Sends a chill down my spine every time.
I need you now more than I ever will,
Will you stay by my side,
Forever until the end of time?
The end of time.
“Dee, Dee, stop singing and open your eyes,” Anna yells in my ear, and even though it’s covered by my hand, I can hear her. I open my eyes to watch the paramedics strapping Colt to the stretcher, and his chest is moving up and down on its own. I let out a gasp of air and remove my hands from my ears. I run to his side and caress his cheek, relief flooding my veins. I’ve never felt so much joy as in this moment.
“Dee,” he mumbles.
“Colt, I’m here. I’m right here. Don’t leave me,” I beg as the paramedic pulls the stretcher up and starts to wheel him out of the penthouse.
Holding his hand, I walk alongside the stretcher to the elevator. Colt’s eyes are opening and closing before he has a chance to see anything. He’s making strange noises, and I can hardly see from the tears forming in my eyes.
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask the paramedic, and he looks back at me.
“We need to get him to the hospital and let the doctors take care of him,” he replies in his foreign accent. I have no idea whatthatmeans.Does it mean he will be fine, or something’s really wrong?We ride the elevator down, and he’s rushed outside to awaiting ambulance. I stand back, and Anna holds on to me while they put him in the back.
“I should’ve known he’d do this,” Anna says through a sob.
Johnny walks over with Sia and Dingo.
“Has anyone rung Hux?” Dingo asks.
Everyone shakes their heads.
“Right, I’ll do it. Maybe it’ll wake him up and scare him into rehab along with his idiot brother,” Johnny states, walking off and pulling out his cell.
The ambulance is about to close the doors, so I let go of Anna and rush over. “Can I come with you?” I ask, and the paramedic nods, gesturing for me to get in. I look back at Anna, and she dips her chin, letting me know I’m doing the right thing.
Thankfully, the trip to the hospital is short, and before I know it, we’ve arrived and been taken into the emergency room. Doctors come in quickly, telling me to wait in the waiting room, saying something about administering drugs and cooling his body temperature. I don’t know what that’s about because it is happening so fast that my brain can’t keep up.
The nurse comes in and walks with me to the waiting area. It’s not long before the rest of the band, minus the other Slade brother, show up.
Anna rushes to me. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know, something about cooling his temperature and administering some drug or something or other. I don’t know, Anna. I don’t…” I can’t finish my sentence before it all becomes too much for me, and I break down.
“They’re working on him. He’s alive, and that’s a good sign, right, Johnny?”
Johnny nods. “Yeah, he’ll be fine, Dee.”
Hours pass while I pace the waiting room floor. Finally, a nurse calls us in, but says only two can visit at a time. I don’t give anyone else a choice, walking straight past her and to hisbay. I don’t even wait to see who the other person is who will be accompanying me. When I reach him, he’s still wearing his oxygen mask and is completely out of it.
I pull out a chair and sit beside him, holding his hand. “Oh, babe, what’ve you done to yourself?”
I look up to see Johnny looking down at his best friend, and his face tells me everything he’s feeling.
“I’ll… ah… go and speak to the doctor and see what he says, yeah? I’ll be right back,” Johnny stutters and walks off. I look back at Colt, moving a strand of hair from his forehead, then lean down to kiss his cheek. He stirs slightly but doesn’t wake.
“I’m here, babe. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me to,” I whisper in his ear and lean my head against his cheek. My heart’s racing—all I want is for him to wake. I don’t even care if, when he finally wakes, he wants me to leave. I will, but I want to know he’ll be okay first.
If he’s okay, I’ll be okay too.
Johnny walks back in with a smile. “Doc says he’s going to be fine. He might be a bit groggy for a while, but he’ll make a full recovery,” Johnny states, walking over to me and lifting me in a bear hug. I let out a kind of laugh-squealy thing.
