Where We Are
Chapter Twenty
'JOHN! STOP!' Carol shouted, running to place herself between John and Doug as John advance on who he saw as his rival.
'Get your hands off my boy!' John roared at Doug, who only seemed to notice John's presence since Carol had shouted. Doug looked at Carol fearfully as she stood between him and Tag, afraid that he would lash out at her again. But he knew Carol wouldn't want Zach near Tag when he was angry. He was frozen in place, unsure of what he should do.
John was beside Carol now, wrestling to get past her but she stood her ground. She would not let him near Zach like this.
'John, please, stop!' she begged, pushing against her husband's chest but he didn't seem to notice.
'I mean it, Ross! Let go of my son!' he shouted again. Susan ran to Doug's side and quickly took the child into her arms.
'Why is my daddy shouting?' Zach asked, his voice wavering. Susan didn't reply as Mark came to stand next to them. Doug was standing in front of them and Mark placed one hand on his shoulder, as if to restrain him, but Doug had no intention of moving out of the way and letting Tag get near Zach.
Carol was still trying to hold John back. Peter, who had stopped as Zach and John had arrived on the scene, and now stood close enough to the angry psychiatrist, approached him.
'Come on, man, back off. You're scaring the kid' Peter said to John but he wasn't listening.
'I knew it! It was him you wanted all along! And look, you ran off to be with him at the first sight of trouble between us. I bet you've been waiting for years for an excuse to run back to him' John shouted at Carol, who looked as if he had just hit her again.
'Yeah, John, of course. I was just waiting for you to punch me and tear my life apart so I could run back to Doug' she shouted back sarcastically.
It happened so quickly that neither Carol nor Peter had time to react. John raised his head and pulled it full force across Carol's face. Her hair swung out as her head turned with the force of a slap. Everyone reacted as one. Peter grabbed Tag and shoved him up against the wall, just in time for Doug to punch him in the face. Tag pushed Doug away and swung a punch of his own. Mark and Carter moved forward to help separate them. Susan dropped Zach into a chair behind her and ran to Carol, who was already sobbing on Jeanie's shoulder.
Doug and Tag were still locked in a full brawl in the corridor. Carol shoved away from Susan and Jeanie and ran right into the middle of the fight, forcing the men apart. Both women were quick to follow. Carter tightened his grip on Tag and pulled him back. Peter and Mark, each with a hand on Doug's shoulders did the same.
'Don't do this in front of Zach!' Carol screamed. Instantly, Doug relaxed and stopped fighting against Mark and Peter's grip. Carol turned to face her husband. 'Please, you're scaring him' she said. John was breathing deeply, sporting both a bleeding nose and lip.
Doug moved from under his friend's grip and approached Carol. Placing a hand under her chin, her turned her head and inspected the angry red handprint on her left cheek. Her newly healed cut from Tag's first punch had opened and was bleeding again.
But once Doug's hand touched Carol, Tag shoved against Carter's grip again, breaking free and knocking into Doug, sending him colliding into Carol and both of them knocked up against the wall. Doug spun around but met Tag's fist. Carter and Peter moved to restrain Tag again but every hand that touched him he knocked away. However, unseen by anyone, Zach had left his chair and wandering into the middle of the fight. As the toddler touched Tag's arm, Tag swung out and his hand met the chest of the three year old boy. Zach was knocked off his feet and skidded three feet down the hall and his head knocked against the wheel of a gurney.
Carol let out a heart wrenching scream and ran to her son's side, Doug and Mark hot on her heels. The little boy was unconscious and a deep cut on the back of his head oozed blood. Carol dropped to her knees and took her son into her arms, begging him to wake up.
Everyone else had frozen around them and Tag looked more than horrified when he realised he had struck his own son.
'Carol, give him to me, let me check him over' Doug said quietly as Carol sobbed, close to hyperventilating. She allowed Doug to take Zach from her arms and he rushed away with him to one of the trauma rooms. Mark sprinted after them.
Carol slumped on the floor, still crying and unable to bring herself under control. Susan dropped to her knees beside her and hugged the nurse, trying to hold back her own tears.
'Carol' John croaked. Carter and Peter had him shoved against the wall again and showed no signs of letting him go. Carol's head snapped up as she heard him utter her name.
He looked scared and apologetic. His face had gone completely white, he was trembling, but Carol just stared at him with as much hate as was humanly possible.
'I'm sorry' he pleaded.
Carol pushed away from Susan, got to her feet and ran at John. She slapped and punched at him with every bit of energy she had left. No one moved to stop her.
'I hate you! Look what you've done! My poor baby!' she wailed with every punch.
Eventually, she ran out of steam and slumped against him, sobbing uncontrollably. He raised his hands and gently placed them on her shoulders. At his touch, Carol shoved away from him. She didn't say anything, she didn't do anything. She just walked away.
'Carol' John called after her.
She turned at the entrance to the trauma room. She fixed John with a death stare and spoke loud, clear and even. 'Never, ever, come anywhere near me or my son again.'
Then she pushed open the trauma room doors and approached Zach's side.
'He's fine. Just a little concussion' Doug said straight away. As he said it, Zach groaned and his eyes fluttered open. Carol took his little hand in hers and squeezed tight. He smiled sleepily at her.
Doug approached Carol and laid his hands on her shoulders. She rested her head on his hand and he smiled. Quietly, Mark slipped out of the room.
'Thank you' Carol whispered. She turned her hand and pressed a kiss into Doug's hand. When she raised her head, Doug brushed his fingers lightly across her cheek.
'I can't believe this has happened. Me is one thing, but to actually hit his own child' Carol muttered, brushing away the last of her tears.
'Sshh...It's going to be alright now. Everything's going to be alright' Doug whispered. Carol leaned her head back to rest against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
They sat there, the three of them, for hours, unmoving, as Zach dozed in and out of consciousness.
AN: Two more to go :)