forum School RP (Closed 😬Stalkers welcome)

Started May 14, 2018 by Deleted user

tune

One of the family members spoke up quietly, "You need a screwdriver?" A slow smile pulled at the corner of Ryan's mouth, "Or the corner of a credit card."

Cooper looked at Ryan, their minds seemed to connect for a moment as he held out a hand expectantly. Ryan's smile widened as he stood and offered a card. It took a few tries and some murmured cursing, but with a loud creak, the cage suddenly came free in Coop's hands. He handed off both the card and metal to Ryan.

He slid a hand experimentally around the side of the clock before giving it a soft shove. It didn't move. He grabbed hold of it with both hands and pulled, but it remained fixed steadily in place. "Maybe the credit card thing again?" Ryan suggested.

"It's attached to the wall," Cooper's voice was quiet with disbelief. His hands dropped to his sides, "They put a metal cage around a clock that can't even be taken down…." The clock grated out another minute. "Fuck you," Cooper growled at the clock. He drummed his fingers against the face experimentally.

"Young man, don't you dare even think about breaking that clock. It's hospital property." Linda spoke for the first time, her voice thin but firm.

Cooper looked over at her blankly before turning his attention back to the wall, "…grab me a newspaper off of the table."

Lillian was sitting in the room quietly. Her body held this voidness to it. This wasn't like the other times, Darren could die. He had a high chance of dying. She couldn't be worried, she couldn't be anything, just was present. Leo had his arm around her.

Cooper took the offered newspaper it silently and spread it out over the clock.

"Coop, you need tape or something?" One of the Andersons asked. He patted his pockets as though he might have some on hand, "You don't have anything to make it stick."

"You suffer from a bad case of functional fixedness," Cooper plucked the gum from his mouth and set to work sticking down the corners of the paper, "And a lack of creativity." He jumped down off of his chair and tipped his head back to study his work. An upside down month old section of the Sunday Comics stared back at him. Everyone watched him, but he turned his attention only to Ryan and Lillian, "That's the best I can do."

Ryan looked up from his hands at the comics on the wall and then at Cooper, "You couldn't have picked something more quietly colored?"

"Like what? The obituaries?" Coop looked back up at the wall, "I'd call this my attempt at pleasant optimism,"

The clock ground out another minute. The entire room cringed. Coop sighed, "Like I said, it's the best I can do."

The room was silent again.

The ticking of the covered clock worked Ryan into a trance. He worked out rhythms with his fingers against his knee to count out each minute. Twelve taps with each finger, then twenty taps on his thumb, middle finger and pinkie, then thirty taps on his index and ring fingers. He worked out patterns until the numbers stopped making sense and each tap sent a memory skittering through his brain.

Belle muttered something under her breath. Strings of numbers that didn't make sense to anyone but her. Her brows were knitted together, hands folded in her lap, and her eye glued to the floor. She seemed to be arguing with herself about something, spouting numbers silently.

Ryan's head snapped up. A doctor stood in the doorway. He didn't recognize her, then again he probably wouldn't. He rarely actually saw any of the team that worked on Darren. He took quick inventory of her and wasn't sure if he liked what he saw. She was too young and too pretty. Her skin was smooth, her posture perfect, and her nails well manicured. She wore hot pink tennis shoes and, for some reason, that detail bothered Ryan a little. He tried to meet her gaze, hoping to glean some of what she knew through even the shortest of glances, but her eyes were focused on Jon and Cooper as they crossed the room to her. He didn't realize he was standing, too, until he felt himself swaying a little, his hands limp at his sides and prickling as though they'd been asleep. The doctor talked to Jon and Coop about Darren, everyone was staring at them.

Leo was new here so no one would recognize him. His internship started in a week. Lillian was watching. She wanted to hear something. Anything. Just tell her he was okay.

"Well?" Jon slipped an arm around Cooper's shoulder, "Did it work? Did you get it?"

The doctor's face remained a quiet neutral, "Yes, we were able to–"

"That's wonderful, Oh God, you got it. He could get better, he–"

As Cooper dissolved into a fit of fluttery laughter that sounded dangerously close to crying, and a relieved trickle of sound and hugging and exchanged smiles moved across the waiting room, Ryan kept his eyes on the doctor. The doctor glanced around the room. Her eyes moved from the other Anderson's camped out on the floor to Ryan to Jon and Cooper again, "Mr. Anderson, would you mind stepping out into the hall with me for a moment?"

