by Sienna Grant
Breaking from her trance, “Oh, Darcy. Hello sweetheart, I didn’t hear you come in.”
I frown. “Are you okay, Mum?” She doesn’t answer right away; just keeps staring at the wall it seems.
Sitting beside her, I hold her hand but they’re cold. “Mum please talk to me.” Her bottom lip starts to quiver as the tears fill her eyes. Slowly one by one they start to trickle down her face.
“Oh Mum, please don’t cry.” I pull her towards me and rest her head on my shoulder, hugging her to me.
“I just don’t know what to do anymore, Darce. I don’t think it’s about the pain or not being able to do what he wants anymore, he’s just severely depressed. The tablets he’s on knock him out so he sleeps all the time, I can’t get any sense out of him... I’m at my wit’s end, honey.”
I feel so bloody helpless. “Mum, I’m sorry I went away. I should be here helping you - not going off on a night away thinking of myself all the time.”
“Now you listen to me, Darcy. You’re young, you’re beautiful and you deserve a life of your own. You’ve spent long enough already helping us out and I want you to have some fun... you have Adam too now.”
I glance at Mum’s face - she looks so sad.
My phone ringing brings me out of my musings. Grabbing it quickly before it rings off, I look at the screen and see it’s Adam. I place it back down and concentrate on Mum. “It’s Adam. I’ll ring him back.”
“No! Go and speak to him, it might be important.”
“But you’re important too, Mum.
“Answer the phone. I’ll still be here.” I nod. Swiping across the screen I pick up the call.
“Hey,” I say and head upstairs.
“Hey babe, You ok?”
“Not really,” I say sighing. “I came home to Mum just staring into space, I don’t know how to help her Adam... I try and... I don’t know.”
“I’m coming over.”
“No, you don’t have to do that.”
“No arguments. See you in ten.” The next I hear is the dialling tone. He cut me off.
I head into my Dad’s room but again he’s asleep. “Dad. Are you awake?” I wait for a moment and watch for movement but there’s none. I walk towards the bed worried.
“Dad?” I say a bit louder but still nothing. Getting towards the edge I pull the duvet back an inch or two, he’s lying on his back and I can see his chest moving up and down. I shake him gently. “Dad, wake up.” I say it a bit louder.
I lie on my side next to him on the bed and watch him sleep. All the memories come flooding back from my childhood. Dad tossing me around, carrying me around on his back. Laughing, joking, teaching me about cars.
The boys at school were so jealous of me because I could tell them the model of any car... but it also got me the wrong attention too.
Boys telling me I’m a tomboy because I didn’t like dolls. By the time I went to secondary school, I’d got over the idiots trying to bully me because I was different to the other girls it was like water off a duck’s back.
Dad moves so I try again… “Dad? Are you awake?” he slowly starts to open his eyes and looks at me.
“Oh hey, sweet pea,” he groans.
“You okay?”
“Yeah... I’m just tired.”
“Dad, you’re always sleeping. Maybe you should ease up on those tablets, huh?”
“No. They make me feel better.”
“How can they make you feel better, when you lie in a room with curtains closed twenty-four hours a day and all you do is sleep, you barely eat. Mum is a mess and me... well I just want my Dad back,” I tell him weakly.
A lone tear makes a path down my cheek until it reaches the corner of my mouth. “Please Dad.”
“Come here.” He says. I move closer and cuddle him. “Let me just have half an hour longer and I’ll get up.”
“I love you, Dad.” I tell him with a sigh. I move off the bed and realise it’s no good - no matter what I say he’s not getting up. As I leave the room I see him reach for his tablets and take another two.
Shaking my head, I leave the room and let him go back to sleep. I head straight for my room, drop face down on to the bed, bury my head into the pillow and cry to let the hurt out.
I hear a quiet knock on my door, I quickly wipe the wetness from face and shout out, “Yeah.”
The door opens and standing there is Adam. The dam breaks as he rushes towards the bed and wraps me up in his arms. Lying on the bed snuggled into Adam, I forget everything and I let him be my strength.
