|Concrete and Gold||dave grohl|

Chapter Twenty Five•Exhausted

TW: Topics surrounding suicide, in the context of Kurt Cobain

Eliza picked up, and Dave was in hysterics on the other line.

"Eliza, they told me that he was dead. I got a phone call, and they said Kurt was dead." Dave was sobbing. "But he's not dead. Kurt's alive!"

Eliza had whiplash. "So he isn't dead?"

"No. He's in a coma. He ODed."

"Was it, on purpose?" Eliza hesitated to ask because of the nature of the question, but there was a distinction that had to be made.

"Nobody seems to know. Some are saying it's an accident, some think it was an attempt. But nobody knows."

"Are you with him right now?" Eliza asked. To the extent of her knowledge, the band was currently on tour in London.

"No, we're on a break between legs. We've got two weeks off, and I flew home to surprise you."

Eliza had a short lived smile, touched by Dave's showing of thought.

"But I'm going to fly there right now. Krist is already on his way. Do you want to come with me?"

"Yes." Eliza didn't hesitate. It was the weekend, and she had a few days off before school picked back up.

Eliza went to an airport where the Nirvana jet picked her up. Dave was already on board, and by the looks of it, he was a mess.

Once settled, Eliza took a seat next to him, and he just began to cry.

"He's alive right now, but he still might not make it. Some people are saying that he's responding to his name, but who knows? It's already been almost a full day in London time, and he's still asleep. And I'm sure Courtney is a mess, somehow making it all about her."

The mention of Courtney made Eliza remember Kurt's family, his wife and newly born daughter. "How terrible it must be for them."

The plane ride over was quiet, and both Dave and Eliza were tense, thinking of what was awaiting them in London.

They touched down, and were driven to the hospital that Kurt was staying at. They were escorted to Kurt's room, which was placed in an entirely closed off hallway.

"Too many celebrities in one place."

His door was opened, revealing Kurt laying down in the bed. There were tubes jetting out of what seemed to be the entire surface area of his body. Courtney was sitting on one of the chairs, crying, feeding Francis.

Eliza immediately made her way over to Courtney, embracing her in a tight hug. Courtney began to weep, and Eliza led her out into the hallway.

"Oh Courtney, come here." Eliza said once they were in the hall and shut Kurt's door.

Courtney cried in Eliza's arms, still clutching Francis close to her chest.

Eliza realized that this was her moment to meet Kurt and Courtney's child, and in an attempt to take Courtney's mind off the past day, she took the baby from her hands and into her own.

"You're beautiful, Francis." Eliza said, making Francis giggle.

Eliza stood there for a moment, playing with the baby while Courtney calmed down.

"You should take her." Courtney said, eerily serious.

"What?" Eliza said, genuinely confused.

"I'm not a good mother. And look at her father. She'd be much better off with you and Dave."

"Oh, Courtney. You're doing just fine, I promise." How would you like it if I came back with you to the hotel and we'd just relaxed for a little. You need some rest. Dave can stay here with Kurt. He will call us if anything changes."

Courtney just bowed her head and nodded. Eliza walked back into the hospital room to let Dave know that she was leaving. She hoped that he was ok being alone, but the state that Courtney was in, Eliza was really worried about her.

Eliza walked in and found Dave, sitting in a chair next to Kurt's bed, holding his hand, crying. She put her arm around his shoulder and he grabbed it, squeezing it tight.

She whispered the plan into his ear, and he nodded, reaching down to kiss her hand.

Eliza led Courtney out of the hotel and grabbed their limo, who drove them to the hotel.

Once there, Eliza ordered them dinner and helped warm up a bottle for Francis.

"He's just struggling." Courtney said over dinner. "It's not like him to do something like this."

"I understand." Eliza said, trying to be consoling.

"I didn't even see it coming."

"Courtney, you can't blame yourself. It's not your fault. I promise."

Tears welled in Courtney's eyes as Eliza grabbed her hand. "We will get through this together. I promise."

Eliza spent the next few days watching over Courtney and Francis, helping out Dave when he needed it, and sitting with Kurt.

One day while Dave and Eliza were sitting in their room watching Francis while Courtney was at the hospital, they received a phone call.

Eliza answered, and it was Courtney in hysterics on the other line.

Kurt woke up. He was going to be ok.

Kurt was released from the hospital a few days later, and he and his family were flown home immediately. The remaining Nirvana tour dates were canceled, and Krist and Dave had no choice but to go home. Eliza went back to school, still having about a month left of classes before she was eligible to graduate. Dave went back to his home in Seattle, just planning on patiently awaiting news on the band or tour to come his way. Kurt was placed in a rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles, where he was recovering.

For about a month, everything just stopped.