CHAPTER 20:
"Your friend Fiona is in a coma. She had what's called Subarachnoid Haemorrhage, or in plain English, bleeding of the brain from the head injuries she sustained. We were lucky to stop the bleeding, but because of the seizure and the constant going in and out of consciousness, she finally slipped into full comatose state. We do not know if she is going to wake up, and even if she does, we don't know how long it will take."
"Ah…" Cooper breathed. He was only slightly relieved. He thought 'At least she's not dead.'
"If you would like, you three can visit her."
"Please." Jen mumbled.
The doctor led them to the intensive care wing and showed them to Fiona's room. He gave James a nod and went off to check on his other patients. Jen walked cautiously towards the room, pulling the handle of the door open. She saw Fiona lying motionless in her bed. Her head was bandaged and she was hooked to several different machines. The constant 'breathing' of one of the machines gave Jen goose bumps. She felt like she was in a morgue. She felt cold and she sensed that death seemed to be lurking around the corner, waiting to take Fiona away from the world. Jen walked over to the bed. Fiona looked so peaceful and yet so ravaged by violence. It made Jen want to cry then and there for the umpteenth time in the past twenty-four hours. She pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat down. She took in a deep breath and breathed it out slowly. She reached down for her friend's limp hand.
"Fiona, I know you may not be able to hear me, but…if you can somehow…I wanted to say how sorry I am. It's my fault that you are like this. If I had just said in the first place that he was violent beyond all means, then we'd still be sitting in my apartment by now, drinking tea and what not. But no. You're stuck in a coma because of Marcus beating you so badly; your brain was bleeding internally." Jen paused to wipe away the few tears that had accumulated while she was talking. The noises the machines made now had become a distant buzz in Jen's ears. They ceased to bother her now. "Please, do not die. If you do, I will forever be plagued with the guilt and…I don't think I'd like to live the rest of my life like that. So please, please wake up." Jen returned to sobbing once more. She set down Fiona's hand and buried her face in her arms, leaning next to Fiona.
James and Cooper had stood outside the room, waiting for Jen to finish talking to Fiona. They had remained silent. James did not know what to say, or what to think. Cooper felt the same way. The two men had taken seats on the floor, leaning up against the wall. James had occasionally gotten up and looked through the window in the door to see if Jen was done. The third time he had done this, he saw Jen sobbing again.
"Cooper, I'm going in…"
"All right. Look, I'll…I'll stay out here, leave you two to talk." James nodded as he entered the room. Jen looked up. Her eyes were red from crying and she had an overall dishevelled look about her. "Jennifer?" James whispered as he stood over her and Fiona. Jen stood up and James immediately embraced her as tight as he possibly could without hurting her. "It will be all right, everything may seem like it's not going to be, but it will. It always does in the long run." James said in an attempt to comfort Jen. He felt her nod. He stroked her hair softly and then he moved his hand down to her neck. She pulled her head away from his chest, still remaining in his arms.
"I'm so tired." Jen whispered. James looked over her shoulder to see what looked like a couch. He figured it would work as a substitute for a bed. He gently guided Jen towards the back of the room where the couch was. He then sat down, pulling Jen with him. She curled up next to him, resting her head on his lap. There she fell sound asleep, praying that Fiona would wake up from her eternal sleep.