*glad you all like it so far!!
heres an update!!*
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I was dimly aware of the sound of footsteps and voices coming up the stairs.
I heard my door open, and heard two sets of footsteps walk over to my bed. Two voices, that were now both silent. I heard the first voice, which I recoginzed as my mum's whisper worriedly.
'Wasn't like this last night... Nothing wrong until now... Its 5pm and she's still not awake...'
It was odd, I could hear things happening around me, but its like I am drifting outside my body, observing from a distance. Like a ghost..
Then I heard a second voice, and felt someone touch my forehead, as if checking for signs of fever.
'Kathleen?? Can you hear us?? Oh God, what is wrong??' It was Janet, Damian's mum.
I heard sniffling and sobbing. Then, my mum spoke.
'That's it, I'm ringing for an ambulance right now!'
Dimly, it registered in my foggy brain that something was very wrong with me.
I felt myself being whisked away into the ambulance, sirens blaring, my mum and Janet crying. I drifted in and out of semi-counsciousness, then everything went black.
I heard voices again. Lots of them this time, all nervously talking on top of each other. Suddenly, all the voices went silent. Someone ran into the room, screaming al the top of their lungs;or as close as you can get to screaming in a hospital without getting yelled at.
'WHERE IS SHE?? WHAT HAPPENED??? SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!!!!!!' I knew who had just yelled like they were on fire, the voice was saturated with that much pain and desperation. It was none other than Damian. Someone tried to keep him quiet, whispering softly in a vain attempt to calm him down. It was Paul.
'We don't know what is specifically wrong yet. The doctors are trying their best to figure this out. Relax, she's not dying, Damian!'
'Well, she dosen't look that good....' He added with a sigh.
Someone else spoke gently, in a motherly tone.
'Damian, she'll be ok. You have got to believe that. What Kathleen needs now is us being here for her, and I know you don't want to see her like this, none of us do.' It was Sharon.
I felt people touching my hair, kissing my forehead, holding my hands, mumbling prayers for my recovery. I didn't know why I couldn't move a muscle. Couldn't open my eyes, couldn't make my lips work and tell them all that I would be alright. I wanted to comfort them, tell them not to worry. Someone started crying. I knew because I heard the broken sobs of someone who sounded like their whole world had been flipped inside out.
'Let's give him a few minutes....' Sharon trailed off.
Footsteps away from me, out into the hall. Now there was only me, lying there, and the sounds of despair. I wish I could move, sit up, and get out of here! But my body didn't do what my mind wanted to, and so I lay there, as motionless as a puppet with it's strings cut off. Then, a voice broke through the sobbing.
'Please, wake up.. Don't leave me here... I...I... I need you, we all do. Come back to me, dear God, please let her come back to me...' Damian confessed brokenly.
I felt guilty, guilty for causing him and everyone I loved so much pain, so much worry. I wanted to scream, scream that I was still here, fighting to stay with them all. I felt him softly kiss me, as if telling me to stay, to fight. He stroked my hair, mumbling words that I couldn't understand.
Then, more footsteps, different this time. These ones had a sound of authority and expertise. The new person told Damian to go and wait in the lounge down the hall with everyone else. He protested, but did as he was told and left. I felt myself shrink small inside without him near. I felt something cold on me, and realized it was the doctor listening to my heartbeat, checking me over. He mumbled things to himself, scratched with a pen on paper. Then he got up, and left just as quickly as he came.
Everyone else re-entered the room shortly after the doctor left. There was silence in the room, as if everyone was waiting for something to be said. They were waiting to hear how I was, what was wrong.
'Well, everyone, this is a most puzzling case indeed. I am not sure at the moment what is wrong with Ms.Hanrahan, but we are working diligently to find out what is ailing her, and what we can do to treat her. What I do know is that she is not showing much signs of life, and her vital signs have been decreasing ever since she arrived here yesterday. At the moment, without a diagnosis thus far, I say her prognosis is about 45 percent. I will be back as soon as I have any further information.' With that, he left the room.
'Forty-five percent of survival??? She's my daughter, there's no way I'm going to let her go that easily!!'
Everyone else chimed in with their two cents about my prognosis.
'She is such a nice girl. Why did this have to happen?' asked Emmet.
'What does that doctor know, anyway?' said Conor.
'I won't give up on her!' promised Damian.
'I'm staying here until she's better.' vowed Paul.
'I'll not leave,no matter what anyone says!' muttered Ryan.
'If support is what Kathy needs, then that's what she'll get!' declared Keith.
'The lass has my faith that she will get completely better.' said Neil.
'Aye, and my prayers as well!' said George.
'Well, Kathleen certainly has a lot of people pulling for her, that's for sure! I'm sure she will get through this.' added Sharon.
'I'll stay as long as Damian stays!' said Emmett.
Everyone suddenly began to sing. I knew the tune, but couldn't place it at first. Then it hit me. The song was 'Keep Holding On'. Every word was heartfelt, emotion showing in their voices. Abrubtly, they stopped. High heels clicked into the room, accompanied by an equally high voice.
'Damian, you're still doing the show right? I mean, a duet IS two people... I wondered why nobody showed up at rehearsal today! So, your little girlfriend is sick... I guess that is her payback for trying to upstage me!' It was the snobby, arrogant Jessica.
Instantly, Damian rushed to my defence.
'Jessica, I CAN'T believe that the show is all you can think of at a time like this! We had a thing, but that was YEARS ago! In case you didn't notice, my GIRLFRIEND is extremely sick right now! The last thing I need right now is you getting in my face! You're not here because you care that Kathy is ill, you're here because you want me back! That's not going to happen, so forget about it.' I'd never in all the time I'd known Damian, heard him so mad.
'You're going to regret this, Damian!!! I know it!!' Jessica screeched at him, then angrily stomped away, her stilettos click-clacking all the way down the hall.
'Visiting hours are over, everyone. You'll have to go now.' said a nurse quietly.
'I want to stay here.' said Damian firmly.
'Two of you can stay overnight, the rest have to come back tomorrow. How old are you, lad? You have to be at least 18 to stay, hospital rules.'
'I'm 18.'
'I'm staying as well.' said my mother.
Everyone else said goodbye to me, said they hoped I'd be better by morning, and left.
'So, I take it you are Ms.Hanrahan's mother?' asked the nurse.
'Yes, I am her mother.'
'So, lad, what does that make you, then?'
'I am her boyfriend.' answered Damian.
'Just checking, it's routine procedure here. I will go get some bedrolls, and be back shortly.'
The nurse softly padded away.
When she returned, I heard chairs being scraped on the floor and moved against the walls to make room for the bedrolls.
'Now, if you two, or Ms.Hanrahan need anything, just press the call button and I will come. Goodnight.'
I heard her shut the door on her way out, and it was just me, my mum, and Damian. I heard snippets of their whispered conversation.
'What if... prognosis... not good...' said Damian.
'Hope... keep faith.... meant to be together...' reassured my mum.
I started to feel drowsy, starting to be lulled back into the blackness of unconsciousness. Before I succumbed, I heard a few last words.
'My one and only true love.....' said Damian sleepily.
The lights behind my eyes faded and the voices grew softer until they were silent. I fell into what felt like eternal black, no light, just darkness all around. Down I went, into a deep, deep sleep.
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Sooo.... Your thoughts on this update??? Predictions, comments, etc. Thanks again for reading this very very long story!!!