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- 11/18/2013
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Letting Go - 12. Chapter 12
Keith did not have time to gasp for breath after he found Albert, Justina and Elliot’s parents were waiting outside of the surgery room, a few police officers were just about to leave. His heart clenched when he saw the piercing red light on above the surgery room.
“What happened?! How is he? IS HE IN THERE? IS HE OK? CAN SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING?” Keith’s voice was shaking out of fear.
Justina came and hugged Keith, her eyes were red and tear marks on her face were still visible, Keith stared at Elliot’s parents over Justina's shoulder.
“He is still under surgery.” Elliot’s mom stood up, her voice shaking.
“But what happened to him, how did the accident happen?” Keith begged for an answer.
“Mr. Keith, you should sit down.” Albert put his hand on Keith’s shoulder. Keith looked at him, his eyes were full of fear, then sat down next to Justina outside of the surgery room.
“He was going to find you at your place.” Elliot’s father grumbled, Keith could hear he was trying very hard to control his emotions.
The text message from the morning! The one he had decided not to reply!
Keith suddenly felt dizzy and his stomach clenched so hard he wanted to vomit, his head went blank but excruciating pain quickly took over, and his heart was about to fail him.
“A car crashed in the taxi he was in,” Justina said, “Both drivers were killed instantly in the accident, they had to cut open the taxi to get Elliot out, he has a few broken ribs, cut wounds on his chest and one is very near to his heart, he also has a severe wound on his head, the doctors said he might suffer from concussion and there is also the likelihood of a coma, but right now the most fatal part is his heart, the broken ribs might have pierced into his heart, the doctors are doing all they can right now.”
“Did the doctor say whether he will... Make it?” Keith asked fearfully.
“We don’t know.” Elliot’s mom said again, “he has been lying on the surgery table for twenty minutes now and no one has come out.”
Keith looked at Albert but Albert looked away.
“What is it Albert, what is it you are not telling me?” Keith became alarmed, and shouted at Albert when he did not answer him.
“The driver who crashed into Elliot’s taxi was your driver Hubert Wainscott.” Keith could sense a trace of hatred in Elliot’s father's voice.
“Hubert?” Keith could not believe his ear, “Hubert is dead?”
“Yes.” Albert finally said, “He was rushing to his wife’s hospital because his wife had tried to commit suicide and had cut the blood veins on her wrist, the police does not know about her situation yet.” After he finished he looked at Keith with great concern, “You should not blame yourself.”
Keith sat on the chair with his head buried in his hands, he felt his head was spinning fast and suddenly he stood up and ran to the nearest washroom and managed to vomit in the sink. His tears started to fall violently and he could not remember when he had ever cried so bitterly before.
I gave Hubert the days off. I did not text Elliot not to come. I did not tell him I was leaving. If I had done any of these things differently, Elliot would not be lying here.
And the death of Hubert, his driver who had been so hopeful about his family, who could see heaven through his wife and daughter’s smile...
Keith could not help the urge and vomited in the sink again. He turned on the water and tears started to roll again in his red eyes.
“Keith, are you ok?” Justina knocked on the male washroom door, she sounded concerned.
Keith cleaned the sink and his face, then walked out of the washroom. Justina hugged him, Keith buried his head in Justina’s shoulder, seized on her shoulder with his hands as if he was drowning in water.
“It was an accident,” Justina reminded Keith, “You can not blame yourself on this, you did not cause it.”
“I did.” Keith wept, “If I had texted to Elliot, if I hadn’t given Hubert the days off, then Elliot would not be lying here swinging between life and death, and Hubert would not be dead.”
“Keith,” Justina’s voice became firmer, “None of these are your fault, you did not cause any of this, stop blaming yourself. Things happened, it’s tragic and everything but your fault. Come on, let’s go wait in front of the surgery room.”
Keith followed Justina back to the group. Elliot’s dad did not move but Elliot’s mom stood up and gave Keith a hug. “Elliot is fighting with Death inside, he needs our support, yours would mean a lot to him.”
