Hello lovely readers!
Thank you all so much for all of the lovely comments you left on the last chapter. I know I say this a lot but it really means so much that so many of you still love reading these and are enjoying keeping the Shamy alive :)
I absolutely loved writing this prompt. As you can see, I may have gone on a bit of a ramble. It was requested by Boris Yeltsin.
Enjoy xx
The raindrops hitting the windscreen were the first thing that she became aware of. They were so loud and fast it almost hurt her ears. Without warning, the pain suddenly kicked in, every muscle in her body ached, her neck felt as it had been twisted and her back felt as if someone had repeatedly stamped upon it with their size tens. With her eyes still closed it took her a while to piece together how she could have got into this state, what exactly had happened? Then a sick feeling rose in her stomach as it came flooding back to her.
A cheesy pop song was playing loudly on the radio, they were both singing along, laughing and both excited for the day ahead. The rain was heavy and the sky was dark, maybe a storm was coming she wasn't sure. Despite the windscreen wipers frantically moving from left to right it was still hard to see the road ahead.
Then she took a turn, maybe she took it too fast, maybe it was just far too slippery but before she knew it she had lost control of the car. It spun out of control for a few moments, Halley could remember trying everything to stop it but the weather wasn't on her side. She heard the screams and then the smash of the car hitting something before it all went dark. The screams. The screams that didn't belong to her. Emily.
Her eyes pinged open, she was awake and alert, like if someone had just thrown a cold bucket of water over her. She instantly regretted the sudden movement, her body letting her know to take it easy. Glancing over at the passenger side, she saw Emily just lying there. The impact of the crash had been on her side of the car, she had taken whatever it was they had crashed into at full force.
"Oh god, Emily. Em" Halley pushed herself up, again far too quickly. She reached out to touch her knee but pulled her hand away. She wasn't sure what amount of damage touching her knee would do but she had heard how you shouldn't touch or move someone in this situation out of fear of making their injuries worse. Despite the severity of the situation she was glad that somewhere in her mind she was able to remember that. "Emily, Em, can you hear me?" she asked, hoping to get any kind of response. She was already scrambling for her phone, desperate to cal for help.
Once she was through to the emergency services, she was able to explain what had happened but couldn't quite pinpoint exactly where she was. Even if there was something nearby to act as a clue, the rain was seriously clouding her vision, she couldn't really see anything in front of her.
"Your friend, Emily, is she breathing?" the operator asked, once Halley had explained Emily's situation. She wanted to scream at the operator for calling her her friend, she wasn't just her friend, she was like her little sister. Halley could remember holding her when she was a baby, she was the one person that Emily really looked up to and look at what she had done to her. This was all her fault.
Since waking up, Halley's eyes had been fixed upon Emily but what she was checking for she had no idea. What if she wasn't breathing? What if something really, really terrible had happened to her? Halley swallowed the lump in her throat and told herself to focus. She watched Emily's chest, waiting with baited breath to see some movement.
"Yeah, she's breathing. She's breathing" Halley told her quickly. Her heart was still thumping rapidly in her chest, it didn't settle once she had confirmation of Emily's breathing. She was then asked to check Emily for any bleeding. As Halley peered round she could see that she was bleeding from the side of her head. "There's blood on her head, I think she must have hit it on the window. Will she be okay? She's only thirteen, she has to be okay."
Panic was now starting to rise as the reality of what all of this meant dawned on Halley. She had been left in charge of Emily, it was her job to look after her, to take care of her and now this had happened. Her parents were going to kill her, Sheldon and Amy were going to kill her. Everyone would hate her.
"There's someone on their way to you now Halley" the operator told her gently, of course, she couldn't tell her whether Emily would be okay or not but at least it was reassuring to know help was coming. "I'm going to stay on the phone with you until they get here."
Halley didn't respond, all she could think about was how much she wanted Emily to be okay. Really okay, she hated the thought of her suffering because of something she had done, because of her actions. In that moment, Emily began to stir, she gently moved her head from one side to the other and groaned. Did this mean she was really hurt?
