by Laiza Millan
"Drake!"
"Jay, you asshole!"
"What were guys you waiting for?!"
"Drake!"
He didn't know who called him, but he can't find himself to care at the moment.
Damn it!
This hurts like a bitch, as if someone just kicked him in the stomach. Except worst.
He finds himself gasping for air, and feels this horribly sharp pain in his stomach. If he tries to sit up, he would end up yelling in pain, as the bullet inside him moved around. He opened his eyes slowly and looked down, seeing the blood seeping through his shirt.
"Drake!" Emma was by his side.
Suddenly, it's like everyone else is gone except for her. She's the only one that matters right now, and she's the only one he's focusing on.
Emma whimpered, "Oh my - Drake! Keep your eyes open! Can you hear me?"
Can he?
Yes, yes, of course he can.
But her voice is beginning to muffle, and his vision is starting to dimmer with the darkness...
"Emma," He tried to say, his voice was only but a whisper.
What did she tell him? Keep his eyes open? He's trying...
"Drake, please!" Emma's vision was starting to become blurry as her tears overflowed. She could barely breathe properly, as she tried to uselessly stop the blood from flowing out of his wound.
"Emma," Drake tried again, hoping she heard.
"Oh my goodness, Drake!" Emma didn't know if she should be relieved that he's responding or frightened that his temperature was dropping. "Stay with me, okay?"
"I'm sorry," Drake felt the need to say.
However, Emma wasn't having it. "Don't give me that, Drake."
When he merely stared back at her, she shook her head furiously.
Placing kisses on his face, she tried to get a reaction out of him, "Hey, hey! Guess what? What if Aidan grows up and ends up with Jenna's daughter, if she had one? Wouldn't that be fun?"
Drake doesn't know why, but for some reason, he feels at peace.
He feels as if he has finally proven to her how much he loves her.
How serious he was.
He feels as if he finally found a way to redeem himself.
With that thought, he closed his eyes.
"Drake!" Emma's panicking increased; she looked up to see Jay in handcuffs already and one of the policemen rushing towards her.
She glanced back down at Drake and felt her heart soar when she sees him looking up at her.
"I love you, Em." Drake murmured, he hoped that he heard her because of how weak and low his voice sounds.
But damn... just looking up at her like this...
She's still beautiful.
"I love you too, Drake." Emma whimpered, squeezing his hand when the she realized the policeman turned out to be a paramedic. "I love you so much."
"Hurts." Drake tried to squeeze back, but his vision was darkening and his body felt light.
"I know," The last thing he heard before everything felt empty was, "You're going to be okay."
Chapter 26.
.
Red.
That is the only thing Emma was focusing on. How everything around her was just... red. Her hands were red from trying to stop the bleeding from Drake's stomach wounds, the amount of dark red blood that kept escaping from him... It was too much for her.
After what felt like endless hours, Emma saw the doctor come out of the door. Immediately, she stood up and rushed towards him. "What is it?"
She stared at the doctor, needing to hear what Drake's condition was; needing to know that everything was going to be okay.
"What is it?" Emma fired away, her anxiousness and fear eating her nerves. "Is Drake okay? How is he? Please tell me he's going to be okay, doctor, please!"
The doctor stopped in front of her and stared down at his clipboard for a few seconds. Not really sure how he could tell her about the situation.
"We're so sorry, Miss Collins." The doctor eventually said in a quiet tone, his eyes revealing the sadness and guilt. This isn't the first time he delivered the news of a loss loved one. But that doesn't mean each time gets any easier.
Emma took a step back.
No...
No.
"Sor - I... What?" Emma shook her head, "No. What do you mean you're sorry?"
This is bullshit. No. This is too early... They've barely started becoming a family; he can't just leave her just like that.
Letting out a heavy breath, the doctor only shook his head. "When the paramedic dropped him here, he had already lost a lot of blood. We tried to take the bullet out as fast as we can but... I'm sorry, Miss Collins. We were too late. He passed away at midnight -"
He stopped when he saw Emma backed away.
