Chapter
10
I don't own the Higher Ground characters except Jessie and Dani, as well as any other children that may appear.
Ezra rubbed his eyes. Dani was screaming at the top of her lungs. Shelby must have slept through it again. He rolled over and prepared to sit up when he saw Scott putting his pants on.
"I'll get her," Scott said. He didn't leave Ezra any time to argue. He walked out into the early morning sunrise.
Scott walked into the girls' cabin and shut the door. No wonder Daisy, Kat, or Jules had gotten up with the baby. They weren't here. Shelby was asleep on her bed. She didn't make any move when he touched her. He went to Dani's crib and picked her up.
The door opened and Daisy walked in. She stood in the doorway and smiled at the image of Scott walking back and forth with Danielle in his arms. She looked past him to see Shelby on the bed. A chill ran through her. She wouldn't have. She couldn't have. God, please say she didn't.
She walked past Scott to Shelby. She rolled her over and got no response from Shelby. She felt for a pulse. There was none.
By this time Scott had set Dani in the crib and was at her side. Daisy yelled for him to do something, to get someone. He ran out.
Daisy stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do. Unsure of what to think. Kat came in and said that Scott was looking for Peter or Sophie. Daisy helped Kat get Shelby flat on the bed and Kat began doing CPR. It was only a few seconds before Peter raced in followed by Scott and Sophie, cell phone in hand.
Sophie began talking rapidly into the phone. Peter took over for Kat doing CPR, but she still helped. Scott paced around the room with Dani, never taking his eyes off Shelby. He was crying.
Everyone was doing something useful except for her. The room spun around her and her knees threatened to give way. Strong arms came around her.
She turned around and started sobbing into Ezra's chest. He was crying too. Together they stood in a warm embrace while chaos swarmed around them.
The ambulance came and Scott couldn't take his eyes off them as they loaded Shelby into the back. Juliette had come and gotten Danielle from Scott, saying he couldn't handle anymore right now.
The ambulance sped away and Scott sat down on the steps and cried. Sophie came over to them with an officer.
"Scott, we need to know what happened," Sophie said gently. The cop beside her didn't look too friendly.
"I don't know," Scott mumbled. "I just don't know."
The officer sighed loudly, causing both Scott and Sophie to glare at him. "I need to know what happened."
"I walked into the room and picked up Dani, who was crying. Shelby's back was turned to me. I thought she was sleeping," he said, still glaring at the cop.
The cop looked at him incredulously. "You mean to tell me you thought she was sleeping through her baby screaming?"
"She has before," Scott said stubbornly. Truth was, he'd been asking himself the same question. Did he really think Shelby had been sleeping? He had at the time, but know he wasn't so sure.
He was aware of the officer talking again, but Scott wasn't listening. He got up and walked away. He heard Sophie calling him back, but when he turned around, she was smiling at him.
Peter sat in the hospital waiting room. It had been 10 minutes since he'd first come in here. Since she'd been taken in that room. He tapped his foot nervously.
A doctor came out. Peter stood, only to have the doctor walk right past him to someone else. Peter walked to the coffee machine on the wall and got a coffee. Usually he would get decaff, but right now he needed that extra boost.
Another doctor came out, but Peter stayed seated. The doctor came up to him. This time Peter did stand up.
"Mr. Scarborow," the doctor said gravelly. "I'm Dr. Marlena Evans."
Peter shook Dr. Evans's hand. "How is Shelby? Can I see her? Is she all right?"
"Mr. Scarborow, we have reason to believe Shelby was trying to commit suicide," Dr. Evans informed him seriously.
"What? She wouldn't have...She couldn't have...How?" Peter asked, not sure what to believe.
"She took an overdose of sleeping pills. Someone doesn't usually overdose on sleeping pills unless they have a reason."
Peter ran his hand through his hair. Why would Shelby try to kill herself? It just didn't make sense. Unless...
"Will she be all right?" Peter asked.
"She's fine, for now. She needs to stay on the hospital so we can watch her. We need to see if she's stable enough to be released."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Peter said. "Can I see her? Can I talk to her?"
"Of course you can," Dr. Evans assured him. "Follow me." She led him down the hall to Shelby's room.
Shelby was sleeping when Peter went in. He sat in a chair by her bed and took her hand in his. She looked so small and pale lying in the hospital bed.
