Living with the Consequences of betrayal
Your best teacher is your last mistaken.
Buddha
Chapter 3 Regrets
Dylan still crying while holding Brenda's hand. Glancing between her and the monitors watching the lines go up and down. The paramedic changed both bags of IV fluids, and gives the the odd injection of more drugs through the cannula.
He starts to fill in paper work, recording the drugs given and obs made. Looking at Dylan, he asks "What's her full name and date of birth".
Dylan answers automatically in a robotic tone,
"And no allergies?"
"No" shaking his head, giving her another kiss on her hand.
"Dixie, we nearly there?" The male paramedic asks.
"Almost" She replies.
"I'm worried we might need to shock her again, she may have internal bleeding, keeping her pressure up, is hard. And I don't like the rhythm of her heart".
"Ok, Jeff, traffics heavy we should be there in 5, 10 tops".
The line on the monitor takes a dip, Jeff the paramedic gets more adrenaline ready.
Dylan gets on his knees, stroking her head, "You listen to me, I know you can hear me, I love you, you hear me I love you. I'm sorry, so sorry, I was an idiot and a coward. I won't cheat again, ever I promise" he pleads, and kisses her hand. "And, I'll always put you first, from now on. I love you, I'll fight your father this time, I promise, I won't leave you to do it alone again. Please, don't leave me, not like everyone else.". He begs, his face just millimetres from hers, as leans over the bars. "I love you, I always will, I can't and won't live without you. I promise you now, I will spend the rest of my life, making it up to you, and loving you, like you deserve, I swear. Just hold on my love, hold on, please". He breaks down again crying.
"Dixie". Jeff calls out.
"What you need me to stop?"
"No, no it's, you won't be believe it, he proclaims his love, and her heart rate has nearly gone back to normal".
Dixie shakes her head, "I've heard stories, of people dying of a broken heart, and hours apart, and the odd one of people begging people through comas to wake up, but wow that's unreal".
Dylan smiles at her through the tears, she won the first part of the battle, she'd made it to the hospital. Pulling himself up off the floor, holding on to the trolly rail, he leans over and kisses her forehead, being careful of her oxygen mask.
—
Meanwhile at casa Walsh.
Cindy and Jim are sitting down in the lounge relaxing having a coffee, when there's a knock at the door. They look at each other wondering who on earth it could be. Jim puts his cup down and gets up to answer the door.
"Hi my name is officer Toby Wheatley, umm are you Mr Walsh?"
"Yes officer I'm Mr Walsh, is everything ok?" He utters hesitantly, growing concerned.
"Perhaps we should go in and sit down?" His hand indicates going inside.
"No, no" Jim replies raising his voice in distress, "Just tell me, tell me what it is, what's happened?"
"Sir" trying to hold his hands up to calm him.
"Tell me, for God's sake, just tell me" Jim is starting to panic.
But seeing it wasn't working, he lowers his palms. The officer sighs taking a deep breath, he hated this part of his job. "Do you have a daughter called Brenda Walsh?"
"Yeah, yes I do is everything ok?" wondering if she'd got into trouble for something, she did have a wild steak after all.
"I'm sorry to tell you this sir, but a short while ago your daughter was involved in a rather serious accident".
Cindy howls and collapses to the floor, Jim turns around from the door and rushes to her on the carpet, kneeling he pulls her into his arms, pulling her up towards him, "Shh shh, it will be ok, it's Brenda, she's strong, it has to be, she has to be", he breaks down to, openly crying "She's my little girl, my little bunny kins, we can't loose her".
The officer comes into the house, and approaches the foyer, "Mr Walsh, ma'am, err". Jim looks up at him, with Cindy crying in his arms, he wipes his own tears away, "She's on her away to the the hospital now, I would suggest you get there as soon as you can".
Jim nods tearing up again. "Cindy we need to take her some stuff to the hospital and call Brandon. Can you help me". He cries, she slowly nods, he gets up, from the floor and goes upstairs.
