by Shandi Boyes
“Far along what?” I reply, causing the doctors eyes to narrow at me.
“Pregnant. How many weeks is she?” he questions angrily.
“I don’t know… I didn’t know she was pregnant” I mumble honestly, as my eyes dart to Emily lying on the bed. My eyes open wide in shock at the fact that Emily is pregnant and Noah never said a word to me, I didn’t think we kept any secrets from each other.
“She is slightly dehydrated so we will put her on a drip, but visits to the emergency department like this can easily be avoided in the future if you ensure she has adequate nutrition” he advises sternly. Because I am still shocked at finding out Emily is pregnant, I just nod my head at his remark.
****
“She is probably going to sleep for a couple of hours as the first few months of pregnancy are very tiring. Why don’t you go and get something to eat and drink and come back in around an hour? She will probably be awake by then” the nurse suggests kindly after I sat quietly in the room watching over Emily for the past half an hour.
I hesitate in leaving Emily, but I needed to see Noah. I leave my cell phone number with the nurse with a promise that she would call me if Emily wakes up before I have returned.
The instant I walk back into the ICU; Ryan quickly closes the distance between us.
“Where the hell did you go? One minute you were on your phone and the next minute you were gone” he questions worried.
“Emily fainted, I just left her at the Emergency department” I advise.
“Is she okay?” he questions as his eyes dart between mine.
“Yes she is” I reply dazed. I am still shocked over everything that has happened today I am finding it hard to even form proper sentences.
“Have you seen Noah?” I ask.
“No, they said only immediate family and his next of kin are allowed in to see him” Ryan advises annoyed.
I turn on my heels and walk to the ICU doors, before pushing the buzzer. Ryan comes and stands next to me with a concerned look on his face, but doesn’t say anything. Not long later a grey haired nurse comes and opens the door.
“I am here to see Noah Taylor” I advise.
“Your name?” questions the nurse.
“Chris Taylor, Noah’s brother” I reply, causing Ryan’s gaze to quickly flick up to mine.
“Ok, come in” advises the nurse. I follow the nurse into the double doors, before glancing back at Ryan. He has a smirk on his face as he gives me the thumbs up. I would have worn a dress and pretended I was Noah’s mother if it was the only chance I had of seeing him.
The nurse instructed the hand washing routine and then I followed her to Noah’s bedside. When my gaze roamed over Noah, I instantly clench my fists tight. Now I know why Ryan reacted the way he did about not wanting Emily to see him like this. He has significant injuries to his head and face, that he is hardly recognizable. I quickly move towards him and grab a hold of his hand tightly, when I notice something sharp jabbing into my palm. What the hell is that? I spin Noah’s hand around and look extensively over the scratches and marks on his wrist, but I can’t see anything that would have caused the jabbing sensation I had just felt. I run my fingertips over the small cuts and end up feeling something sharp protruding out of his skin.
“Excuse me” I interrupt a nurse that was walking past. She stops and walks over to stand next to me.
“Can you feel this?” I question, as I gently grab her hand and run it over Noah’s wrist. Her eyebrows pull together tightly before she copies the same movement I had just done.
“Doctor Matthew, can you please come over here” requests the nurse. An elderly male doctor that was standing at the large desk in the middle of the room slowly walks over towards us. The nurse does the same routine to the doctor that I had just done to her.
“Hmmm, interesting” he murmurs, before he starts rapidly gathering equipment from around the cubicle. He then places a blue dressing sheet over Noah’s arm and my stomach lurches when I witness him place a small cut on Noah’s wrist with a scalpel.
“What the fuck, why aren’t you taking him to surgery?” I question angrily while the Doctor places tweezers into the wound and starts digging around. I have to concentrate hard not to lose my stomach contents as he digs the tweezers deep into Noah’s now open wrist.
“I got it” advises the doctor as he lifts out a large shard of thin glass. He then lowers the glass down onto the stainless steel tray and begins placing stitches into Noah’s wrist with the aid of the nurse I had originally requested assistance from.
“Why did you do that here?” I question angrily, after he has finished stitching Noah’s wrist and is wrapping it with a bandage.
“He wouldn’t have survived another operation” he responds sullenly as his eyes flick up to mine. “He barely made it through the first one” he continues.
“He is stronger than you think” I reply harshly while clenching my fists tight.
“Look, I am sorry if I seem a little harsh, I have never been one to sugar coat things. Do you want me to speak the truth, or give you a well-rehearsed line?” he questions as he moves over and stands next to me.
“The truth” I respond immediately. There is nothing I hate more than being lied to.
“His chances of surviving the next twenty fours are sitting at around five percent. He has significant head injuries that even if he manages to survive the next twenty-four hours, he may have already sustained permanent brain damage” Dr Matthew advises sincerely.
“He will prove you wrong” I reply as I feel a sudden rush of moisture to my eyes.