Ryan tensed. Good news got announced to big rooms, good news got shouted to anyone who cared to hear it. Closed doors were bad, empty hallways were where you whispered, "I'm so sorry" and "we did everything we could". The tension that had just seemed to melt from the room came back in full force as the door clicked shut.

Ryan remained frozen in the middle of the room, his eyes fixed on the door, willing it to open. Willing Darren to come walking through with a grin and dark curls and a song on his lips.

Lillian froze at those words. Step out into the hall, those are the words that no one wanted to hear. It meant something went wrong. Everything wasn't okay. Lillian felt the tears begin to come. Her eyes trained on the door. She wanted nothing more than for Darren to come through them. For someone to say he was going to be fine. Leo held his sister tighter.

Ryan could hear his own breathing too loud in his ears. He had the curious sensation that all of his blood was pooling in his hands and feet. He glanced up at the clock to see how long it had been since Jon had moved out to the hallway with the doctor who didn't have a name but had hot pink shoes, however, the clock was covered. Ryan stared blankly at an upside down comic. When the door opened again, Ryan jerked his head down so fast to look he felt something spasm in his neck.

Jon still had his arm around Cooper, but this time it looked like he was holding him up. He cleared his throat once. Then twice. When he opened his mouth to speak and nothing came out, he cleared his throat a third time.

"They think, because he's–" Jon coughed, "–because he's so small and his body has been fighting this so hard, there was some problems with his anesthesia…" another round of throat clearing, "…they, um, they'll know more about what's going to happen after some, um, some time has passed."

The room was eerily quiet. Some time? Was he in a coma?

Belle hadn't heard a word of what was just said. She was still silently spouting numbers, although she did seem to be growing quite frustrated. Her fingers twitched, writing the numbers as she spoke them.

Lillian's heart fell. A coma right? She looked up to Leo. He kissed her forehead, "He'll be fine."

"He's a good boy," Jon spoke quietly and nodded to himself.

Whether Jon's words were a revelation or justification for why Darren should wake up, Ryan wasn't sure. He didn't know how he was supposed to respond. If he was supposed to respond at all. In the end, he just met Jon's eyes for a brief second.

Jon sighed, "They don't know when he'll be waking up so you can go home," He looked at his family like he was only talking to them. Trying to make it silently clear that they could stay as long as they'd like. Darren was waiting for them.

Lillian let out a sigh as serialized he was telling the family they could go home. Leo kept an arm around her and asked, "Do you want to stay?"

Lillian nodded.

Cooper sat down as everyone else left. Jon walked over and took Lillian's hand wordlessly.

Lillian didn't move away but instead looked at Mr. Anderson curiously.

"It doesn't add up. Why doesn't it add up. You promised it'd turn out fine. Why did you lie to me." She hissed quietly to herself though gritted teeth.

Lillian didn't move away but instead looked at Mr. Anderson curiously.

"He told me to tell you that he signed the papers,"

"It doesn't add up. Why doesn't it add up. You promised it'd turn out fine. Why did you lie to me." She hissed quietly to herself though gritted teeth.

Ryan hugged Belle, "Please stop, I need you,"

Lillian's heart fell even further, "H-he did?"

Lillian's heart fell even further, "H-he did?"

"Yeah. He did. Darren is in the ICU. He hasn't woken up but that takes time. Do you want to see him before they extubate him? Last goodbyes just in case,"

Lillian nodded mutely. Leo let go of her, she had to do this on her own. It hurt him, but it hurt her too.

She snapped out of her thoughts. "Hmm? Oh, what happened I was a bit…busy." Busy making deals with the devil.

Lillian nodded mutely. Leo let go of her, she had to do this on her own. It hurt him, but it hurt her too.

Mr. Anderson helped her up and let go of her hand. "Do you know the way to his ICU room?"

Lillian shook her head, "Not really no."

Jon laughed, "Okay, I'll take you, c'mon," He began down the winding maze of hallways until he stopped by a door that read Darren E. Anderson. "Here you are darling,"

Lillian paused for a second before she pushed against the door and entered.

Darren was laid in a bed with white bandaging wrapped around his frail head. There was a steady beeping to show he was alive but no other indications. The day had been weird but the strangest part was Darren. Too small Darren. Darren with IV's in his arms and a bandaged head. His eyes were closed peacefully, his hands lay limp at his sides.

Lillian walked up next to him her eyes sad. She reached out and grabbed his limp hands. Her forehead laid next to him. She couldn't bare to look at him like this. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. He was…. Not yet, but close right? No he was sleeping…