ADAM
I knew as soon as I heard her voice that she needed me. I hadn’t been in the house long so I quickly showered and livened myself up from being stuck in poxy meetings all day, I said a quick hello to Mum, grabbed my truck keys and headed out.
Christine let me in, her eyes red and puffy from crying. I kissed her on the cheek after she told me
Darcy was in her room then made my way up to my girl.
Lying here with her holding on to me tight, makes me realise I never want to lose her. I stroke down the length of her hair and shush her quietly. “Babe? Do you want to tell me what’s happened?”
“I think, I’m... losing him, Adam,” she sobs. “I think he’s given up,” she sniffs.
I’m clueless as to what to say to her, I don’t want to give her false hope but I want to say something to help other than that I’m totally at a loss. I hold her tighter to me and just let her cry it out.
* * * * * * * * *
A few hours later, blinking my eyes open, I look to the window and see it’s dark. We must’ve fallen asleep. Darcy is flat out still and I have a pressing need to pee. Once finished I get us a drink of water from the kitchen and go back to bed. I strip down, pull the covers from under Darcy and slide back in next to her. She stirs but doesn’t wake so I pull her back into me and rest my cheek against her soft hair and doze off with my girl in my arms.
We’re awake early the next morning. Darcy has work, but she’s quiet... barely speaking all through breakfast. I’m lying on the bed watching her as she gets dressed.
“I much prefer to see you taking those clothes off not putting them on.”
“That’s because you’re a perv!” She looks back at me smirking.
“No. I just enjoy the little pleasures in life,” I jump up from the bed and sit on the edge gripping her hips and pulling her back towards me, “and seeing you take your clothes off is one of them, babe.”
I wrap my arms around her hips and pull her onto my lap. I nuzzle my nose into her neck.
“Adam, I have to go to work. Stop it.” Moving her hair out of the way, I place small, light kisses around the back of her neck.
“Adam, no stop,” she gasps. She grabs my forearms and moves it from her waist and slides off my lap.
“You’re no fun.” She pokes her tongue out and turns from me then struts to the bathroom putting an extra swing in her hips. I know she’s not herself but she’s trying to cover up her sadness and making a fucking good job at it.
I pull my jeans on, leave the top button undone and follow her to the bathroom. I lean against the wall and fold my arms watching her.
“Can I help you with something, Mr Willows?” She asks looking at me through the mirror.
“Not at all Miss Ambrose, just watching the show.” After washing, then cleaning her teeth she turns towards me in the doorway. She stands in front of me and looks up at me. “How are you feeling today, babe?”
She shrugs. I cup her face in both of my hands and tip up her chin, soothing my thumbs across the smoothness of her cheeks, I lean down and kiss her. I want her to feel everything. I want her to know that no matter what I’ll be right here by her side.
Pulling back from her, I cradle her head against my chest and kiss the top of her head.
“I need to get to work.” Her voice is quiet, shaky. I let her go, reluctantly. Watching her walk way kills me but I wash up. We leave after Darcy has checked on her Dad.
As we’re standing next to my car, she turns to look at me. “Thanks for staying last night.”
“No need for thanks. To be honest I had an ulterior motive,”
“Oh, really?” She raises her eyebrows waiting for me to go on. I smooth my thumb over her cheekbone.
“Yeah... I just wanted to sleep next to you.” She grins and fists my t-shirt then pulls me down towards her and kisses me again.
She turns from me smiling and gets into her car. Before she pulls away she kisses the tips of her fingers and blows it to me, I watch her leave before getting into my truck and heading home.
CHAPTER 20
DARCY
Sitting in my chair in my office, folding my arms onto the desk, I rest my head down on them. I’m so tired. Yet I slept like a rock last night, even more so with Adam snuggling me up to him and holding me all night. I never expected him to come straight over, I’m so happy he did. Adam surprises me all the time, with his patience, his time, his love for me.
