Mangled 14/14+
Right, this is the final part for today - a nice long angsty yarn! In terms of completed chapters you're all up-to-date! Will try and get some more finished for the weekend. :oD
Mangled 14/?
Characters: Predominantly Scotty and Kevin but of course the other Walkers all put in their appearances
Summary: So, it turns out you can mangle anything; cars, people, relationships...
Rating: PG
Genre: Part angst, part hurt-comfort and true to tradition poor Scotty seems to be the source of it all!
Disclaimer: The characters you recognise do not belong to me, I can only dream... The ones you don't recognise are my creations and are simply here for my own amusement.
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Kevin was awoken from his doze when Justin and Saul walked. Nora’s sleep on the other chair remained undisturbed. She had refused to go home, promising to stay with Kevin and Olivia for as long as they wanted. Kevin was grateful; unsure of how he would have coped if his mother had gone home.
“We just wanted you to know that Scotty’s been admitted to the medical ward. He’s on the second floor, room 267.”
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s not said much, really. He’s slept some. They’ve still got him on a drip and because he’s thrown up a couple more times since we brought him in, they’ve now started to pump through some anti-nausea medication, which does seem to have helped.”
“And he’s asleep now?”
“He’s resting,” nodded Saul.
“Kev, he’s gonna be okay.”
“I know,”
“How’s Olivia doing?”
“She’s doing well, all things considered. The doctor’s pleased with her recovery from the anaesthesia. I think tomorrow they want to try and get her up and about on some crutches.”
“There’ll be no stopping her,” smiled Justin.
“When can she go home?” asked Saul.
“They’ve said maybe two or three days. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.”
“That’s great news.” Saul quickly glanced at his watch. “Kevin, I’m sorry, I should probably get back to the restaurant for closing time.”
“Sure,” Kevin nodded.
“I’ll be back tomorrow. Do you need anything bringing in?”
“No, thanks,” Kevin hugged his uncle.
“Justin, do you want a lift?”
“I should stay,” Justin said looking at Kevin, who shook his head.
“It’s okay, go. You’ve done so much already for us today.” Justin hugged Kevin and whispered quietly:
“You take care, bro. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Kevin returned equally quietly, squeezing his brother tightly. Kevin followed Justin and Saul to the door and closed it quietly behind them. The room was silent but for the sound of breathing, Nora’s and Olivia’s Kevin looked at the sleeping figures and quietly slipped out the door. ‘Second floor, room 267,’ thought Kevin as he walked along the hallway to the lift.
He pushed the call button and the doors slid silently open for him. He stepped inside and hit the button for the second floor. He leaned back against the rail. The lift felt airless, the heat inside stifling. It couldn’t reach its destination fast enough for Kevin. He felt an instant sense of relief when the doors slid open once more. He made a mental note to take the stairs when he went back upstairs.
He stepped into the hallway. It looked exactly the same as the one he’d just left. Aqua-coloured floors, soulless white walls with gaudy signs, all lit by stark fluorescent strip lights. There were no windows and no evidence of the night sky outside.
The hallway was quiet, with just a few of the hospital’s staff moving efficiently from place to place, nodding their acknowledgement of one another, some exchanging a few passing words.
Kevin looked at the room numbers as he walked along and counted down until he got to room 267. He looked through the small window in the top of the door. He was pleased to see Scotty asleep at last. Looking almost peaceful for the first time since the nightmare began. He was wearing a white hospital gown, which, together with the white bed sheets, served only to make him look all the more pale, together with the stark contrast of the angry bruise on his forehead.
Kevin saw an IV line running into Scotty’s left arm and a white dressing where Kevin guessed blood had been taken. He was a little startled to see Scotty hooked up to a couple of other machines, wires snaking out from the gown. Kevin thought how fragile he looked laying there.
“Can I help?” A voice startled Kevin. It was one of the ward nurses.
“I’m Kevin Walker; I’m his husband. Please, can you tell me what’s going on; what are the machines?”
“We’re just keeping an eye on his blood pressure and heart rate. We were a little unhappy when he came up here earlier, but he’s stabilised a lot now. We just want to make sure he keeps heading in the right direction. The best for him right now is rest. Do you want to go and sit with him for a while?” Kevin could think of nothing else he would rather do, but Scotty looked so peaceful he didn’t feel he could disturb him. And the nurse had said how much he needed rest. Goodness knows, he looked like he needed all the rest he could get, and that rest needed to be free of complications and complexes. Kevin couldn’t help but think his presence would exacerbate both.
Kevin also thought about the way Scotty had reacted when he offered to stay with him earlier. Scotty was more concerned about someone being with Olivia and had practically banished him, so overcome was he with concern for the well-being of their daughter.
On reflection, Kevin recognised guilt in the way Scotty sent him away earlier. He’d already been accused of leaving her, he didn’t want Olivia to feel more abandoned, and Kevin understood that, but he had tried to explain to Scotty that Olivia now understood. Kevin also recognised a man who was struggling with his own emotions, the prospect of having to deal with anyone else was too overwhelming. For a second, Kevin wondered whether there was an extra layer to that guilt. Could Scotty really have caused the accident? Could he have fallen asleep, lost concentration, because he was so tired? No, Kevin dismissed the notion, and felt ashamed for even considering it. Although, the nagging doubt still lingered.
At that moment, Kevin wanted there to be no one else in the world but him and Scotty. He wanted nothing more than to go and take all the sadness and stress away from his husband; to make the world stop turning even for a moment.
He thought about it all. He made his decision.
“Er...I should...our daughter’s upstairs. I really shouldn’t have left her. If she wakes up, she’ll wonder where I’ve gone. I don’t want her to panic. I just...I just wanted to see him.”
“Okay,”
“Okay,” Kevin nodded resolved. His mind made up, it was too late to change it.
“Do you want me to give him a message when he wakes up?”
“Er...no...thank you,”
“Okay,”
Kevin turned and retraced his steps, walking past the lift to the stairs.
Inside room 267, Scotty looked down and blinked as he saw Kevin walk away. He wanted Kevin to walk away. More than anything in the world he wanted Kevin with him, telling him things would be all right, but he knew differently.
He knew he deserved it. This whole mess was his fault. Kevin shouldn’t have to face him, pretending everything was going to be all right and that it wasn’t his fault or that he forgave him. Scotty didn’t want to put him through that and was relieved when he had walked away, leaving Scotty alone with his misery and guilt.
Scotty couldn’t face Kevin. He felt so ashamed; ashamed at what he had caused, ashamed at being arrested, ashamed for not being there. He deserved to be by himself.
Still, he had never felt so alone.
TBC!!!