Soo, procrastination at it's finest: an update in the midst of final week! Hope you enjoy :) Reviews will make this week sooo much better.
Early morning sunlight streamed into the hospital window as Josie opened her eyes groggily. Her head was still throbbing and she winced slightly when she moved her arm and felt pain shoot up the length of it. Glancing around the room she searched frantically for Pete but it appeared the room was empty. Frowning slightly she noticed a note resting just next to her head on the pillow.
Reaching for it carefully, she felt slightly sick at what it would say, a feeling in the pit of her stomach made her very wary. Opening it slowly her eyes took in the words carefully: Mornin' Joze, Pete had scrawled, had to run out quick to take care of somethin'. Don't worry – I'll be back before you know it. I love you. - Pete
She stared at the words, trying to grasp some deeper meaning from them but her head was slightly fuzzy and it seemed simple enough so she tried to ignore the nervous feeling she had woken up with. Sitting there thinking over the past twenty four hours her head spun at all that had happened – only in their world would they get engaged only for one of them to land in hospital the same day. Leaning back, she sighed slightly while tapping her foot impatiently wondering how long it had been since he'd left.
"Good mornin' miss – how are we feelin' today?" a nurse said lightly, startling Josie out of her thoughts.
"Oh, uh just fine – head hurts a bit is all but other than that I'm just fine. Can I leave?" she asked in a rush, desperate for this hellish experience to be over.
"Lemme just take a quick looksie and we should be able to get you out of here," the nurse responded with a smile and worked quickly to check her vitals while Josie sighed lightly in annoyance. She sat up in the bed, foot still tapping nervously, wanting nothing more than to be out of here, "You seem to be alright love – one of your mates dropped off some clean clothes for you so you're set to get out of 'ere. Think he said his name was Quill."
Josie snorted, "You must mean Swill – thank you though, that was quite sweet of him. Hey –" she shouted at the nurse's retreating figure, a thought suddenly coming to her, "You didn't happen to notice when the tall blonde man that was in here left did you?"
The nurse looked back at her in confusion and Josie figured it would be a negative answer until comprehension dawned on her face, "Oo the very handsome one?" she asked expectantly and Josie fought the urge to roll her eyes but managed to nod in the affirmative, "Hmm, don't really know – I did over 'ear them last night sayin' somethin' about a straightener at Trinity Warf – whatever that means," she said trailing off lightly before bustling out of the room to allow Josie to change.
Josie felt her blood turn cold and she was suddenly completely alert. Her mouth went dry and she felt out of breath, "Oh my God no," she murmured as realization hit her like a mack truck before leaping as best she could out of the bed. She threw on the pair of jeans and Pete's sweatshirt that Swill had brought for her pulling on her sneakers as she was already running out the door. Sprinting down the hallway, her mind reeling with what could potentially be happening right now.
Why Pete, why? She thought desperately as she ran out of hospital and leapt in a cab, "Trinity Warf," she shouted at the driver, "And please hurry."
Chaos reigned around Pete while Bovver and Matt tried to support him away from the fray. He'd never been in so much pain in his life and all he could think about was that he may end up breaking his promise to Josie and that single thought hurt more than the physical injuries. Through blurred vision he saw a Range Rover pull in and his mind went blank at the sight, wondering what was going on. Then he saw Tommy, an evil glint in his eye, going at Shannon who had just leapt out of the car, screaming for her brother. He felt his heart stop at the sight; he couldn't let that man get to his brother's family, "OI! Tommy! Don't you wanna finish me off then?" he shouted, stumbling about, pain shooting through his body with every step he took.
Tommy glared back at him, giving a vicious laugh, "Yer already finished little Petey! The NTO will take care of you in a minute you mug!" he yelled gleefully, while continuing to advance on Shannon and Ben.
Limping towards Tommy, Pete shouted out in desperation, "We didn't kill your son, Tommy! You did! You should have protected 'im mate, he was your son!"
At his words, Tommy whirled around and ran at him, fists raised in fury, "Don't you talk about my fuckin' son! Don't you talk about 'im you cunt!" His anger was overpowering and Pete tried as best he could to stop the blows but it was too late, he had no more energy left for it. He shut his eyes, feeling the pain begin to fade and his world began to go black. Tommy's furious shouts faded and were instead replaced with memories flashing through his mind. Vivid, bright flashes of his life danced across the back of his eyelids.
