Peyton wrapped her arms around her knees as she shivered, pulling her legs closer to her chest in an effort to warm herself up, but it wasn't working. She pressed her chin against her knees and closed her eyes, everytime she did images raced through her mind…
Lucas falling to the ground
Blood
The flashing lights
Lucas' Porsche being driven away
Medics rushing over
Being pushed aside.
Haley crying
All she could hear in her ears was that terrible sound, the sound that had made her blood run cold. The long monotonous, high pitched beep as the monitor flat lined and her worst fears were realized.
Peyton sniffed as she gripped Lucas' hand, the steady beeping of the monitor was the only thing keeping her sane right now. The beeping meant he was still breathing, that he was still with her. She looked down at his pale face and kissed his hand softly.
She just needed him to hold on for her, she needed him to be okay. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him. He was the only person she had and she had pushed him away and now she could lose him. She just wanted to wake up, for this all to be some twisted nightmare.
She let the medics work around her, their medical talk going over her head as she just stared at Lucas.
BP is 100 over 60 palpable, pulse 125 apical and respirations 32." tachycardic.
BP 90 palp, pulse 135. Possible pneumothorax, shallow resps.
She swallowed hard and gripped his limp hand tightly as she stared at his bloody torso…how could she have let this happen. She should have just given the guy her purse…then maybe she wouldn't be sitting in an ambulance right now, praying the man she loved was going to make it through the night.
She closed her eyes against the building tears and let out a shaky breath when suddenly she heard a noise that made her heart leap into her throat, her eyes snapped open and she watched in horror as the spiky green lines on the monitor dissolved into a single line.
The scene before seemed to play in slow motion as Lucas' hand slipped from hers, she stumbled back as she was moved out of the way. The paramedics began to work frantically, yelling commands at each other and one of them began to charge up the paddles.
She didn't even have the strength to cry, she didn't have time to break down as she watched them hold the paddles to his chest, shouting clear. His body arched before he crashed lifelessly back down onto the gurney, the monitor still beeping. Her stomach felt like ice and the thirty seconds or so that had passed felt like a lifetime.
They shocked him and shocked him again and each time when nothing happened she felt her heart break a little bit. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't. She looked into his pale face and swallowed, holding her breath…
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
She exhaled loudly and swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes as the monitor started again and the medics sat back, breathing heavily…He was alive. He was still with her…
She looked up at the clock and sighed. Another hour had passed, an hour that felt like a century, an hour since she had been told Lucas was being taken to emergency surgery, an hour since she had tried to call Karen but only gotten through to voicemail, an hour since she had watched Lucas disappear through the hospital doors.
Funny how time seemed to escape so quickly when you wanted to hang on to it but how when you needed it to pass it just seemed to drag so slowly, the hands on the clock taunting her as they moved little by little across the face.
She couldn't bring herself to tell Haley or Nathan that Lucas had died twice on the way here, that he hadn't opened his eyes, that the medics had said it didn't look good. She just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
How could this be happening? Why was this happening to Lucas? He didn't deserve this, he was a nice guy, a good person but yet he was suffering all the same and what had she done that was so bad to deserve all this pain, all this loss and grief?
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An hour had turned into three and there was still no word about Lucas. Peyton was still trying to get through to Karen but the phone just kept ringing and ringing. Where the hell was she?
Nathan had taken Haley to get a coffee so she could calm herself down and now Peyton was left alone again in the waiting room.
She sat there, her arms folded whilst looking around the walls that they had tried to decorate and make slightly more cheerful with paintings of flowers and sunny meadows. Why even bother? Did they really think a bunch of paintings and some sunny yellow paint were going to distract people from their problems? The walls could be black and no one would notice…
As she glanced over the selection of out of date magazines the door opened and she immediately sat up, looking up hopefully. A doctor stood in the doorway, clutching a clipboard and peering over a pair of glasses.
"Family of Lucas Scott?" He asked and Peyton jumped to her feet, her whole body trembling as she walked shakily over to the doctor, trying desperately to read his facial expression…
"Uh yeah, I'm his uh…his fiancée." She said shakily knowing this was the only way they would let her in to see him…They had told the doctors he was 18 just so he could get treated without parental consent.
"Okay, well why don't you come outside where we can sit down somewhere a little more comfortable." He said smiling and she tried to return one but failed, she was sure it had come out as more of a grimace.
Was taking her somewhere else good news or bad news? Was he just trying to break it to her gently? Prolong the inevitable? She was being stupid…he was fine. Of course Lucas was fine, he had to be.
She followed him out of the room her legs feeling like jelly as she was led down a corridor and into a room where she took a seat, her heart racing. She tried to swallow but her mouth felt so dry. Come on, why couldn't he just tell her already.
"My name is Dr Carlson and I've been treating Lucas…"
"Is…is he okay?" She interjected desperately, her voice quavering as tears threatened to fall from her tired eyes.
The doctor sighed and took off his glasses and looked at Peyton sympathetically, he could see what a state the girl had gotten herself in and she had a right to. How could he tell her?
--------------------------------------------
Haley slipped her hand into Nathan's as they walked down the corridor together. She couldn't believe this was happening, tonight was supposed to just be a good night out and now it had turned to this? She was waiting for news on her best friend who could be dying just for trying to defend his girlfriend. What kind of world was this?
She looked up and suddenly her blood ran cold, she stopped abruptly causing Nathan to stop and look down at her.
"What? What is it?" He asked urgently as he saw Haley's facial expression, he followed her gaze down the corridor and swallowed hard…
Ahead they saw Peyton sobbing as a doctor stood in front of her. Haley's grip on Nathan's hand tightened as she looked up at him…
The sound of Peyton's cries echoed down the corridor and Haley closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh. He had to be okay…he had to be.
A/N Okay a cliffy. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!