A/N: Sorry this update took so long! I've been really busy lately and I've
been kinda stuck. But now we're ready to roll! Here we go!
A/N: This chapter follows straight outta chapter 27...
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Chapter 28
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~~Nigel~~ "Why can't I feel my legs?" I stared at the two bumps my toes made in the sheet, my brain attempting to figure out what the hell was going on. "One of you...tell me what the hell is going on. Now."
"Nigel...are you certain you can't feel your legs?" Garret looked down at my feet. "They're not just strapped down?"
"No. I can't wiggle my toes either..." Fear shook my voice as I attempted to move my toes but had no feeling. "I can't move...what's wrong with me Garret?"
"We were afraid of this." He sat in a chair and dragged it over to my bed. "The doctors had a feeling that this might happen."
"Why? Because of my seizure?" I hadn't thrashed around that much, and even with that the medical team was piled on me so tight that I could barely move as it was. I couldn't have broken anything doing that.
The realization dawned on me. It was from the bullets. I'd been hit somewhere, somewhere bad. But I had been shot in the stomach...a bullet would have had to pass through a lot more that skin to get to my spinal cord. I looked down at my feet and then back up to Garret. He was nodding, he knew I'd figured it out. "The bullet?"
"Yeah. One of them hit your back and chipped a chunk of of one of the bones...the doctors think still that the paralysis is temporary due to the swelling you've got...at least they're hoping it is." He smiled at me. "It's most likely temporary..."
"What if it's not? What am I going to do if I can't walk? I sure as hell won't be able to work!" I glared down at my feet. "What did I do to deserve this?! All I do is go try to give a poor dead kid justice and I end up lying on my back in this goddamn hospital bed! Where's the bloody irony in that huh?! Justice sure was served...he bastard probably slipped away back into the cracks like the dirty rat that he is...and to what thanks do I get?! NONE! And I WON'T get any because the Boston P.D. will get their asses down on me for inciting the whole damn mess and lock me up!! I'll be crippled AND stuck in prison!" I stopped my bitching long enough to catch a few quick breaths. Had I been able to get up and throw something, I probably would have taken out a window or two. Jordan, Renee, Garret, and the nurse all were staring at me, slack-jawed at the outburst I'd just flung at them. I stared at them and then felt an immense amount of fear and sadness build up inside of me.
"I'm sorry guys...I'm just scared." I felt myself start to shake as I let my head fall back and hit the pillow behind me. I didn't even notice that I was starting to cry until I felt Jordan's hand on my cheek.
"Nige...it's alright...you're allowed to be scared.
I shook my head. "But, I-" I was cut off by Jordan's finger pressed to my lips.
"It's fine. Just relax..."
I swallowed deeply and shut my eyes, and attempted to stop the occasional tear from falling. I opened one eye however, at the tingling sensation I felt in my left arm.
Staring up at a nurse who was pushing a syringe of what I believed to be some sort of painkiller, I smiled weakly. Sure, I didn't want to goto sleep...but the warm fuzzy feeling that came along with a hit sure made me shut up and not care about anything else. I closed the eye again and slowly drifted into sleep, happily oblivious to the rest of my surroundings.
~~Jordan~~ I glanced over at Garret, who I could tell was extremely glad to see Nigel asleep and unable to throw another fit. I then looked at the nurse, quite curious as to what she'd used to put our raving British friend to sleep. She almost read my mind, and she smiled at me.
"Morphine. Works every time."
Making a mental note to stock up on some for my next run in with a bad boyfriend, I looked up at Renee who had now began heading for the door. "Where are you going?"
"I'm heading to my apartment to sleep...as it IS quite early in the morning and I have a job that I need to do in about six hours."
I looked down at my watch. So she was right. It didn't even seem like it was so early, but it was. "Ok." I then noticed that Garret was getting up to follow her. "Where are YOU going mister?"
"It's my weekend to have Abby, and I'm sure she's quite confused about where I am, if she's even still at the house. She probably called Maggie and told her that I wasn't there. My phone's been dead for a while now, so I wouldn't know." He paused. "I promise I'll stop by in the morning before work. You can go home too...he'll be out for a while with that dose of drugs he just got."
I shook my head. "No, I'm going to stay here for at least a little while. I don't want him to wake up alone..."
"Take tomorrow off. We can manage without you." He smiled at me as he walked out the door. "Call me if anything happens."
"I will Garret."
They both walked out, leaving me to sit and watch over Nigel. I concentrated on the shallow rise and fall of his chest, and starting thinking about what really could happen if he didn't walk again.
~~Garret~~ I walked silently down the hallway next to Renee, unsure of what to say to her. At the current moment, I didn't want to go home to an empty house, and I was pretty sure she didn't want to either. As we crossed through the emergency room while heading for the exit and the parking lot, she finally said something.
"What's the chance of Abby being at your house?"
"Slim to none." I looked over at her.
"Well...if she's not there, do you think I could come over and stay with you tonight? I'm not in the mood to be alone."
"Absolutely. I'm not in the mood either."
Smiling, I walked her across the neon lit parking lot to her car. When we got to it, she opened the door and climbed in. Before shutting the door however, she looked at me. "Thank you Garret."