The first match his dad had brought him to. The first fight he'd been in with the GSE, standing proudly next to his brother. Meeting Bovver in detention on his ninth birthday. Visions of university and his adolescent years jumbled together unimportantly. Then what he'd been waiting for: the memory of the first time he saw Josie. In his mind he smiled at the golden brown hair curling down her back and the dusting of freckles across her nose. He remembered the feel of her lips on his the first time he'd kissed her, remembered thinking how that was heaven. He could feel her soft touch and see her brown eyes smiling at him. He had the usual flash of the future with her in a white dress, glowing as she walked towards him on his father's arm and it wounded him to know he'd never see it for himself, heartbroken that he'd shattered the promise he'd made her.
Pete tried to hold on to it all, grasping onto the vision of her in his head while he struggled to fight the darkness that threatened to take over, desperate to hang on so he could get back to her. Then a sight he never imagined before, the most amazing vision he'd never thought of: one of Josie with a swollen belly, carrying his child, a golden glow around her and then – darkness.
The tires squealed on the dirt and Josie looked around in horror at the sight that met her shocked eyes. Bodies and blood were strewn about the Warf and her heart leapt to her throat when she saw both sides of the Firms circled around one body, "Call an ambulance!" she shouted at the driver before leaping out of the taxi, no regard for those around her and what harm they may want to do to her. The only sight she saw was Pete, covered in his own blood, lying broken on the filthy ground while the rest of the men stared on in horror.
"Please God no," she prayed as she sprinted towards him. Shoving through the group she was barely aware of the shocked looks on the collected men's faces. Reaching him, she dropped to her knees, eyes filling with tears, "Pete!" she shouted desperately, noticing he didn't appear to be breathing, "NO! You won't make me a widow before you make me a wife – stay with me please baby," she stuttered slightly, trying to remember her rudimentary CPR skills through her panic.
Bovver kneeled, sniveling beside her, "Call someone – please," she begged to him. The silence around her was deafening as she sobbed, staring at the love of her life's broken body. It seemed as though hours past while she sat kneeling over Pete's body, blood soaking her clothes while she tried to find a pulse. Suddenly she heard sirens ring though and an EMT push her aside. She was vaguely aware of men scattering and running but all she saw was Pete. He was put on a stretcher, the EMTs working frantically and she tried to follow onto the ambulance but the doors slammed shut on her face and it peeled out of the Warf, lights flashing as it sped towards the hospital.
Arms wrapped around her and she started to fight, "Joze! Relax – it's Swill, just Swill." He said, lifting her off the ground and supporting her body as though she was the broken one. She tore away from him, sprinting back towards the taxi that still sat waiting. She leapt back into the cab, followed by Swill and Dave who both looked a bit worse for the wear, but seemed to be not fatally harmed.
"Follow the ambulance – please," she cried desperately to the driver who again took off, back towards the hospital.
A few minutes later they reached the A&E and Josie was out of the car before it stopped, throwing bills at the drive without really noticing. Hurrying into the front room, she ran towards the front desk, "Pete Dunham was just brought in – I'm his fiancé," she said, gulping slightly while struggling for words, "What's going on?"
The pitying look that the woman gave her made Josie's heart falter, "I'm sorry miss…" she started and at her words, Josie found she didn't quite have the strength to hear them and she felt the room blur around her until it faded to black.
When she came to, she was propped up in a chair in the waiting room, Swill and Dave staring down at her with worried looks on their faces and to her surprise Emma was standing behind them, "Joze? You alright love?" her friend asked her, rushing towards her and smoothing her hair softly.
"Pete," she whispered, "Alive?" was all she could get out.
Dave nodded his head shortly and Josie began to sob when he spoke, "In surgery now but…" he trailed off, swallowing hard before continuing, "It doesn't look good."
Her worst fears confirmed she began to wail, feeling like someone had just ripped her heart out. She slumped over in her chair, tears streaming down her face and she wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her knees to her chest. Swill sat on one side of her, Dave dropped to his knees in front of her and Emma plopped down next to her, wrapping an arm around her as she rested her head on her shoulder, rubbing her back softly.
No one spoke a word, knowing there were no words of comfort they could offer her. Swill bit his lip, fighting tears while Dave didn't even bother trying to stop his. The four of them sat silently in the waiting room, anxious to hear something while fearing what was to come at the same time.
Josie stared at Pete's bruised and almost unrecognizable face, looking for some inkling of awareness. The silence in the room was broken only by the beep of the heart monitored that was the only proof he was still alive. Her eyes felt dry and puffy, the tears dried up after the hours waiting while he was in surgery. She clasped his hand in both of hers, trying to avoid the sight of the diamond on her finger – what had just hours ago been a cause for elation it now only served as a cruel reminder that their life together may never get to begin.
"You promised," she whispered in a raspy voice to him, "You swore you wouldn't leave me." She cringed slightly at the fact that he was still here, "I guess you technically haven't but this isn't exactly what I meant."
