Chapter 34: Comatose.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Fosters.
AN: Please leave lots of reviews, since they are showing up again. Leave them on this chapter and the previous chapter. it's much appreciated. This chapter picks up right about an hour after the end of the previous one.
Connor's POV:
"My Uncle David is calling." I said, as I picked up the phone and answered it.
"C-Connor." Was what came from the other end of the phone.
Oh no.
"What happened?" I asked, immediately knowing something was wrong.
"I need you and Jude to come to the hospital." He said, obviously holding back tears, "Evan and I were on our way home. We had been babysitting Andy. We were going through an intersection. We got broadsided. Evan... he's in really bad shape. The other driver didn't make it."
"How bad is Uncle Evan?" I asked, dreading the answer.
"He... h-he flat lined in the ambulance." Uncle David wept, "He was dead for twelve seconds. They were able to bring him back, but it was close."
I exhaled a breath.
"God fucking damn it." I swore, "Why can't we go a month without this BULLSHIT happening? Have you called the rest of the family yet?"
"I'm going to call them when I hang up with you." He said shakily, "Just please hurry and get up here."
"Does Albus know?" I asked.
"SHIT!" Uncle David exclaimed, "I need you to pick him up from the house and bring him with you. He doesn't know."
"We're on our way now." I said, and hung up the phone.
I felt a surge of adrenaline fueled rage shoot through my body, and I clenched the phone hard in my fist, cracking the screen.
"What happened now?" Jude asked worriedly.
"Uncle Evan and David got into a car accident." I explained shakily, "Uncle Evan had to be revived. He was dead for twelve seconds."
"Oh for fuck sake."Jude mumbled under his breath. "I'm getting really tired of this shit."
"Yeah you and me both." I agreed, "As soon as something good happens, something bad happens to fuck it up. We gotta hurry up and go get Albus and get up there."
We both hurried to get dressed and ranted the whole time. Ten minutes later we pulled out of the driveway in Jude's Aston Martin, and thundered down the street.
Thirty minutes later, because of the thrice damned traffic, we pulled into the driveway of my Uncle's house. I ran up to the door and banged on it.
Albus answered the door.
Now sixteen years old, Albus had grown a lot. He was no longer the goofy little kid, dressed in bright colored outfits that glared at grandpa during that ill fated family dinner.. He was now a tall, curly black haired young man, who resembled a much younger and skinnier version of my Uncle Evan. He had grown to inherit my Uncle's taste in clothes, and was decked in the classic style of black attire. He was wearing his favorite black dress pants, dress shirt, and boots.
He smiled when he saw me, but it quickly fell when he saw the look on my face.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Your dads were in a car accident." I said, "You need to come with us. Now."
He very quickly got his coat. It was a black trench coat.
He practically ran for the car.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the hospital.
This fucking hospital.
I swear to god, somebody should burn it to the ground.
Uncle David met us at the front door. We didn't even make it inside before a black Suburban flew into the parking lot. My dad and mom got out, and my mom carried baby Andy.
My dad had a look of rage on his face as he stalked towards us. Nobody said a word as we were all led inside.
When we arrived outside of the hospital room in the intensive care unit, the doctor was stepping out of the room.
"How is he doctor?"
"*Sigh*." The doctor said, "Your husband is in bad shape, Mr. Stevens. We've had to put him into a medically induced coma."
"Just call me Dave." Uncle David said, "Four of us here respond to Mr. Stevens. It'll make it less confusing."
"Okay David." He continued, "He's being prepped for surgery right now."
"What about his injuries?" My Dad asked, "How bad are they?"
"And you are...?" The doctor asked.
"Adam Stevens. His older brother." Dad answered.
"He has a cracked skull, and swelling in the brain." The doctor started saying, "He has seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung, we suspect internal bleeding, he lost a lot of blood, his jaw broke when it smashed against the window of your car, his left leg and left arm are broken in several places. The leg is so bad, we might have no choice but to amputate."
Uncle David swayed on the spot. Dad, Jude and I leapt forward and caught him as he fell in a dead faint. I looked my dad in the face, and could see that he was crying as we hauled David over to a chair.
After he was safe in the chair, Dad turned to Jude and I and motioned for us to follow him.
He led us into a private meeting room. He stood there, trying hard not to let the tears fall.
"You okay, dad?" I asked.
He exhaled shakily.
"My baby b-brother..." Was all he got out before falling to his knees.
My dad started sobbing.
I had never seen my dad sob before.
I kneeled before my dad and pulled him into a hug.
"He's gonna be alright dad." I assured him trying desperately to provide some sort of comfort, "If anybody can survive this, it's him. He'll be okay. It'll take a while, but he'll be okay."
It took a whole ten minutes and help from my mom to calm him down. Jude and I were asked to watch Andy for a minute so they could talk to the doctors.
I held my baby brother in my arms, hugging him snuggly to my chest. His little head was tucked under my chin, and I rocked back and forth in an attempt to further sooth the infant. Jude stepped up to rub comforting circles on my back.
I place a kiss on the top of Andy's head, in his messy tuft of auburn hair.
I started crying. I felt a little hand reach up and touch my cheek, right where one of the tears had reached.
I readjusted my hold on him so I could look at his little face.
He was looking at me, with wide blue eyes, and his mouth was open, a small amount of drool starting to seep from the corner of his mouth.
I stuck my tongue out at him.
He smiled at me with a toothless grin and let out a little baby giggle that melted my heart.
He squirmed after a second, and within moments his head was re-tucked under my chin.
