Author's Note: Thanks guys. I haven't done Fan Fictions in a while, so excuse me if I'm a little rusty on the next few chapters. Just to let ya'll know Sarah is probably not going to be included at all, since she's shipped off to boarding school. The setting is already into the school year, but right now it is Winter Vacation. 'course it's not gonna be too cold, though. It IS California. Alright? Alright.
Apalled yet broken-down Ava Gregory leaned into the shoulder of her former working partner, Susuannah. The two happened to be sharing a seat in Playa Linda's single hospital on the other side of town, surrounded by family. Nikki and Derrick were curled in the corner, each of their eyes glistening with fresh tears, while Jay and Johnny were on either side of their female friends, head tilted in their hands. Anyone who knew the family, as pieced together as they were, would know that a certain teenager was missing from the group. Well, he wasn't missing...not entirely. Bradin was just down the hallway. In the emergency room.
"I'm...I'm going to go see if the doctor has any updates about his condition." Ava whispered to anyone who was willing to listen. She wretched to her feet and shuffled in silence against the tiled floor, nearly stumbling into one of the surgeons and immediatly beginning to pour her soft-spoken concerns out in the open.
Susannah tore a trembling hand through her darkened hair and let a sigh escape her lips. She was never one to look at the downfall of things, but in cases like this, everything could change. Her eyes the color of fresh almonds blinked over at the adolscents in the corner and she reached to her high heeled feet, the soles clicking as she began over and kneeled between their chairs.
"You guys," she began gently. Neither of them even glanced over but she knew for a definate fact they were both listening.
"Bradin is going to be okay, so you don't have to worry."
Nikki could not help but let the tears flow freely down her cheeks, while Derrick's were a bit lighter. An expression of confusion and dissapointment all mixed into one was across his face.
"It isn't fair." the nine year old murmured under his breath.
Susannah's eyes gazed over at him in sorrow.
"I know it isn't fair, but sometime-"
"It isn't fair that Bradin gets to go to heaven with mom and dad, when we have to stay here. On earth."
His words were cut off by Ava nearly running down the hallway and sliding against the carpet in the waiting room. A hopeful gleam found itself in her tanned complexion.
"The doctor said, Bradin is going to be fine. He just got out of surgery for his leg. We can all go in and see him if you guys are quiet."
All five guests shot to their feet and began in a single file down the corridor, Ava stepping into the lead to make it six. She turned down to a second hall which was colored in splatters of pale blue and opened one of the off-white doors gently, as if afraid to awaken what was lying inside. Everyone could not help but supress a gasp to what met their attention.
Propped up only slightly on an overstuffed pillow was a head of sandy blonde hair, appearing to be quite stringy from lack of nutrition. The face masked behind the mop was an unhealthy pale, possibly from severe blood loss. His frame from the upper chest, left bare and plugged into several machines overhead by suction circles, was hidden in the grip of a white sheet, which was stained in faint marks of blood not yet washed away. Behind thin lashes Bradin's eyes were left loosely closed.
"I can't watch this." Jay's thick Australian accent croaked. He began to turn on his worn sandals but Johnny took him by the arm in order to keep him stablized.
"Oh my Gosh..." Nikki mumbled, more or less whined. Derrick was the only one who had the strength to move closer than the foot of the bed. His creaking steps paused in front of his older brother's torso.
"Bradin? Can you hear me?" A rather thin finger prodded at the sixteen year old's left hip bone. Ava stepped forward in order to hold her youngest nephew back but was denied by either of the male's arms.
It seemed like eternity to await an answer that would probably never come; just as Derrick began to depart into the back of the room a gentle groan pierced his ears. He spun around and his freckled face lit up with wonder.
"Bradin?"
Silence and tension was so thick one could slice it with a razor blade. Without so much as a sound the eyes of the patient flitted open to reveal the intense aquamarine gaze the family knew so well. Smiles and gasps of relief filed the room.
Bradin's fingers twitched against the safety bar of the bed in order to steady himself into a more formatable position. It was difficult to tell if he knew he had an audience close by, for his attention spand seemed stolen. As soon as his knees and lower body shuffled an uttering of sheer pain bubbled from his lips. Otherwise he came under the impression that he was not able to speak due to the ounces of medication flooding through his system.
Ava stared wide eyed at her nephew for some sort of acknowledgement. Her eyes nearly flinched at hearing him in agony. His eyes clenched close, muscles tightening quite a bit before collapsing back onto the pillow. In a split second Bradin soundlessly scanned the room and grew startled at the sight of his family.
"Honey, it's probably just because of the medication if you feel numb at all." Ava glued a soft smile across her face.
"Are you feeling any better?" Johnny questioned.
Jay was leaned against the doorway all the while. He was almost too shocked for words.
The sixteen year old remained silent.
Nikki nibbled on the inside of her cheeks and tilted her head at her brother.
"Do you feel any better, Bradin?"
No response.