"Em, it's okay you're okay" Halley told her gently, her phone was placed on the backseat with the operator on speaker. "She's waking up, she's waking up" she told the operator. Without thinking, Halley reached out and carefully took hold of Emily's hand, now that Emily had moved her head Halley could see the blood mattered in her dark hair.
"Everything hurts" Emily mumbled.
"Does anywhere really hurt?" Halley asked.
"My head and my arm. My arm hurts. I don't think I can move it" she sounded scared and panicked and Halley wanted to cry right there and then for inflicting this upon her.
"Okay, just don't move. Don't move at all, okay. You're fine right where you are. I've called the ambulance and they're on their way. Just keep talking to me okay, keep your eyes open and keep talking to me, talk to me about anything."
"Halley, I want my mum"
—
Sheldon had always thought that watching Amy in labour and knowing that he was about to become a father was the scariest time in his life. He even felt that way when Arthur was born after four years of practise, but right now as he stared at his daughter in her hospital bed, he realised this, right now was the most scared he'd ever been in his life. The day where he could have lost her for good.
She looked so small. So fragile and vulnerable. His beautiful daughter, her beautiful, perfect face etched with deep cuts and grey and purple bruising. The nurse told him it looked worse than it actually was, he appreciated that.
The chair in which he was sat was so uncomfortable, he'd have thought in situations like this, the one thing they could offer you was comfort. As he placed his elbows onto his knees, his mind wandered back to when she was just a baby. When all he needed to do to soothe her was scoop her up and hold her close against his chest. As he looked at her now, he wanted nothing more than to be able to hold her like that again and make all of this go away.
He couldn't even begin to imagine how differently this could have all ended. Tears formed in his eyes simply at the thought, the dark, awful thoughts that had been racing through his head after receiving the call from Amy.
"It's Emily. There's been an accident."
He hadn't really heard the rest of the conversation, not that there was all that much to really hear, just that his baby, his little girl was lying in a hospital bed somewhere. He was on autopilot then, nothing else mattered, not science or theories or equations or even his severe dislike of hospitals, he dropped it all and drove like a maniac to be by his daughters side. He wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
For the first time since arriving at the hospital, Sheldon diverted his eyes from his daughter when he heard the door to the hospital room open. There she was, his wife, the person he didn't realise he needed so much until he saw her standing in the doorway, looking just as terrified as he felt. They hadn't been together when Amy had received the call from Bernadette so had made their way separately to the hospital.
Rising to his feet and without her permission, he wrapped her up in his arms, squeezing her tightly. Maybe a little too tightly, but she didn't complain. Once she was safe in her husbands embrace, Amy broke down. Everything she had been bottling up in front of Arthur, every emotion she had kept at bay whilst driving, all of it came pouring out.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay" Sheldon soothed gently, stroking the back of her head. "She's okay, she's just sleeping at the moment." Saying it all out loud, helped reassure him too.
"I know" he felt her nod against him. "It's just…" she sobbed. "We could have lost her today. Something so horrible could have happened and we weren't there." As a mother it was her job to protect her children, it was this instinctive feeling deep with in her. It was her job to keep them safe, she always thought she would be there to keep them safe.
"I know, I know" Sheldon was gentle with her for he had thought of all of this too. "Come and sit down" he took hold of her hand and led her across to the chairs that were placed by Emily's bed. As soon as Amy sat down she reached out for her daughters hand, her thumb carefully stroking over her skin, being mindful of the IV.
"She's cold" Amy commented, feeling the chill coming from her daughters fingers. "Do you think she's warm enough?" she asked. She was fighting the urge to fuss over her, to drape her in blankets and tuck her in.
"I think so" Sheldon nodded, he really had no idea but he knew Amy needed some kind of reassurance right now. They both sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the gentle, steady thud of her heartbeat, it was strangely comforting.
"Have they said anything…" Amy couldn't quite find the words to finish her sentence. Her voice was tired and slow, an indication of just how much her energy had been zapped on the drive here. The worry that she had felt, the worry that was still knotted at the pit of her stomach was a feeling she never wanted to experience again.