She continued to stare, looking at the usually handsome features that were now mangled and the various tubes that were coming out of his body. Her eyes welled with a fresh round of tears, "Please baby, I'm not being funny or overdramatic when I tell you I can't function properly without you. So you're just going to have to come out of this and wake up so I can see your stupid, beautiful blue eyes and watch you smirk at me and feel you touch me and hear you talk. We're supposed to get married – I refuse to bury you before we get that chance. So wake up." She begged.
Nothing. No response. No twitch. Nothing.
Josie laid her head carefully on his stomach, staring up at him and praying to God, Buddha, Jehovah, Allah, every god she'd ever heard of that he would wake up and be alright.
"Excuse me Miss?" a voice from the doorway interrupted her fervent prayers and she looked up to see a stern, young nurse staring down at her, "Visiting hours are over."
Josie arched an eyebrow at the nurse wondering why she was telling her something that didn't apply to her, "Um, ok."
"You have to leave," she said not wholly unkindly but Josie narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw nonetheless.
"I'm not going anywhere," she stated bluntly, holding tighter to Pete's hand as though he'd be able to help her.
"Ma'am, I understand you're upset but rules are rules – you've got to go," the woman said again, holding herself a bit taller.
Josie squinted at the woman to read her nametag, "Now listen here, Nurse McDonald, I don't give a shit what rules there are – I'm. Not. Leaving. He," she pointed to Pete with one hand, "Is going to wake up and there's not a shot in hell that I won't be here for that so you can just piss off."
The nurse's jaw dropped and Josie turned back to stare at Pete with an air of finality as the girl turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. Josie knew that wouldn't be the last of her but she couldn't quite find the energy to be bothered by her. Pete was here, she was here – it was that simple.
A few minutes passed when the nurse returned with a middle aged doctor and Josie looked up at him, eyes flicking over his tall frame quickly. If she actually cared she'd think he was quite handsome, a McDreamy if you will, "Miss," the doctor said kindly, "Seems we've got a bit of a problem, eh? You won't leave?"
Josie swallowed hard, nearly choking on her tears, "Not that I won't, can't," she clarified. She held up her left hand pathetically before continuing, "We recently got engaged – like yesterday morning recent. I can't leave him. I won't take up room, I'll stay right here in this chair, in this corner – no one will even know I'm here – just please don't make me leave, please." She begged, tears shining in her eyes.
The doctor stared down at the young girl in front of him, eyes filled with pity as he noted the puffy, red eyes and the sobs she was trying to restrain but through it all she was still quite pretty. He contemplated what harm it would actually do when Nurse McDonald chimed in, "We understand you're upset but unfortunately we just can't make these kinds of exceptions. It would set a bad precedent."
Josie's eyes flashed dangerously towards the nurse again, "I get it sounds like I'm asking but really I am telling you I'm not leaving him. You can call every doctor, nurse, security guard, whatever in this place and you won't get me to leave him. If he's here, I'm here." She set her jaw stubbornly, holding her head high and daring them to tell her to leave again.
Nurse McDonald opened her mouth to snap back but the doctor held up a hand, taking pity on the young girl who was so desperate to stay, "Alright Miss – seems you won't be leaving whether by force or of your own volition so I'll make an exception to the policy and you'll be allowed to stay as long as you please."
"Dr. Cole," she whined slightly, "It's against hospital policy."
"Well lucky for the lady I have such power to go against that policy," he replied jovially.
Josie smiled up at him gratefully, "Thank you Dr. Cole," she said, offering a hand to him.
"You're welcome, Miss…" he trailed off, shaking her hand gently.
"Murphy. Josephine Murphy. But Josie is just fine," she said, introducing herself. Dr. Cole released her hand and she immediately took Pete's hand in hers again, "Are you his doctor?"
He shook his head, "No but if you'd like to talk to his doctor I can have her paged?"
Josie waved him away, "No no, I talked to her already when he came out of surgery and I doubt there's any change, I was just wondering if there was some kind of shift change or something that would make you his doctor."
"Ok," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I am sorry Josie – I'll make sure you're left alone though. I hope it all works out."
A tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to smile back at him, "Thank you." She whispered before turning back to stare at Pete, keeping vigilant for any sign of change.
Josie's eyes snapped open and she nearly fell from the chair she'd been curled up in. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she glanced at the bed to see Pete was still in a coma no matter what the dream she'd just been having had convinced her of. Her eyes prickled with tears at the sight – it was the same every time she fell asleep: dream her and Pete were both alive and well only to wake up to the slap in the face of a comatose Pete.
