-1DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS
CHAPTER 12
The bus arrived at the bus station on time at 6am. Sean hurried to the front of the bus to get off. He waited outside for his luggage and jumped in the first cab he could find.
He arrived at the hospital where Emma was staying fifteen minutes later. He grabbed his large duffle bag out of the backseat of the cab. He rushed in the main door and headed straight to the nurses station.
He took a moment to catch his breath and said to the nurse on duty "I'm looking for Emma Nelson. What room is she in?" The nurse went to her computer and looked up the name. After a few moments she informed Sean that Emma was in room 415 and gave him directions on how to get there. He thanked the nurse and headed down the hallway toward Emma's room.
Outside Emma's room sat Manny and Emma's parents. "Sean!" Manny said excitedly as she ran up the hallway to meet him and give him a hug. "I'm so happy your finally home. How did you know we were here?" Manny asked.
"I got a phone call from Jay while I was on the bus. I got here as soon as I could." Sean replied. "How is she doing?"
Emma's mom informed Sean that Emma was sleeping right now and might be for a couple of more hours. She told him that the doctor suspected that she had been slipped the drug called Ectasey and that the only thing they could do now was let her sleep it off. She told Sean that the doctor expected that Emma would be fine physically but emotionally might need some help for a little while.
"Is it okay if I go in there?" Sean asked. "I'd like to be there with her when she wakes up."
"I think that would be fine Sean. We'll be out here should you need anything. Let us know when she's awake so we can go in and talk to her as well." Emma's mom said.
Sean opened the hospital room door quietly and headed over to her hospital bed. Emma was sound asleep. There was a light on in the corner of the room which kept it from being completely dark. Sean stood beside the bed and softly ran his fingers over Emma's hand. She stirred but did not wake up. He slid in beside her on the hospital bed. He put his arms around her and held her close. He smelled her hair. She still had the same honey vanilla shampoo scent. He had missed that smell while he was away. He had missed her more. It didn't bother him that it may take a couple of hours for her to wake up. He was happy to be able to lie beside her and just hold her. He yawned. He hadn't gotten much sleep on the bus and was quite tired. Before he knew it he was asleep as well.
A small groaning woke Sean up. He looked over and saw Emma slowly open her eyes. She looked over at him and wasn't sure if she was dreaming or if he was really there beside her. "Sean?" she asked. "Is that really you or am I dreaming?"
He leaned over and gently kissed her lips. "Good morning Sunshine." he said softly. "It's really me Em."
He gave her a hug and held her tight until she spoke again. "I don't feel very well. I'm a bit fuzzy on the details but I think something bad happened last night. I was at Damien's party and then I felt a bit funny. I think someone tried to attack me. I'm not sure of all the details." Emma said.
"It's okay Em. Jay filled me on everything." Sean said as he ran his fingers through her blonde hair.
"He saved me last night, didn't he Sean. That's whose number you gave me to call in case I was in trouble." Emma said.
"It was Jay who saved you. He called me this morning while I was on the bus and told me the whole story. I'm glad he saved you Em but I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you myself. I feel so bad that I wasn't here for you last night Em." Sean's eyes glossed over as he talked to her. He didn't want anything bad to ever happen to her. A million what ifs had ran through his mind. What if he had came home yesterday instead of today. What if he had called her before she went to the party and talked to her on the phone all evening long. Maybe then she wouldn't have went and would've been safe. What if he had never joined the army at all.
Emma looked at Sean. She knew he felt responsible for this happening to her. It wasn't his fault at all and she had to let him know that. "Sean, I know you feel bad about what happened to me. You have to know that this wasn't your fault and that you couldn't of prevented it. I know you feel bad that you are so far away and that you feel like you can't protect me. The truth is you are my far away protector. Last night when I was in trouble my arm hit the locket and I remembered the promise I made to you. Even though you couldn't be here with me you found someone else to make sure I was okay. You still protected me even though you were miles away. Only another few months and we'll be together again. Until then let's just make the most of the few days we have together before you have to go back. I want the time we spend together to be happy. I don't want you to be upset about what happened."
Sean took in what Emma had to say. "Okay. I think I can do that." They spent the next few minutes snuggling before Sean went out to get her parents and Manny. Manny and Emma's parents came in and they talked to Emma.