Thankfully, Sheldon knew Amy was asking about the extent of Emily's injuries. "They want to just carry out a brain scan when she wakes up and they're pretty sure she's broken her arm." He gestured to the arm that seemed to be supported by a sling.
"A brain scan? Sheldon, that sounds serious" her eyes were wide and alert, he imagined he looked exactly like this once the nurse relayed the information to him.
"It's just routine" he assured, relaying the words of the nurse. "She hit her head so they just have to check she's okay." Sheldon wasn't entirely sure how he had managed to adopt such a calm and reassuring nature, he most definitely didn't feel like that on the inside. Often, it was Amy being the strong one for them both but in her time of need, when he could sense Amy really needed him he could somehow be the rock she needed. "Hey, it's okay, don't cry" Sheldon reached out and gently rubbed his wife back when he heard her sniffles. No matter what the situation, he absolutely hated seeing his wife cry.
"Sorry" she muttered, wiping at her eyes with her hand. Momentarily, she let go of Emily's hand and slumped back in her chair, letting her head flop onto her husbands shoulder. She needed to feel close to him. "I just keep replaying the last conversation I had with her in my head. I just told her to have a nice time, that was it. I didn't give her a cuddle or kiss or tell her I loved her. I just let her leave" she cried a little more.
"Amy, don't think like that" he reached down for hand and gave it a squeeze. He wanted Amy to stop thinking like that, to stop talking because what hurt him the most was that he couldn't even recall his last conversation with his daughter.
"I love you" she looked up at him, her lashes wet with tears. She meant every word and Sheldon well and truly felt that. She loved him more than anything.
"I love you too" he lowered his head and placed a kiss to her forehead. The little moment between the two of them was broken when Emily stirred, it was a change in her breathing that Amy became alert to first and then the gentle ruffle of the sheets as she moved.
Instantly, Amy was up out of her chair, right by her daughters side, holding her hand yet again when her eyes finally opened. "Hi darling, hi" Amy smiled brightly down at her daughter, she had to fight back the lump in her throat and the tears in her eyes. Emily's eyes were so beautiful and on the drive here Amy contemplated never seeing them again.
"I'll go and get the nurse" Sheldon announced, rising from his spot, he needed to do something, needed to feel useful.
"Hi" Emily muttered groggily as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights and her surroundings. She knew where she was, she could remember what had happened. Emily groaned as she tried to move, she wanted to be upright, more comfortable however, she had failed to remember the suspected broken arm that was currently protected in a sling.
"Don't move darling, it's okay, you're okay." Amy told her gently, stroking her daughters forehead which actually proved to be a real comfort for Emily. "Dad and I are here, you're okay."
"I'm so glad you're here mum" Emily whispered, she didn't seem to possess the energy to speak any louder. "I was really scared" hearing her daughter utter those words was like somebody placing a dagger through her heart, the fact that her daughter was scared and she wasn't there to protect her or to let her know everything would be okay was the worst pain Amy had ever felt.
"I know" Amy continued stroking her forehead. Even though, she was thirteen, someone who thought they were far more grown up than they actually were, right now, she was just their baby. "You were so brave though my darling, so brave. Never one to believe in a higher power, as Amy placed a gentle kiss to her daughters forehead, she found herself thanking someone, anyone for ensuring that her daughter was okay.
—
"Arthur, I'm not sure that's the best thing to play with in front of you sister right now" Amy told her son, as he sat on the living room floor, close to his sisters feet playing with his toy cars. As always he was being over dramatic with the sound effects and acting out various scenes that Amy was sure would trigger awful memories for Emily.
It had been just over twenty four hours since they had left the hospital. Thankfully, all of Emily's test results came back perfectly, meaning that aside from her broken arm the results of the car accident had left no damage to her body.
"Oh" Arthur groaned, as he started piling them back into the box.
"Why don't you play with them in your room" Amy suggested, she was happy for him to play, just maybe not that particularly game in front of his sister.
"No, I'll just put them away" Amy could tell by his tone that he wasn't happy to be putting his toy cars away but Amy knew exactly why he had rejected the offer to play with them in his room. Ever since Emily had returned from hospital, Arthur hadn't left his sisters side, he was obviously incredibly concerned and worried about her, that was evident by the huge hug that he gave her as soon as he saw her but he would never let on how he really felt. Not through words anyway. He was a lot like his father in that respect.