"I love you so much. I promise, baby boy." I whispered to him, "I'll never let anybody hurt you. I'll protect you. I'll fight to the very last breath to make sure you are safe. If you ever need anything when you grow up, I'll be there. You are so loved. You have so many people to look out for you, bubby."
I place another kiss on his head.
"Connor?"
We turned to see my parents standing behind us.
"We're gonna stay here." Mom said, "You don't have to. You guys can go home if you want."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah. We'll call you when we have more news." Dad said, his voice hoarse.
I handed my little brother back to my mom, kissing the tip of his nose as she took him.
"See you later little buddy."
Giggle.
I smiled softly and turned to Jude.
"Let's go home." I said, "If I have to stay here for another minute I'm gonna jump out of a fucking window."
Jude tensed and looked at me horrified. I winced.
"Sorry. Probably not the best figure of speech to use." I said.
"No. It's not." Jude said quietly.
"Sorry, JJ."
"S'okay. Just... don't say stuff like that." He asked, "Every time you do, the visual flashes before my eyes. I don't want to ever see that."
"I'll try. I promise."
"Connor, wait!"
I turned around to see David walking toward us.
He handed us two folded pieces of paper.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Evan was going to give that to you later today." He said, "We were gonna stop by. You told him that he should write a song for you guys to use. He did. Read the note first. It should explain things first."
I placed the piece of paper in my pocket with the utmost care.
"Thanks Uncle David." I said, "Call us soon as you know more."
We made our way out to the car as quickly as we could, and Jude drove.
He kept driving until we were leaving San Diego.
"Where are we going?"
"Nowhere. Just going for a ride." He said.
I nodded.
He looked over at me, and reached over to grasp my hand.
"He'll be okay." He said.
"I hope so."
I sighed shakily.
"He's done so much for us, Jude." I choked out, "He stood up for us. Taught us to fight and shoot. Paid for the Vegas trip, and enabled you to win all that money. He's bought us a fucking house. He was trying to get the band a recording contract. He's paid for our college. We owe him so much. He can't d-die."
"He won't. He's like a Terminator." Jude said gently, "He's near impossible to kill."
We pulled into the parking lot of an old store. It was deserted.
"What do you think he wrote for the song?" Jude asked.
I pulled out the two pieces if paper. I started reading the note first.
"Dear Jonnor." I read, rolling my eyes at the damned name, "As promised, the song I was asked to write. It isn't my best work. In fact I wrote it in about forty five seconds. I saw a post on Facebook that gave me the idea. It was a picture of a man, who once lived the high life but lost everything and tried to drown the misery in booze. So I figured it would make a really depressing "Fade to Black" style metal ballad. It's up to you guys to write the music though. I'm hopeless on that front. The poem is call 'Memories (All My Love). Enjoy... Love, Evan Stevens."
I unfolded the second sheet of paper and looked at it. I sighed and read the poem written on it.
"All my love to long ago,
Where all dreams flow,
Where memories reign,
And there is no pain.
So all my love to long ago
As I drift in slumber
I mourn the old friends lost,
New friendships strained,
And old friends estranged.
So all my love to long ago
I miss it so,
That time so long ago,
Back in the good old' days.
I remain rooted in my old ways.
In my mind the lost will stay,
Until my final dying day.
When to sleep I do succumb
In dream I weep at what I've become
I sit drunk, deep with rum
A measly shadow of a nasty bum
Again I weep for what I've become
And I weep for long ago.
I drank my life away.
Now I've nowhere to stay.
Now I sit and think all day
That it wasn't worth it anyway.
Now my life is ruined
And I just want to die.
I wish for some release
From my personal hell.
Will this never cease?
So far I fell.
It is hard to tell
In which circle of hell
That I reside.
There is no life without love,
Which is why I pray to heaven above.
I feel that I'm going insane.
For now I am a stain,
Society's bane,
Only I can feel the strain
On my failing brain.
So now as the end is nigh
And I watch my life flash by,
It's time to say goodbye.
I give my love to long ago,
Where all dreams flow,
Where memories reign,
And there is no pain.
So all my love to long ago."
I sighed as I finished reading.
"He really wrote that in forty five seconds?" Jude asked, his eyes slightly red, "How is your Uncle a real human being?"
"Hahaha." I laughed, "Seems like he's more than that, doesn't it? The rest of the Mafia think of him as a god figure."
Jude sobered immediately.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I guess it just hit me," Jude said, crying softly, "That we're all going our separate ways."
"It's not truly goodbye though." I reminded him, "We're all going to college around here. We're in a band with Jax, Jeremy, Austin and Castor. Daria and Taylor are going to College with us. Carson is going to be working at the Youth Drop In Center where Callie worked that one summer. We've all made plans to go paintballing again later in the month, remember?"
"Yeah. But we won't all be seeing each other every day anymore." He said sadly, "I'm going to miss that."
"*Sigh* Yeah, me too." I said, "But our lives are just beginning. We have decades of time to spend with these people."
"Yeah." He said, looking at me, "I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you. You know that, right?"
I smiled and leaned over the center console to give him a sweet kiss.
"I know it very well, my beautiful fiancé."
Jude blushed.
"I still have to get you a ring." He said.
I smiled.
"I'm not in a hurry." I said, "As long as it ends with you and me, standing at the altar, saying I do, I can wait as long as need be."
I kissed him again.
"As long as I'm with you."
AN#2: Yes, the poem is one of my originals. Again, thanks for reading and please leave lots of reviews.