“I certainly hope he does. As he is in for one hell of a ride” the Doctor responds as he moves back to the large desk in the middle of the room.
He will fight this, he won’t just give up and leave like Chris. He will not leave me. Not like his brothers left him. I won’t fucking let him. I move towards Noah’s bedside and observe that his eyes are rapidly moving under his eyelids.
“You are my brother Noah and I am not going to let you leave me like your brothers left you. Do you hear me? You have to fight Noah; you have to fight to live. Emily would want you to live. Promise me you will try to fight. Promise me and I will promise you will not go through this alone. I will be there for you every fucking day, I will fight alongside you, you will survive this. It will never stop hurting, but you will survive this” I plead into Noah’s ear as I hastily brush away a single tear that managed to escape my eye.
When I step away from Noah, I notice that his eyes movements have stilled and he seems more at peace. I know he has this. I know he is stronger than anyone could ever expect and he will survive this.
“I will be here every day Noah. I promise” I vow, before I make my way back out of the ICU ward to go and check on Emily in the Emergency Department.
Chapter 40
Lola
Today is the first time I have been allowed in to visit Noah. When I first entered the room, both Emily and Jacob’s gaze turn towards me, but they stay quiet as I slowly make my way to Noah’s bedside with my mom following closely behind. My heart starts to race more with each step I take closer to him. His face is badly battered and bruised and his chest is rising and falling in rhythm with the ventilator. I try to think of something to say, but I am at a loss for words. My silence soon becomes deafening, that I move over and sit in the far corner of the room as visitor after visitor starts filling the floor space in Noah’s large hospital wing. A couple of times I would catch Jacob’s gaze looking at me, but the instant he notices me peering back, his eyes would quickly dart away.
The whole mood in the room is so gloomy and sad, it makes me feel like I am attending a funeral. Noah might be seriously injured, but he is alive and I think the people in this room need to start remembering that. I move over near Emily and wrap my arm around her shoulders.
“How are you going Emily?” I question.
“Okay” she replies quietly with a look of despair and grief on her face. I would give anyth
ing to hear her little giggle right now.
“You never thanked me you know” I chuckle softly. Emily’s sad eyes immediately lift to look into mine.
“That night Jacob came to drop me off from work, I told Noah that the bathroom door was on the left” I advise while giggling, hoping to lighten the sour mood of the room.
“What?” Emily replies confused.
“I knew the instant I saw him, that he was destined to be with you” I whisper gently. Emily has always said that her and Noah were destined to be with each other. So she needed to start believing that he would do everything in his power to stay with her. She needed to start thinking more positively and not allow Noah to be surrounded by so much misery.
Emily quietly stares into space and swallows harshly, before a large sob abruptly escapes from her mouth. Emily apologizes panicked, before she jumps up harshly from the chair she was just sitting on. I notice that she starts to sway as Jacob moves towards her and gently grabs her arms. He then stands in front of her and talks to her in hushed whispers, before his angry and stern eyes turn to glare at me.
“What?” I whisper, trying to comprehend why Jacob’s anger is suddenly directed at me.
When I look around the room, I spot several pairs of narrowed eyes staring directly at me, causing me to feel mighty uncomfortable. I speedily make my way out into the corridor to wait for my mom. Slowly one by one Noah’s guests start to filter out of the room. Maggie stops directly in front of me and looks like she wants to say something, but her lips only thin before she continues walking past. Jenni’s eyes narrow and she shakes her head as she moves past me and Slater offers me a small hesitant smile.
“I am assuming you are Lola?” questions a tall middle aged guy with a rounded belly.
“Is it the fact that everyone hates me that gives it away?” I reply jokingly, trying to cover up the fact that I am hurt from people’s reactions towards me. I was only trying to lighten the mood a little, but instead I think I just made it worse.
“No, but you seemed to have made quite an impression in there” he chuckles softly, as he nods his head back towards Noah’s room.
“I am glad someone found it amusing” I respond sullenly, while crossing my arms and leaning back against the glass window in the corridor.
“Did you want to grab a cup of coffee?” he questions. I cock my eyebrow as I look into his blue eyes. He seems pretty harmless and I could really use a cup of coffee since I have hardly slept in a week.
“You’re not the type of guy I would normally go for, but what the hell” I reply laughing, before I push off the wall and start walking down the corridor with my new companion.
“So you seem to have me at an advantage” I state as we enter the lift in the hospital corridor.
The gentleman looks towards me confused, before he pushes the lobby button on the lifts dashboard.
“You know who I am, but I don’t know you” I continue. I know I have seen him before, but I just can’t quite place a name to his face.
“Yes, I do appear to have the advantage. My name is Thomas. My friends call me Tom” he introduces as he offers me his hand to shake.
“Nice to meet you Tom. Or should I call your Thomas?” I respond cheekily, causing his loud chuckle to echo around the small lift.
