Hi everyone!:) It's Friday and I do believe I had promised you an update!;) Surprisingly I am still alive after leaving you with that cliffie and may I just say thank for 11 reviews!:D I mean...WOW,seriously!Kinda makes me wonder if I should leave you waiting more often if I get that amount of feedback!lol Anyway, we all know that I would never kill Niles, so here's chapter 18!:) Updates should be more regular again from now on!;) Pleeeease read and review!lol
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but a love for Niles and C.C.!^^
Chapter 18: Recovering
Even as the world she knew was being turned on its head for the second time in her life, C.C. was still trying to figure out how it had come this far. When Niles had collapsed, there had been no doubt in her mind, that it had been a heart attack, why though, she was still struggling to understand. As far as she could tell he had looked healthier and fitter than usual, had it not been for his odd behavior and the sudden change of hair colour. She had raced towards him as quickly as she could and was now kneeling on the floor with Niles' head in her lap. The lack of sound was scaring her enough to wildly scream the children's names and Maggie was the first one to arrive at the scene.
"Call 911, Maggie!" C.C. screamed, who couldn't bear the thought of leaving Niles' side for only one second.
"Yes! Wait, did you just call me-"
"GO!" and seeing Brighton come down the stairs, she added "And pack a bag for Niles!"
She then returned her full attention to the man in front of her.
"You are not going to die!" she whispered, stroking his cheek "You stupid, old maid, you have to fight, do you hear me?"
She didn't know how long she was holding him and talking to him but, after what seemed an eternity, the paramedics arrived. C.C. stood back and watched as they helped Niles and then lifted him on a stretcher and for the first time she noticed that she had started to tremble. Pulling herself together when she saw the paramedics leaving the house, she grabbed her coat and followed them to the ambulance.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, who are you?"
"I'm C.C. Babcock." she stated simply, as she climbed into the vehicle.
"Are you his wife?"
"No." she snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously as she knew what would come next.
"Then I'm afraid you can't be here."
"Listen, you are wasting precious time! I am coming with you, like it or not!" and she stubbornly moved to sit by Niles' side.
The trip to the hospital passed by in a blur and C.C.'s eyes were on the butler every second, as if this was enough to keep him alive. Upon their arrival at the hospital the ambulance doors were flung open and she exited the vehicle and watched as they lifted Niles' stretcher to the floor. She followed the brisk pace they had set until somebody stopped her, only then did she notice the ICU sign that was right in front of her.
"I'm afraid you can't go in there, Ma'am."
And for the first time in her life, C.C. knew that neither the money nor the Babcock power could be used to fix this and she would've happily traded all of it to only still be by Niles' side. Ignoring the numbness that had taken possession of her legs, she moved away from the middle of the corridor, to sit down on one of the hard plastic chairs. And as quickly as that C.C. Babcock had to fight back tears. It was almost ridiculous really, how a simple object, like a chair, could make her this emotional. Maybe it wasn't merely the chair that had triggered that sudden surge of emotion , but it was clearly the entire environment that brought along the memories. The same hard material had pressed into her back as she had waited for the oldest Sheffield to be born, she had curled up on a number of those chairs in the night of Brighton's birth and when Gracie had been born, she had slept in such an uncomfortable position that she had found the pattern of the chair edged into her face. Niles had tormented her about this for an entire week…Niles. He had always been there, even at the worst hospital experience of her life, when she rather took the safety of his arms than the comfort of a chair.
"Snap out of it Babcock!" she told herself, though for a minute she wasn't sure if it was her voice or his in her head.
The "no phones allowed" sign reminded her that she hadn't informed the children of where they had taken Niles and, ignoring the warning glance of one of the nurses, she flipped her cell phone open and began to dial the number.
"Brighton Sheffield?" the boy answered, and she could tell by the slight tremor in his voice that he was concerned.
"It's C.C., I'm at Lenox Hill Hospital with Niles, the doctor is seeing him now, but you should stay where you are-"
"Miss Babcock, I have packed a bag for him!" he informed her.
"Good boy," C.C. praised quietly, musing how odd this felt "but you need to stay at home. I will call again once I know more and then you can come and see him and bring the bag."
"Alright, bye."
She merely nodded to herself, already having disconnected the call, knowing that there was an even more important one to make. This time it took a little while longer before someone answered.
"Maxwell, it's C.C. You need to come back to New York as soon as possible; Niles just had a heart attack. No, Max, I'd tell you more but I only just got here, go and book a flight home, ok, bye."
Now that she had made all the phone calls, there was nothing left to distract her, so all she could do was wait, but as we all know, waiting is always the hardest part.
