"
She sniffed and looked away. "I'm scared. I mean I know if I die I become immortal, but I'm not ready to die. Not like this."
"You're not going to die," Duncan told her. "The Doctor expects you to make a full recovery."
"Then why do I feel so awful?" She sniffed again. "Why am I so scared?"
More tears fell rolled down her flushed cheeks. Richie sat on the bed on the other side of her.
"You're scared because you're human," Mac told her. "You're scared because it's normal to be scared in a situation like this."
"I've been through so much worse," She half laughed. "You wouldn't think this would bother me."
Joe said, "Just because you've been through a lot doesn't mean you have to be strong all the time. It's okay to let others take care of you."
"I hate being so weak," Dri protested. "I hate feeling so helpless and scared."
"Everyone does," Richie told her. "I know I do when I'm in a situation I where I can't do anything."
She looked at him. "I'm tired of being scared. I'm tired of being in pain Richie. I just want to be happy."
The three men all exchanged a glance. They all knew how much Dri had been through. They all knew the pain she had endured. She still had the scars to show for it. Ever since she had been living with Duncan she had tried to put the past behind her. Tried to live a normal life, but it seems every time she would settle down in her new life, something would throw it off course.
"Dri you will be happy," The Highlander said. "This is just a minor setback."
She shook her head. "No Mac, I don't think I'm supposed to be happy."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean look at everything I've been through in my life. It doesn't get any easier. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but face it every time I come close to happiness, something stops me from getting there. For some off the wall reason, I am meant to be miserable and in pain."
All of the men in the room had their mouths hanging open.
"You can't mean that," Richie said. "You know it isn't true."
"Isn't it?" She asked with as much strength as she had. Of course that wasn't much. "I take back what I said earlier. If this is what it means to live, then I don't want to live anymore. Just take my head now, so I don't have to live like this anymore." She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side.
"Dri.." Mac began.
"Please, just leave," She cut him off.
"No," Mac stated simply.
"Mac go! I just want to be alone!"
"No," He replied just as calmly. "I'm not going to leave you in this room alone to wallow in self pity. You may want to be alone, but what you need is to be with people who care about you. Look at me Dri."
She slowly turned her gaze to look at him. Her eyes were glazed over from a mixture of drugs and tears. Her cheeks were stained from tears that already fallen.
"I love you.WE love you and if you think that we're going to sit here and let you fall into a depression over this you are wrong," He wiped a freshly fallen tear from her face. "You are not meant to suffer your whole life. The people you've been around weren't exactly model citizens. You did not bring this upon yourself, do you understand? THEY, THEY hurt you. You did nothing. It was THEM."
Dri started crying harder. Duncan was about to lean in to embrace her, when suddenly her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
"Dri?" Richie asked, fear in his voice.
Dri's body started twitching and convulsing hard. Duncan began holding down her arms, so that she wouldn't rip the IV's out.
"Get the Doctor quick!" He yelled.
Richie darted out of the room, returning just as quick with Dr.McDugan and a few nurses.
"Nurse, get them out of here," She shouted over her shoulder as she started tending to Dri.
An older nurse, who was a bit round, firmly, but gently pushed them out of the room, closing the door behind him. Duncan started pacing the corridor, while Richie just stood there, staring at the door.
"Come on," Joe said. "Let's sit in the waiting room."
Duncan nodded. "All right."
He and Joe began walking and turned back when they realized that Richie was still staring at the door. Duncan walked back to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on tough guy. They'll come and get us when they're ready."
He pulled him a little and reluctantly Richie walked down the corridor with Duncan's arms around his shoulders.
TBC~~Please Review
Four hours and a hot shower later, Richie was on his way back to the hospital. It hadn't taken him as long as he thought it would to match cords with lyrics. In fact it had come out better than he thought it would. Go figure.
He parked the car and made his way into the hospital. He passed nurse Brighton who had the sense to keep her mouth shut. She just put her head down and continued doing whatever it was that she had been doing.
Richie arrived back in Dri's room to see Joe sitting and one side of the bed, and (to his surprise) Duncan on the other. Both men looked up when they saw him walk in.
"Mac, what are you doing here?" Richie asked setting his guitar in the corner. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon."
"I left as soon as the funeral was over," Duncan told him. "Joe had told me what was going on."
"Oh, I see." Richie said looking down.
Duncan sighed and walked over to him. "Richie look at me."
Richie slowly looked up. "I'm sorry Mac."
Duncan looked perplexed. "Sorry for what?"
"I know I should have brought her sooner," He said frantically. "I mean she wouldn't be like this if I."