Opening his daughters door, he sees stuff on the bed and desk, totally unlike her, he wonders why she didn't put it away. He grabs some pyjamas from a draw, putting them in a bag, along with her toiletries, a book, and her favourite blanket, he pauses seeing Mr Pony, picking him up he starts crying again, his body shaking at he sobs.
"Jim, Jim you ready" Cindy shouts running up the stairs. She rushes into Brenda's room, seeing her husband sitting on their daughters bed, she puts her arms around him, "I called Brandon at work, he knows, he going to meet us there".
He nods his head, laying it on her chest and sits up, "What are we going to do, she's our little girl, she's been so sad, angry and withdrawn lately, all this Dylan business. What if she dies without sorting it out, why did I have to keep them apart".
Cindy "We have to believe she won't, that there's time to sort things out".
Cindy gets up, takes his hand, as they walk out the door, with the bag and Mr Pony.
—
Mean while.
The back doors of the ambulance are opened, the ramp is lowered, by Dixie. Jeff grabs the paper work, and pushes his end of the trolly Dylan grabs the door of the van with his right hand, to help himself step down, his left hand not leaving Brenda's.
The paramedics and Brenda are met by a whole host of medical staff, outside the hospital doors. As they walk they discuss the patient. Consultant registrar Mrs Beauchamp takes the lead. Listening to Jeff explain how they found her, how long CPR was happening before they shocked her. How they'd reset her thigh bone, how it to a while to get her pressure to the current. Slightly low levels. How she's been unconscious the who way, but had so fare managed to maintain her own airways.
"Ok, let's take her through, Charlie phone up stairs she will need a scan to check for head injuries and internal bleeding. While we wait we, will X-ray her leg. Charlie nods and walks off. To make the calls. "David cross match her blood at least seven units, she's going to need some now, and for possible surgery".
"Fletch, I want you to take the usual bloods and get them fast tracked" Connie orders him.
Dylan, "Please, you have to save her, she's all I've got, I have no one but her".
Connie stares at him, seeing such a young man, so distraught, she nods her head, "We'll do all we can", squeezing his hand, "Now, you need to wait out here, ok". She walks off to hold the doors open for the trolly. Calling through to the emergency room, "Dr Hardy we need to check her for spinal injuries".
"Sir you can't go into the emergency room, you need to wait out here, while we continue to stabilise her, and find out the nature of her injuries. We need to carry out scans and X-rays". Dylan starts crying again.
"I don't want to leave her on her own, without anyone she's knows with her, she'd hate that she hates needles and injections". He reluctantly lets go of her hand, as they pull the trolly through, as they do the monitor starts beep.
Jeff, "See Dixie, I told you, he holds her hand, and heart rate is immediately better, he lets go" no more can be heard as the doors close.
"They'll take good care of her, someone will be out to see you soon", Dylan nods dejectedly. As he shown to a waiting area. He gingerly lowers himself to the padded bench. As nurse Masters, heads back to the emergency room.
—
What seems like hours later, but is only ten minutes, Jim and Cindy come charging round the corner. Seeing Dylan bent forward with his, head in his hands, sobbing, they think the worst, looking stricken. They quietly approach Dylan, Jim resting his hand on Dylan's left shoulder, "Son" he croaks "Is, is she".
Dylan sees Jim's face, "She's in there pointing between the Walsh parents, "They are working on her".
Jim nods sitting down next to Dylan, Cindy puts Brenda's bag the other side of Dylan, then sits by Jim.
"What happened", Jim asked looking at Dylan.
Dylan's shakes his head, "It's all my fault".
Shocked at the normally cool calmed collected kid, he was heartbroken and truly devastated.
"Please, tell us, we need to know", he squeezes Dylan's should again, and sees the red mark on his left check which looks saw and angry. He turns Dylan's head towards them.
Cindy watching her husband interact, with her daughters ex, "What on early happened to you". Jim asks.
