Penny decided the quickest way back to shore was the jet ski. She hopped on before anyone could stop her and jetted toward the beach. It wasn't long before it was in sight. Not wanting to waste a second, she beached the ski and ran for the house. Up the stairs, pulling on shorts and grabbing her keys, she was on the road in less then ten minutes. Her phone connected to her car and instantly she got texts from her mother demanding that she not drive off alone. She told the car to text back that she was too late and kept going. Jon sent her a text and told her to slow down. He knew she was speeding and she needed to relax or she was going to make it worse. She looked at the speedometer. Ninety mile per hour. She pulled it back to eighty and set the cruise control.
She had made the drive to Saginaw countless times. Her college was here. She had lived here. Sam lived here. Tom lived here. The closet mall was here. Her car knew the route by heart. It had still never seemed so long. The hour and a half dragged on and on. Finally, She pulled off the expressway and made her way to the hospital. Finding a spot, she ran into the hospital. She was stopped by security and had to explain who she was and who she was looking for. She was told only family could go back to the emergency room so she lied and told them she was his wife, claiming that in the rush, she hadn't grabbed her purse. At least that part was true. She didn't have a purse.
She was take into a curtained room and saw Liam laying on the bed, hooked up to machines. He had a breathing tube and an IV. He was on a heart-monitor and had a blood oxygen monitor on his finger. His head wound was covered, but she could see the bruise peaking around the sides. Trying to not cry, she walked over the bed and grabbed his hand. The doctor walked in and asked, "Mrs. Payne?"
Penny nodded.
The doctor nodded back. "Okay, so let's go over what has happened. He is in a medical induced coma, very light and we can bring him out, but for now, it's best that he stay still. There is a small amount of swelling in his brain, but we won't be able to determine if there has been damage until he is awake. He breathing and heart rate are normal. About how long was he not breathing?"
"Uh, maybe 2 or 3 minutes? Not long. He vomited and starting breathing pretty quickly. 8 compression's and two breaths?"
The doctor nodded and wrote something on his chart. "Well, we are going to wait for the swelling to go down before we wake him up. Not until tomorrow at least. There isn't much you can do right now. It's late. Is anyone here with you?"
"His parents are on the way?"
Again the doctor nodded. "Well, you can stay as long as the nurses let you. He's going to be moved to a room shortly." Then he nodded and walked out.
Penny found a chair and sat next to him, still holding his hand. She brought it up to her face and rested her cheek on it. Then she waited. She watched as his chest went up and down. She heard as the heart monitor beeped out a steady rhythm. She saw the machine that pumped air into and out of his body. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so helpless. Exhausted, she laid her head on the bed and said a silent prayer. She wasn't sure to who or why, she'd never been particularly religious, but she felt she needed to ask some outside force to not take him away. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. She was going to marry him. They would be together. Forever.
"Miss?" a soft voice asked. "We are going to move him. You can follow, if you'd like." The nurse started to move things around, setting things on the bed and pushing the release for the break. Another nurse joined her and the wheeled him down a hall and to a large elevator. Once inside, the first nurse asked her the question she had been dreading since he had show up at her door. "Is he really Liam Payne? From One Direction? I mean, his chart says he is Liam Payne, but is he THE Liam Payne? It looks like him. The tattoos are right. Is it him?"
Penny sucked in a breath. "Look, he is hurt. He needs nurses, not fans, okay? Please, just be respectful? He's a pop star to you, but to me? Well, he's my whole world. I don't need press outside."
"I get it. I swear." the nurse answered. "You are that girl on his instagram. He posts pictures of you all the time. Penny, right? He calls you 'My Penny.'"
Penny was a bit shocked. She didn't know that he was posting on instagram. She didn't have one. She made a mental note to check it when everything was settled. Now, she just decided to nod. "Yes. Penny."
The elevator dinged as it reached the proper floor, saving Penny from anymore questions.
Liam was placed in a tiny room with a glass front so that the nurses could see what was happening at all times. He was still hooked up to the machines that were breathing for him. Her parents sent a text that they were a half hour away. Mrs. Payne had insisted on finding clothes for Liam to wear her mother said. She kept saying 'He's cold. He must be cold.' over and over and was driving Jane up the wall. Penny's phone chimed again. She looked down, expecting her mother. It was Ellie, he college friend.
Ellie: What happened to Liam? Are you in Saginaw? Do you need anything?
Pen: What? How do you know?
Ellie: Twitter *Pic of Liam in hospital bed*
Pen: Oh Fuck
Ellie: Not a good answer
Pen: Who posted that?
Ellie: Someone who was also in the emergency room. Heard his name. Do you need help?