She stretched slightly, rubbing her neck in pain. Ten days of sleeping in a chair was beginning to take its toll on her body. She glanced around the room filled with flowers and balloons and get well cards. There was a football that every boy from his class had signed and she felt a pang in her heart at the sight of it all. Grimacing she stood up slowly, inching closer to the bed, "Morning baby," she said, placing a soft kiss on Pete's forehead, "You plannin' on waking up today sleepy bear?" she asked the silent form.
She sighed heavily, "Guess not right now, but you will wake up," she said fiercely, "Preferably sooner rather than later. Now, I'm going to run home, shower and change but I'll be back before you know it." Placing another kiss on his head she turned to leave and stopped short at the sight of the man filling up the doorway.
"Colin?" she whispered in shock.
"Hiya Josie Jo," her brother replied with a tired smile. At that she ran towards him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight, relieved at the sight of a member of her family.
Colin hugged her tight, stroking her hair softly, "What are you doing here?" Josie asked as she pulled away slightly, tears filling her eyes.
"We've been worried sick about you Joze. And of course about Pete too. I got cut from the team so I figured why not take an extended vacation to support my baby sister in a time of need?" he shrugged slightly as he spoke while Josie stared up at him in shock.
"You got cut?" she asked in disbelief. Colin had been playing for a minor-league hockey team and Josie had thought he'd been doing well, at least that's what her dad had told her.
"Cut, quit – what's the difference?" he responded lightly.
"I can't believe you quit," she responded in awe. Colin had always been the least motivated of the brothers for the sport but she never thought he'd quit the game.
He gave a casual wave before pulling her into his side, "It was time to move on. Now," he said seriously, "How's he doin'?"
Josie cringed painfully at the question, "He's still in there is all I can really say. The doctors come in and tell me all this medical mumbo jumbo that I never understand but they said brain activity is doing alright but they won't be able to tell if there's any long term damage until he wakes up."
Colin stared at the hospital bed uncomfortably, unused to the sight of Pete laying there. Whenever he thought of his sister's boyfriend he thought of a strong, rough, self-assured guy, "Are you stayin' here?"
"Yeah," Josie said, "I run back to Pete's every day to shower and change but I'm never gone long. My lease was up and Pete had asked me to move in with him so all my stuff is there now. The boys moved me a couple days ago so I wouldn't have to leave here."
"Come on – let's get you outta here for a bit, you look like you haven't seen fresh air in months." Josie allowed her brother to lead her out of the hospital room, throwing one last glance at Pete. She wrapped an arm around his waist as they meandered down the hallway, Josie saying hellos to most of the staff they passed who all seemed happy to see her.
After the seventh person greeted her by name Colin spoke again, "Joze – have you been sleeping here too?" he asked, giving her an appraising look.
Josie blushed at the look but raised her chin defiantly, "Of course – I'm not going to leave him until he wakes up."
Colin sighed, "What about school? Work? Your life?" he cringed when he saw the tears in her eyes.
"My life is currently laying in that hospital bed – what don't you people get??" she cried out, pulling away from him, "You. The doctors. Emma. You act like I'm crazy to be here. He's going to wake up, we're going to get married and we're going to live happily ever after. That's the plan – he promised he wouldn't leave me." She said stubbornly while tears poured down her face.
Her brother stared back at her, horrified that he'd upset her, "Joze – I'm sorry," he said, pulling her into a hug, "I'm meant to make you feel better not worse. I get it – if staying here is what you need, you'll stay. And I will too for as long as they let me."
Josie managed to smile back at him and hugged him back. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Emma standing there. She grinned at the sight. Emma had been by every day before and after work, staying with her for hours on end. She pulled away from her brother and walked over to hug her friend, "Have I told you lately that you're the best friend a girl could have?"
Emma smiled, "You have but it's always nice to hear. How's he doin' today?"
Josie tried to shrug casually, "No better, no worse." Emma stared back at her, taking in the pained look on her friends face.
"Aw Joze, it'll be alright. They didn't even think he'd make it through surgery but he did. He's strong, he'll be alright," she said, trying her best to reassure her.
Josie nodded her head, "God I hope so." Realizing her brother was standing awkwardly to the side, she pulled him towards her, "Em – this is my brother Colin, Col – my friend Emma." She said, introducing the two.
Colin eyed the blonde up and down, blushing slightly as he took her hand, "Nice to meet you," he said shyly and Emma grinned back at him as she took his hand, giving a flirtatious bat of her eyelashes.
Josie rolled her eyes at the sight but for the first time since the day at the Warf she felt slightly closer to normal. Just the sight of one of her brothers made her feel slightly more at ease and Emma and the boys had been unbelievable.
Now all she needed was Pete to wake up.
EEK...don't worry though - I could never kill Pete off. Thoughts?