Again thank you for the lovely reviews I really appreciate them as it does give me more of an incentive to continue so thank you :) I'm not sure about this chapter this is the third re write and I just thought if I didn't post it now I'd never continue so I hope its not too disappointing and feel free to let me know your thoughts
"Carla can you hear me?"
"There is a pulse but it's very weak."
"Heart rate is falling we need to get her into resuscitation as soon as we arrive."
"Carla Connor 37 overdose of Temazepan taken with large quantities of alcohol, heart rate slowly declining."
"Miss Connor?"
Michelle snapped her head upwards and struggled to focus on the woman in front of her. Her mind was replaying the conversation from the paramedics and she couldn't erase the image of Carla's lifeless body from the forefront of her mind.
"It's Michelle how's Carla? Is she going to be alright?"
Dr Jane Sweeney sighed as she surveyed the broken young woman in front of her the information she had to give was not going to be taken lightly. "Michelle Ms Connor has taken a large amount of Temazepan and that in conjunction with the amount of alcohol consumed has produced a deadly effect. Ms Connor is currently in a coma as her body had begun to shut down due to the effect of the cocktail of pills and alcohol ravaging her system".
Michelle could feel tears stinging her eyes as the doctor looked so serious in front of her.
"Will she survive?"
"Michelle we have resuscitated Ms Connor twice, once on immediate arrival and once due to her suffering from a cardiac arrest when we moved her into intensive care. We are now trying to flush the toxins from the body in the hope that she can recover."
Michelle felt her legs turn to lead and she began to rock silently on her heels as her brain processed the information she had been given. Resuscitated twice, a cardiac arrest! I've already lost her twice oh god, oh god oh g-.
"Michelle the next 24 hours are crucial that's all I can say at the moment. Now I think you should come with me Ms Connor is in a private room so you can stay with her." Michelle leapt forward at the news and followed the doctor down the winding corridors of the hospital. As the Doctor arrived outside of Carla's room she paused briefly. "Michelle I will warn you we do have Ms Connor hooked up to various machines and a ventilator." Michelle looked at Dr Sweeney confusion evident on her face. "I'm only telling you as some family members do become agitated at the sight of so many wires and machines." Michelle took a deep breath, nodded and pushed open the door.
Michelle walked slowly up to the bed taking in the scene before her. Letting her coat fall softly to the ground she carefully pulled one of the chairs with her and slowed to a stop. As she sat down she took Carla's hand in hers careful not to disturb any of the wires currently strewn across her. Carla's hair was spread wildly across the pillow, her face had been completely cleaned of her makeup and she looked oddly young without it. The expression on her face was one of complete calm, serenity and Michelle wondered when she had last seen Carla look so peaceful. If not for the ventilator secured to her she would have looked like she was merely sleeping. Looking at her face closely Michelle could see the dark bags under her eyes without her makeup they stuck out in stark contrast against her paler skin. Carla's chest rose and fell rhythmically in time with each beep of the ventilator; the only sign of life currently being emitted.
Michelle laid her head gently on the side of the bed and began to sob; heart wrenching sobs that would have been painful for any onlooker to listen to. First Dean, then Paul, Liam and now Carla Michelle couldn't stop the tirade of images flashing through her brain. Each person she loved had been cruelly taken away from her. Dean had been dead a few hours by the time she got to see his body. Nothing can prepare you for seeing someone you loved laid out on a concrete slab in a mortuary there was no dignity nothing personal and that day she prayed she would never lose anyone else. For a few years she had been lucky and then there was Paul stupid reckless bastard if only he hadn't gone to meet Leanne Michelle thought he still would have been alive. There were moments even now when she still felt the guilt at not going to see Paul at the hospital as soon as she had heard about his accident. She would always regret arriving too late. The life had already left her big brother by the time she had arrived and those awful words too late still echoed around her brain and she hoped they wouldn't be repeated with Carla.
Liam was still a difficult thought process for Michelle again he had already lost his fight for life before she arrived seeing him immobile on the stretcher was a image burnt forever into her brain. It was the way he had been taken from her though that still made Michelle seethe with anger. Tony Gordon had taken away her nephew's dad her gorgeous loving, funny brother and the love of Carla's life. Thinking of all the times that she had lost people she loved sent Michelle into another wave of sobs and she desperately clutched at Carla's hand. Michelle prayed someone somewhere was watching her anguish and would bring Carla back to her in one piece.
A while later as Michelle began to regain her composure a nurse came in for the first of many checks on Carla's vitals. The woman looked to be in her late fifties and had a kind comforting smile completely at ease and exactly what Michelle would expect in a nurse. "Keep your chin up love I've seen worse patients pull through. Your crying won't help anyone just sit back and keep positive it's the best help trust me" Michelle gave the woman a wobbly smile, laid her head back against the chair and covered herself with her coat. As she felt her exhausted mind struggle to stay lucid she squeezed Carla's hand tight.
"Don't you give up on me I'm not letting you go without a fight"
With one last look at Carla Michelle settled into what was going to be a long restless wait.