Time went by like eternity, thousands of thoughts had run through Keith’s head but none of them were encouraging. He thought about their relationship and wondered what Elliot had wanted to say to him, he could give up anything just to hear Elliot’s voice again. The talk with Erasmo in the morning appeared again in his head but that sounded much less serious now, so what if Elliot had doubts, he had not broken up with him and he could feel Elliot really loved him. More and more happy moments rushed back between them, the time when they had first met, the time when they first had kissed, the first time when they had cooked together, the time when Elliot had played violin on top of a hill for him under stars, the time when Elliot had stepped in a trap on the beach that Keith had made, the time when they had lied in the bed kissing for hours, the time when Elliot had surprised him by flying a helicopter above Keith’s penthouse on Keith’s birthday last year after his academic exchange in Spain and had shouted through a loudspeaker “Keith, you are now under arrest for being the happiest birthday boy in the world!”
“The light switched off!” five hours later but which felt like a life time Justina suddenly screamed and pointed to the surgery room. And next second the door was open and one doctor walked out. Everyone immediately surrounded the doctor and inquired him about Elliot’s condition.
“He is now stable, we put him under oxycodone, the damage to his heart from the broken ribs is under control, we also did all we could to the head damage but his brain is injured, our neurosurgeon did her best to minimize the brain bruises, but now we can only hope that he will wake up.”
Everyone felt relieved for a few seconds but soon immersed again in the anxious feeling. Seconds later Elliot was pushed out from the surgery room, his head was wrapped in white bandage, Keith was sure his body was all wrapped in bandage also under the cover. Everyone rushed affront around Elliot and followed to the ICU private patient room. The nurses carefully transferred Elliot on the bed, and connected him to all the required equipment. Keith’s heart twinged when his thoughts were confirmed, Elliot’s whole body was almost covered with bandage. Elliot’s mom covered her mouth with her hand and sobbed, she wanted to grab her son’s hand but was afraid of causing him any pain.
After settling down the patient, the doctor turned to Elliot’s parents. “We should now wait and see whether the patient will wake up tomorrow, but don’t be alarmed if it will take more than one day, right now he needs a lot of rest. The nurses will be checking on him every half an hour to make sure everything is alright. Now I need a family member to go downstairs with me for some paper work.”
Elliot’s dad agreed to go and left with the doctor and nurses. Elliot’s mom stood next to her son’s bed, caressed her son’s face gently, her tears dropped on the edge of the bed.
Keith stood there, looking at Elliot, still found it hard to accept the reality. He could not believe the person lying on the bed motionlessly in front of him was his Elliot, who had texted him earlier in the morning and had planned to meet him today. Guilt once again penetrated Keith’s heart, he got closer to Elliot and the scene was tortuous for him. He knelt down in front of Elliot’s bed and gently placed his hands on Elliot’s arm. “Sweetheart, you will wake up.” Keith whispered with choked voice, “You will come back, to your family, to me. Don’t you dare let go, don’t you dare leave us, I will never forgive you if you do, I will never forgive myself. I love you, I love you baby, please stay strong, and come back to me. You wanted to talk to me, so come back and finish it, I’m here now, I’m listening, promise that you will wake up.”
Keith had stayed in the hospital that night with Elliot’s mom. The rest all went back home, Albert said he would make a phone call to Miss. Hayden to inform her about the situation, Justina promised that she would be back next day in the morning with some food for them, and Elliot’s father had to leave for work next day but would join them in the evening.
It was a peaceful night, Elliot had not even made a sound, Keith asked the attended nurse whether it was a good sign and she said at this moment it was still hard to say.
Keith woke up a few times during the night from nightmares, the scene of the car crash kept pushing in his dreams even though he had not witnessed it. He remembered the doctor had said how dangerous it would be if the broken ribs had been slightly more closer to the heart. Keith looked at his boyfriend under the moonlight from his seat, and just stared at him until his eyes were closed again.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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