The office door bangs just as my eyes start to drift. “Why don’t you go home, Darce?” Stephen says as he enters.
“I can’t there’s some paperwork to do.”
“And it’ll still be there tomorrow, you look knackered and we’ve had another busy day. Go home!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” I tell him with a smirk. It has been busy, business has picked up a lot and to think I was ready to give in and throw in the towel. I’m so happy I didn’t. I grab my bag and drop my phone inside just as it pings with a message. I fish it back out touching the button as I pull it out to light up the screen.
Adam: I love you.
A smile pulls at my face. Saying bye to the lads, I walk out and sit in my car. I unlock my phone and reply.
Me: I love you too.
I drop it in my bag and start the engine. Sitting in rush hour traffic doesn’t help my tired state either, as I’m sitting in a queue I can feel myself dozing off. I shake my head, open my window then turn up the radio.
I walk in the house and run up the stairs going straight to my room. I drop on my bed in exhaustion, my head sinks into my pillow and instantly I’m asleep.
A scream sounds somewhere in the recesses of my mind but I’m not sure. My name is being called but again... I think I can hear it, my mind slowly drifts back into its sleepy state until I’m being shaken awake. “Darcy. Wake up!”
“Mmm, please let me sleep. I’m so tired.” I snuggle my cheek back into the pillow and begin to doze again…
“DARCY?” That’s Mum. “You need to wake up! Oh my god, wake up sweetheart.” I’m being shaken again and Mum sobbing.
“What’s wrong?”
“Darce, it’s your Dad.” My eyes spring open suddenly, I’m wide awake.
“Wha... what’s wrong?” I stutter. Not wasting another minute - I roll from the bed and run into their room.
“MUM? RING AN AMBULANCE!” I scream. I run in as the whole bed is shaking. Dad is having a seizure. Mum stands at the door, still, mouth open watching me as I try to position him into the recovery position. “Mum, now!” She shakes from her numb state, runs to the phone and rings an ambulance.
Realising my phone is in my room still, I call her over, “Mum, just sit here for a second.” Within a minute I’ve run into my bedroom, grabbed my phone and back sitting on the bed by my Dad. Pulling up the number I need, I press call.
Adam answers on the second ring, my hands shaking as I try to hold the phone still. “Hello baby.”
“Adam, you need to get to my house. Now. I haven’t got time to explain just... please.”
“I’m on my way.” As I end the call to Adam I hear the sirens approaching.
“Stay with Dad.” I tell Mum frantically as I run down the stairs to greet the paramedics. I let them in explaining to them what we found and tell him that he’s taking anti-depressants but also painkillers too. When we reach the bedroom, I stand back and let the paramedics work on Dad. They’re examining him, shining a light into his eyes as he listens to his heartbeat. A sheen of sweat begins to coat my body, I feel sick. everything in the room seems to go quiet, just background noise as my vision starts to blur and my head starts to spin. I open my eyes wide but I can’t see properly. I clutch onto the doorframe but it doesn’t help. My legs turn to jelly and before I realise it I’m hitting the deck.
ADAM
I cut the call to Darcy and tell Todd to turn the car around. We were on our way to the gym for a workout when she called. As we pull into her street I see an ambulance sitting outside the house. “What the fuck?!” I knew there was something wrong from the way she spoke on the phone.
Todd screeches to a stop outside the house behind the ambulance. I jump from the car, through the open front door and run up the stairs. I see Darcy sitting on the floor with her back against the wall with a paramedic peering into her eyes with a torch and another placing a blanket over her Dad lying on a gurney.
“Darcy?” I say panicked. I run to her and drop to my knees on the floor next to her, “are you okay, baby?” My hands cup her cheeks and angle her face up to look at me. I kiss her forehead then her lips, her skin is tacky from sweating. The paramedic tells her she’s fine but she needs to take it easy and maybe see her GP if it happens again as I rest her head against my chest. That still doesn’t explain what the fuck has gone on here though. I watch in confusion as he joins the other paramedic and guides the gurney down the stairs.
