(no subject)
Marshall awoke to the sound of his phone, vibrating wildly on his bedside table. He reached for it and squinted at the screen. It was an unlisted number and normally he would have let it go to voicemail except that it was just after three in the morning and there was something concerning about that.
"Hello?"
"Marshall?" The voice was almost a whisper, soft and feminine but with a sense of urgency to it. It was difficult for him to place at first.
"Yes?"
"It's...it's Keira. I'm sorry to call so late but..." There was a pause and he could hear her swallow. "But I'm...I'm at the hospital and-"
"Oh my God, Dad!" Marshall interrupted, sitting up straight. Beside him, Elena startled and reached for him.
"Um...no. No, it's um, it's um...me."
Marshall swallowed down his relief before he realized what that meant. "Oh God, I'm sorry. Are you okay? What happened?"
"Um...I was out and....is there anyway you could...can you just come down, maybe, and sit with me, please? Idontwanttobealoneand-" that part came out as a garbled rush and her voice changed like her throat was thick and tight. "Kal can't take any more stress and I can't face Emma right now and looking at mom and dad will probably kill me, Marshall, please!"
"Okay, it's okay, I'm coming," Marshall said, throwing back the blankets. "Hold on a sec, okay?" He set his phone down and dragged his chair close enough to move into, transferred then picked it back up again. "You there, Keira?"
There was only the sound of soft weeping at the other end.
"Did you get in an accident or something? Keira? Can you tell me?"
Unintelligible whining was followed by a myriad of sounds and a muffled exchange. "Uh, Hi there. This is Anne, I'm one of the nurses here at Cedars-Sinai. Who am I speaking with?"
"Uh, Marshall Malone, I'm Keira's brother. Can you tell me what's going on, please?"
"Ah, okay. Your sister had a a scare while she was out this evening. We're still working to diagnose her but chances are, she's had a bit of a nervous breakdown. I believe she was hoping for some company, if it's not too much trouble."
"Okay," Marshall sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Could you tell her I'm on my way? I'll be there as soon as I can."
"I'd be happy to do that. Thank you, Mr. Malone."
Marshall had barely hung up his phone when Elena spoke up. "Marshall? What- what's going on? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah...I mean, not really, no. That was Keira. I don't have the full story but she went out and something happened and she lost it, and now she's at the hospital. She wants me to go-"
"You?" Elena said in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Is everyone else there?"
"It's okay, and no," Marshall turned on the flashlight feature on his phone and began getting dressed. "She's upset and embarrassed and isn't ready to look at anyone else. Which speaks volumes, really, about our relationship. God, I am such a shit-brother."
"Look, we both know you could've been better, but she still called you, which means something, Marshall. Although, you might not want to go making this about you, because then you would be kind of a shit-brother."
"I'm not, I'm not," he grumbled and went to her side of the bed, feeling for her leg in the dark. "I realize I also kind of assumed you would stay here with Mat. Is that okay?"
"Of course," she leaned over and kissed him. "Keep me in the loop, okay?"
"Yeah," he rubbed his eyes for a moment, squeezed her hand, and then rolled backwards before turning. "Yeah, I will. Thanks Lainey. Love you."
As Marshall made his way out to the car, he pondered whether or not stopping for coffee would earn him additional demerits in the brother department. Hospital coffee was so terrible and it wasn't as though her life was in mortal peril. Ultimately, he decided to go straight there. Keira needed him and no amount of good coffee was worth further damaging his relationship with his family, not when he was trying so hard to fix things with Kallum.
"Hello?"
"Marshall?" The voice was almost a whisper, soft and feminine but with a sense of urgency to it. It was difficult for him to place at first.
"Yes?"
"It's...it's Keira. I'm sorry to call so late but..." There was a pause and he could hear her swallow. "But I'm...I'm at the hospital and-"
"Oh my God, Dad!" Marshall interrupted, sitting up straight. Beside him, Elena startled and reached for him.
"Um...no. No, it's um, it's um...me."
Marshall swallowed down his relief before he realized what that meant. "Oh God, I'm sorry. Are you okay? What happened?"
"Um...I was out and....is there anyway you could...can you just come down, maybe, and sit with me, please? Idontwanttobealoneand-" that part came out as a garbled rush and her voice changed like her throat was thick and tight. "Kal can't take any more stress and I can't face Emma right now and looking at mom and dad will probably kill me, Marshall, please!"
"Okay, it's okay, I'm coming," Marshall said, throwing back the blankets. "Hold on a sec, okay?" He set his phone down and dragged his chair close enough to move into, transferred then picked it back up again. "You there, Keira?"
There was only the sound of soft weeping at the other end.
"Did you get in an accident or something? Keira? Can you tell me?"
Unintelligible whining was followed by a myriad of sounds and a muffled exchange. "Uh, Hi there. This is Anne, I'm one of the nurses here at Cedars-Sinai. Who am I speaking with?"
"Uh, Marshall Malone, I'm Keira's brother. Can you tell me what's going on, please?"
"Ah, okay. Your sister had a a scare while she was out this evening. We're still working to diagnose her but chances are, she's had a bit of a nervous breakdown. I believe she was hoping for some company, if it's not too much trouble."
"Okay," Marshall sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Could you tell her I'm on my way? I'll be there as soon as I can."
"I'd be happy to do that. Thank you, Mr. Malone."
Marshall had barely hung up his phone when Elena spoke up. "Marshall? What- what's going on? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah...I mean, not really, no. That was Keira. I don't have the full story but she went out and something happened and she lost it, and now she's at the hospital. She wants me to go-"
"You?" Elena said in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Is everyone else there?"
"It's okay, and no," Marshall turned on the flashlight feature on his phone and began getting dressed. "She's upset and embarrassed and isn't ready to look at anyone else. Which speaks volumes, really, about our relationship. God, I am such a shit-brother."
"Look, we both know you could've been better, but she still called you, which means something, Marshall. Although, you might not want to go making this about you, because then you would be kind of a shit-brother."
"I'm not, I'm not," he grumbled and went to her side of the bed, feeling for her leg in the dark. "I realize I also kind of assumed you would stay here with Mat. Is that okay?"
"Of course," she leaned over and kissed him. "Keep me in the loop, okay?"
"Yeah," he rubbed his eyes for a moment, squeezed her hand, and then rolled backwards before turning. "Yeah, I will. Thanks Lainey. Love you."
As Marshall made his way out to the car, he pondered whether or not stopping for coffee would earn him additional demerits in the brother department. Hospital coffee was so terrible and it wasn't as though her life was in mortal peril. Ultimately, he decided to go straight there. Keira needed him and no amount of good coffee was worth further damaging his relationship with his family, not when he was trying so hard to fix things with Kallum.