Emma took another step away from him, shaking her head furiously as she felt her panic increasing. "No. No, you're wrong! Drake's not... no!"
"Emma," A hand touched her arm, but Emma pulled away from it, her anger on this stupid doctor who couldn't even save Drake.
"You're lying!" Emma cried out, ignoring the way the hand tried to pull her to sit.
"Emma, stop it!" She knew it was Jenna who was by her side, but Emma didn't care. "Calm down! Please!"
Calm down? Why the hell? Why the hell should she do anything? Why the hell should she care who is with her, or who is watching her act like a complete maniac?
Drake's gone. He's dead.
"Emma!"
.
.
Emma woke up with a scream.
"Emma!" Rich continued to shake her by the arms, hoping to take her away from her nightmare. "Emma, calm down! It's okay, you're okay!"
However Emma continued to thrash against his hold, her face red and moist from the tears that were streaming down during her nightmare.
Nightmare.
It was all just a dream. She looked around her and noticed other people were staring at them with odd looks and pity. Her back was uncomfortable because she had lain down on the chairs, making her body form in an uncomfortable position.
"You were dreaming," Rich explained to her as he sat down, "I noticed you were shaking so I tried to wake you up. Let me tell you, you are quite the deep sleeper."
A dream. Fake. None if it was real.
Once it all sank in that none of what she vision was real, it felt like a whole universe of fear and anger was lifted off her shoulders, giving her lungs the space to breathe and her heart to slow back to normal.
But it definitely felt real, which scared her even more. Even when she was unconscious, her fear came from behind to attack her inner thoughts. She can't lose Drake.
After all they've been through, it just wouldn't be fair. But then again, life can be a damn thief sometimes; stealing lives from those who are innocent.
She knew that all of that was just in her head when she fell asleep in the waiting room of the ER, but that doesn't mean something like this can't and won't happen. It took a few more breathing exercises and a cup of ice cold water to help her calm.
"Where's Drake?" Emma asked hoarsely, noticing they've been in the ER for large amount of hours.
"They're still working on him." Richard said softly. "Nancy, Alona, and Melissa are going through the whole witness basic questions as we speak. After they examined Aidan, Jenna was already here and volunteered to drive him home safely."
Emma nodded, truly thankful for having such a fierce friend like Jenna.
"Are you hungry?" Richard asked, "Ian is here too, but he went to get some snacks from the vending machine. Do you want coffee?"
Emma tuned him out. She could hardly concentrate on what he's saying, let alone think about eating. Her mind kept relapsing back to last night.
"Emma."
"What?" She answered, taking an extra blanket the hospital offered and wrapping it around herself.
"You should eat or drink something." Richard repeated, noticing Ian exiting the elevator and coming towards them. "Oh good, you're back! I swear the grow
ls in my stomach aren't from gas, but of the lack of food."
Ian rolled his eyes and sat next on the opposite side of Emma. He placed a paper bag containing variety of sweet bread on the chair next to him, and took a cup from the coffee holder and handed it to Emma. "Have a sip, Em. You need it."
However Emma shook her head, "No. I don't like coffee."
"Luckily Rich told me to bring hot chocolate, then!" Ian beamed, trying to lighten her mood.
Emma was not amused. She glared at Ian for a second before turning back to the ground.
Can't they see that she just wants to sit in this chair in peace? Can't she have a bit of silence so she can gather her thoughts? Not everyone can function civilly so fast with other human beings when they're extremely tired.
"You can't deny the delicious taste of hot chocolate." Richard scoffed, taking the brown bag Ian brought and opened it up. He made a hmm sound and said, "We've been waiting here for nearly six hours and you haven't eaten, yet. It's unhealthy. Take this muffin and dip it in the drink, trust me, you'll love it. Besides, Drake would be so pissed off at you if he finds out you've been skipping meals and denying your hot body some nutrients."