“You can call me Tom” he replies once his laughter eventually dies down. When the lift reaches the lobby, Tom graciously waits for me to exit the lift first. “Ladies before gentleman” he says as I walk into the hospital lobby. I decide to let his comment slide, considering the fact that he was most likely born in an era that did expect men to act like gentlemen.
Once Tom and I both receive our order of coffee we walk over to an empty booth in the middle of the coffee shop. I add some cream and sugar to my coffee, while Tom starts drinking his as it is.
“No sugar or cream?” I question while screwing my nose up in disgust.
“I don’t need any extra sweetness as I am sweet enough already” he responds while chuckling softly.
“I better add an extra few sachets then” I instantly reply. Tom ends up laughing so hard he has little tears spring into his eyes. He quickly removes the handkerchief from his pocket and starts dabbing his eyes to absorb his tears.
“I like you Lola” he informs as he sips his coffee. I am glad someone today at least seems to like me.
For the next few minutes Tom and I both sit silently as we enjoy our coffee. I find it surprising that while sitting with him the silence doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It just feels right. When I sit down my empty mug, Tom’s gaze seeks mine.
“Did you want another?” he questions thoughtfully.
“No, I better not. I am hardly sleeping as it is, so I don’t need the extra caffeine keeping me awake” I reply truthfully.
“Is it anything you want to talk about?” he asks sincerely.
“No” I whisper as I release a long harsh breath. Tom stays silent, but I can feel that he is watching me.
“How do you now Noah?” I question, trying to shift the focus away from me.
“That boy is like a son to me. I have known him since he was this high” he advises, lifting his hand up level to his chest.
“So you would know my sister Emily?” I question. Tom’s eyes open wide in surprise, before the realisation suddenly dawns on his face.
“Your Emily’s sister. I didn’t originally notice the similarities, but I do now” he replies as his eyes roam over my face.
“My parents swear that neither of us are adopted, but I don’t know if I really believe them” I reply sarcastically.
“No, you definitely have similarities, but you are also individuals in your own right. The nose and the eyes should have instantly given it away. I guess the skin colouring and hair tone threw me off the scent” Tom responds.
When I peer down at my watch and notice that it is nearly five pm, I realise that I have to leave as I have a shift at Pete’s tonight. It would be nice not to have to worry about working during situations like this, but unfortunately I still have a mortgage repayment to make every month.
“Well it was a pleasure meeting you Tom but I have to go. I have to be at work in an hour” I advise as I move out of the booth and offer Tom my hand to shake.
“The pleasure was all mine Lola” he replies kindly, accepting my hand to shake, before pulling me towards him and enclosing me in a tight strong hug.
“I hope to see you more often” he advises kindly before he releases me from his embrace.
As I stare into his ocean blue eyes, it suddenly dawns on me why it felt like I had met Tom before. I am staring at an elderly version of Jacob.
Chapter 41
Jacob
“They are trying to sue Noah” Emily states panicked as she shoves a piece of paper harshly at my chest. My eyes quickly roam over the document showing Summit Hall Entertainment was suing Rise Up for failure to fulfil a contract agreement.
“You don’t need to worry about this Noah, we can handle this” I advise while motioning for everyone to follow me out to the corridor.
I can feel my anger surging to a new level and the instant Cormack walks out into the corridor I immediately close the distance between us.
“He’s on a life support machine and you bring this shit into his fucking hospital room. He needs to be concentrating on getting better, not worrying about the fucking band” I yell furiously as I feel my blood surging around my body.
“Noah had it doctored last week that Emily was his power of attorney. She is solely responsible for any financial matters that affects Noah. I had no choice but to advise her that he was being sued. I’m sorry Emily, but I had no choice. As soon as they filed the documents, I am legally required to tell you” he angrily replies, but I notice that his posture slightly slumps, showing he is remorseful.
“How much are they suing him for?” Emily questions while staring at Cormack. I cautiously watch Emily as her face has slowly started to whiten.
“Two mill
ion dollars” Cormack slowly breathes out. Emily immediately dashes to the waste bin located in the corridor and starts dry reaching. My stomach instantly starts protesting about the heaving sounds that are racking through her body. I fight the urge to be sick while I rub her back in a soothing motion.
“Is that just Noah’s share or is that amount for the whole band?” I question as I try to hold down the bile that is rapidly surging forward as Emily continues to dry reach.
“Can’t the record label help us out; can’t they do something?” questions Marcus while moving in closer to stand next to Cormack. Slater is standing still looking dumbfounded and Nick looks like he is just about to crack.
“The label would normally pay but…. they…umm don’t know if they will have the ability to recover their loss or not” Cormack stumbles out. I feel my anger surge past my need to be sick after Cormack’s statement. He pretty much just insinuated that the record label doesn’t think Noah will survive. Turning my furious gaze from Emily to Cormack, I spot Isaac standing behind him.