A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.
Chapter 5: Vigil
Several minutes later, Hyacinth and Richard went to bed and slept for about the next seven hours. Then at around eleven o'clock that morning, they got up and showered and dressed, and after Hyacinth called around and canceled the big candlelight supper scheduled for that evening, she made a little lunch for Richard and herself. And after they ate, they returned to the hospital. When they arrived, they found Emmet and Gail were sitting together out in the ICU waiting room while Elizabeth's husband Frank, who'd gotten there shortly after Hyacinth and Richard had left several hours before, was by Elizabeth's side. According to one of Elizabeth's doctors, she was still in very critical condition, and she hadn't yet regained consciousness, so her husband, daughter, and brother didn't want her to be by herself for one moment. And when Frank came out a few minutes later to ask one of them to take over for him so that he could get some lunch in the hospital cafeteria, Hyacinth immediately volunteered, and she also talked Emmet and Gail into joining him, assuring them that she and Richard wouldn't leave Elizabeth's side for a second, so they went with him to the cafeteria while Hyacinth and Richard went back to Elizabeth's room.
And when they saw Elizabeth's broken, battered, and bruised form once again, just helplessly lying there on the hospital bed, hooked up to oxygen and IVs and machines, and her left arm in a cast, propped up on a pillow, it was all they could do to hold in their tears. But even though it was very difficult to sit with Elizabeth silently without giving into the urge to cry, they did. Hyacinth and Richard remained by Elizabeth's side until Emmet, Gail, and Frank returned about forty minutes later. As soon as they came back into Elizabeth's room, Hyacinth and Richard went back out into the nearby waiting room because only a limited number of visitors were allowed to be in one of the ICU rooms at any given time.
Soon after Hyacinth and Richard returned to the ICU waiting room, the vicar and his wife arrived, and they were permitted to go back to Elizabeth's room and pray once again with her loved ones, but only for a couple of minutes. Afterwards, they went out into the nearby waiting room where Hyacinth and Richard were, and they had another word of prayer with them for Elizabeth, and then they left to visit another member of their church, an elderly lady on another floor who was there for a minor surgery.
Later on that evening, Hyacinth managed to convince Emmet and Frank to go home for a shower and a good meal and some decent rest, but Gail wouldn't budge from her mother's side. And even though Hyacinth and Richard were not family – at least by the hospital's definition – the ICU staff was very lenient about the rules of visiting hours, and they allowed Hyacinth and Richard to remain in Elizabeth's room alongside Gail for a good long while.
At about a quarter till seven that evening, Elizabeth opened her eyes for the first time since the crash, and the instant she did, Gail leaned in closer to her mother, and as she visibly fought off tears, she whispered, "Oh, Mum. Mum, I'm here. I'm right here. So are Mr. and Mrs. Bucket. Dad got here in the wee hours of this morning, and he and Uncle Emmet went home a little while ago to get some rest."
Gail was sitting on Elizabeth's left, so Hyacinth and Richard came around to her right side. Hyacinth then put her hand on Elizabeth's forehead and said softly, "Gail's right, darling. We're here. We're right here with you now. You're not alone. We're going to get you well again, my sweet girl. We're going to take care of you and we're going to get you well again, and you're going to be just fine. Don't you worry."
"How are you feeling, Mum?"
In that moment, Elizabeth took off her oxygen mask, and she replied in a slurred voice, "Like I've been hit by a van."
"Do you want me to get a nurse to give you something for the pain?" Gail asked, and Elizabeth nodded. Gail then rose from her seat, kissed her mother on the cheek, and left.
"Did you see her, Hyacinth? Did you see my beautiful girl?" Elizabeth asked with obvious pride. And Elizabeth was quite right. Gail was indeed a lovely, slim young lady the same height as her mother, with brunette hair like her father, and with her mother's blue eyes.
"I sure did, sweetheart," Hyacinth whispered as she lovingly stroked the top of Elizabeth's head. "That girl gets more and more beautiful all the time. Just like her mother."
"She's so wonderful. She's the best thing I ever did," said Elizabeth, still slurring her words.
"Everything you do is wonderful, Elizabeth," Hyacinth said in an emotional whisper, still stroking the top of Elizabeth's head. "Everything."
"Will you do me a favor, Hyacinth?"
"Anything, my sweet girl. Absolutely anything. You just name it," Hyacinth whispered.
"Keep my little girl away from here. I don't want her to see me like this. Don't let her back in."
"Oh, my love, I know that it seems really bad right now, but you don't have to try to keep Gail away, because it's not going to be like this for very long. This is only temporary, Elizabeth. You're going to get better very soon. Very soon. I promise you."
"I don't think so, Hyacinth. I think the crash did too much damage. I don't think I can recover."
"I know that's how it looks right now, love, but appearances can be very deceiving. It won't always be like this, Elizabeth. I promise you, it won't always be like this. Things will get better. And we'll be bringing you home in no time. You just hang in there."
"Speaking of home, shouldn't you be getting home? You've got a lot of work to do."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't tonight the night of your big candlelight supper? With the Baron?"
Hyacinth shook her head and answered, "No, love. I've canceled it."
"But tonight is your big night, Hyacinth. I know how long you've waited for something like this. You can't cancel it just because of me."
"Let's put your mask back on, my love," Hyacinth whispered as she gently took the oxygen mask from Elizabeth's right hand and put it back on her face. "You mustn't be without it for too long. And don't you worry about tonight. Tonight's candlelight supper has been canceled because I've got an even better idea in mind for another candlelight supper in the future. One where the guest of honor will be someone far more important than any baron."
"Who?" Elizabeth asked with the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.
Hyacinth gave Elizabeth the warmest smile in that moment, and she whispered in the most loving voice, "You. As soon as we get you home, and as soon as you're feeling strong enough, I'm going to hold my greatest candlelight supper yet, and it's going to be completely in your honor. All of it. Right down to the most minute detail. Everything from the appetizers to the main course to the desserts to the beverages will be your favorites. Your very favorites. And then after we've all eaten, we'll go into the lounge, and I'll sit at the piano and play all your favorite songs, and you and Emmet will just dance the night away. You'll be so happy, Elizabeth. And so will I. Having you better and having you back with us again is going to put me on top of the world, and I know I won't be the only one who feels that way."
"That sounds delightful, Hyacinth," Elizabeth said quietly, and even though she had the oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth, she still managed to speak clearly enough that time for Hyacinth and Richard to understand her.
"Oh, it will be delightful, Elizabeth. It will be," Hyacinth assured her.
In that moment, Gail returned with a nurse, who gave Elizabeth a shot for the pain. And then after the nurse left, they all began to notice that it was getting very difficult for Elizabeth to keep her eyes open.
"Oh Elizabeth, darling, please don't try to stay awake," Hyacinth whispered while stroking the top of her head once again. "Your body needs as much rest as it can get so it can heal. Just go to sleep now, my love. Just rest now. We're all right here with you and we're not going anywhere."
"She's right, Mum. You need to sleep," Gail said softly.
Still stroking the top of Elizabeth's head, Hyacinth lovingly whispered, "Sleep, Elizabeth. Sleep."
A few moments later, Elizabeth drifted off into a very deep sleep, and her loved ones maintained a vigil at her bedside.