FLY BOY - Completed

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

River couldn't believe her eyes. How was it even possible, she wondered? She had left Dayden not that long ago and he was fine. What had happened? She ran after the group administering to Dayden and as she got closer, it finally registered that they were giving him CPR. Her shock changed to anguish. She was just about to catch up to them when strong hands grasped her from behind and forcefully pulled her backwards.

"River, let them do their job," Rylie's familiar gravelly voice sounded in her ear. "He is in the best hands right now and they got to him quickly." His words were meant to encourage her, but River still couldn't understand how things had gone down hill so quickly; first her father and now Dayden. She felt like she was trapped in a never ending nightmare. 

She let Rylie pull her into a small waiting area just off the main hallway. She could hear static and a hint of unrecognizable music coming from a warn out speaker hanging precariously from the ceiling. It was just loud enough to be annoying. She allowed Rylie to guide her onto an eclectic looking, lime green vinyl two-seater sofa before she finally found her voice. "What happened to him?" she asked, her wide eyes never leaving Rylie's.  

Rylie ran a nervous hand through his messy blonde curls as he paced back and forth in front of her. "They figure that his injuries were worse than Dayden originally let on." He stopped pacing long enough to return River's gaze. "Either the beating he took or the parachute jump from his Arcane Fighter caused some internal injuries." His words caused River to bow her head. Rylie knelt down next to her and placed one hand on her back in comfort.

"I saw him wince," River confessed in a shattered voice. "I should have known he was hurt worse than he was saying," she berated herself. She felt sick as she remembered that it was her fault Dayden had ejected from his fighter. Tears ran down her face as guilt washed over her. 

"River it is not your freaking fault," Rylie stated emphatically as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Stop blaming yourself." Seeing how upset she was, Rylie stood from his kneeling position and then sat down right next to her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her head to his chest.

River wanted to remain strong, but it was all too much. She let Rylie comfort her. She sobbed into his grey-green army shirt not caring that she was making a mess of it, only glad that she had someone to cling to. She knew that she was no longer the immature girl her father had left behind; the one who suffered from panic attacks. She had grown much stronger since her mother's death and her father's disappearance, but this was too much. She couldn't handle seeing Dayden so ill. 

"From everything I've heard and seen, your Dayden dude is a fighter," Rylie said softly. 

"My Dayden," River repeated in her head. They had come so far. They had gone through so much. She could not do this without him. He was her rock. He had saved her life.... and now he was fighting for his own life. The thought brought on more tears.  

Rylie did not offer up any empty promises. He just held River and let her cry. He continually ran one hand softly down the back of her hair and the soothing motion eventually caused her eyes to close. She was exhausted.  

She briefly stirred when she felt herself being lifted and jostled about, but when she felt a soft surface below her and then warmth wrap around her, she finally gave in to the exhaustion and allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep. 

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She had been dreaming about Dayden. He had been cooking something for her and had a number of different sized pots all cooking on a stove top. Each one though, had black smoke billowing out the top of their lids. Dayden gave her one of his sheepish smiles and told her that she should know by now that he wasn't a good cook. Seeing that familiar smile caused River to wake with a start. She sat right up, confused at finding herself covered in blankets, and laying on a hospital bed in a small dark room.