"Richie, Richie, calm down," Duncan said putting a hand on his shoulder. "This was not your fault. You didn't know she had appendicitis any more than I did. If anything I should have brought her before I left. It's nobody's fault do you understand?"
"But.."
"It's not your fault tough guy."
Richie sighed and nodded.
"Now, since we have that settled," The Highlander said putting his arm around Richie's shoulders. "What's the guitar for."
"Um.well, I," Richie looked down and blushed.
"What?" Duncan asked.
He was interrupted by Dri moaning. The two of them quickly walked over to the bed.
"Dri?" Richie said, seeing if she was awake.
"Mm..Mac?" She said slightly opening her eyes.
"Yeah sweet heart, it's me."
"Thought you were in Paris," She said weakly.
He smiled at her. "Couldn't stay there with you sick here."
"So I ruined your plans again."
"Nah, I went to the funeral. That's all I went for. Besides my friend is dead. You're alive. I wanted to be here for you."
Dri's began to cry soft, silent tears.
"Hey now," Mac said wiping a tear away with his thumb. "Why are you crying? Are you in pain?"
She slowly shook her head.
"Then what's wrong?"
She sniffed and looked away. "I'm scared. I mean I know if I die I become immortal, but I'm not ready to die. Not like this."
"You're not going to die," Duncan told her. "The Doctor expects you to make a full recovery."
"Then why do I feel so awful?" She sniffed again. "Why am I so scared?"
More tears fell rolled down her flushed cheeks. Richie sat on the bed on the other side of her.
"You're scared because you're human," Mac told her. "You're scared because it's normal to be scared in a situation like this."
"I've been through so much worse," She half laughed. "You wouldn't think this would bother me."
Joe said, "Just because you've been through a lot doesn't mean you have to be strong all the time. It's okay to let others take care of you."
"I hate being so weak," Dri protested. "I hate feeling so helpless and scared."
"Everyone does," Richie told her. "I know I do when I'm in a situation I where I can't do anything."
She looked at him. "I'm tired of being scared. I'm tired of being in pain Richie. I just want to be happy."
The three men all exchanged a glance. They all knew how much Dri had been through. They all knew the pain she had endured. She still had the scars to show for it. Ever since she had been living with Duncan she had tried to put the past behind her. Tried to live a normal life, but it seems every time she would settle down in her new life, something would throw it off course.
"Dri you will be happy," The Highlander said. "This is just a minor setback."
She shook her head. "No Mac, I don't think I'm supposed to be happy."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean look at everything I've been through in my life. It doesn't get any easier. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but face it every time I come close to happiness, something stops me from getting there. For some off the wall reason, I am meant to be miserable and in pain."
All of the men in the room had their mouths hanging open.
"You can't mean that," Richie said. "You know it isn't true."
"Isn't it?" She asked with as much strength as she had. Of course that wasn't much. "I take back what I said earlier. If this is what it means to live, then I don't want to live anymore. Just take my head now, so I don't have to live like this anymore." She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side.
"Dri.." Mac began.
"Please, just leave," She cut him off.
"No," Mac stated simply.
"Mac go! I just want to be alone!"
"No," He replied just as calmly. "I'm not going to leave you in this room alone to wallow in self pity. You may want to be alone, but what you need is to be with people who care about you. Look at me Dri."
She slowly turned her gaze to look at him. Her eyes were glazed over from a mixture of drugs and tears. Her cheeks were stained from tears that already fallen.
"I love you.WE love you and if you think that we're going to sit here and let you fall into a depression over this you are wrong," He wiped a freshly fallen tear from her face. "You are not meant to suffer your whole life. The people you've been around weren't exactly model citizens. You did not bring this upon yourself, do you understand? THEY, THEY hurt you. You did nothing. It was THEM."
Dri started crying harder. Duncan was about to lean in to embrace her, when suddenly her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
"Dri?" Richie asked, fear in his voice.
Dri's body started twitching and convulsing hard. Duncan began holding down her arms, so that she wouldn't rip the IV's out.
"Get the Doctor quick!" He yelled.
Richie darted out of the room, returning just as quick with Dr.McDugan and a few nurses.
"Nurse, get them out of here," She shouted over her shoulder as she started tending to Dri.
An older nurse, who was a bit round, firmly, but gently pushed them out of the room, closing the door behind him. Duncan started pacing the corridor, while Richie just stood there, staring at the door.
"Come on," Joe said. "Let's sit in the waiting room."
Duncan nodded. "All right."
He and Joe began walking and turned back when they realized that Richie was still staring at the door. Duncan walked back to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on tough guy. They'll come and get us when they're ready."
He pulled him a little and reluctantly Richie walked down the corridor with Duncan's arms around his shoulders.
TBC~~Please Review
