Authors Note: I own nothing. No ownership rights to Beverly Hills 90210.

Chapter Thirty

I've signed what I needed to sign and given permission for non-disclosure agreements to be given to everyone who has worked on Dylan tonight. When our lawyer runs off to collect the signatures, I go back and sit with Iris. Jack follows and takes the seat next to me. We sit quietly, anxiously waiting for someone to bring us to Dylan. It's a tense few minutes, worrying about why it is taking so long- the doctor said the nurse would need a few minutes and that was at least twenty minutes ago.

As if reading my mind a woman arrives in front of us, "Mrs McKay you can see-"

The woman was speaking at me but it's Iris who jumps up and cuts her off, "yes thank you I'd love to see my son now."

I wait a moment wondering if anyone has picked up the nurse's intended audience but no one does, they must have not noticed her approach. Jack holds out his hand to me and I take it, as we follow behind Iris and the nurse, he whispers to me. "We will run interference but please don't respond to that name tonight unless you are alone or you absolutely have to. Remember we won't leave your side, well I will once I have seen Dylan. Another chat with the medical team on who is who seems to be needed."

Dylan hasn't woken up. He has an oxygen tube in his nose, an IV in his arm, and monitors beeping away. His complexion still isn't right, it helps to make him look small in the bed. I don't like him looking like that. Iris is sitting on his right side already holding his hand and I move around to his left. Jack stands next to Iris's chair and places a hand on his forehead.

"He's still pretty warm."

He said it to the room at large, to no one in particular but the nurse who walked us in responds anyway. "Yes it's why it took so long to get him set up. We wanted to give him something to bring down his temperature, we used some ice packs to speed up the process as he was getting rather warm. It's not unusual just his bodies natural way to burn out the bacteria, unfortunately though it creates other problems if left unchecked. We will keep an eye on his temperature throughout the night and hopefully when the IV antibiotics kick in he'll stop running so hot." I squeeze his hand and bring it to my lips and kiss his ring finger, he loves kissing mine and I know if he is even remotely aware of my presences that it will bring him comfort.

The nurse left after giving us some more information regarding his current status, most notably he is already nearly through with one bag of fluids. Hopefully, it will mean he'll wake in the next hour, though she said it most likely would be brief as he'll be in and out for at least the next twenty four. Jack follows her out, I'm sure to give his naming lecture again, at this point I don't care who knows. When I said that to the lawyer he reminded me that while French marriages are legally recognised in the US, there is still the potential for my parents to petition for annulment through the California courts. He see's that a pointless endeavour considering how close it is to my birthday but from everything he knows about my father from Dylan and from dealing with him when he closed the Trust, he thinks he most likely would try. The lawyer, Jack and I were in agreement Dylan would not need that stress while he recovers.

Jack comes back in with two tea's and a coffee for himself, Iris smiles in thanks. "Not me love, Brandon thought that we could all use one now that we had seen him. I quickly filled him in on what was happening. I've tried to send them all home with a promise of a call when he wakes up but they are all adamant that they'll stay put until they've at least seen him."

I knew that would be the case, the gang was collectively stubborn when it came to one of our own.

I'm halfway through my tea when Iris finally asks to hear about the elopement. She smiles through the retelling of it all. Jack proudly jumps in proclaiming anything over the top romantic as "that's my son."

When she asks to see my rings I pull the chain out from under my dress.

"Darling let's see them on."

When they are secure and she is holding my hand viewing them over Dylan's chest she smiles a watery smile, "I'm so angry that I wasn't there but it all sounds very romantic and special being just the two of you. I expect a vow renewal and reception, oh maybe a spiritual blessing with the elements all represented-"

"As long as there is no wind chimes knock yourself out Mum."

We immediately turn to the man with the croaky voice who has not yet opened his eyes.

"Baby." I squeeze his hand as Iris and I let go of each other's in favour of using both of our own to hold Dylan's.

He turns at the sound of my voice and opens his eyes marginally, "okay wife you can say I told you so."

I shake my head and smile at his attempt at humour, "no not my style, but for the rest of our lives I'll be now driving you personally to the doctors from the first moment you get sick husband."

He shakes his head, "if the goal is to keep me alive and safe Baby I should probably drive."

Jack's bark of a laugh and Iris's soft giggle has me shaking my head in mock anger, "Baby the medication is obviously making you delusional as I'm an excellent driver. You should rest now."

With his eyes partially open he smiles, squeezes my hand making sure to rub my rings, and then turns to his parents. "Sorry for ruining your-"

"Darling you got me out of dancing with Lawerence and your father was on his fourth retelling of his teak treatment of the boat's deck, you saved my night. I hate those bloody thing's. Though we raised a lot of money for The Bay Project which I'm going to insist that some get invested in safety gear for their volunteers."

"Hmmm so it's a bad infection then?"

I answer him, "no it's progressed to bacterial pneumonia. The tablets wouldn't have even touched the sides of that."

He groan's and looks at me, "I'm here for a few day's aren't I?" I nod, "that's more day's away from you though."

"Yes but it will ensure I can grow old with you so you can take this one for the team okay, and anyway if you think I'm leaving this hospital-"

"Brenda."

I look at Jack, "I'm staying."

"We've discussed this. The goal still remains the same your birthday-"

"I know that but I can stay as his best friend my father knows I can be stubborn, he would expect me to fight to stay."

Dylan's brief attempt at a chuckle brings my eyes back to him, "Dad give up, my wife has put her foot down meaning there is no reasoning with her and she's right Jim is probably expecting it."

"Speaking of expecting it, you up for the gang to say hi?"