I don't own any of them Higher Ground characters except Jessie and Dani, as well as any other children that may appear. Dr. Marlena Evans is a character from the soap Days of Our Lives. Enjoy! Sorry it's so short. It's a combination of no time and writer's block.
Peter sat there holding her small hand for what seemed like hours before she stirred. He gently brushed her hair from her forehead as he waited for her to open her eyes.
"Peter," she whispered before the tears started. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry." He held her while she cried, not saying anything.
"Why are you sorry, Shel?" he asked, taking a different approach than what he'd planned. "What did you do?"
"I just thought...I just...I don't know..." she couldn't seem to find the right words to make him understand. "I wasn't thinking," she said quietly after a few moments.
"If things were that bad, Shel-," he said before she cut him off.
"They weren't that bad," she said. "They really weren't. I was handling Jess being gone, I was handling Dani, I was handling Jessie being there. But when she...When I saw them together, and I mean together, I just felt like it was all coming down on me at once."
"It's perfectly natural to feel that way," Peter assured her, seeing the look of panic on her face. "You lose your sister, your ex shows up with this mystery girl, and you have to take care of a baby on top of all that. How could you not feel like the whole world is on your shoulders?"
"How is Dani?" she asked anxiously. "Is she all right? Is someone taking care of her?"
"Of course," Peter told her reassuringly. "Ezra has insisted on always being with her, but Daisy and the girls convince him to take a break every now and then."
Shelby giggled, but then was silent. "What's going to happen to me, Peter?" she asked after a while.
"I'm going to see if they'll let me take you back to Horizon, seeing as I'm qualified to. I think you'd be more comfortable there, anyway."
"And I trust you and Sophie more than I trust anyone here," she muttered.
"That'll factor in too," Peter said with a grin.
Back at Horizon, everyone was worrying themselves' sick. Auggie gripped Juliette's hand, hoping she wouldn't make another run to the bathroom.
Ezra sat on the couch with Daisy, holding Danielle. Kat and Hank stood in front of the fireplace talking quietly to Sophie.
Scott sat in a chair by himself. How could I, he thought. She trusted me. How could I betray her trust? She did this because of me. I'm to blame. He got up and stalked out of the room.
Scott was outside on the docks when Jessie came over to him. "Hey, Scotty," she purred.
Scott pushed her away, gently but hard enough to get his point across. "It's over. Period. No more. It was a mistake, Jessie. A BIG mistake."
"How can you say it was a mistake?" she asked, rubbing against him. She went up behind him, grabbing him around the waist. "That was the best thing I've ever done."
"How could it be a mistake? I'll tell you," Scott bellowed. "The girl I love, the girl I worship, is in the hospital because she tried to kill herself. And she tried to kill herself because of me. Because of us." His voice broke and he sunk to the ground, sobbing. Jessie went closer to comfort, but Daisy swooped in.
"Stay away from him," she hissed. "Leave him alone." Jessie sputtered words filled with venom and stalked away.
Daisy sat down beside Scott. She touched his shoulder. He looked at her, eyes shining with tears.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't tell me," she said with a touch of bitterness in her voice. "Tell Shelby."
"How did you know? I mean, how did you know what she did?"
"I don't know. Best friend intuition, I guess," she said. "I didn't actually know. I was hoping it wasn't true, but..."
"I'm sorry," Scott said again. He put his head in his hands. "God, how could I be so stupid? I love her. I need her. And she needs me. Her sister died and I was throwing it in her face. And then I slept with Jessie. I don't even know why I did it. I really don't."
"Maybe because you felt like she betrayed you when she confided in Ezra," Daisy said quietly.
"Maybe I did," Scott said. "Maybe I did."
"Good news," Peter sang out as he entered Shelby's hospital room later that night. She looked up, amused. It wasn't often Peter got this animated.
"So..." She said. "What's the good news?"
"They're releasing you to my custody tomorrow morning," he said. "You're going back to Horizon."
Shelby paled slightly. "Do they know?" she asked. "Do they know what happened? Why I'm here?"
"I'm not sure," Peter said slowly. "I don't think Sophie told them, but I'm sure they could put things together."
"Great," she muttered. Seeing Peter look at her concerned, she said, "I mean, great that there isn't going to be any secrets."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's what you meant," Peter said.