"Brenda did it, I deserved it though", shaking his head, "Kelly and I told her, we messed around together, this summer when she was in Paris". He looks away at the wall, where ironically enough, is a picture of the Eiffel tower. "I wanted to to tell her, on my own, I swear I didn't want to throw this on her, make he feel alone and ganged up on". Dylan still crying and sniffing, looks at Jim, Cindy offers him a tissue, which he takes, he wipes his eyes and blows his nose. "We told her, I've never seen her so upset, and vulnerable, she was distraught".
Jim, nods taking his arm off of, Dylan's shoulder, "She hit me, punched Kelly, who then tautened her, she kicked me, and ran off. I went after her to try and stop her, calm her down apologise again". He cries again, looking back at Jim and Cindy, looking them in the eyes, he owned them that at least, and not hide away like the coward he felt. "She ran out, into the road, this car came out of no where, he hit her". Squeezing his eyes tight, trying not to relive it, "She went up and over the bonnet, and landed on the ground behind the car".
Jim's and Cindy both look at him in shock, their mouths open not saying a word.
Looking at the picture again, and wanting to thump it, but not having the energy to get up, "Just yell at me, I deserve it, just get it over with".
Jim doesn't yell, but pulls Dylan into his arms, it's as much my fault as yours. If I hadn't forbidden her from seeing you, if I hadn't been so difficult and had bern more accepting, if I hadn't sent her to Paris, you probably wouldn't of cheated". He shakes his head, "It's as much mine, as yours, and Kelly's, what was she thinking she was meant to be Brenda's friend. No son, we are all at fault, and we all need to beg her for her forgiveness, we need to make it up to her". Looking away at Cindy, she gives him a slight smile, clearly glad, he didn't go off on one at Dylan, keeping his right arm round Dylan, he grabs his wife's hand with his left. "What do you intend to do now, are you still with Kelly" Jim asks apprehensively. Knowing Brenda would need them all to get her through this.
"No, no it's over, it should of never happened, I dumped Kelly, I already told her, Brenda that is, I'm sorry I begged her to fight, I told her I'll make it my life's mission to make it up for her". Looking at Brenda's bag, he sees something familiar poking out, he carful lifts out, Mr Pony as if he were made of glass. Holding him in front of his face he talks to him "You gota help? Bring her back, she needs your strength", he brings him to his face, smiling at him.
Cindy and Jim share a look, clearly shocked Dylan knew about Mr Pony.
Heavy foot steps are heard. Before a face pops round the corner, "Mrs Walsh, any news", she shakes her head. "You know what the say, no news is good news". Dylan glares at him, with a ferocity, that makes the officer recoil. "Are you", looks in his note book, "Dylan McKay" Dylan looks away, so he looks towards the Walsh parents, "We need to take your statement about the accident".
Dylan starts to cry again, clutching Mr Pony to his heart. "Could this wait till late?, His girlfriend, my daughter is in there" Jim raising his voice, looking up at him, letting go of Cindy's hand, pointis to the room, "And we, we" his voice breaks, "We just don't know, how she is ok, now is not the time". The officer nods and retreats.
Real life: When life gives you lemons, the saying is drink/make lemonade, forget that, drink tequila shots. Had a crap fourteen days. But found out who my real friends are, thank god for FF; and the ability to escape reality. Keep the reviews and messages coming, they keep me motivated.
I got asked by a kind reader, who sent me a PM, to update this one next, so here it is. Way longer than I expected, so a lot of the other bits intended for this chapter have been pushed back. Poor Brenda, is she going to be ok? And Dylan is inconsolable. What did you think of Jim's reaction? Is he being to accepting, is it a nice change?
One of the longest chapters I've published so far, so it might be a while, before you get the next chapter.
Any fans out there of Casualty or Holly city, you might of seen a few recognisable names, who else would you want in an emergency situation lol!
Starting to add some quotes to some chapters, they maybe meaningful to one of the characters, or connected to the chapter you are rereading, or the story in general, or future hint.
Ember1313 thanks for proof reading.