"No problem. Just wait and follow me out, alright?"
"Sounds good to me." She shut the door, and I turned and began a slight jog to my car. I climbed in, plugged my phone into the charger, and started the car. I drove to where Renee was parked, and waited for her to back out to follow me.
The drive to the house was silent. I contemplated turning on the radio but my mind was stuck back at the hospital, staring at Nigel lying asleep on the bed. I slowly pulled into my driveway, not bothering to go into the garage. Sliding my key into the lock, I heard Renee get out of the car and wait a few steps behind me.
Opening the door, I walked in and turned on a few lights. I noticed a white sheet of paper lying on the floor in front of me, so I picked it up and read it.
Dad,
I guess you forgot it was your weekend. I tried calling you but your phone was dead, so I called mom and she came and picked me up. Don't worry, I'll try to come by and visit next weekend.
Love, Abby
I let the piece of paper fall onto the floor and motioned for Renee to come in. "She's not here, her mom came and picked her up." I threw my keys on a side table, my jacket onto the couch, and I turned to face Renee. "You can take my bed...I'll take the couch."
"Actually, I was hoping that you could...stay with me." She walked forwards and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I don't want to be alone."
I pulled her into my arms softly. "Neither do I." I started walking towards my room while keeping one arm around her waist. She was snuggling into my shoulder while walking with me, and I smiled at her.
She walked towards my bathroom and sighed. "Do you have any baggy clothes I could borrow to sleep in?"
I nodded, walking over to my dresser and opening the bottom drawer. Selecting an tee-shirt that would fit, I shut the drawer and then walked over to her. "Here."
"I'll get changed in here. You can change while I'm changing."
"Alright."
She shut the bathroom door behind her, and I crossed my floor to my closet. Pulling out a pair of loose scrub pants and a plain white tee-shirt, I quickly changed out of my work clothes and climbed into bed, turning off the light as I did so.
She emerged a few minutes later, flicking off the bathroom light and crawling into bed beside me. "You asleep yet?"
"No." I rolled over and faced her. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I didn't want to wake you up just so I could kiss you." She leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on my lips.
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to me, gently kissing her back. She nuzzled her head onto my chest, and I gently ran my fingers through her hair.
"Goodnight Garret."
"Goodnight Renee." I closed my eyes and smiled to myself as I felt her breathe a deep sigh. This was exactly what I needed...someone to be there next to me when I needed them the most. I quickly fell asleep, which was expected being that I'd been up for a very long time.
TBC...
***Thanks for reading, I promise next chapter will be longer, and remember, reviews are always enjoyed!***
A/N: This chapter follows straight outta chapter 27...
**********
Chapter 28
**********
~~Nigel~~ "Why can't I feel my legs?" I stared at the two bumps my toes made in the sheet, my brain attempting to figure out what the hell was going on. "One of you...tell me what the hell is going on. Now."
"Nigel...are you certain you can't feel your legs?" Garret looked down at my feet. "They're not just strapped down?"
"No. I can't wiggle my toes either..." Fear shook my voice as I attempted to move my toes but had no feeling. "I can't move...what's wrong with me Garret?"
"We were afraid of this." He sat in a chair and dragged it over to my bed. "The doctors had a feeling that this might happen."
"Why? Because of my seizure?" I hadn't thrashed around that much, and even with that the medical team was piled on me so tight that I could barely move as it was. I couldn't have broken anything doing that.
The realization dawned on me. It was from the bullets. I'd been hit somewhere, somewhere bad. But I had been shot in the stomach...a bullet would have had to pass through a lot more that skin to get to my spinal cord. I looked down at my feet and then back up to Garret. He was nodding, he knew I'd figured it out. "The bullet?"
"Yeah. One of them hit your back and chipped a chunk of of one of the bones...the doctors think still that the paralysis is temporary due to the swelling you've got...at least they're hoping it is." He smiled at me. "It's most likely temporary..."
"What if it's not? What am I going to do if I can't walk? I sure as hell won't be able to work!" I glared down at my feet. "What did I do to deserve this?! All I do is go try to give a poor dead kid justice and I end up lying on my back in this goddamn hospital bed! Where's the bloody irony in that huh?! Justice sure was served...he bastard probably slipped away back into the cracks like the dirty rat that he is...and to what thanks do I get?! NONE! And I WON'T get any because the Boston P.D. will get their asses down on me for inciting the whole damn mess and lock me up!! I'll be crippled AND stuck in prison!" I stopped my bitching long enough to catch a few quick breaths. Had I been able to get up and throw something, I probably would have taken out a window or two. Jordan, Renee, Garret, and the nurse all were staring at me, slack-jawed at the outburst I'd just flung at them. I stared at them and then felt an immense amount of fear and sadness build up inside of me.
"I'm sorry guys...I'm just scared." I felt myself start to shake as I let my head fall back and hit the pillow behind me. I didn't even notice that I was starting to cry until I felt Jordan's hand on my cheek.
"Nige...it's alright...you're allowed to be scared.
I shook my head. "But, I-" I was cut off by Jordan's finger pressed to my lips.