No acknowledgement.
No answers.
Johnny could not be sure, but as he ran all five tanned digits through his own copper-like hair, he could not help but wonder if they were ever going to get an answer from his boy again.
Apalled yet broken-down Ava Gregory leaned into the shoulder of her former working partner, Susuannah. The two happened to be sharing a seat in Playa Linda's single hospital on the other side of town, surrounded by family. Nikki and Derrick were curled in the corner, each of their eyes glistening with fresh tears, while Jay and Johnny were on either side of their female friends, head tilted in their hands. Anyone who knew the family, as pieced together as they were, would know that a certain teenager was missing from the group. Well, he wasn't missing...not entirely. Bradin was just down the hallway. In the emergency room.
"I'm...I'm going to go see if the doctor has any updates about his condition." Ava whispered to anyone who was willing to listen. She wretched to her feet and shuffled in silence against the tiled floor, nearly stumbling into one of the surgeons and immediatly beginning to pour her soft-spoken concerns out in the open.
Susannah tore a trembling hand through her darkened hair and let a sigh escape her lips. She was never one to look at the downfall of things, but in cases like this, everything could change. Her eyes the color of fresh almonds blinked over at the adolscents in the corner and she reached to her high heeled feet, the soles clicking as she began over and kneeled between their chairs.
"You guys," she began gently. Neither of them even glanced over but she knew for a definate fact they were both listening.
"Bradin is going to be okay, so you don't have to worry."
Nikki could not help but let the tears flow freely down her cheeks, while Derrick's were a bit lighter. An expression of confusion and dissapointment all mixed into one was across his face.
"It isn't fair." the nine year old murmured under his breath.
Susannah's eyes gazed over at him in sorrow.
"I know it isn't fair, but sometime-"
"It isn't fair that Bradin gets to go to heaven with mom and dad, when we have to stay here. On earth."
His words were cut off by Ava nearly running down the hallway and sliding against the carpet in the waiting room. A hopeful gleam found itself in her tanned complexion.
"The doctor said, Bradin is going to be fine. He just got out of surgery for his leg. We can all go in and see him if you guys are quiet."
All five guests shot to their feet and began in a single file down the corridor, Ava stepping into the lead to make it six. She turned down to a second hall which was colored in splatters of pale blue and opened one of the off-white doors gently, as if afraid to awaken what was lying inside. Everyone could not help but supress a gasp to what met their attention.
Propped up only slightly on an overstuffed pillow was a head of sandy blonde hair, appearing to be quite stringy from lack of nutrition. The face masked behind the mop was an unhealthy pale, possibly from severe blood loss. His frame from the upper chest, left bare and plugged into several machines overhead by suction circles, was hidden in the grip of a white sheet, which was stained in faint marks of blood not yet washed away. Behind thin lashes Bradin's eyes were left loosely closed.
"I can't watch this." Jay's thick Australian accent croaked. He began to turn on his worn sandals but Johnny took him by the arm in order to keep him stablized.
"Oh my Gosh..." Nikki mumbled, more or less whined. Derrick was the only one who had the strength to move closer than the foot of the bed. His creaking steps paused in front of his older brother's torso.
"Bradin? Can you hear me?" A rather thin finger prodded at the sixteen year old's left hip bone. Ava stepped forward in order to hold her youngest nephew back but was denied by either of the male's arms.
It seemed like eternity to await an answer that would probably never come; just as Derrick began to depart into the back of the room a gentle groan pierced his ears. He spun around and his freckled face lit up with wonder.
"Bradin?"
Silence and tension was so thick one could slice it with a razor blade. Without so much as a sound the eyes of the patient flitted open to reveal the intense aquamarine gaze the family knew so well. Smiles and gasps of relief filed the room.
Bradin's fingers twitched against the safety bar of the bed in order to steady himself into a more formatable position. It was difficult to tell if he knew he had an audience close by, for his attention spand seemed stolen. As soon as his knees and lower body shuffled an uttering of sheer pain bubbled from his lips. Otherwise he came under the impression that he was not able to speak due to the ounces of medication flooding through his system.
Ava stared wide eyed at her nephew for some sort of acknowledgement. Her eyes nearly flinched at hearing him in agony. His eyes clenched close, muscles tightening quite a bit before collapsing back onto the pillow. In a split second Bradin soundlessly scanned the room and grew startled at the sight of his family.
"Honey, it's probably just because of the medication if you feel numb at all." Ava glued a soft smile across her face.
"Are you feeling any better?" Johnny questioned.
Jay was leaned against the doorway all the while. He was almost too shocked for words.
The sixteen year old remained silent.
Nikki nibbled on the inside of her cheeks and tilted her head at her brother.
"Do you feel any better, Bradin?"
No response.
No acknowledgement.
No answers.
Johnny could not be sure, but as he ran all five tanned digits through his own copper-like hair, he could not help but wonder if they were ever going to get an answer from his boy again.