"Maggie!" Hollie threw her arms around the older woman and held her tightly. The housemistress returned the embrace, stroking her hair soothingly for a moment, before pulling back gently to look at her. "How's Kevin?"
"You might want to sit down, pet." Maggie advised.
"Why? What's wrong with him? Maggie, he's not…?"
Leading her over to some hard, metal seats, the woman took Hollie's hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly. "Kevin's had a stroke."
"What…?" Hollie gulped, her eyes filling with tears. Whatever she'd been expecting, it wasn't that. "But's he's only… Is he… is it bad?"
"Yes, love, I'm afraid it is."
They sat together in total silence as the teenager tried to digest the news. She couldn't seem to take it in. After everything that had happened that day, Hollie couldn't believe what Maggie had told her. It had to be some kind of mistake, the girl thought bitterly. They weren't talking about Kevin; they couldn't be. It had been a mix up.
"Mrs Budgen?" A woman with dark hair and blue scrubs attracted their attention gently, smiling at them as they both looked up at once.
"This is Hollie, Kevin's girlfriend." Maggie introduced the teenager. "Hol, this is Kevin's doctor."
"Nice to meet you." The doctor said, holding out her hand for Hollie to shake. "I'm sorry it's in these circumstances." She motioned towards the corridor, waiting for the other women to follow her.
"What caused it?" Hollie asked her warily, not entirely sure she wanted to know. "How did it happen?"
"It's a large blood clot in one of the main arteries in his brain. I'm afraid the clot isn't responding with normal medication and we don't have a lot of time." The Doctor twisted her hands and looked between them seriously, before settling her gaze on Maggie. "We'd like to try a procedure called Clot Retrieval Surgery."
"What's that?" Hollie asked, looking at Maggie with wide eyes, before looking back at the doctor.
"We would feed a wire through an artery in the groin up into the brain and then pull the clot out." She explained gently. "It is… well, it's experimental and does carry an element of risk."
Maggie bit her lip. "What can go wrong?"
"The clot could be pushed further into the brain or the artery might be damaged." The doctor admitted.
Hollie gripped Maggie's hand tightly, attempting to provide comfort to the older woman, as well as receiving it from her. Maggie sighed and wrapped her arm around the teenager's shoulders. "Well, we'll have to wait for his dad. He should be here in about an hour."
"The longer we delay, the longer Kevin's long term recovery is likely to be." The doctor cautioned. "I… well, I was under the impression that you were also his guardian." There was a long silence as the reality of that statement hit Maggie. "Mrs Budgen… Mrs Budgen, I–?"
"OK." Maggie nodded. "OK. Do it, you've got my permission."
"I'll have the forms sent through." The doctor said, touching Hollie lightly on the arm as she passed.
The pair stood in complete silence for a long time, allowing the seriousness of the situation and the decision Maggie had just made sink in. Hollie couldn't get her head around anything that had happened since she'd woken up that morning. It was like the day from hell and yet Hollie felt terrible even thinking like that. She had her health and it wasn't her relationship that had so publically been ripped apart. She was only on the periphery of everything that had happened and that was bad enough.
"You've made the right decision." The teenager said at last, her words barely audible, even in the quiet corridor.
Maggie jumped and turned at the sound of her voice. "Really?"
"Yeah… Kevin would have wanted you to make that call. He would have wanted them to at least try."
"I think you're right, pet."
Hollie nodded, sniffing and feeling the tears welling up in her eyes again. "I know."
They sat in silence, waiting for any news of how the operation was going. Finally Maggie suggested getting some fresh air to clear their heads, but Hollie refused. Squeezing her hand reassuringly, the woman left the teenager and headed outside for a while.
Putting her head in her hands, Hollie sobbed, imagining all the worst-case scenarios that could be the result of Kevin's condition. She wouldn't abandon him now, though. He could so easily have washed his hands of her so many times, but he hadn't. Kevin had stuck by her, even when he found out who she really was. Hollie was determined to do the same for him, whatever that meant for her in the long run.
"Hollie?"
She glanced up, seeing Kevin's dad rushing towards her. Jumping to her feet, she hugged him tightly, glad that he was there. "Chalky… Maggie's outside, she–"
"I've seen her." He snapped shortly. "I can't believe she agreed to this operation."
"I think she was right."
Chalky stared at her. "What?" Then he shook his head dismissively. "You're just a child. You don't understand."
"I do." She replied immediately. "I understand a lot more about life than you'd think, remember?"
"But this is…"
"It's Kevin's best chance." Hollie said bluntly. "The doctor said that the longer they waited before acting, the less chance he'd have of a quick recovery. Or, at least, a quicker recovery."
