Past the Tipping Point

\ Chapter 23 /

"This is your fucking fault!" Joseph suddenly turned to Colby with rage in his eyes.

"Joseph, no." Pamela attempted to stop him, but he pushed right through her and aggressively punched Colby right across the jaw. The girls gasped and immediately tried to be at Colby's aid, but they faltered beneath his body weight.

Jonathan turned to Joseph. "What the fuck, man?!"

Their eyes remained locked, and Colby's unconscious body hitting the ground was the only sound that differentiated itself from the chaos that was ensuing around Rebecca.

"Clear!" The paramedics carried Rebecca down on a stretcher, trying to get the defibrillator to resurrect her.

Between the clamoured yelling of the medical professionals to one another and the clear sound of shocks, the group almost missed Rebecca's gasp back to life.

Through all of the chaos and internal torture, the paramedics managed to resuscitate Rebecca. That's what mattered most.

When they all arrived at the hospital, and she was carted away, it sounded like it was to get her stomach pumped. When they couldn't see her down the hall anymore, the last couple of minutes that filled their head with noise dissipated. Then they were left with something that almost seemed worse: silence.

"We should've listened to you." Joseph admitted to a still tearful Pamela, resting his forehead atop her head. "I'm so sorry."

She spoke slowly in hopes of avoiding more hyperventilating. "She's alive. That's what matters."

"I know." Joseph agreed still quietly. "But if things go wrong and take a turn for the worst. I want you to know that it's our fault. Not yours."

Mercedes paced in the hall, mentally debating if she was really about to do what she was thinking of. But she didn't have to make the decision. He did.

Mercedes unsurprisingly saw Colby's caller ID and picked up. What did surprise her was that he didn't yell at her for leaving him. He just asked a simple question. "What hospital?"

She tried to recall the name but was drawing a blank. "Uh... the one by Westbrook's Deli?"

When she heard no response, her eyebrows furrowed. "Hello? Colby?"

Then suddenly the line clicked, and she was left to hear beeping on her phone and squeezed her eyes shut. "Shit..."

She was left to rejoin the group and sit in a bundle of silent nerves, not only because her friend was in a hospital bed hanging on by a thread, but also because she had no idea what Colby was about to do.

As she chewed away at her nails, she somehow missed the large figure passing them at a hasty speed. She only noticed Pamela stand up, having caught a glimpse of his face. "Colby?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Is she okay?"

"Holy shit." Mercedes stood, and the guys followed suit. "How'd you get here so fast?"

Joseph looked between them. "You called him?!"

"We shouldn't have left him!" Mercedes yelled back defensively.

"Is she okay?" Colby ignored everything other than the meek woman hugging herself in front of him. "Pam, please don't tell me it's my fault."

"It's your fucking fault." Joseph stepped towards Colby.

"You really wanna do this again, huh?" Any composure Colby tried to maintain dissipated fast. "Try it. I'm ready for you big man. Let's see if you can gain the same ground now that I'm not fresh out of trying to revive someone."

"You're the reason why she needed to be revived in the first place." Joseph's loud words were enough to make other people around look in their direction.

"You forced me out because you knew she'd see that I came back for her." He spat back, determined to have his point made. "Coward."

"I forced you out because you will never be good enough for her." Joseph spoke as the two gained ground on one another. "You weren't then, and you sure as hell aren't now."

"It isn't your fault, Colby." Pamela finally answered his question, causing both men to stop everything. "I saw... grocery bags on her counters."

It took a moment for it to click in Colby's mind, but when it did, his distaste was blatant. "Fergal."

As if fate was getting a high for the way it was playing out, it doubled down on it all. The voice Colby heard from behind his back made the entire group stiffen.

"Gang." The mock confidence could be heard in his voice. "Colby."

He turned to see Fergal standing by them, and his tone changed. "You."

"How did you know we were here?" Pamela spoke up before anyone else.

Fergal shrugged, "I made her put me as an emergency contact."

Colby's eyes never left Fergals face, and his body began to vibrate with anger. "You did this."

"I only want what's best for her." Fergal rolled his eyes dismissively. "You're not it."

Jonathan stepped between them, facing Fergal, knowing what an angry Colby was capable of. "Not a good ide-"

"You're the reason why she's here! She was dead because of you!" Colby moved forward, and even Joseph tried holding him back. "I'm gonna rip your skull out."

"Okay." Pamela whispered facing Colby, trying to calm him down.

"Go away." Mercedes insisted firmly, staring Fergal down. "Permanently."

"You guys are really gonna stick this one on me?" He laughed bitterly. "When this fucker has been your cause of torment for the past two years?"

His finger was pointing in Colby's direction, and in one swift motion, Colby reached forward and got a hold of Fergal's finger, bending it backwards until he heard a distinct snap. Fergal flailed around in pain, hastily moving backwards out of Colby's reach, and almost tripping on his own feet.

"Told ya it wasn't a good idea." Jonathan piped in. "I'd get out while you have the chance. Or before you know it, he'll be breaking your legs so you can't escape."

"No, no." Colby shook his head with a menacing glare. "Next time, it's your neck."