Fall To Flames

Chapter 27

Declan's POV

"Declan you have to take care of yourself." Nurse Penny had been trying to reason with me for the better part of two weeks. I hadn't been sleeping or eating. I haven't left this room. My family and friends had tried but after all but biting heads off they finally backed off.

"It's no use Penny, we've all tried." Jessie spoke from his position in the corner of the room.

"I can't leave her. What if something happens and I'm not here?" I questioned watching the defeat in everyone's eyes.

"Hunny we have her, if anything happens we can call you immediately. You can't help her if you aren't taking care of yourself." I'd come to love Penny like family. Three days in I requested she be the only day shift nurse to take care of Whitney.

Before I could answer her all the monitors started growing louder and more urgent. I felt my stomach seize as I watched worry dash over Penny's face. She began looking at lines and numbers and muttering things under her breath.

"What's happening!" I yelled my voice hours and foreign.

"It's going to be okay, please get him out of here." Penny spoke her voice laced with worry as she hit the button to alert the other nurses and doctors she needed help.

"I'm not leaving!" I was now screaming like a mad man as I watched a doctor start giving orders and nurses pushing meds and talking in hushed tones.

"Declan out!" Penny's voice was stern but caring.

I felt large hands grab me as I tried to break free. Screaming out as I was being dragged against my will from the room where they were working on her.

"She was fine!" I screamed when we entered the family waiting room, my legs buckling.

"Decs it's going to be okay." Bridget spoke, kneeling beside me.

My screams filled the silence in the room as I begged her not to go. I felt like someone was reaching into my chest and pulling it out. All week she had been making progress or so I thought. I'd been helping Penny bathe her in bed and change her dressing. I'd been telling her all my plans as we got everything on the legal side of things. I read her the medical journals she loved to read in her free time. I'd sat with her through hours of dialysis while they tried to get her kidneys working better. Now she was going to leave me alone, broken and dead inside.

Trying to picture a life without Whitney was impossible. We had made so much progress together that I never thought about the possibility of losing her like this. I'd made peace a while ago that if she eventually wanted to leave and take on the world by herself and be safe I'd let her. Sure it would hurt but I'd keep tabs on her and welcome her back when she was ready. However the possibility of her dying because I was too slow finding her made my chest feel like it was caving in.

"Decs you need to slow your breathing." Bridget was rubbing my arm up and down trying to calm me but it was only building my anxiety.

"Stop." I angrily shook her off me needing my space wanting to feel the hurt. The pain was the only thing that reminded me I wasn't the one dying, at least not yet.

The door to the waiting room swung open and in walked the doctor and Penny. I felt my throat go dry and my legs began to shake. I was trying to read the look on their faces but they stood stone faced giving away nothing.

"So as you know we've been very happy with Dr Keller's progress over the last week." The doctor spoke, clearing his voice. My legs now shaking more violently leaving me unable to stand.

"Doctor please just get to the point." I snapped harsher than I had intended.

"What you saw in the room a bit ago was her fighting the sedation and tube. Meaning she's showing us she's ready to wake up."A wave of relief crashed over me sending shockwaves through my body.