***
They are seating in the emergency unit for families, Adam has his face in his hands, Meredith is sitting at the corner and Richard is standing there, watching the theater door.
Gerald is quiet..staring into nothingness.
Marybeth, is with the other nurses running in and out..
Its been a couple of hours, not a word.
“If she dies, you die too” Adam says to the man across from him, there were two policemen standing on either side of them
As soon as they brought Thelma in and rushed her into one of the rooms, Adam had grabbed his father shaking him, telling him it was his fault his mother fell down the stairs, if he wasn’t being the way he was, they would have noticed her trying to wheel herself downstairs and would have stopped her, she fell..hitting her head and blood splattered everywhere, if she died he was going to damn it all to hell and become the murderer Gerald had always accused him off.
Gerald hits him off, grabs Adam in turn and blames it on him, that if he had left or died along time ago, his wife Thelma wouldn’t have been sick , his son would have been alive and he wouldn’t have been fighting with him at the foot of the stairs while Thelma rolled down to her fall. If Thelma died , it was his fault, he killed everyone he touches, Adam was a death to them all..he should have died that day instead of Damien. No, he should have died right in Thelma’s womb.
It had to take the security personnel of the hospital to keep them apart, and threatens them to a prison cell for disrupting the peace of the hospital to keep them calm.
Adam was scared, scared to hear bad news.
Gerald had maybe wished over time that he was left alone with his misery..but at this moment, seeing her..at the floor, bleeding, not knowing if she was dead or not..or if she would survive, fear grips him..
Fear he didn’t know he would feel if she dies..
The doctor comes out, followed by Marybeth, they rush to him
“I am sorry, she is in a coma. She lost a lot of blood as she hit the ground with her head, internal bleeding which caused a swelling. We tried everything we could, she went into a coma and the swelling is increasing at the moment. We can opt for surgery-“
“Then do it…I don’t care about the cost” Gerald cuts in
“The surgery is just a 20/100 chance, she might die.” The Doctor says
“And with the coma?” Adam asks, expectant for some good news.
“She has a few hours at the most, or maybe days. If the swelling and the bleeding doesn’t stop..she will die.”
Adam felt his throat closing “Do something doctor”
“We are, but right now…its already too delicate, she was a sick woman, she had paralysis and even if..this fall was huge, she might become a vegetable even if she makes it.. she would be brain dead.”
‘’Oh my God” Meredith gasps
“So what do we do..doctor? “ Gerald’s voice cracks
“Make her little time as comfortable as possible. I suggest you say your finale goodbyes, she can hear you..it would bring her peace in her last moments. I am sorry” he says “You can see her now, just family please” he nods to Marybeth
“OH MY GOD” Gerald staggers, Richard comes to him
“Sir”
“You did this , you took my son and now my wife’’ he grabs Adam, slowly Adam begins to accept that it’s his fault…
“I killed them both… i killed them both” he says
Marybeth grabs Gerald and shakes him “Look around you.. look around you. You are in the hospital, your wife is dying, she is dying and she is the only connection to your late son, the mother of your sons’’
“Damien is my only son, Adam isn’t my so—“
“I DON’T CARE I DON’T!!! Thelma is fighting for her life in there, and she is dying. She has given you the best of her youthful years, doesn’t matter what you think but you owe it to her as her husband and the father of her sons to be there with her, not fighting with Adam about whose fault it is. You both thought about yourself and ignored that woman for years, you both put her in that state ..you both. Your son died, Damien was her son too.. Damien was his brother too”
Marybeth points to Adam
“..And you both held onto that pain as though he only was connected to you both. That woman is dying, right this minute she might breath her last and still you just fight… you both are shameless and you don’t deserve a woman like that..she cries every night calling out for Damien, she calls your name Gerald, talking about how you brought her flowers and talk about your mother, how you both used to dance..was happy.. how in love you both were and you Adam..’’ she turns to Adam
“You keep talking about your pain.. what about his pain, your father’s, what about Thelma’s pain. You claim to love Damien the most you refuse to see that they loved him the most too. It’s not all about you… it’s not. Why didn’t you ever talk to him , tell him your pains and listen to his.. why didn’t you. Instead you both fought and fought and hated each other, “ she turned back to Gerald
“I don’t know whatever caused that hatred and quite frankly I don’t care. I don’t, but all I care about is that woman lying in there in coma who may die any minute now or fighting to stay alive to see her family come back together. Every single time she became lucid and focused on me.. she always talks about you both.. praying for the day you consider each other as family but ever since I walked into your house all I see is brokenness, hatred and the constant fights, throwing away something people on the streets are begging to have. I lost my parents, there is never a day that goes by I don’t pray for them to come back..and here, you lost a son, a brother but you still have yourselves ..your mother and all you do is fight to kill it.. you both are disgraceful and I am glad that Thelma isn’t awake to see how you both are.” she cleans her eyes , but tears keep falling, Meredith and Richard are staring at her shocked, the emergency unit is quiet. Adam and Gerald are shocked speechless as Marybeth screams out at the top of her voices to them,
“I don’t’ care how you do it, I don’t, but if you can’t give her a little peace even in her end..just leave and let her die in peace. But if you both are going to go into that room , for pete’s sake give her what she wants the most in the world, her family. The love that she had lacked from her family for years, close the void you both created and show her the reason why she fell in love with you in the first Gerald and why she loved you enough as her son Adam, and help her remember her lost son too, Damien..and maybe that her heart won’t feel lonely anymore. You wrote a book Adam about everything hoping she might get to read it when she is well..well guess what, she may never read it..so why don’t you go in there and pour out those emotion to her hearing, pages of that book might stay forever but Thelma, Thelma might not live another day..so you both have better decide what you want..or we would have the security escort you out, because a life is at stake and there are more important things in life other than your over sized egos..My GOD!!!”
She walks away leaving them standing there..
*****
She is beside Thelma’s bed, the monitor beeping.. she had come to love this little framed woman ..and she wished she had met her earlier, maybe she would have brought a bit of sunshine into her life, just maybe.
It saddens her that this was happening and she felt it was partly her fault, if she hadn’t come, maybe Thelma would have been back in her room, alone, quiet..safe.
She cleans her eyes as the door creeps open, Adam walks in, followed by Gerald, she made to leave , Gerald stops her, she looks up ..surprised
“stay , please” he says, “You seem to be more of a family to her in this short period of time than us”
She nods moving back
“What do we do”? Adam says going to Thelma. Taking one hand in his
“Talk to her” Marybeth says
“About what, ?”
“Anything”
Gerald nods going to the other side..
Him and Adam don’t talk to each other, they don’t even look at each other as both hold her hands on either side.
But at least they were in the same room with each other and not fighting.
That was a good progress
