Part 6

"Baby please tell me what's wrong" Catherine asked as she finished doing up her shirt, I knew that she was stood behind me lingering in the doorway. She didn't know what to do, get closer or back off giving me space and I didn't know what to do myself. I couldn't think straight. It was probably around five minuets since I got the call and all that I knew was that I needed to do something – I couldn't just wait for news. I hadn't said anything since the call, I couldn't. "Baby?" She asked again – I just continued to try and button my shirt and hold back the tears. Neither was going well.

"Fuck" I growled, my hands shaking too much for me to do up my shift. I was becoming angry.

"Here" I hared her soft voice as she took hold of my shoulder and turned me around. I lent against the sink letting my hands drop to my side, I gave up. I was still shaking though – god could I be acting crazier right now? Take deep breaths Sidle, take any breath. I lowered my head and watched as she did my shirt up. "Honey what's going on?" She asked.

"I…I…" My voice faltered as a stray tear tumbled down my cheek. She brought a hand up and ran her thumb over my face. I looked up into her eyes and saw just how scared that she seemed to be. Moving forward I lent into her laying my head against her shoulder I gave into the comfort. Hell I needed it.

"Baby please, talk to me…what happened in there?"

"Rich …got…shot" I tell her eventually, my hands violently tremble now as my knees give way and I push all my weight into her. She takes me in her arms but she can't hold my weight, she lowers me softly to the floor and holds me to her sobbing, crying my eyes out. Why, why was this happening to me?

One of Catherine's hands were pushed into my hair as she held my head against her shoulder, and one around my back holding onto my waist. I couldn't tell you how long I had been in her arms crying out my fear and hurt – probably for around ten minuets. "Please" I speak.

"What baby?" She asks, running her hand up and down my shoulder.

"This can't be happening"

"What can I do Sar?" She asked.

"Drive me to the hospital please" I tell her, so weak and feeble that it hurts me to hear.


The smell, that sickly clean hospital smell was all that I could concentrate on as I sat in the corridors of the hospital waiting for answers, waiting to hear how Rich was doing. We'd shown up here a little over half hour ago and now there was nothing that I could do but sit and wait. "Here baby"

I looked up to see Catherine standing there with a coffee in hand. I reach up and took the cup off coffee from her – strong and black. "Thanks" I managed. She then took a seat next to me taking my hand in hers.

"Any news?" She asked.

I shook my head, I'd been given no news at all – sure bobby had been sat holding me a while back but he had to go give a call to try and get hold of Rich's brother. Yeah good luck with that and all, since Bobby had left I'd been left alone with my thoughts. "You know, Rich is like a brother to me…" I told Catherine, I let out a pain filled laugh, "He was all over me for messing around with a married woman, Sara what the hell are you doing, Sara you'll get burned, Sara are you mad? He took my hand, he pushed me into a wall and he told me he'd always have my back no matter what I chose, no matter how fucking stupid I was - He's a good guy, never done anything wrong – he doesn't deserve this." Oh god was I crying again? I turned to look at her; Catherine was at a loss, how should she deal with me in this state? "He can't die" I tell her. She nods her head; she seems to understand the pain that I feel. I once again lean into her, she was my strength and I really have no idea how I would have made it through tonight without having her at my side.


I had been pacing for the last hour and a half now, Rich had been pulled into surgery and we were all waiting for news. Bobby was sat on the plastic chairs in the waiting room we'd been taken to. Catherine was sitting across from him and I was pacing. I felt sick, I felt as though none of this was real. "What happened out there?" I finally get the courage to ask the question that I so badly needed, yet feared, the answer to.

Bobby looked over to me, "He got Car Jacked…they dragged him out his car at the stop sign and capped him twice" he explained sadly.

"Why him?" I ask, though I know that no one can answer that question.

Bobby just leans back in his chair, looking up at the grotty hospital ceiling – "God knows" was all that he said. There was a few moments silence before I saw a smile break across his face and I watched as he closed his eyes – "Remember when you crashed his car into the wall?"

I nodded my head and smiled sadly, "Yeah I do, he was so scared I was hurt that he didn't shout at me over the car. But when he turned up in the hospital all three of us started wrestling in the middle of the waiting room – he was upset that his car had no front and I only had a little stitch."

Bobby laughed out loud and lent forward, "We all ended up having out hands x-rayed"

"Yeah" I walked over taking a seat next to Catherine who took my hand, "Remember the summer barbeque?" I ask.

