Him & I

- CHAPTER 27 -

"I am arresting you for the battery and kidnap of two minors,-" the policeman stated calmly, "-you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be giving in evidence. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Richard gritted out his answer in defeat and I nearly smiled in satisfaction, knowing that he'd be put into prison for a long time.

Another officer, female this time, was by my side as soon as she was given the space to do so.

"Hello, you must be Robert, yes?" She kindly asked.

"Bobby." I nodded in response.

"Okay, Bobby, my name is officer Norton but you can call me Katie if you'd prefer?"

I smiled, confirming I understood. She then rose from her crouched position and helped me stand up, leading me downstairs towards an ambulance.

"This is Bobby." Katie said to the paramedics before turning to me, "Bobby, they're going to take good care of you, okay?"

I nodded but started panicking when she began to walk back towards the house and a group of other policemen. That was until I saw a familiar face in the crowd.

"Drew!"

He broke through the horde of concerned neighbours and ran towards me with open arms.

"I'm so glad that you're safe, bud." Drew smiled, pressing me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Me too." I snivelled, enjoying the safety and warmth that came with his embrace. I suddenly came to my senses. "Where's Ollie?!" I burst out, breaking away from Drew's grip and looking in panic for my best friend.

"Calm down, Bobby. It's all going to be alright." Drew tried to soothe me with words but they weren't working.

"Ollie! Ollie, where are you?!" I wailed. Many of the onlookers cast looks filled with pity towards me.

Then I saw her. She was being wheeled out of that torture den on a hospital bed. Hamish was next to her, holding her hand. Pain was all over his face, deep pain - fear, too; the fear of losing a loved one.

I don't think Drew had expected that. I turned around to see him with a stern face and yet, I could see that glimmer of fear in his eyes. He blinked several times before taking my hand and getting me into the ambulance. The journey to the hospital was a quiet one, the silence between us - deafening.

"She'd do it again, you know that, right?" Drew asked me, climbing out of the ambulance when we arrived and reaching out to help me.

"I know."

A wheelchair was brought out and the nurses wheeled me inside. Drew was right next to me.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Hamish
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

I had watched as the paramedics scooped her off the floor in one of the rooms. I had seen the blood on the floor...and her face. I had watched as they rolled her into the ambulance right in front of  me.

They said that she'd been pushed down a ladder and cracked her head open, going unconscious upon impact. They said the likelihood of broken bones was high. They said they'd need to get her into the OR immediately on arrival.

The words were flying through my mind at high speeds, not giving me a chance to actually stop and process the information.

We were here...at the hospital. I must have blacked out or something because before I knew it my sister was whisked away down a white corridor. Foreign hands gripped my arm and I was taken to a chair. Rough but gentle hands gripped my face and I was staring into the eyes of a young doctor, trying to calm me down or explain something. They eventually stopped rambling and led me down some stairs then into a lift. I must have looked as drunk as a skunk.

We soon arrived in a room and strong hands were on my shoulders. I suddenly became aware of my surroundings, shaking my head to lift the daze, only to be staring into the eyes of my best friend. My head fell onto Drew's shoulder and I wept to the heavens for my little sister to be alright.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
3rd Person
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

The surgeon sighed at the sight of such a small child being wheeled into the operating theatre. She quickly locked her sympathy away, remembering to keep a certain level of emotional distance in her line of work. The doctors crowding the operating table began their work, assessing the different injuries and categorising them in order of high to low priority.

A/N : I don't know how hospitals and medical procedures work so please excuse my naivety.

Back in Bobby's room Hamish and Drew sat in a sombre silence waiting for news from either of the children. Bobby had been taken for a CT scan to check for a brain bleed, just to be sure and after that, his injuries were due to be treated.

Drew had been in contact with Jason, letting him know what was happening. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave his shift but promised to be there as soon as he could.

Hamish chewed at his nails, a bad habit that he hadn't succumbed to for a while - until now.

"Why don't you try and sleep? You haven't slept in over 32 hours - it's not healthy." Drew suggested to his friend.

Hamish just shook his head, still gnawing at his fingers. Drew sighed a long and heavy sigh, slowly sinking down to the ground in exhaustion.

No sooner than he sat down, Bobby was wheeled into the room, as quiet as a dormouse. Hamish glanced up at his bed while Drew leapt up and walked over to the bedside, staring at the doctor in search of answers.

"Thankfully there was no bleed to the brain." The doctor informed Drew. Then, turning to Bobby, he explained that the nurses would be in in a bit to patch him up.

"You're a very lucky boy." Said the doctor briefly before leaving the room and moving on to his other patients.

"Not from where I am." Whispered Bobby, a tear sliding down his cheek.

Hamish got up and joined them at the bed.

"She's going to be okay."He bravely spoke, earning an encouraging smile from his friend across the bed.

"Where is she?" Bobby enquired, worry rocking his voice.

"They're operating right now, bud. You just focus on getting better." Drew spoke with kindness, easing the boy's anxiety and gently encouraging him to sleep until the nurses got there to dress his wounds. "You should do the same, Hamish."

Hamish nodded reluctantly, heading back to the corner chair and closing his eyes, trying to think positively.

A few hours had passed and Ollie's surgery was successfully over. She was taken to the room opposite Bobby's where she lay peacefully, still asleep from the anaesthetic.

"Hamish, wake up, mate. Ollie's surgery is over." Drew shook Hamish awake and took him to see his sister.

The older brother struggled to keep it together as a chair was pulled up for him and he sat down, not taking his eyes of the sleeping form of his little sister.

Gingerly picking up her hand, he pressed his lips to her soft, warm skin and allowed his tears to fall from his cheeks onto the bed.

Drew crept out and shut the door, leaving Hamish to be alone.

"It's okay, Sweetpea, I'm here. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

▸ ◂  END OF CHAPTER 27 ▸ ◂

Welp, I thought I'd be updating like crazy because of isolation... thanks a lot writer's block. Thanks again for being patient, guys - it means a lot! :) I hope you're all safe and well! Please comment and vote! Toodles! - 🐝