Never Let Me Go

Chapter Twenty-Five: Deathbeds

And on my deathbed, all I'll see is you

The life may leave my lungs, but my heart will stay with you

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Lucas, Brooke, and Karen were all sat at the kitchen table. It was getting late and Keith still hadn't come home. Karen opened her phone, trying to call him once again: no answer.

"I wonder where he could be," Lucas pondered, but the sound of Karen's phone ringing interrupted him.

Quickly, she accepted the call, bringing the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She said immediately, hoping it was Keith, but the voice on the other end of the phone was the last person she expected it to be.

"Karen, it's Dan."

"Why are you calling me? Has Keith stopped by the dealership yet?"

"Karen, it's Keith. There's been an accident. You and Lucas should get to the hospital as soon as possible," Dan informed her, monotonously.

Without any further questioning, Karen ended the call. Grabbing her keys and her purse, she ushered Lucas and Brooke out of the door frantically.

"Mom, what's going on?" Lucas questioned his mother, worriedly.

"There's been an accident," Karen replied, not looking at her son - too focused on getting into her car and to the hospital. Lucas and Brooke exchanged nervous glances and got into the car without another word.

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The three of them burst through the hospital doors and rushed up to the reception desk. Dan was stood there waiting for them. "What the hell is going on?" Karen asked her ex-boyfriend, her voice riddled with fear.

"As Keith was driving back from the dealership, some truck pulled out at a red light and drove into the side of his car. It was only down the road, so I heard it happen. I rushed out there and pulled Keith from the wreck. I drove him here," Dan stated.

"Oh my god," Brooke whispered, looking at her boyfriend, who had tears in his eyes.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" Lucas quizzed his biological father, his voice breaking ever-so-slightly.

"He's in emergency surgery right now," Dan informed them. "All we can do is wait for an update."

Karen collapsed onto one of the plastic chairs in the hospital waiting area, breathing slowly and trying her hardest not to have a panic attack. Brooke sat beside her and held her hand. "It's okay, Karen. I'm here for you." Karen couldn't hold in her tears anymore and began to sob into Brooke's shoulder.

Lucas hadn't stopped staring into space. Everything had been going right for once. He should have known that it was too good to be true. His breathing got heavier, as the four walls of the waiting room began to close in around him. "I need some air," he stated, walking out of the hospital without another word. Nobody could do anything except watch him leave.

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Dan walked into the waiting area, a styrofoam cup of coffee in each hand. He gave one to Brooke and the other to Karen, who's crying had subsided briefly. "I gave Nathan a call, but I couldn't get through to him."

Brooke nodded, taking a sip of black coffee. "Nothing from Haley either."

Karen was staring blankly at a wall until a nurse came out into the waiting area. "Are you the family of Keith Scott?"

Karen and Brooke shot up. "Yes, he's my fiancee. Is he okay?"

"We did emergency surgery to get the internal bleeding under control. He's got a couple of fractures and a few cuts and bruises, but he's stable and he will be fine."

Karen let out a deep sigh of relief. "Can I see him?"

"Of course, right this way." The nurse took Karen and Brooke to his room, while Dan stayed in the reception area.

When Brooke and Karen were out of earshot, Dan walked up to the reception desk. "Do you know who I can speak to regarding health insurance?"

"Perhaps I can help," the receptionist said. "What do you need?"

"I want to pay for my brother's medical bill."

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Keith was still asleep when Karen and Brooke went into his hospital room, still passed out due to the anesthesia from his surgery. Karen didn't leave Keith's side once, sat on a chair directly next to his bed, refusing to let go of his hand, even while she slept. Brooke fell asleep on a small red couch in the corner of the room, which couldn't have been comfortable.

Brooke woke to the sound of the door opening and closing: it was Lucas. She shot up. "Thank God you're okay," she ran over to her boyfriend and flung her arms around him tightly. "I was so worried about you."

Lucas pulled her in tighter, placing his hand on the back of her head and burying his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry, Brooke. I just couldn't stay here. I felt like I was suffocating."

Brooke pulled away from the embrace and placed a soft hand on Lucas's cheek. "The main thing is that you're here now."

Lucas took Brooke's hand from his face and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. "How is he?"

"Me?" A husky voice asked. "I'm brand new."

Lucas looked over at the hospital bed. "Keith, thank God." Lucas rushed over to him, while Brooke gently shook Karen to wake her up. "Ya know, you had us all worried about you for a minute there."

"Ahhh, it's just a scratch," Keith joked.

Karen woke up from her slumber and her eyes immediately grew wide, as she saw her fiancee was finally awake. She gripped his hand tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Don't you dare scare me like that again, Keith Scott."

Their moment was interrupted, as the door opened and closed again. This time it was Dan Scott. "I'm sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to check in."

"Well, apart from the internal bruises and a couple of fractures, I'll be as right as rain," Keith informed his younger brother.

"That's good. I'm glad you're okay," Dan confessed, giving his brother a small smile. "I best be on my way, I need to get home to Deb and let her know you're alright. She's been worried sick."

Dan began to walk towards the door, but Keith stopped him briefly. "Danny, thank you." Dan simply nodded at him and exited the hospital.

Karen, Lucas, and Brooke all spent the night at the hospital with Keith, laughing and talking as if everything were back to normal, like the family they were.