Chapter 21- I would have stayed up with you all night...
April felt though she was going to be sick and it wasn't the morning sickness. She froze. "Xavier's been in an accident?" her voice was barely a whisper. Bianca nodded. "What kind of accident? What happened Bianca?" April wondered frantically. Even though Xavier had given up on her, she hadn't given up on him.
"A car accident. He was speeding in the V8 and lost control of the car. It flipped into a ditch." Bianca told her sister quietly.
The knot in April's stomach was tightening more and more by the second. She could barely breathe. "He's okay though isn't he? I just saw him today. He has to be okay."
Bianca said nothing for a moment. There was no way she wanted to tell her sister this. "No April, he's not okay. He's alive, but he's not okay. I don't know much more."
April stood up. "I need to get to the hospital now." She said and headed for the door. April felt as if her head was spinning.
Bianca followed her sister. "I'll come with you." She knew her sister would need support.
As soon as the two got to the hospital, April practically ran all the way to the A & E department. Dr Walker frowned when he saw the teenager. She was already dealing with so much lately, he feared that this could be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Dr Walker... Xavier... where is he?" April panted, out of breath from all the running.
"He's just down the hall. April, this mightn't be the best place for you to be at the moment." He tried to advise her.
April was having none of it. "I have to see him! Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay!" she begged desperately. April felt sick that she had spent the past two hours hating him. Bianca held her sister's hand.
The doctor hesitated but there was no way he could avoid telling her the truth. He shook his head. "No April, he's not okay. Xavier's injuries were are extensive. The trauma of the crash really damaged his brain and he has substantial internal injuries. The injuries are non-operable. I'm afraid the only thing we can do now is make him as comfortable as possible." He told the young girl ruefully.
Tears ran freely down April's cheeks. She shook her head. "No. No. You can't tell me that you're making him as comfortable as possible! That's means..."
"That he's not going to make it." Bianca whispered disbelievingly. She couldn't imagine Xavier being dead, it seemed impossible.
Dr Walked sympathetically touched April's arm. "I'm very sorry." He said before walking away.
April still refused to believe it. She walked quickly down the corridor. Dr Walker had to have been playing some kind of sick joke on her. Only she knew he wasn't when she arrived at the trauma room. April looked into the room. Gina and John were at his bedside while Casey, Ruby and Dex were standing in the corridor. She hesitated before walking into the room. Neither John nor Gina turned to look at her. April couldn't take her gaze away from the scene that was before her. Xavier laid bloody in the bed with all the wires imaginable stuck into him. His heart monitor beeped feebly. She stood there, rooted to the spot, physically unable to move an inch. April felt absolutely sick.
Gina was sobbing uncontrollably while holding her son's limp hand. "My little boy." She choked out and turned to look at her husband. "I told you to sell that car!" Despite her words, Gina did not sound angry with John, something that was reinforced when he pulled her into his arms and she cried on his chest.
April was putting herself through hell picturing the accident. Ruby saw the state of her best friend and took her hand. April took Dex's. "I'm so sorry." She whispered to him through her tears. Dex nodded and put his arm around his ex-girlfriend. Xavier's accident had made him realise that he had nothing to be angry at her for. She was still alive and that was all that mattered. Dex didn't want to lose another of his friends.
Bianca stepped inside the door for a minute and was completely shocked by Xavier's state. The sight of Gina and John crying together broke her heart. It made her think of how she would feel if she ever lost April. She knew there was no greater pain and that there was nothing anyone could say that could possibly console them now. Bianca turned to her sister. "Me and Liam are going to wait outside. I'm here if you need me." She assured her sister and when April nodded she left the room again.
The whole scene brought back bad memories of when both April and Xavier ended up in hospital after the incident with the chemicals. It seemed so unfair to her that even though she was at fault, Xavier's condition was worse. The only difference between then and now was that there was hope then and there was none now. No wondering when and if he was going to wake up and no wondering if the injuries would have any long term effects. There was nothing left any one could hope for. The fact was, Xavier would not survive and the thought was impossible to bear. She stood in the corner counting everyone of his weak heartbeats, not knowing which could be his last. April placed her hand on her baby bump. That was the only thing that could keep her sane at that moment in time. The thought of the little life that was growing inside her helped to ease the pain but only slightly. April wanted nothing more than to be in Heath's arms at that moment. She needed him to hold her tightly and promise that everything would be okay even though she knew it wouldn't. April knew a massive gap would be left in her life and that wasn't helped by the fact that she spent most of Xavier's last few hours resenting him. She would never be able to tell him that she was sorry and that she loved him. He was always there for her; supported her efforts to help the environment, forgave her after she nearly killed him with noxious chemicals and accepted her when she took drugs to try get the points in her HSC to become a doctor, and it killed April to think that she couldn't be there for him anymore.
She was pulled from her train of thought though by a sustained deafening beep coming from Xavier's heart monitor.
... Had I known how to save a life.