Authors Note: I not gonna give some stupid excuse for not updating or
apologise or anything because you can only do that so many times. Truth is,
this whole writing thing, just ain't the same as it used to be for me you
know? It's like that thing that made me love writing, that made the things
I wrote at least sound semi decent is gone. So I'm gonna finish this season
and take some time off. Hopefully I'll come back to the story because I
have a whole heap of ideas for the next season.
Chapter 49 | Blame
"Eli, sweetie, why don't you go home and get some rest" Lily said softly, resting her hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
Eli barely raised his head, tearing his eyes away from Grace as he looked up at Lily. "I want to be here" he spoke softly.
It was almost 15 hours after the accident, and Eli had not left Graces side, not once. He'd sat there holding her hand, from the moment they had walked through the door, taking in the site of Graces limp body, her pale skin, the tubes which connected her to about 5 different machines, the steady beeps from the monitors beside her bed, not once letting go.
"I know, but if anything happens we'll let you know"
"I can't" Eli shook his head, "it's my fault that she'd here. Damn it!" he yelled frustrated, "she was supposed to wake up hours ago. What if . . ." he trailed off, unable to bring himself to say the words.
Lily pulled up a seat next to Eli, who was fighting back tears. Pushing her hair roughly from her face she shook her head, "you can't think like that Eli, you have to stay positive, for Grace's sake. She will wake up" she said forcefully, "she just needs time to rest. But when she does wake up she's going to need you. You can't blame yourself."
Eli raised his head and met Lily's eyes defiantly, "If anything happens to her, that's exactly what everyone will do. I might as well get used to it"
* * * * * * * * * *
"I've never seen him like this before" Rick said worriedly his ex wife, who squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"It'll be okay Rick." Karen said softly.
"How can you say that?" Rick whirled around to face her. "Grace was supposed to wake up hours ago, the doctors have no idea what's wrong with her, her friends dead and Eli blames himself. Tell me how everything will be okay"
The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Rick to stop talking and turn around to find two police officers standing behind him.
"Officer Adam Bond. I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm looking for Eli Sammler?"
"My son hasn't done anything wrong" Rick said firmly.
[Rick- It's amazing how good it felt to actually say those words. My son hasn't done anything wrong. Its one sentence I never expected to say]
"Yes sir, but we need to ask him a few questions about the accident. It's just a standard precaution. Nothing to worry about"
* * * * * * * * * *
"So what did you do when you first realized that you had been in an accident?"
Eli looked at the table as images of Grace flooded into his mind. "I climbed into the front seat because neither of them answered when I called" Eli paused for a second before looking up to meet Officer Bond's eyes. He'd almost laughed when the cop had introduced himself.
"And that's when I saw her"
Officer Bond nodded, "Who did you see?"
"Grace" Eli said swallowing. "She was leaning against the door, her head lying on the dashboard. I wanted to help her, but then when I turned around I saw Matt" Eli closed his eyes in obvious distress.
"It's alright, take your time"
Eli fought back tears which had formed in his eyes as he spoke. "I knew he was hurt. Really hurt. He was squashed up against the steering wheel and the blood" Eli shook his head at the memory, "I checked his wrist for a pulse. It was weak but once I found it I turned back to Grace. I didn't want to make things worse by moving him" Eli stumbled over his words as he was unable to hold the tears back. "I . . . it's my . . . I should of"
"Why don't we take a break for a few minutes" the female officer offered from where she sat in the corner of the room.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jake ran into the hospital, followed closely by a woman. "She'll be alright Jake"
"How can you say that?" He snapped angrily, "All Lily said was that there had been an accident and not to worry. But what am I supposed to do" Jake said whirling around to face her, "My daughter was in a car accident. And I wasn't here. Instead I was on a holiday which I really couldn't afford in the first place" Jake strode off down the hall, approaching the first nurse he saw he asked,
"Could you tell me where my daughter is? Grace Manning? How is she?" he asked worriedly.
"Are you a relative?" the nurse asked impatiently, looking down at her clipboard.
"I'm her father"
"Room 208"
* * * * * * * * * *
Eli glanced hurriedly at his watch as he strode down the hospitals hallway to where Rick and Grace's father Jake stood, deep in conversation. 3 hours, he shook his head angrily. 3 hours and then all they can say is 'Thank you for your time, you're free to go?'
In 3 hours anything could have happened, she could have woken up, or she could have. Well Eli didn't want to let him self think about that. She meant too much to him to even consider it, although he knew it was a possibility.
Rick looked up as Eli stood towards them, an anxious look on his face.
"How is she?" Eli asked, not quite sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"She's still the same, although the doctor's said they could sense a bit more brain activity so that's a good sign" Rick said, trying to stay positive.
Jake who had been quiet until then practically exploded, "Damn it!" his loud voice pierced through the quietness of the hospital hallway.
"My daughter is in there" Jake pointed towards the doorway "In a coma, because of you. You don't even have a right to be here" he yelled angrily, stepping towards Eli, who stood there, his eyes on the ground, shoulders hunched as if in shame.
Rick stepped in between Jake and his son, "Don't you dare talk to my son like that. He did the right thing by not driving. You may be upset but it was an accident. It was no ones fault" Rick said with a surprising calmness.
Jake stood there looking sort of stunned, as if he hadn't even realised that the words he'd said had actually came from his own mouth.
"Eli I am so-" he began to apologise taking a step towards him.