"Are you okay? Are you comfortable?" Amy asked as she tried to move a few cushions from behind Emily's back. Motherly instincts had well and truly taken over and ever since Emily's return, she had been waiting on her hand and foot, much to the annoyance of her daughter.
"I'm okay mum" Emily told her. "You really don't need to fuss." Even poorly, their daughter was fiercely independent.
"Sorry, I just want to make sure you're resting" Amy had to admit, maybe she had been a little overbearing. She was battling a lot of emotions, no more so than the guilt she felt for simply not being there when her daughter needed her. She knew she couldn't be there for every moment of her daughters life but it was a feeling she simply couldn't shake off. Now that Emily did need her, she wanted to be there for every single second, no matter how much it annoyed her.
"I am resting. You and dad have been fussing over me since I got home. I've not left the couch all day" Emily moaned. She always had to be doing something, sitting still and relaxing didn't come naturally to her. She had been that way since being little, she would throw herself into anything and everything, giving her parents mini heart attacks in the process. Amy admired that about her so much but wished for just a few days she was happy to curl up with a book.
"Maybe we could go out for a walk later?" Amy suggested. "After dinner, once dad is home."
Emily nodded. "I'd like that." She looked deep in though as she pondered her next question. "Mum, could I call Halley?" she asked. They had very briefly seen each other in the hospital but Emily had been so tired, Halley had only stayed for a few minutes and Emily couldn't even recall any of their conversation.
"Sure" Amy nodded. It was all Emily needed to hear before she pulled out her phone, a gift for thirteenth birthday and FaceTimed Halley. With just a few rings, Halley's face appeared on the screen, her bright smile filling Emily's screen.
"Oh my god, hi, how are you feeling?" Halley asked quickly. She was still riddled with guilt. No matter how many times people told her this wasn't her fault, she didn't believe them. It was her fault. She was the one driving the car. If it wasn't for her, Emily wouldn't have ended up in hospital.
"I'm doing okay. Mum is fussing over me like crazy and dad keeps asking if I'm okay and checking my temperature," Emily laughed at her parents, deep down she knew she was incredibly lucky having a mum and dad that cared and loved her so much. "How are you?"
Halley had managed to escape the crash with just a few cuts and bruises. Another reason for why she was feeling so guilty, it didn't seem fair that she was the cause of the crash and yet the one that escaped with little to no injuries.
"I'm good" she nodded. The conversation fell silent as they searched for something to say. "Emily, I'm so sorry" Halley apologised. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Emily could see the tears filling her eyes and struggled with what to say to make her feel better.
"It was an accident" Emily told her. "It was just a horrible accident, it wasn't your fault." She had heard her mum using those exact words with her father when she was pretending to be asleep in the hospital. From what she gathered it seemed her father was having a hard time not blaming Halley. As always, Amy had helped Sheldon learn that it was just an awful accident that couldn't have been prevented.
"That's what mum and dad said" Halley told her, resting her head in her hands. "Do your mum and dad know how sorry I am. I wouldn't blame them if they totally hated me."
"They're fine. It's okay, Halley," Emily assured her. "To be honest, I think they were just as worried about you as they were me," she laughed.
"Just tell them I'm really sorry"
"I can hear you Halley" Amy commented from where she was busying herself around the house. "You have nothing to apologise for my darling. Sheldon and I are just very grateful that both of our girls are okay" Halley smiled wide at the fact that Amy had referred to both of them as her girls. "Now please stop worrying and make sure you are getting some rest too." Amy leaned over Emily's shoulder so that Halley could see her.
"I promise"
Halley couldn't help but smile. Although her parents had told her not to worry, although deep down she knew everything would be okay, having that confirmation from Amy that both she and Sheldon didn't absolutely hate her was exactly what she needed to hear.
Thank you all so much for reading! As always reviews are always welcome and so appreciated! I always love reading through your comments and hearing your thoughts.
Stay safe
Lots of love