Pen: Uh, I need a shirt? I left the house in just my bathing suit and shorts.
Ellie agreed to bring her a shirt and access the situation outside.She needed to warn Liam's parents. Via text, she told her mom what she knew. Jane's answer was to stay inside the hospital until they got there. Ellie arrived first with a hoodie.
"It's a madhouse at the front door and only getting worse. They aren't being let in, but it's hard to just get in." Ellie told her.
Penny pulled on the hoodie and went out into a waiting room with Ellie. "What do I do? I don't have his phone. I don't know who to call. Who takes care of this stuff? His bodyguard isn't even here."
Ellie just shrugged her shoulders and looked back out the window."That must be the Payne's. The camera's just went wild."
"Do you have instagram?"
Ellie turned around. "What? Why do you care about that right now?"
Penny shrugged. "I don't. Some nurse said I was on his instagram. I just...." Penny wasn't sure what to say.
Ellie sat down next to her. "Okay, look." She held up her phone and showed her Liam's page. On it were thumbnail pictures of everything he'd ever posted. The last 10 pictures were of her. Her sleeping, her reading, her cooking, her outline in the shower which she was going to delete as soon as she got her hands on his phone. All of the captions were the same. "My Penny." They didn't say anything else. The last one was from this morning. She was standing at the end of the beach, waiting for Liam and her mom to walked down the aisle. How could that just have been hours ago? "He does love you, if that is what you are wondering about. He does." Ellie said.
"I know he does. I do." Penny answered. But, the pictures confirmed for her brain what her heart already know. He did love her. Despite all of her pushing away and being unreasonable, he still loved her.
The elevator dinged and her family pushed there way out. She went to them and led them to Liam. Ellie waved goodbye and made the "call me" sign with her fingers.
Mrs. Payne began to fuss and a nurse came in to talk to her. Everyone else was asked to leave. Family only. Her facade of being 'Mrs.Payne' was over. Her parents led her to the waiting room where they sat and stared at each other.
Finally, Penny spoke. "Sam?"
Jon shook his head. He still didn't know.
"Charlie? Carly?"
"At home. Safe. Waiting." Jon reassured her.
She looked at her phone. It was 3am. She laid on the couch and closed her eyes.
When she was shaken awake, it was Liam's mother who she saw. "The doctor stopped the meds keeping Liam under. He's going to wake up. Come with me."
"Where's my mom? What time is it?"
Mrs. Payne sighed. "I made them leave on their Honeymoon. They went home to get their bags. And it's just after 8." Mrs. Payne grabbed her hand and pulled her up and into Liam's room. The doctor was there, standing over Liam. Mr. Payne was next to him. His mother went to the other side of the bed. "How long?" she asked the doctor.
"It could be a minute. It could be an hour. I just can't predict."The doctor gave his answer, which was no answer.
Finally, Liam moaned. She knew that moan. That was his, 'I'm about to wake up' moan. She stood up straighter and tried to see around everyone. His eyes fluttered open. He blinked once. Twice. He looked at his mom and the machines. "Where am I? What happened?" His voice was horse and he sounded like it hurt him to speak.
"The hospital, dear." his mother told him, patting his shoulder."You hit your head on the boat."
"What boat?"
"At the wedding dear, remember? You were riding a jet ski to watch the fireworks?" Mrs. Payne sounded a bit panicked now.
"Jet ski? Wedding? I don't remember?"
Penny let out a sob. She couldn't help it. She was trying to keep still and quiet. She didn't want to upset him. It just happened.
His head twisted and he looked right at her. Then he looked at his mom and dad. "What is going on? Someone help me. I am so confused."
Finally, the doctor spoke up. It's not unusual for people to forget things after a head injury. It may take a few days, but most of the memories will come back. He might lose anything that hadn't yet been stored into his long term memory, but everything else will comeback."
"Liam, dear," Mrs. Payne started, "What is the last thing you remember?"
"I don't know? I don't know!" He was starting to get upset.
"It might be best for him to rest. The more he sleeps, the better he will be. I can put him back under for a while, let him rest and recover. It was help everything to return quicker. It seems to be very mild. He hasn't lost his speech or movement. He just needs to rest and process everything." The doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe. He turned to Penny. "I'm going to have to have you leave, dear. Family only is allowed in the critical care unit. You shouldn't be in here at all."
Penny nodded and tried to leave. Mrs. Payne stopped her. "Penny is family. She can stay."
"Who's Penny?" Liam asked.
Penny's heart stopped. Another sob escaped her. She pushed Mrs. Payne out of the way and ran out.
And here go all my followers. I'll miss you. - Eva