“Darcy, what’s happened?” While I wait for her to tell me, I see Christine, her Mum, crying hysterically but Darcy is calm, maybe a little too calm.
“Dad. was having a seizure, he wouldn’t stop,” she hiccups a tearless sob, “I put him into the recovery position, the ambulance turned up but I felt weird. I was sweating and my head was spinning. I blacked out completely.” I stand and pull her to her feet; I hold her so tight I’m probably suffocating her. I kiss her head and keep her tucked under my arm.
“Come on.” We walk down the stairs to see Christine standing next to Todd while the paramedics work on her Dad inside the ambulance.
“What's happening?”
“They're giving him something to stop the seizures.” Todd answers quietly. Darcy steps up to her Mum and wraps her arms around her. Todd stands with me at the door waiting on the paramedics. Darcy holds Christine as she cries onto her shoulder, I let her have some time with her Mum while I keep an eye on the ambulance. The paramedic then jumps from the back and walks towards me.
“We’ll be taking him now to the hospital now.”
“Christine, they’re ready.” She wipes her faces clean of her tears and walks out. “We’ll follow the ambulance.” I call out to Christine as she steps into the back of the ambulance. Wrapping my arm around Darcy, I guide her to the car. I open the rear door and seat her in the back of Todd’s Ford Focus.
* * * * * * * * *
After waiting two hours for someone to fetch us from the main A&E department, we’re now sitting in the waiting room in intensive care. I look at Darcy, her eyes are dark against her pale skin. With her passing out I’m worried about her, it could be with everything that’s happened today, who knows. I mean… what do I know.
We’ve been here for half an hour and still don’t know anymore. We only know what the doctor told us when we got here. Darcy’s Dad had an overdose from taking too many anti-depressants. From what Christine told the doctor, he’d been complaining of feeling hot, when she went to wake him; he wouldn’t wake at first. She left him went back upstairs to find him convulsing.
Darcy is tucked into my side with her head against my chest with my hand stroking her hair. I know she didn’t know any of that.
I’m so sick of hospitals. It only feels a few weeks since we were here with Chris - waiting to see if he was going to pull through after he nearly got killed doing the job he loves. He’s a firefighter, a barn collapsed as he and Ryan tried to put out a massive fire. It was touch and go for a minute. Being back here brings back bad memories -
but don’t hospitals always do that.
Darcy suddenly sits up with her hand over her mouth. “I have to go to the toilet.” She mumbles through her hand as she runs from the room. The doctor enters but I’m torn between waiting to see what the doctor says and going after Darcy.
Darcy wins. “Doctor, can you give me just a minute, I need to fetch my girlfriend.” He nods. I jog out the way Darcy left. Making sure no-one’s around I enter the ladies’ toilets and shout her name. “Darcy?”
“Yeah? I’m in this one.” She bangs the middle cubicle door and slides across the lock. I step inside and see her with her head over the bowl.
“Oh baby, you okay?”
She shakes her head, “Not really.”
“The doctor is waiting to talk to you.” She drags herself from the floor as I step out. She puts some water on her face and clings onto me as I guide her out.
I sit her down and grab her a bottle of water from the vending machine while she listens to the doctor. All I’ve picked up so far is the tablets he’s been taking over a period of time has caused the overdose but his liver is also shutting down. They have him on an intravenous drip and he’s still unconscious. There’s nothing else they can do at the moment so the doctor thinks we should go home.
“What do you want to do? Do you want to go home or stay?”
“Darcy go home, angel. I’m staying anyway. It’s useless both of us being here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sweetheart, you look so tired. Go home and get some rest.”
“Okay. Will you ring me if there’s any change?”
“Of course.” I tap out a message to Todd to tell him to meet us at the front since he brought us up here, after an hour I sent him home - there was nothing he could do. I kiss Christine on the cheek, wait for Darcy to say her goodbyes then lead her out of the hospital. By the time we’ve reached the main doors Todd is just pulling up.