"Who's in charge?"
"They're still in theatre, Chalky…"
Maggie appeared behind them as he went charging off in search of someone who could help him find out what was happening with Kevin. She smiled weakly at Hollie, who sighed and shrugged, standing and following the two adults through the corridors.
As he demanded answers at the reception desk about why Maggie had been able to give permission for his son to have the operation, Hollie looked sideways at the woman. Maggie nodded slowly at her, a sad smile on her face. She patted the hand Hollie had put on her arm in a silent show of support.
They returned to the waiting room, where they were soon joined by Chalky, who had apparently been reminded that Maggie was also Kevin's legal guardian and therefore perfectly entitled to give permission. He took a seat opposite the two women, not making eye contact while they waited for some news.
Eventually, the doctor appeared with a smile on her face. "The operation passed without incident, but we won't be able to evaluate Kevin's condition until he regains consciousness."
"Did everything go OK, I mean… there were no complications or anything?"
"None so far, but we'll have to wait to be sure."
"Can we see him?"
The doctor smiled. "Of course! Two at a time."
"You go on." Hollie told the two adults quickly. She fumbled with her mobile. "I want to phone mum and Tom and… I'll go in after."
They both sent her brief smiles, obviously eager to get in and see him. Chalky sent Maggie a dark look, but didn't attempt to stop her joining him. Once they'd gone, Hollie sank down onto her seat once more and put her head in her hands, letting her tears fall silently between her fingers.
She sat outside the hospital room where Kevin was lying unconscious for hours. Both Maggie and Chalky had popped out to check on her and offer to swap so that she could sit with him, but the girl had refused. She had looked through the window panels in the doors and seen him lying in the bed, hooked up to all the machines and felt as though she was going to be sick.
After being asked for about the twelfth time whether she wanted to go in and sit with Kevin, Hollie wordlessly stood up and walked out of the hospital. She couldn't cope with the waiting and wondering. She felt like she was suffocating and her head felt like it was about to explode with everything that was going on. She didn't know what to think or how to feel, she just knew that she needed to get away.
"He's conscious… early signs are positive." Christine announced to the silent crowd gathered in the library. "He should make a full recovery."
Nikki breathed a sigh of relief, cheering along with the rest of the staff and students who showed their delight by breaking into loud whoops and applause. As the room slowly began to empty, she remained seated on the sofa; her head cradled in her hands.
Sue, making a quick exit from the room and blatantly doing her best to avoid being stopped by her sister's ex-fiancée, grabbed Nikki's attention and she shot to her feet. Crossing the room and reaching out to grasp Sue's arm, the brunette took what might be her only chance to plead her case.
"Hey, Sue, can I have a word?"
"You can have more than just a word, Nikki." Sue spat back. "What you and that dog on heat did to my sister is despicable. She doesn't want to see you again. Ever."
"Don't listen to her… speak to Vix tonight." Hector advised, appearing behind her and speaking in her ear.
Shooting him a venomous look, Nikki turned and stalked away. She paused on the threshold of the library when she felt a gentle hand on the small of her back. The touch was familiar and comforting and Nikki knew exactly who would be looking at her when she turned.
She couldn't hide the smile that tugged at her lips when she looked over her shoulder and was confronted by Tom's kind, sympathetic expression. Even after everything, Nikki knew that he wouldn't judge her for what she had done. Tom would simply want to know that she was alright.
"Hey… Simon told me what happened."
"Of course he did." Nikki groused, not half as irritated as she was making out. She was actually relieved that someone else had told Tom and she wouldn't have to.
"Are you OK?"
"As OK as I can be when I feel like the biggest bitch on the planet."
Tom smiled at her. "I'm sure you've done worse."
"You're possibly the only person holding that view."
"Maybe I just know you better than anyone else." He suggested softly.
There was a long pause while they just looked at each other. Then Nikki blinked and jerked her shoulders in a vague approximation of a shrug. She stepped backwards, breaking the contact between them.
"How's Hollie bearing up?" Tom asked, clearing his throat and folding his arms.
"She attacked Gabriella and got sent to the Cooler." Nikki admitted, running a hand through her hair as the guilt of her daughter's punishment, which was a direct result of the teenager trying to stand up for her, washed over her. "I should go and see her."
"I actually meant how's she bearing up about Kevin's stroke." Nikki's eyes widened and Tom arched an eyebrow. "Oh, Nik…"
"I was so caught up with Vix and Kevin's actual condition that I never thought about Hollie and how it would affect her…"
Not attempting to make her feel any worse than she clearly already did, Tom just nodded and led the way through the corridors towards the Cooler. He twisted the handle and pushed the door, revealing a totally empty room, apart from his stepdaughter's abandoned school bag. Frowning, the man turned to Nikki and fixed her with a questioning look.