"He set his shirt alight? Burnet the burgers so we ended up eating Salad and bread!" Bobby explained. I smirked, I lent into Catherine who wrapped her arms around me and I waited, to hear news on weather the memories are all that we have left now.

"I'll get some more coffee" Bobby Says standing, I just nodded my head. He walked away leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

I turned to Catherine, "baby you better go" I mumble, I don't want her to leave but I know that she can't hang around here all night with me crying into her.

"I'm not leaving you alone Sar" She explained as she ran her hand up and down my arm.

"I have Bobby…and you need to get back or he'll kick off" I told her.

"He'll be too drugged to know I'm not there and I won't leave you, I can't Sara not when you are like this." She refused to go.

"I'm sorry" I tell her

"What for?"

"For doing this to you…I mean this isn't where you want to be…"

"Hey, look even though you may not believe me I'm not just with you for a quick fuck every so often Sara – I love you. That means I want to be here for you weather I have to sit in a hospital room or if I have to hold you on your bathroom floor when you are throwing up. You got me, I love you" I was looking into her blue eyes and swore I saw tears, and this is where I get so confused – why won't she just leave him for me if that is how she feels. I can't argue it out again with her – not tonight and not here so I just wrap my arms around her neck and pull her into a hug.

"Thank you"

Time passed painfully slow, I'm not to sure how long it's been now but the opening of the door was a grateful interruption into the silence that we found ourselves in. "Where is he?" Bobby jumped up from the seat he was in as soon as the doctor entered, we had been here for hours now and there was only so much waiting Bobby could take.

"Are you Richard Williams's family?" The doctor asked.

"No were his friends…" Bobby explained – "Look, we're all he has, his brother is AWL so…"

"Okay Sir…" the woman looked a little detached, so calm – how could she act like this.

I stood up, "How is he?" I ask.

"We got the bullets from him, and managed to stop the internal bleeding – he's still not out of danger but he's through the worst…"I let out a sigh in relief and felt Catherine squeeze my hand in support.

"So he'll be okay?" Bobby is in shock I think – we'd all readied ourselves to hear the worst.

"It's looking very likely that he'll make a full recovery" The doctor smiled, "I'll come and get you when you'll be able to see him"

"Thank you Doctor" I smile a little as tears of relief fall down my cheeks. When she leaves I hug Catherine and then walk over and hug Bobby, "he'll be okay…" I tell him.
He leans his head on my shoulder and holds me close, he wasn't going to die.


"Baby, we're here" I hear Catherine words but I'm unable to move, I just sit in the passenger seat of the car staring out into the darkness. "Sar?"

"You know when I saw him lay there…I felt sick. Out of all of us he was least to deserve something like this." I don't think I could cry anymore – I was all cried out, now all I could do was sit there with so much sadness filling me that it physically hurt in my chest. I think Catherine senses that I need to just be here, with her and have someone to talk to. She doesn't pressure me into anything; she just sits, holds my hand and listens to me. We'd gone into the hospital room and I saw him lay there, blood, tubes, machines. He didn't wake up – medical induced coma they called it, all I know was that he was hurt. I sighed – "Will you stay with me for a while?"

"I'll stay as long as you like Hun" She comforted me with a hand on my leg, an offer of reassurance – "Come on, let's get you inside"

I just nodded my head, I turned kissed her softly, a thanks for been here kind off kiss before I got out of the car.

She walked around the front and took my hand and the two of us walked up to my apartment in silence. If she wasn't with me I'm sure that I would not have made it through the night.

I was in the apartment and I led her straight to my bed room – she came without any words or any questions. She already knew what I needed – and when I entered the bedroom she took lead. She moved me over to the bed and sat me down – undoing the shirt that she had done up for me only house before she then lay me down and moved into the bed next to me. "You need to sleep Honey…"

I couldn't sleep, not after what had just happened. Bobby had forced me home telling me not to come back till I'd rested, promising he'd stay with Rich and forcing Catherine to promise to look after me. She did, she didn't need telling by Bobby though. "I'll be right here"

We lay face to face, her hand on my waist my hand on hers as I stared into her eyes "I love you"

"I've got you baby…I love you to" She spoke so softly that I lulled me to sleep – for a good ten minuets she just reassured me that everything would be okay. The last thoughts inside my head as I fell into that sleep was that she was more to me now that she ever had been before – she was with me no matter what, good times, bad times she'd be at my side.


thanks for reading guys