"C.C. Babcock?" a voice asked and her head snapped up immediately.
"Yes."
"Hello, I'm Dr.-" the man in front of her said, extending his hand, but she jumped to her feet, almost pushing him aside.
"I have to see him."
"Miss Babcock, you'll be happy to hear that Mr. Brightmore is going to make a full recovery, but right now he is asleep and only members of the family are allowed to-"
"Don't give me that bullshit, what's his room number?"
"Miss Babcock, you can't-"
"Listen to me, he has no family here in America and I'm his friend, so you have two options here, either just tell me his room number or I will personally search this hospital until I find him!"
By the end of her speech the doctor looked completely intimidated, which was perfectly understandable, seeing as her voice had grown in volume as the frustration had gotten the better of her.
"Room 504, but like I said, he's asleep now."
C.C. only scoffed at this, before she turned on her heels and headed down the corridor and towards the lift. She punched the number 5 button so hard that her knuckles hurt afterwards, but she knew that she would remain this tense until she had seen with her own eyes that Niles was alright. Forgotten were all the lessons about the Babcock aloofness and superiority, and she felt no shame for the spectacle she had just made out of herself, not if Niles' life was on the line, the life of her sparring partner, her friend, her…confidante. She took the "bing" of the elevator as the shot that signaled the beginning of a race, and taking big strides she reached room 504 within seconds. C.C. flung the door open with such force that she startled the nurse who had been checking on the butler.
"Ma'am-"
"Would I be here if the doctor hadn't given me the number?"
At least the young girl made it easy for her by timidly shaking her head and exiting the room, once all the notes on her clipboard had been ticked. When the door had closed behind the nurse, C.C. stood silently in the room, her eyes fixed on the monitor of the machine that ensured her that her Butler Boy was still alive.
"Just for the record, "she quietly said, pulling up a chair by his bed "this is the worst prank you have ever pulled." Forcing back a sob, she continued: "God, you have no idea how ridiculous this hair colour looks on you."
Still no answer. Of course, Niles wouldn't reply, drugged as he was, but rationalizing didn't bring the comfort it normally did.
"Maxwell is booking a flight from London right now." she told him, biting her lip in an effort to keep the tears at bay "It's almost ironic, when you get down to it. Even though I always mock your station in life, there is your employer, flying halfway around the world to see you, followed by a crazy nanny and three kids who are worried sick about you. Despite my jokes of you only being the butler, you have so much more, Niles, you have a family here." She leaned in closer to timidly touch his hand, but almost recoiled once she noticed how cold it was. That simple sensation was enough to cause the steady stream of tears that now made its way down her cheeks. "Niles, you have to wake up soon, because you are the closest thing to a family I have here," she whispered, gathering her courage to intertwine their fingers "and, truth be told, I'd be lost without you."
C.C. stayed with him the entire night, bribing the nurses with money and threatening the doctors. But the following day she spent more time outside, giving the children time to see him alone. He had still been asleep early in the morning and, according to the children, had been when they had visited. She quickly peeked inside his room, long enough to see that his eyes were still closed, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"How is he?" Maxwell Sheffield asked, worry evident in his brown eyes.
"He'll be fine, but he's asleep at the moment."
"Oy, I was so nervous when we got that phone call."
"Just to clarify, Nanny Fine, it's a good thing he's asleep at the moment, he needs to rest. So please, keep that voice of yours down to a minimal level of annoyance."
"With that deep voice of yours, you almost sound like Uncle Irving!" Fran retorted, before Maxwell stepped in.
"Miss Fine, please, this isn't really the place."
"I'll wait outside." C.C. conceded, holding the door open for them.
It wasn't only the nasal quality of Fran's voice that stopped her from entering the room, it was the sheer fear of Niles awakening, only to accuse her of what she had done. You see, C.C. had spent the past couple of hours persuading herself that it had been her doing that had landed Niles in hospital.
Unbeknownst to C.C., however, Niles had awakened that first night to find her by his bed. Smiling softly at her small hand that was lying in his, exhaustion had soon overtaken him and Morpheus' arms had beckoned once more. After that there were small moments when he swore that she had been with him, but every time he opened his eyes the room was deserted. Having heard the argument between C.C. and Fran he was certain that she was close and curious though he was about her behavior, he somehow sensed that he wouldn't find out more if she knew that he was awake. So even though he was dying to ensure his best friend that he was fine, he kept his eyes firmly shut, hoping that the blonde would soon find her way into his room.
"Oh Mista Sheffield, look at him, all pale and quiet." Fran sobbed, not even trying to keep it down.
"Yes, but the doctors said he'll be fine and C.C. said the same." his boss replied and Niles knew that he, too, had been worried.
