The show must go on

Chapter 25 - waiting

Narrator POV

Two weeks. It's been two weeks since Jade collapsed on stage. Two weeks since she had to be resuscitated first on stage and then another time in the ambulance. Two weeks since Jade is now in A hospital. Two weeks since she last opened her eyes. Two weeks she has been in a coma and no one knows when she will wake up.

"We're sorry...we're just as shocked as you are right now...we, we have to...we won't be able to continue today," Jesy explained in a broken voice after she and Leigh-Anne were sent back on stage to give the crowd an answer to what just happened. As if they had one. They both couldn't process anything right now. Not only had Jade stopped breathing on stage right in front of them, stopped living practically, now they also learned that Jade had cancer and not from herself or at least personally from Perrie. Like everyone else backstage, they only heard Perrie shouting it to the paramedic before running after them.

Leigh-Anne didn't want to believe it, couldn't believe it and therefore didn't react at all. Of course she was sad and a bit angry, but the worry and overwhelmingness with the situation outweighed it. Jesy, on the other hand, was beside herself, felt that this was the last straw. For weeks, if not months, she had been trying to squeeze out the truth and had been left in the dark. And all she feels at first is betrayal. And she firmly planned to confront Perrie on it as soon as she got her hands on her. It was clear to her, this is it now. The end of Little Mix.

But that plan changed abruptly when she found Perrie in the hospital. She and Leigh-Anne immediately went after the ambulance and their breath strucked in their throats when they saw Perrie. They have never seen her so devastated, so heartbroken. And they have seen her in many states, they have seen many lows. Perrie couldn't stop crying, the tears just ran down uncontrollably as the three of them waited in the waiting area for any news.

"It's going to be okay," Leigh-Anne tries to remain optimistic, but Perrie just shakes her head sadly.

"You don't know that, even the doctors didn't know," she contradicts.

"But the doctors don't know her as well as you do," Leigh-Anne persists.

"You didn't see her...in the ambulance..." that alone was enough to send Perrie into hysterical sobs and Leigh-Anne immediately grabbed her in her arms, holding her tightly and securely and not letting her go, while Jesy couldn't deal with her own emotions at all.

Sam and Paul, the crew and the dancers arrived at the hospital not much later and sat with the three of them. All of them were distraught, unable to stop crying. But two of them were completely beside themselves, white as a sheet and shaking all over.

"I didn't know...I...I'm so sorry," Sam said sincerely, while Paul stood beside her, seemingly unable to speak at all.

"How could you have," Perrie croaks out before resting her head on Leigh-Anne's shoulder.

Debbie and Ellie also came over as quickly as they could when they heard about it and even Leigh and Jesy's families. They all have such a deep and close connection to each other. Little Mix is a family. When one of them is in a hospital struggling for their life, it affects them all and it was evident on everyone's faces. No one sat here with a dry eye as they waited anxiously for any news.