|
|
Post by River on Dec 20, 2009 1:00:21 GMT -4
Doctor Keskinen stuck his head into the waiting room. He saw the boy who had come in with the girl, sitting by a window, and walked over to him. "Hi, did you come in with the girl who fell off the horse? I'm going to need a little background information, whatever you can tell me. Your name, her name, and anything you can tell me about her previous injury, or medical history would be a world of help."
|
|
|
|
Post by Michelle on Dec 20, 2009 1:25:49 GMT -4
DJ hated waiting rooms. You’d think a doctor’s kid would be comfortable in a hospital, but DJ was everything but okay. No, too many horrible memories inside walls like these…
He could remember it like it was yesterday. He was at the beach, totally drenched in sea water, heading home after a surf. Allison hadn’t been there the whole day, but he wasn’t worried at all, she was probably caught up or something…
“Oi, DJ! Ya phone’s ringing!” one of his friends yelled over to him, and he answered the phone casually…
“Hey dad, what’s up?”
“DJ…I think you should come to the hospital.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“It’s Allison.”
…Too many memories in hospitals. This was just one more…
DJ looked up. A doctor was standing by him. He listened, nodding as he spoke.
“I don’t know her that much…but…her name’s Shannon. I don’t know her last name, sorry. I’m Daniel-James, but call me DJ. Um… she’s meant to be in a wheel chair due to a show jumping accident with her horse, but she went for a ride this morning with me and decided she’d show me her jumps and…I offered her a helmet, but she said she’d be fine…er…she made the first, what, five jumps fine but she stacked it on her sixth…I did the COWS procedure that my dad showed me and she was unresponsive… and then a teacher arrived and…yeah, that’s pretty much all I know.” DJ looked at his feet, ashamed. He should’ve insisted she took the helmet…”Is she okay? Can I go see her?”
|
|
|
|
Post by River on Dec 20, 2009 1:31:22 GMT -4
The doctor nodded. "She's still unconcious. You aren't a child, so I'm going to be straight with you. There is no way to know if she'll ever wake up. She was already dangerously injured, she could go into a long-term coma, and even if she does wake up again it's impossible to tell how much head trauma she's had, not to mention spinal cord injuries. She'll be lucky to ever be able to sit upright again, let alone walk or ride. But yes, you can go see her, just be gentle, and don't hope for too much." Doctor Keskinen lead DJ to Shannon's room. He had never been one to lie about a patient's standing, it was better to give them the complete truth than to get their hopes up. There would be less anger later, that way.
|
|
|
|
Post by Michelle on Dec 20, 2009 2:03:12 GMT -4
DJ nodded at the doctor’s instructions. Guilt ate at his insides, and he knew it was the same guilt that consumed him when he sat at Allison’s hospital bed, were she lay dead. All it took was one helmet to stop this happening…
DJ sat at the chair next to her bed with a grave guilty face. He thanked the doctor quietly, but he said nothing else. He watched Shannon’s frozen body and said nothing more until the doctor had left them alone.
“Well, we did plan to go to the hospital…” he said to her, even though he knew his words fell on deaf ears. “I don’t think it was meant to go like this, though…you were meant to be conscious…”
His voice trailed off. Tears cascaded from his eyes, but he didn’t sob.
“I’m sorry,” he uttered quietly.
|
|
|
|
Post by River on Dec 20, 2009 2:06:40 GMT -4
Something seemed familiar...a voice...Shannon struggled through the darkness that engulfed her, trying to force her eyes to open, her mouth to speak. She knew the voice was important, but she couldn't remember why. Her eyes blinked open for a split second, but the lights hurt. She saw the face, heard the voice, and struggled to remember what that meant, where she was, and why everything hurt so goddamn much.
|
|
|
|
Post by Michelle on Dec 20, 2009 9:11:57 GMT -4
DJ froze. Did she just open her eyes? No she couldn’t have, he was probably imagining stuff, probably hoping for something to happen too much…he tried to stand, but his legs felt weak and tired.
“Sha-Shannon?” He called, but his voice was barely loud enough to hear. “Shannon, can you hear me?”
DJ felt so stupid. Of course she couldn’t hear him, miracles didn’t happen every day…speaking of miracles…
He bent his head down and clasped his hands together to pray.
Dear God,
I know I’m not much of a worshipper, but please, please, please let Shannon be okay. Or at least let her go to heaven. You know she deserves it…
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
|
|
|
|
Post by River on Dec 20, 2009 12:10:47 GMT -4
Shannon could, in fact, hear him, but she couldn't seem to understand what he was saying... She tried to say something, but she couldn't even tell if her mouth was open. She blinked her eyes open again, but everything was blurry, and the lights send razor sharp pains through her head. Everything hurt too much...
|
|
|
|
Post by Michelle on Dec 20, 2009 19:07:13 GMT -4
She opened her eyes again! No wait, no she didn’t DJ, you’re going insane. Did you hear what the Doc said? She’s probably in a coma right now!
DJ seemed to ignore his mental protests. If he was insane, so be it, but in his insane world, Shannon did open her eyes.
Right?
He tenderly held her hand. It was soft and warm…
“Squeeze my hand if you can hear me,” DJ softly voiced.
|
|
|
|
Post by River on Dec 20, 2009 19:56:53 GMT -4
Shannon heard the words, but they made no sense. Why was he speaking another language? She knew his name, she did, but every time she tried to think of it, it scurried to the back of her mind, just out of reach. She felt his hand on hers, and she longed to hold it. Who was he, and why did she feel this way about him? She struggled to move her fingers, to let him know she was aware of his presence... Her fingers tightened around his hand for a split second, but she couldn't hold it, and they went limp again.
|
|
|
|
Post by Michelle on Dec 20, 2009 20:43:12 GMT -4
He felt it. He saw it. A tiny clutch of his hand with her fingers.
She was okay.
A beam spread along his face for a brief moment. She was going to be okay!
He was so happy, he wanted to hug her…but DJ knew he had to be gentle…hugging her would surely hurt her…DJ still longed to show his affection somehow…Then, it struck him.
A kiss.
On the cheek, obviously, what were you thinking? A friendly kiss, just as good as a hug…
He leaned in, still holding her hand carefully, and gently, ever so gently, planted a kiss on her left cheek. His lips on lingered on her flesh for a few seconds, before he let go of her hand soothingly and left to get the doctor. DJ poked his head out into the waiting room.
“Doctor…Shannon’s awake again.”
|
|
|
|
Post by River on Dec 20, 2009 20:47:25 GMT -4
A thrill went through Shannon as she felt his lips, but why? She couldn't remember...it was all so out of reach. Then the hand left, and she felt a marked sense of loss, almost like she wanted to cry, and this confused her even further. Who was this boy?
The doctor came in and took her vitals. "Shannon, can you hear me?" When Shannon didn't respond, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, son, if she was it was only for a moment. It won't actually mean anything until she can stay awake. It will probably be a while," he said and left, closing the door behind him.
((We can do a time warp and fast forward if you want.))
|
|
