Team8s and Counting

70. It Will Never Be the Same

A wave of guilt hit every member of Team8s as Thread was carried out into the ambulance, still screaming in pain. All the adults hopped into their cars and headed out to the hospital.

Donut and Barf Barf Bag were in tears, wishing that they didn't get distracted by the fight the throuple was having.

"Why did we let ourselves get sucked into their drama," Donut cried out, "we should have never let that girl out of our sight in the first place."

Barf Bag nodded, "I don't want to say what I think it is...but all I know is that it's going to be life changing for everyone."

Saw and Gaty were relatively quiet in their car, the guilt watching over them as well. Saw was especially upset at what happened, and Gaty was just trying to calm her down.

"You did what you could, Saw," Gaty reassured her, "you were trying your best to get those three to stop fighting. If anything...I was the one who shouldn't have gotten distracted by their pettiness."

Saw nodded, and glanced at the back seat of the car, where Bladey was sitting, sound asleep. Another tear shed her eye, imagining if that was her kid laying down so helplessly on that trampoline.

Meanwhile, in their car, Needle sat with Dimey in stunned silence, her heart heavy with regret. She couldn't shake the feeling that if only she had been more attentive, if only she hadn't let the tension with Coiny and Pin consume her, perhaps they could have prevented this tragedy.

Meanwhile, Coiny and Pin sat in the front seat, their minds filled with a mixture of anguish and despair. They blamed themselves for allowing their personal conflicts to overshadow their responsibility as parents. If only they had been more focused on Thread, perhaps they could have prevented her injury.

Once everyone got to the hospital, Thread was rushed to the intensive care unit. The atmosphere in the hospital waiting room was heavy with sorrow and guilt as the members of Team8s gathered together, their minds reeling from the devastating news about Thread's condition. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, grappling with the harsh reality of what had happened.

Thread had pretty much every imaging done to her that was known to man, trying to figure out the extent of the injury she obtained on the trampoline. They all remained hopeful, trying to find the light in this grim situation. But no matter how hard they tried, they all had this gut feeling that life would never be the same again.

Eventually, the doctor called Coiny, Pin, and Needle into Threads' hospital room. Needle handed off Dimey to Barf Bag before she went with Coiny and Pin to see their daughter. When they got there, they saw the once innocent girl they all knew, just laying there, lifeless, with all the machines and tubes hooked up to her that they could think of.

"Oh my gosh," Pin whispered to herself, as she watched her daughter lay helplessly on that hospital bed.

"How in the world did we let this happen?" Coiny said, placing a hand over his mouth.

Needle was too stunned to say anything. Instead tears just filled her eyes, as she started at Thread. This is all my fault, she thought to herself.

Pin reached out to gently stroke Thread's forehead, her heart breaking with each labored breath that her daughter took. She felt a surge of guilt wash over her, wishing she could turn back time and protect Thread from the pain and suffering she was enduring.

Coiny's hands trembled as he reached out to hold Thread's limp hand. His mind was consumed with regret, replaying the moments leading up to the accident over and over again.

Needle stood at the foot of the bed, her eyes filled with tears as she gazed upon Thread's pale, lifeless form. She felt a suffocating weight of guilt crush her chest, knowing that her own distractions and conflicts had played a part in Thread's suffering. If only she had been more present, more focused on her daughter's well-being, perhaps they could have avoided this nightmare.

Once the throuple had had time to observe her daughter, it was time for the doctor to share the life changing news to them.

He pulled up images of Threads back, revealing the extent of the spinal cord injury. The doctor's words hung heavy in the air as he explained that Thread had suffered severe damage to her spinal cord, resulting in paralysis from the waist down. The room fell into stunned silence as the reality of Thread's condition sank in.

"No, no, no," Pin said in denial, "she can't be paralyzed! Not her, not our little Thread!"

The doctor's expression softened as he empathized with Pin's anguish. "I understand this is difficult to accept," he said gently, "but I'm afraid the injury is severe. Thread's spinal cord has been significantly damaged, and she has lost function below her waist."

Pin's heart shattered into a million pieces at the doctor's words. She couldn't bear to imagine her daughter confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. "There must be something you can do," she pleaded, desperation lacing her voice.

The doctor sighed, his own heart heavy with the weight of delivering such devastating news. "We'll do everything we can to support Thread through rehabilitation and therapy," he assured them, "but I'm afraid the damage is irreversible. Thread will need extensive medical care and assistance to adjust to her new circumstances."

Coiny's grip tightened on Thread's hand, his mind reeling with disbelief. He couldn't comprehend how their once vibrant and energetic daughter was now facing a life filled with challenges and limitations. "We'll do whatever it takes to help her," he vowed, determination shining in his eyes.

Needle felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she watched the anguish etched on Pin and Coiny's faces. She knew that she bore a share of responsibility for Thread's injury, and the weight of that realization threatened to suffocate her. "I'm so sorry baby," she whispered, her voice choking with tears.

As the doctor left the room to give the throuple a minute to absorb the life changing information, Pin pulled out her phone and immediately started scrolling through her video album. Then, she found it. Coiny and Needle gathered around Pin to watch the video of Thread taking her first steps.

"Yay! Thread!" Pin's voice echoed in the phone, as she had scooped her daughter up into her arms, celebrating her big milestone.

Pin couldn't hold back her tears anymore, she opened her arms and hugged her partners, as the three of them cried into eachothers arms.

The little girl that was in the video was now a distant memory, replaced by the image of Thread lying motionless in the hospital bed. The weight of their grief and guilt hung heavy in the air, threatening to overwhelm them.

They knew that life was never going to be the same again. They knew that they we're about to face a brand new reality, filled with challenges they never imagined they would have to confront. But amidst the despair and uncertainty, they also found a glimmer of hope, a flicker of determination to face whatever lay ahead together.

As they held each other in a tight embrace, they made a silent promise to Thread and to each other. They promised to be there for her every step of the way, to support her, to advocate for her, and to love her unconditionally, no matter what.

Thread's journey to recovery would be long and difficult, but they would walk it with her, hand in hand, drawing strength from each other and from the love that bound them together as a family.

.................................................

So...that just happened. This was something in the cards for Thread since I started making this book, and it's crazy that we've made it to this part of the story. I honestly cried writing this, poor Thread didn't deserve this.

Also, thought I'd give you the heads up now, but the next chapter is likely going to be the last one for a bit. More on that when it releases, but yeah, hope you liked this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!

- Sunny