"Meanwhile, can ya believe the nerve of that woman?" Fran exclaimed.
"Miss Fine," Max tried soothingly "I have a feeling C.C. was just really concerned about him."
"Miss Babcock? Pu-leaze, what does she have ta be upset about? Nyules nearly died, she should be out celebrating."
This time Maxwell did not respond and to Niles this was more meaningful, what did he know or what had he seen?
"I wonda what's with that hair colour, I mean…black at his age?"
Maxwell sighed. "Well, Miss Fine, do you remember that phase I went through when I wore Jeans and dyed my grey streak?"
"Ya mean ya midlife- crisis?"
"Yes, I wonder if Niles was going through the same."
"Oy, ya Brits!" Fran complained and slapped Maxwell "Why do ya have to try so hard to impress the wrong women? Why cantcha just realize what's right in fronta you!"
Niles didn't have to open his eyes to know that the mood had suddenly changed.
"You are right, Miss Fine… Fran, I should have told you this earlier. You are a beautiful, sexy woman and I will regret it for the rest of my life if I don't tell you how I feel about you."
"Mr. Sheffield?" Fran sounded surprised.
"You have been so wonderful for me and the children and I-" at this moment the conversation stopped and Niles risked a glance when the clear sound of kissing reached his ears.
"Finally." he thought, grinning from ear to ear as he closed his eyes again.
A second later the room door was opened and an unfamiliar voice said: "I'm sorry, visiting hours are over."
Niles nearly let out a frustrated sigh, assuming that C.C. wouldn't come to see him anymore. He heard Fran bidding him farewell and after they had shuffled out of the room, he was once more, enveloped by silence. Had he imagined C.C.'s company all this time? His eyelids grew heavier again and soon he drifted off to sleep.
"I can't believe the nerve of those two, snogging, in a hospital…" a voice said and drew him back to reality. Funny, it almost sounded like C.C…. "I mean, you should be happy about this, at least your heart attack was good for something."
"I knew you would view this positively." he commented, slowly opening his eyes.
C.C. looked paler than he remembered and although her entire appearance was neat as always, he could tell by the rings under her eyes that she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep.
"Niles!" she shrieked, caught somewhere between jumping to her feet and grabbing her coat.
"Why yes, I do believe that's my name." he replied with a grin "I had a heart attack, Babcock, I don't suffer from amnesia."
"I was just leaving." she mumbled, scrambling to her feet but he grabbed her hand to stop her.
"C.C., I don't have the energy right now, just stay…please."
Although she did comply to his wish he noticed that she looked beaten somehow, her head lowered in shame.
"You have been with me since this happened," he stated evenly "you are here even now- aren't visiting hours over, by the way?"
"I am a Babcock." she said haughtily, though the pride didn't quite reach her eyes.
"So, if you went through all this trouble, why would you leave when I am finally awake?"
But C.C. didn't reply and still avoided his eyes.
"Babs, what's wrong? Unless there are any permanent damages the doctor hasn't told me about and I will be forced to live with you, there is no need to look so glum, is there?" he joked softly.
"Niles…" she scolded weakly, lifting her head so that he could see her moist light blue eyes.
"Hey, this isn't your fault." he said firmly but gently.
"But I was mocking you when it happened." she explained quietly.
"C.C., this is what we do, we always tease each other, now I'm beginning to think you're the one with amnesia."
"Well, maybe we should stop! I should have realized that I was upsetting you and-"
"Now you listen to me, Babcock, it might as well have happened when I was angry about Maxwell chores or," he wildly gestured around "or the weather forecast, I don't know." At this C.C. produced a small laugh, which very well could have been a sob. "And something else: we will not stop sparring, I'm not that sick." Once more he noticed how the light left her eyes and he tenderly started to run his thumb over her knuckles, whispering: "C.C., it's what we've always done! If we stop now it won't be the same anymore, our relationship…everything that's so special about it would be gone, the…feeling would be different."
She lowered her eyes and couldn't help but blush at his words and the intimate gesture.
"You look like hell, by the way." he continued.
"Well, you don't look too hot either." she shot back and the sparkle in his eyes told her that he approved "What were you thinking with that ridiculous hair colour?"
"I could ask you the same, brunette." he teased, holding her hand to his chest.
"Hey, that's no way to talk to the woman who spent all of her time looking after the butler when it should've been the other way round."
"Yes, what did compel you to commit and almost compassionate act?" he questioned, before he added "And don't worry, this old maid will be back to serving you in no time."
"I'm looking forward to it, butler boy." she said softly and although her sultry laugh was the only sound that filled the room; beneath her hand she could feel the unmistakable flutter of his heart.