Hi guys! Thank you so much for your reviews. The response from the last chapter was amazing. I told you I'd get up another one by the end of the week so here it is:) I'll let you get on with it now. Thanks again for the reviews!
PART II- Chapter 13.
Syd's POV"Michael… I'm afraid I have some bad news."
I could see the fear flash through Vaughn's eyes that very second as I gripped harder on to his hand. His body tensed up under my touch and he immediately furrowed his forehead in concern.
"Oh god. Please don't tell me something went wrong." Vaughn pleaded frantically.
"Your mother is resting and she's made it through the surgery. But, the surgery was such a long process and she was cut open for a long period of time, an infection has developed in her stomach. Fluids have started to form and there's a possibility she could go into shock." Dr. Martin explained.
"Is it bad? Is she going to make it out of it?" He asked, hoping Dr. Martin would have good news.
"We don't know, Michael. We are fairly confident that we got all of the cancer cells and your mother's tumor was fully removed. But, the infection could be dangerous. The fluids sitting in her stomach is not a good sign. We are treating her with intense antibiotics right now and she's still heavily sedated. If we can get rid of this infection, your mother can recover. She's up in room 1104. You may go see her immediately." Patting Vaughn comfortingly on the shoulder, Dr. Martin walked back down the hallway.
The breath all of us were unconsciously holding all came out in relief. The four of us were expecting the worst after Dr. Martin told us she had bad news. I was frightened that Vaughn was going to run out of the room before Dr. Martin even spoke.
"I thought she was gone Syd." Vaughn sighed, wrapping his arms around me.
"I know sweetie."
"It's not over yet. She still has to beat this infection. I swear to god, this is never going to end."
"Yes it will, Vaughn." I told him as I stroked the side of his face. "She made it through the worst part. Come on, let's go see her."
After convincing Francie and Weiss that they weren't intruding, the four of us made our way up to the 11th floor. Amélie looked to be resting comfortably when we walked in with just an IV and oxygen mask hooked up to her.
Vaughn walked over and lifted the blanket over her frail body in attempt to make sure she was warm enough. Taking a seat in one of the chairs in the corner of the room, Weiss grabbed the remote control and flipped on the television.
"Damn, this room is bigger than mine at home. Does this thing have cable?" He asked quietly.
"Weiss, we're not at a hotel! Get your feet off of there!" Francie hissed, hitting the bottom of Weiss' legs that had been propped up on a table. "Guys, if you want us to leave so you guys have your privacy, I understand."
"Francie, it's fine. I'd really like it if you guys stayed." Vaughn reassured her.
Nurses walked in and out of the room constantly, taking Amélie's blood pressure and checking her vitals. For the most part, we attempted to stay quiet, but Weiss would constantly would be breaking equipment in the room or laughing loudly at the TV.
Finally, Francie volunteered her and Weiss to pick up dinner just so Weiss would stop messing around. As soon as they left, I looked at Vaughn's tired eyes and realized the emotion spent on the day has wore him out.
With his head propped on his elbow, he sat staring at the heart rate monitor that softly beeped in the corner.
"You ok?" I asked, reaching out and running my hand up and down his bare arm.
"Yeah, you know, I just want her to wake up already."
"I'm sure she will. She's under antibiotics and heavy pain medication so she's going to be out for a while. Maybe we should take a walk or something. It'd be good to get some fresh air." I suggested.
"Ok. That sounds like a good idea."
After exiting through the sliding glass doors, I wrapped my arm around Vaughn's waist as we strolled toward the big park a few blocks away from the hospital. The sun was slowly setting in the sky, but the air was still crisp causing me to pull my jacket tighter around my body.
A comfortable silence hit the both of us while we breathed in the fresh air and took in our surroundings. The trees lined up side by side on the streets were bare of leaves giving the real Winter feel to Los Angeles. Considering we didn't have anything close to snow, it was the closest to Winter that we ever had.
Stopping as we reached a wooden bench, Vaughn and I sat closely together at the end of the park watching several children playing tag near the swing set.
"I miss those days." Vaughn sighed, rubbing his hands together quickly for warmth.
"I know. We were so innocent as kids."
"Don't you remember that one Christmas, maybe when you were 5, that your mom bought you that bright pink bike with rainbow tassels hanging from the handles?"
"Yes, the one you made me fall off of?" I teased.
"I didn't make you fall off the bike, Syd. I just told you it was easier if you take the training wheels off."
"I didn't have that bike for more than a week before you convinced me that training wheels were for little kids. Right after my dad took the training wheels off, I fell in your driveway and scraped my knee. Do you remember that? Your dad carried me into the house cause I wouldn't stop crying."
"Of course I remember. Then you kissed me on the cheek because I gave you that red lollipop after my dad cleaned up your knee."
Leaning his head down, Vaughn placed a playful kiss on my nose before brushing a few strands of hair away from my face.
"I can't believe you remember me kissing you on the cheek." I said surprised.
"I could never forget… you were my first kiss."