Emma closed her eyes the moment he mentioned Drake. Goodness how she hopes he's doing okay. But as much as Rich annoys her, he's also right. She's starving herself without even knowing it. Honestly, the last thing the hospital need is for her to be occupying the hospital bed right next to Drake.
Sighing, she took the cup from Ian and sipped, wincing when the sweet rich liquid touched her tongue, scorching her taste buds in a stinging pinch as she tried to swallow.
"Damn," Ian muttered, noticing her facial expression. "Sorry, but they call it hot chocolate for a reason, you know."
"Thanks guys." Emma coughed, giving them a grateful look "Really, thanks, I mean it."
Rich gave her a goofy grin before winking, "Of course."
"Not that I'm not happy with your company," Emma said turning to Ian, "but what are you both doing here?"
Ian's gaze caught Richard's, and swallowed hard. "Uh...We wanted to see Drake's well-being, of course."
Before Emma could ask what was wrong, she heard the 'Employees Only' door open. She whipped her head around to see the doctor walking towards her with a serious expression on his face, and his fingers tightly clutching onto his clipboard.
It's like déjà vu all over again for Emma.
This time, she waited for the doctor to come to her. Richard and Ian stood up and shook his hand, while Emma remained sitting on the chair. The blood in her heart felt like it was moving faster, causing her breathing to increase with anticipation.
"I just need to know." Emma started, when the doctor looked at her. "Is Drake going to be okay?"
That's all she cares for. She doesn't really care about Oscar either, because honestly... he was never there for either of them so why should she care now? She honestly doesn't care about anything else other than if Drake is going to be okay.
The doctor started, "Miss Collins, my nurses are currently setting him up right now so we can access the cause of his head injury -"
"Head injury?" Rich asked, confused. "Hold up, Drake was shot in the stomach. Not in his head, don't tell me you guys are performing unnecessary -"
"Mr. Huck, please." The doctor kindly said in a professional tone, "Yes, you are correct. My team and I managed to take the bullet out of his stomach in time. It was a good thing that the shooter had poor aim, otherwise, he would have gotten even more complications. Right now some of them are finishing up with cleaning the wound to avoid any dangerous infections."
In other words... He's okay!
Emma felt the rush of her breath leaving her body as her shoulders heavily dropped with relief. Her fists which were tightly clutched into a ball immediately uncurled the fingers, each of them feeling the ache from the uncomfortable pressure Emma had put them in, leaving their deep nail marks on her palm.
But does she care?
No, of course not.
She continued to feel the tension in her disappear as what the doctor said processed in her head - Drake is going to be okay!
"That's brilliant, thank you so much!" Emma couldn't help but grinned widely, knowing her eyes were watering due to relief and joy.
However, the Doctor shook his head. "Miss Collins, there's more. Did he hit his head or did the shooter do anything to -"
"Not that I recall," Emma said, wracking her head for her memories. "I mean he got into a fight with Richard but...I'm not sure if that caused it?"
She turned to Rich, nodding for him to explain.
"I don't think I actually hit him, though." Rich slowly said, "He pretty much did a number on me, but all I did was tried to block his hit."
He paused, trying to remember what happened. He remembered Drake losing it and attacking him, he remembered both of them hitting the cemented ground hard.
"Wait a minute," Rich continued, as the memories kept piling in his thoughts. "After Jay pulled him away from me, I noticed Drake wincing and touching his head. I saw there was blood on his fingers when he touched his head, but he didn't say anything." He looked at the doctor, "Was that a head injury? He didn't groan in pain or anything."
The doctor was quiet for a minute, furiously jotting this down on his clipboard. "Thank you, Mr. Huck for that's a possibility. It all depends on the individual when it comes to pain. Some are more prone to pain than others; so I can't really say how much or if he was feeling any pain. He might have already been feeling dizzy or unknowingly have a hematoma erupt within his skull -"
"A what?" Rich asked, bluntly. "I don't understand all this medical shit."