"I don't know where she is." Nikki pre-empted his question. "She's probably at the hospital. Phone Maggie."
After a hurried conversation, Tom pushed his mobile back into his pocket. "Maggie said Hollie was there, but she's gone. She didn't say where she was going, she just left before Kevin even woke up."
"Gone where?" Nikki demanded, running a hand through her hair worriedly. "Why would she just leave? Especially before waiting for Kevin to wake up?"
"You know what Hollie's like, she probably couldn't handle it."
Nikki exhaled sharply, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. "I should have been there. She needed me and I wasn't there… again."
Tom reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Come on, Nik, let's just find her, OK?"
Allowing Tom to lead the way, Nikki headed out of the school and jumped in her car. They agreed to search for the teenager separately, calling the other every now and then to swap ideas and definitely phone if something positive, or negative, happened.
After checking home and not finding any sign that the teenager had been there, her mother began combing the streets of Greenock, wracking her brains for inspiration as to where Hollie might be. The third time Tom phoned, he suggested that they called Jo to see whether she had been in contact with the teenager since Kevin's attack. Nikki agreed that confiding in Jo sounded exactly like what her daughter would do.
Dialling her cousin's number, the brunette couldn't decide whether she was hoping that Jo would have information for her or not. She was still jealous of the relationship between Jo and Hollie, despite knowing that they both loved her just as much.
"Hey, Nikki." Jo's calming tones instantly made Nikki feel a little bit better despite the fact that things were still a little awkward between them. "I was meaning to call you about Hollie."
"Have you heard from her?"
"Hollie? She called a couple of days ago to ask whether we were going to come up and visit soon, but I didn't think–"
"I mean have you heard from her today?" Nikki cut across her.
"No?"
Turning the steering wheel sharply, Nikki took a corner quicker than she'd intended to, swearing softly as her back tyre scraped the curb. "Kevin collapsed and was rushed into hospital. He's had a stroke."
"What?" Jo breathed in shock.
"He and Hollie had had some kind of argument before it happened and I know she felt like it was her fault. But... I was distracted and I wasn't there for her." The younger woman sighed, avoiding admitting exactly what had happened and her role in it. "She got into a fight with another pupil and was sent to the Cooler. I went to look for her, but she wasn't there and Maggie said she had been at the hospital, but left without saying anything."
"You're worried she'll do something stupid."
"Well, yeah… it is Hollie, after all."
"I'll try calling her." Jo said quickly.
"I've tried." Nikki replied. "So has Tom. She won't answer."
"Maybe she'll answer my call if she thinks I don't know what's been happening?"
Sighing, Nikki nodded, knowing that her cousin couldn't see her. "It's worth a shot."
"I'll call you back."
When Jo ended the call, Nikki pulled over, parking up beside the curb and resting her head in her hands. With a long, deep sigh, she cursed herself for the umpteenth time over her inability to juggle everything that was going on in her life. It felt like she could either keep herself on an even keel, or stop Hollie falling over the edge. She couldn't do both.
A tap on the window made her jump and she twisted her head sharply to see who was trying to attract her attention. Mouth falling open, she was shocked to see Vix bending slightly to peer in at her. Nikki scrambled to roll down the window, eager to hear what the other woman wanted.
"Can we talk?"
"Of course! Get in." As Vix rounded the bonnet, Nikki ran her hands through her hair and rubbed at her smudged eye make up. "I'm so, so sorry–"
"I know." The other woman cut her off. "I'm not willing to throw away what we've got over some stupid mistake with some... utter dick... who's been chasing you for weeks. Simon told me what he's like and now I can see it was obvious what he was trying to do. At the camp... before..."
"Vix, I swear–"
"I know." She sent Nikki a warm smile, leaning over to kiss her. "I forgive you. Let's go home."
"I need to find Hollie."
Vix frowned. "What do you mean?"
"She went to the hospital, but she left without telling anyone where she was going. We don't know where she is. Jo is trying to phone her and Tom's out looking and–"
"Won't they let you know if they find out where she is?"
"I need to look for her."
The expression on the other woman's face changed. "Is this not important to you? Us?"
"Of course it is!" Nikki pleaded. "But Hollie's my daughter."
"We need to sort this out... if they let you know where she is, fine. But what can you do right now?"
Hesitating, Nikki debated the situation internally. She knew she should carry on looking for Hollie, but she couldn't quite believe her luck that Vix was willing to forgive her and try and work things out quite so easily. Making a spur of the moment decision, she nodded and turned the key in the ignition, heading for home.