Snuggling deeper into his embrace, I laid my head on his shoulder and enjoyed the warmth radiating from his body. We smiled, watching the little kids play their game and reminiscing in our own heads of all our childhood memories.
"So, I was talking to Weiss today…" Vaughn interrupted the silence. "And I was explaining to him that I'm not going back to San Francisco at the end of the month. I'm going to have to take off another semester Syd."
"I figured." I whispered disappointedly.
"I'm so sorry Sydney. I know that everything is going wrong right now cause we were supposed to move in together and having the times of our lives in college, but my mom still has to go through radiation and I can't leave her."
"Oh Vaughn, you don't have to apologize. I know what you're priorities are and it's fine. I want you to stay with your mom. Don't worry about it, ok? We have all the time in the world to move in together." I responded.
"I know, I just can't help but feel left out sometimes. I feel that I'm missing out on so much when I'm down here. I'm missing all of the movie nights and parties you guys are going to. I'm missing a whole year of school, which is going to set me back and screw over my plans of graduating in 4 years. But mostly, being away from you is the hardest. I don't know what I'm going to do when you have to go back again, Syd."
"Lets not think about that right now. We can worry about that later." I told him, kissing his lips softly.
We sat on the bench a little bit longer, enjoying the fresh air until it got too cold and began to walk back to the hospital. By that time my hands and feet were freezing and I clung to Vaughn for body heat.
I was in bad need of coffee or hot chocolate after we reached the hospital. Luckily, Weiss and Francie had already returned and read my mind. Handing me my coffee, Weiss reminded me that he decided to not order my usual decaf since I'd most like be needing the energy.
While Vaughn walked back into the room to check on his mom, Weiss, Francie and I took seats in the much smaller waiting room on the 11th floor and munched on the snacks that they brought back from the store.
"I think it's really sweet the way Michael is with his Mom. He's so caring and protective. You can tell they're really close." Francie told me, sipping slowly on her coffee.
"They've always been close. Even when we were growing up, Vaughn always made sure she was cared for. He's worried though. I wish I could cheer him up."
"God, Syd. You are so lucky. Michael is the type of guy all of us single girls are looking for. It's a rare kind of breed where guys are that good looking and come with the full package."
"I know, I am lucky, aren't I?" I sighed, glancing Vaughn's way as he strolled back to the waiting room.
"So is he good in bed?"
"Francie!" I yelled surprised.
"What? Sydney, I have no boyfriend. I am getting no action. I'm behind Weiss for god's sake. At least clue me in a little!"
"He's French. So what do you think?" I joked.
"My mom's still sleeping. I don't think she's going to wake up any time soon. What are you guys talking about?" Vaughn questioned curiously, taking a seat next to me and grabbing his Gatorade off of the table.
"Oh, just girl stuff." I replied as I snuck a smirk at Fran.
Vaughn's POVI was getting a little worried about my mother since she still hadn't awaken from her surgery and it was far passed visiting hours. The nurses had agreed to let the four of us stay as long as we didn't make any noise and kept the door closed.
Francie and Weiss, even with our insistence to get some rest, told us they weren't going to until my mother had woken up. It was hard knowing if she was in any pain or resting comfortably since she hadn't moved since they brought her in.
I grimaced as I looked down at her hand and saw the purple and blue marks forming around the needle of the IV. I was worried the infection was getting worse and we didn't know it because she was unconscious.
Glancing over at Syd, she gave me a comforting smile before picking up my hand. Just then, Weiss' cell phone rang loudly, disturbing Francie of her nap while she glared at Weiss.
To no one's surprise, it was Emily phoning up Weiss to tell him that she was going to bed. The three of us rolled our eyes and wanted to gag ourselves after we overheard Emily calling Weiss her teddy bear. I hadn't even met the girl before and she was already beginning to annoy me.
I seriously thought Francie was about to throw the hospital chair in his direction after he played the, 'You hang up!' 'No you hang up!' game.
After closing shut his cell phone, Weiss turned to me and whispered, "Hey… Emily was wondering if it would be ok if she flew down here in a couple of days. She really wants to meet you."
"C'mon Eric, that would be intruding Michael's privacy!" Francie murmured.
"I wasn't asking you, I was asking Mike!"
"And I was just saying, he probably doesn't want Emily here. He's got enough to handle as it is. We're not on some fabulous vacation. We're here for Michael and his mother."
"Why are you getting upset over this Francie? This isn't your decision." Weiss argued back.
"Well you're annoying the hell out of all of us with your stupid phone calls to that tramp!"
Sydney and I just stared at each other after Francie's outburst. Neither of us had the guts to jump in and were actually scared of Weiss' reaction. It was obvious to all of us that Francie had reached her limit with Emily.
"Guys, maybe we should talk quieter." Syd whispered, attempting to break the tension.
"Don't you call Emily a tramp! What the hell is your problem with her? Stop acting like such a bitch Fran!" Weiss shouted, standing up to walk towards the door.
"I'm not acting like a bitch! You're acting like some stupid love struck fool. You turned into a sap Eric and it's pissing all of us off."