Emma threw Rich an annoyed look, but Ian answered for her. "It's a bruise. Meaning he was probably already bleeding inside his head. When Drake attacked you, you whirled around which might have caused him to fall head first on the ground as he grabbed you along with him."
The ground they landed on was made out cement since they were in a trail. If Drake did hit his head that hard then...
Rich's eyes widened at Ian's explanations and turned to Emma, "Oh gods, Emma, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I did that, it's a reflex and -"
"Don't." Emma didn't know what she was feeling in all honestly. She feels like she's drowning in this tub filled with anger, hate, sadness, resentment, confusion, and ugh this is too much again.
So, she turned her attention to the doctor instead. "So what now? He has a head trauma, so what happens now, sir?"
The doctor stared at the three of them for a few seconds before sighing heavily. It's his job to tell the truth, no matter how blunt he can be. "He's in a coma, Miss Collins."
.
.
Silence.
No, what the fuck?
This is not a damn dream, she is not dreaming again!
Suddenly, a feeling coldness swept through her body. Emma felt as if an invisible hand was choking her again, causing her breathing to become ragged and rough. She tried to swallow hard yet the lump in her throat refused to move, tried to lower her head but her neck remained stiff as a board - she tried anything! But her whole body remained in a freezing state, making her rigid and unresponsive as she let the doctor's news wash over.
This time, the hand she felt on her arms was Richard, and he was trying to get her to move. This time, instead of pushing him away, she let him guide her to the chair where she can stiffly sit.
"Miss Collins,'' The doctor started, "I'm sorry, I really must go -"
"Give her a second," Ian rudely snapped at him. "I know you're used to shit like this but this is all new to her - All new to all of us, actually. I'm pretty sure it's not easy for her to hear that her love one is pretty much in a vegetable state."
"I don't understand," Emma whispered, once she found her voice again. "I've hit my head so many times when I was a child; I've never been in a coma. I thought you have to have a severe head injury."
The doctor nodded, "Which is why I said Mr. Huck's e
xplanation was a possibility. Another one would be when he got shot? Miss Collins, did you see him hit the ground?"
Emma bit her bottom lip. She clutched her fists into a tight ball to prevent the shakiness in her hands from violently increasing. "Yeah, just not sure about the head; I...I don't know, it was all such a big blur, I hardly remember what happened. The only thing I remember was me rushing to him and ignoring everything around me."
The doctor nodded, giving her a reassuring nod. "That's okay, that's perfectly normal to not remember. It might have been a possibility that when he fell from the shot, he might have landed on his head again where it increased the bruising inside his skull."
"What happens if that's the case?" Ian asked, "Who cares about these dumb possibilities, we know he's in a coma so how are we going to wake him up?"
"We need to explore all possibilities in order to help us know what cause this," The Doctor told Ian, the look of annoyance crossed his face. "But you're right."
He looked at his watch and examined his notes on the clipboard, before taking a step back. After a few nods and mutters here and there, he looked back at Emma and sighed. "We will do the best we can, Miss Collins. I think I may know what to do, but in the meantime, visiting hours was long over. Shouldn't you three go home and get some rest?"
Ian and Richard nodded, but Emma furiously shook her head.
"No," She stood up and walked to him, "Please, can I just stay with him? Family members can stay in the hospital, right? Please, can I just see him?"
"I'm sorry," He said, his facial expression softening with understanding. "Only one family member can stay with a patient, so I asked his mother right when they brought him in if she wanted to stay."
Right.
Of course.
Every mother should have priority when it comes to the safety and health of their child. Emma would do the same if this happened to Aidan.
"Okay." She murmured, letting her shoulders sag. She looked at her watch and saw that it was already three in the morning. "I'll come back in a few hours then when the sun comes up."
She turned to Richard and Ian, nodding for them to lead the way.
"Miss Collins," The Doctor said, stopping her. "I think at this time his mother is checking up on his father in the ICU, so Drake's probably only accompanied by the staff. I need to finish a few more procedures on Drake and change him to another room, but after that... Do you want to keep him company before she comes back?"