Standing By || scömìche

Chapter 6

"Well, when the ambulance got to you and Scott, they noticed that he, uh, split his head open... from hitting his head on the concrete so hard," Dr. Alderman struggled to say. I knew she didn't want to say any of this, but I was desperate to hear more. I need to know exactly what happened to Scott.

"Dr. Alderman, please just cut the crap and tell me what's wrong with him..." I said, my voice cracking in the process. The doctor could see the pain in my eyes, which made it even harder for her to say anything.

"Scott is in a coma. He has a machine attached to him that is breathing for him. When we got him into surgery, the damage to his brain was too far gone. We did everything we could to at least try to fix whatever we could, but even if Scott wakes up, there will be severe brain damage. There's a high possibility that he may be a vegetable, if he wakes up, that is," Dr. Alderman told me truthfully. My heart sank in my chest. It burned too. It was like someone was holding a flame-thrower to it.

Scott may not ever wake up again and just the thought of that made me nauseous. I pointed over the the trashcan next to my bed so my mom could grab it for me. She quickly reached for it and pulled it over to me just in time before I vomited everywhere. My mom rubbed the small of my back, comforting me. 

Soon after I finished throwing up, Scott's mom, Connie, walked into my room. I could tell she had been crying.

"Mitch, I am so glad you're okay," Connie walked over to my hospital bed and leaned down to hug me softly, knowing I just got out of surgery about 2 hours ago. I could feel the fresh tears she was producing on my shoulder. I hugged her back as tight as I could, not wanting to let go of the closest thing I had to Scott.

When she let go, her eyes were stained red. Her lips were pale and her cheeks were flushed. I have never seen her so heartbroken in my life.

"Connie, I am so sorry... this is all my fault..." I cried. She took my hand and placed it in hers, stroking the top of it softly.

"Mitch, I don't blame you for what happened to Scott. It was an accident, please don't be so hard on yourself," Connie replied while crying, "I care about you just as much as I care about Scott. If anything had happened to you, I would be just as upset."

"It should have been me," I sobbed, "I should be in Scott's position right now! I turned to kiss him for one second and the next thing I know, he's bleeding out in the middle of the road. This is all my fault."

"Mitch, honey, please don't say that. You deserve to live just as much as Scott does. Scott is my son, but you better believe that you're just as valuable to me as he is," Connie muttered out softly trying to calm me down. I put my hands over my face to hide my tears. I stayed there for a few moments.

"C-can I see him?" I managed to stutter out. Dr. Alderman stopped writing on my chart again and looked over to me.

"I don't have a problem with it, as long as Mrs. Hoying doesn't mind," She replied.

"Of course you can see him, sweetie," Connie half smiled at me. When she gave the okay, Dr. Alderman left the room to go find me a wheelchair since I can't walk.

"But, before you go in there, you need to know that the Scott you saw when you left the house this morning is not the Scott you're going to see right now," Connie explained. I nodded, but felt sick to my stomach again. 

Dr. Alderman came back into my room with a wheelchair and helped me get out of bed. It was a lot more painful than I thought it would be. The stitches on my leg were throbbing and it wouldn't stop, but I didn't say anything about it. I just want to see Scott.

The doctor slowly wheeled me down the hall to where Scott was and with every inch, my heart started beating a little faster. I don't think I'm ready to see him. 

She stopped the wheelchair right in front of Scotts door. My heart was beating so fast, I actually thought for a split second that something could be wrong. In reality, I was just nervous to see him.

Once Dr. Alderman opened the door, I could see Scott laying flat on his back with tubes attached to his body. She pushed me into the room and next to his bed.

"I'll give you some privacy," she said quietly. When she shut the door, I looked at Scott and examined everything around him.

He had a scar running from the top of his forehead to the top of his left ear. He had tiny scratches all over his face. He had a cast on his right leg. He had a tube in his mouth that was making him breathe. That was my least favorite thing.

I was about to reach for his right hand but recoiled. I was afraid to touch him because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold down my tears. 

"Scott?" I manage to croak out. I reached for his hand again, grabbing it this time. I knew I was going to start crying anyway. 

"Scott," I say in a high pitched voice, "Scott, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I really didn't."

His facial expression didn't change and he didn't move a muscle. All that was moving was his chest.

"Scott, if you can hear me, just please know that I need you to wake up. You have to wake up. I can't imagine living my life without you. We're scömìche. We're unstoppable. You can't just give up on me like this," I said while sobbing. I squeezed his hand just in case he could feel it, "you are my best friend. How am I supposed to go one like this?"

I laid my head down on his forearm, staining it with tears. I cannot believe that I am responsible for this...