"They are all here?" I nod, "okay but first can I have a minute with you?"

Iris reaches her hand out to Jack to help her from her seat, "Darling your father and I will let them know you are awake."

They close the door behind them and I move to sit on the edge of the bed. "You had me worried, like worse case scenario worried." I pick up his hands and kiss both of them, "don't do that again. I…" I start to cry. My husband lifts his hands and brings them to my cheeks wiping a tear on each side, and then gently tugging me closer to him. I comply and kiss his lips.

I don't hold the kiss too long, or deepen it, it causes him to grumble as I move away. "Baby your body needs all the oxygen it can get, your lungs don't need anymore strain."

"Then I guess you climbing into my hospital bed, or giving me a sponge bath-"

"Baby I'd like to grow old with you, that was one of our promises in Paris. Try and be good and not stress out your system."

He tries again, trust my husband to flirt from a hospital bed when barely conscious. "When I'm off the oxygen?"

I smile and kiss his nose, "get better and we can discuss it then."

He pulls me back to him for another kiss, it's over too soon but that's necessary. "Wife I like that you are wearing my jacket and your rings but I don't feel mine on." I reach between us and pull out his chain.

"Do you want me to put it back around your neck?"

"Yes the chain and heart but the ring can I wear it? It makes me feel whole and close to you." Once I have secured it on his finger he looks at both our hands decorated. "I'm guessing you had to tell them because you needed to make medical decisions." I nod. "We can tell everyone tonight it's less than three weeks away what's the worst thing that could happen? You could move straight in, stay here with me. Our lawyer-"

"Our lawyer still thinks it's too soon, and your doctors want you to just rest and recover. Look at you baby you are speaking in all but a whisper and your eyes are hooded, you're exhausted just from the few minutes you've been awake. You aren't up for the wrath of my father and maybe even Brandon, and while I can more than take them on myself-"

"I don't want you to. We are a team, we are telling them together." He sighs, "fine but I need you here-"

"I'm here tonight and tomorrow, I'll relinquish my position to attend school on Monday but will be here before and after. If they refuse I'll leave Casa Walsh earlier than planned, I can stay at Kelly's or Donna's-"

"Just stay at the BelAge Henry will look after you there, I know you can't go to our home in case your Dad tries to make this and issue for Dad's parole." He breathes heavy, "this is so complicated it didn't need to be this way. I just want to love you, this stupid ban is getting fucking old."

"It's after midnight so it's eighteen days to go, we are almost there."

He groan's, "still too long."

I kiss his lips, "get better first, get out of hospital and then we can decide if we wait the rest of the days. Deal?"

"If you throw in a sponge bath Mrs D McKay you have a deal?"

I laugh, "once you are all better then absolutely."

I kiss him one more time before I make to leave the room, beginning to take off my rings, "leave them on… please."

His whisper request and his ashen appearance makes me agree. When I get out to the gang I'm not surprised to see my parents there, I bury my hand further into my husband's jacket. I look at my brother, "why don't you take them all in. Not too long though as he's lost the slight colour he had when he woke up, he should rest soon."

He nods and as he walks by squeezes my shoulder. When they have disappeared into his room I turn to my father. I cut to the chase, "Dylan even before you put this ridiculous ban on us had me down on his insurance as his emergency contact. He's going to be in and out on very strong antibiotics for the next twenty-four hours, his lawyer has already told me that the hospital with their liability will not allow him to make decisions like that, leaving it to me to do. And before you ask, no his lawyer has already advised that Dylan can't sign over the medical directive in his current state. He's sick, really sick and I'm still his family. I'm not leaving."

My father isn't the one to reply, "Brenda we care for Dylan we always have. Our concern about the two of you is not a dislike of him, he's been in our home, stayed with us, had more dinners there than Brandon, we are worried about him too."

I bite my tongue and stop the reply that is bursting out, the last few months clearly demonstrates a different reality than the one my mother is trying to push. "Great then you'll understand why I need to stay."

"They can call you at home-"

"If it was me in that bed in an emergency situation, fighting high temperatures, dehydrated, and on the strongest antibiotics my body could take to try and repair my damaged lungs, would you have them call you at home Dad or would you be close by in case emergency decisions would be needed?"

"Iris and Jack will be-"

"Neither of them have the authority, he was emancipated as you well know, a legal adult he chose me to make decisions for him."

"Brenda?"

"Dad he's practically unconscious, on a breathing tube and connected to machines, I think it's pretty safe to say we aren't going to be having sex!"

My Dad's face takes on the usual look of when I had pushed him too far, my mother steps forward then and places a hand on his chest to calm him. "Brenda no one thinks that, it's just difficult for you to find a life outside of him when he's tide you to him so closely. We want you to gain perspective-" I go to interrupt but my mother puts her hand up, "but this situation is not the time for us to make that point. Of course you can stay, if you like Brandon can-"

"Thank you but I'm sure Iris and Jack will be with me here." I look over at my in-laws who had not said a word. Jack gives me a wink. "I'm going to go and kick the others out as Dylan needs to be resting."

When I walk back into the room it's to see Kelly feeling Dylan's forehead, I immediately rush to the bed. "Is it going back up?" She moves her hand immediately.

My husband turns to look at me, he's clearly exhausted. "It's fine but…"

I reach down and kiss his forehead, "you need to rest. Your parents will be back in in a minute." I turn to my brother, "any chance you want to bring me a change of clothes?"

Dylan squeezes my hand, "they are letting you stay?"

I look back at him, "I didn't give them much of a choice, I may have used your medical directive."

He smiles, "you going to be my nurse then?"

I smile I know what he's referring to, "No your warden. Now time for sleep."