"It's fine. Just relax..."
I swallowed deeply and shut my eyes, and attempted to stop the occasional tear from falling. I opened one eye however, at the tingling sensation I felt in my left arm.
Staring up at a nurse who was pushing a syringe of what I believed to be some sort of painkiller, I smiled weakly. Sure, I didn't want to goto sleep...but the warm fuzzy feeling that came along with a hit sure made me shut up and not care about anything else. I closed the eye again and slowly drifted into sleep, happily oblivious to the rest of my surroundings.
~~Jordan~~ I glanced over at Garret, who I could tell was extremely glad to see Nigel asleep and unable to throw another fit. I then looked at the nurse, quite curious as to what she'd used to put our raving British friend to sleep. She almost read my mind, and she smiled at me.
"Morphine. Works every time."
Making a mental note to stock up on some for my next run in with a bad boyfriend, I looked up at Renee who had now began heading for the door. "Where are you going?"
"I'm heading to my apartment to sleep...as it IS quite early in the morning and I have a job that I need to do in about six hours."
I looked down at my watch. So she was right. It didn't even seem like it was so early, but it was. "Ok." I then noticed that Garret was getting up to follow her. "Where are YOU going mister?"
"It's my weekend to have Abby, and I'm sure she's quite confused about where I am, if she's even still at the house. She probably called Maggie and told her that I wasn't there. My phone's been dead for a while now, so I wouldn't know." He paused. "I promise I'll stop by in the morning before work. You can go home too...he'll be out for a while with that dose of drugs he just got."
I shook my head. "No, I'm going to stay here for at least a little while. I don't want him to wake up alone..."
"Take tomorrow off. We can manage without you." He smiled at me as he walked out the door. "Call me if anything happens."
"I will Garret."
They both walked out, leaving me to sit and watch over Nigel. I concentrated on the shallow rise and fall of his chest, and starting thinking about what really could happen if he didn't walk again.
~~Garret~~ I walked silently down the hallway next to Renee, unsure of what to say to her. At the current moment, I didn't want to go home to an empty house, and I was pretty sure she didn't want to either. As we crossed through the emergency room while heading for the exit and the parking lot, she finally said something.
"What's the chance of Abby being at your house?"
"Slim to none." I looked over at her.
"Well...if she's not there, do you think I could come over and stay with you tonight? I'm not in the mood to be alone."
"Absolutely. I'm not in the mood either."
Smiling, I walked her across the neon lit parking lot to her car. When we got to it, she opened the door and climbed in. Before shutting the door however, she looked at me. "Thank you Garret."
"No problem. Just wait and follow me out, alright?"
"Sounds good to me." She shut the door, and I turned and began a slight jog to my car. I climbed in, plugged my phone into the charger, and started the car. I drove to where Renee was parked, and waited for her to back out to follow me.
The drive to the house was silent. I contemplated turning on the radio but my mind was stuck back at the hospital, staring at Nigel lying asleep on the bed. I slowly pulled into my driveway, not bothering to go into the garage. Sliding my key into the lock, I heard Renee get out of the car and wait a few steps behind me.
Opening the door, I walked in and turned on a few lights. I noticed a white sheet of paper lying on the floor in front of me, so I picked it up and read it.
Dad,
I guess you forgot it was your weekend. I tried calling you but your phone was dead, so I called mom and she came and picked me up. Don't worry, I'll try to come by and visit next weekend.
Love, Abby
I let the piece of paper fall onto the floor and motioned for Renee to come in. "She's not here, her mom came and picked her up." I threw my keys on a side table, my jacket onto the couch, and I turned to face Renee. "You can take my bed...I'll take the couch."
"Actually, I was hoping that you could...stay with me." She walked forwards and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I don't want to be alone."
I pulled her into my arms softly. "Neither do I." I started walking towards my room while keeping one arm around her waist. She was snuggling into my shoulder while walking with me, and I smiled at her.
She walked towards my bathroom and sighed. "Do you have any baggy clothes I could borrow to sleep in?"
I nodded, walking over to my dresser and opening the bottom drawer. Selecting an tee-shirt that would fit, I shut the drawer and then walked over to her. "Here."
"I'll get changed in here. You can change while I'm changing."
"Alright."
She shut the bathroom door behind her, and I crossed my floor to my closet. Pulling out a pair of loose scrub pants and a plain white tee-shirt, I quickly changed out of my work clothes and climbed into bed, turning off the light as I did so.
She emerged a few minutes later, flicking off the bathroom light and crawling into bed beside me. "You asleep yet?"
"No." I rolled over and faced her. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I didn't want to wake you up just so I could kiss you." She leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on my lips.
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to me, gently kissing her back. She nuzzled her head onto my chest, and I gently ran my fingers through her hair.
"Goodnight Garret."
"Goodnight Renee." I closed my eyes and smiled to myself as I felt her breathe a deep sigh. This was exactly what I needed...someone to be there next to me when I needed them the most. I quickly fell asleep, which was expected being that I'd been up for a very long time.
TBC...
***Thanks for reading, I promise next chapter will be longer, and remember, reviews are always enjoyed!***