Eli shook his head, "No your right, I shouldn't never have asked him to drive. And now his dead" he said painfully, "and Grace . . . how is she ever going to forgive? I killed her boyfriend, " Eli stopped still as the realisation of his words washed over him. "I killed someone"
Chapter 49 | Blame
"Eli, sweetie, why don't you go home and get some rest" Lily said softly, resting her hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
Eli barely raised his head, tearing his eyes away from Grace as he looked up at Lily. "I want to be here" he spoke softly.
It was almost 15 hours after the accident, and Eli had not left Graces side, not once. He'd sat there holding her hand, from the moment they had walked through the door, taking in the site of Graces limp body, her pale skin, the tubes which connected her to about 5 different machines, the steady beeps from the monitors beside her bed, not once letting go.
"I know, but if anything happens we'll let you know"
"I can't" Eli shook his head, "it's my fault that she'd here. Damn it!" he yelled frustrated, "she was supposed to wake up hours ago. What if . . ." he trailed off, unable to bring himself to say the words.
Lily pulled up a seat next to Eli, who was fighting back tears. Pushing her hair roughly from her face she shook her head, "you can't think like that Eli, you have to stay positive, for Grace's sake. She will wake up" she said forcefully, "she just needs time to rest. But when she does wake up she's going to need you. You can't blame yourself."
Eli raised his head and met Lily's eyes defiantly, "If anything happens to her, that's exactly what everyone will do. I might as well get used to it"
* * * * * * * * * *
"I've never seen him like this before" Rick said worriedly his ex wife, who squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"It'll be okay Rick." Karen said softly.
"How can you say that?" Rick whirled around to face her. "Grace was supposed to wake up hours ago, the doctors have no idea what's wrong with her, her friends dead and Eli blames himself. Tell me how everything will be okay"
The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Rick to stop talking and turn around to find two police officers standing behind him.
"Officer Adam Bond. I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm looking for Eli Sammler?"
"My son hasn't done anything wrong" Rick said firmly.
[Rick- It's amazing how good it felt to actually say those words. My son hasn't done anything wrong. Its one sentence I never expected to say]
"Yes sir, but we need to ask him a few questions about the accident. It's just a standard precaution. Nothing to worry about"
* * * * * * * * * *
"So what did you do when you first realized that you had been in an accident?"
Eli looked at the table as images of Grace flooded into his mind. "I climbed into the front seat because neither of them answered when I called" Eli paused for a second before looking up to meet Officer Bond's eyes. He'd almost laughed when the cop had introduced himself.
"And that's when I saw her"
Officer Bond nodded, "Who did you see?"
"Grace" Eli said swallowing. "She was leaning against the door, her head lying on the dashboard. I wanted to help her, but then when I turned around I saw Matt" Eli closed his eyes in obvious distress.
"It's alright, take your time"
Eli fought back tears which had formed in his eyes as he spoke. "I knew he was hurt. Really hurt. He was squashed up against the steering wheel and the blood" Eli shook his head at the memory, "I checked his wrist for a pulse. It was weak but once I found it I turned back to Grace. I didn't want to make things worse by moving him" Eli stumbled over his words as he was unable to hold the tears back. "I . . . it's my . . . I should of"
"Why don't we take a break for a few minutes" the female officer offered from where she sat in the corner of the room.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jake ran into the hospital, followed closely by a woman. "She'll be alright Jake"
"How can you say that?" He snapped angrily, "All Lily said was that there had been an accident and not to worry. But what am I supposed to do" Jake said whirling around to face her, "My daughter was in a car accident. And I wasn't here. Instead I was on a holiday which I really couldn't afford in the first place" Jake strode off down the hall, approaching the first nurse he saw he asked,
"Could you tell me where my daughter is? Grace Manning? How is she?" he asked worriedly.
"Are you a relative?" the nurse asked impatiently, looking down at her clipboard.
"I'm her father"
"Room 208"
* * * * * * * * * *
Eli glanced hurriedly at his watch as he strode down the hospitals hallway to where Rick and Grace's father Jake stood, deep in conversation. 3 hours, he shook his head angrily. 3 hours and then all they can say is 'Thank you for your time, you're free to go?'
In 3 hours anything could have happened, she could have woken up, or she could have. Well Eli didn't want to let him self think about that. She meant too much to him to even consider it, although he knew it was a possibility.
Rick looked up as Eli stood towards them, an anxious look on his face.
"How is she?" Eli asked, not quite sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"She's still the same, although the doctor's said they could sense a bit more brain activity so that's a good sign" Rick said, trying to stay positive.
Jake who had been quiet until then practically exploded, "Damn it!" his loud voice pierced through the quietness of the hospital hallway.
"My daughter is in there" Jake pointed towards the doorway "In a coma, because of you. You don't even have a right to be here" he yelled angrily, stepping towards Eli, who stood there, his eyes on the ground, shoulders hunched as if in shame.
Rick stepped in between Jake and his son, "Don't you dare talk to my son like that. He did the right thing by not driving. You may be upset but it was an accident. It was no ones fault" Rick said with a surprising calmness.
Jake stood there looking sort of stunned, as if he hadn't even realised that the words he'd said had actually came from his own mouth.
"Eli I am so-" he began to apologise taking a step towards him.
Eli shook his head, "No your right, I shouldn't never have asked him to drive. And now his dead" he said painfully, "and Grace . . . how is she ever going to forgive? I killed her boyfriend, " Eli stopped still as the realisation of his words washed over him. "I killed someone"