"Whatever. I'm going to take a walk and let you cool off. Obviously you're sleep deprived or on some major PMS trip. Come find me when you're back to normal."
And with that, Weiss exited the room and slammed the door on his way out. Francie looked down at her hands embarrassed, not knowing what to say. She lifted herself from the chair shortly after and quietly exited.
Taking a glance at Syd, she shrugged her shoulders and quickly shook her head. Neither one of us knew what we were supposed to do.
Suddenly, Weiss came storming back in, tugging at the collar of his jacket.
"She has no right to call my girlfriend a tramp! She is not a tramp!" He yelled while pacing back and forth in front of Amélie's bed. "You know, I tried to make this situation work. I knew Francie was going to act like this. She can't have it both ways."
"Eric, I think you need to calm down." I said quietly.
"I don't need to calm down! I'm sick of this. I'm tired of her blowing me off and then deciding she wants me after I'm already taken. It's not fair!"
"We know it's not fair, but you need to be quiet before we all get kicked out of here. It's past midnight."
Sydney quickly excused herself and announced she was going to find Francie as Weiss took a seat and with his head in his hands. It was silent for a moment. Weiss' loud breathing paired with the beeping of my mom's heart monitor filled the room.
I was just about to say something when the door swung open again and Francie came storming in. Throwing her empty soda bottle at Weiss, she continued to yell at him, not stopping for a breath in between cuss words.
"If you would've just waited… if you would've just waited for me Eric, I wouldn't be so angry with you!" Fran screamed as Syd shut the door.
"I did wait! I waited half a year for you to make up your stupid mind! Finally, I gave up. What did you want from me? I wasn't going to be waiting around forever." He yelled back. Standing up to leave, he gripped tightly to his jacket and proceeded to walk towards the door.
"Eric, don't." Francie sighed.
"Don't what?"
Suddenly, Francie leaned in towards Weiss and kissed him hard on the mouth, causing him to stumble backwards and hit the wall.
Again, Sydney and I had no idea what to do. All we could do was stand there and watch our two best friends have the biggest fight of their lives and then begin kissing in my mom's hospital room. Finally, they both pulled away and gasped for oxygen.
"I'm sorry. I have to go." Weiss murmured, hanging his head low and walking out the door.
Watching him walk out the door, Francie hung her head to the ground and then collapsed onto the chair.
"Why do they always kiss each other and run away after?" I whispered to Sydney.
"Shut up Vaughn, you're not helping." She answered back. "Fran? Maybe I should take you back to my house and you can get some rest."
"Are you sure? Where's Eric going to be? You think I should call him?"
"No… Weiss will be fine. C'mon, I'll drive you home."
While Syd left to drive Francie home, I covered myself with the extra blanket the nurse brought in and attempted to get a few minutes of sleep. My eyelids were beginning to feel heavy and my back was sore from sleeping on the hard chairs in the waiting room.
I was just about to drift off when the nurse on the night shift came in to do her rounds. Lifting my head slightly, I turned to see her touching my mom's forehead with the back of her hand. A concerned look spread across her face as she took a thermometer from the drawer and placed it in my mom's mouth.
Lifting myself from the chair, I threw back the blanket and grabbed my mom's hand, immediately noticing that her palms were beginning to sweat.
"She's really warm." I told the nurse, feeling my mother's forehead for myself.
"Her temperature is at 102.3 right now. Stay here with her while I go get a cold rag to try and cool her down. Take some of the blankets off." She instructed, walking quickly towards the bathroom.
Just as I was peeling the heavy wool blanket from her body, I felt her hand grip tightly to mine while her eyelids slowly opened.
"Mom? Mom, you're awake. The nurse is going to be right back, ok? You have a fever but you're going to be fine." I assured her.
"Michael…" She squeaked out. "Michael… Please, get a doctor. I'm burning up." She choked out almost faintly.
Running towards the entrance to the room, I peeked my head out to see if anyone was in sight. Sydney appeared seconds later, emerging from the elevator doors with an extra pair of clothes.
"Syd!" I yelled. "My mom woke up! Please go and see if you can find a doctor. Her temperature is getting high."
As I walked back in, I grabbed my mother's hand and told her everything was going to be ok and that I wasn't going to leave. The nurse entered the room holding a cold rag, dabbing my mother's forehead in attempt to get her temperature to lower.
Her eyes closed slowly after Sydney entered the room with Dr. Martin.
"Her temp is 102.3. She was conscious for a couple of minutes before she drifted again Dr." The nurse explained.
Suddenly, my mother's body began to shake violently while her teeth chattered and the sheets wrapped all around her body. I began to panic, trying to hold my mother still while the doctor called for more nurses.
"She's going into shock." Dr. Martin yelled. "Michael, you're going to have to leave the room."
"No." I screamed. "I'm not leaving her! I told her I wouldn't leave her!"
With Sydney holding tightly to my arm, she dragged me out of the room while nurses rushed all around my mother. All I could do was watch from the small window of the door while my mother continued to shake.
Unexpectedly, a loud long beep could be heard outside the door as I looked up to see her heart rate monitor turn to a flat line.
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