no one lives forever || part 2

o10 || dustin

Dustin sat in the waiting room for what seemed like hours. His parents were next to him. His father kept looking at his watch almost as if he was inconvenienced. He hoped it was just nervousness for getting news about Delilah. The police had said that a truck ran a stop sign and collided with her on the driver's side. It sent the car spinning and skidding and hit another car on the way. Claudia kept grabbing Dustin's arm and asking him if he was okay. He really wasn't. His sister had drifted apart from everyone and everything and now she was in the hospital from a car wreck. He had radioed Steve and Robin and the rest of the guys. Robin and Steve were at the video store and closed it down as soon as they heard, letting the manager know what was going on.

They burst in down the hallway before Steve embraced Dustin in a hug. Dustin held onto him for longer than he would have liked to admit, but he needed someone. He felt like he had to stay strong for his mom who was a nervous wreck. But he was desperate for someone to be there for him. When he pulled away and gave Robin a similar hug, Steve had his hands on his hips and looked concerned for the family.

"How is she?" He asked, setting his hand on Dustin's shoulder.

Dustin shrugged before looking back at his parents, "They haven't come out yet. The car is totaled though," He said, nervously.

"Shit . . . was she . . . was she drinking?" Robin asked in a hushed tone so the parents wouldn't hear.

Dustin shook his head, "I . . . I don't know. We don't know anything yet," He said, sounding more upset with every word spoken about the condition of his sister.

"Hey," Steve said, grabbing Dustin on the shoulder while his other hand sat on his hip, "It's gonna be okay," He said, looking onto Dustin with his kind eyes.

Just at that moment, a doctor came striding over to the group that had encircled around Dustin and his parents. Claudia and Charles both stood to their feet and Dustin, Steve, and Robin all gathered around the doctor as well.

"She's going to be okay," The doctor started off before Claudia let out a deep sigh of relief, "She's got some broken bones, a couple ribs and a fractured radius in her left arm, but she should make a speedy recovery," He said, reassuringly eyeing the younger kids and then stepping over to the parents. He began whispering something to them, but Dustin couldn't make it out. Something about traces of something in her blood, but he couldn't figure it into anything.

Dustin, Steve and Robin all began hugging out their celebrations before Claudia began to cry almost hysterically. Dustin flipped around from the hug and eyed his mother carefully. He gulped, wondering what could have been revealed to her. Before another word was said, Steve piped in.

"When can we see her?" He asked, his brows furrowing in curiosity.

"You all can go back now if you want, she's awake and responsive, just a little hazy from . . . everything," He said, hesitantly at first, "I'm sure she could use the support of her loved ones in a time like this."

Dustin perked a brow, wondering what he could mean in a time like this. She had just been in a car accident that wasn't her fault? What kind of time were they referring to? It's not as if they knew about the Eddie stuff. Or did they? Delilah had been on the news several times during footage of her leaving the police station and what not. Whatever it was, Dustin was anxious as he was led back to her hospital room. She was tented off from another couple of patients as the family and friend group entered.

Upon first seeing her, Dustin wouldn't have recognized her. One eye was bruised and swollen shut, another part of her face held long scratches from the glass in her car window. Her arm was in a cast and her chest was covered in a hospital gown and one of those thick blankets. The only thing that could keep you warm in a hospital. She looked miserable but forced a small smile, the scratches at the corner of her dimples splitting lightly. Dustin ran in front of everyone and embraced his sister in a tight hug before she let out a small gasp and a pained groan. He forgot about her ribs. He pulled away quickly before shaking his head and apologizing profusely.

"It's okay, kid," She said with a small smile, her other non broken arm reaching up and touching the side of his face, "Thanks," She said, trying to smile through what he assumed was pain.

"Can we have the room for a moment, kids?" Charles asked, breaking into what would have been a ha[py moment for Dustin.

Steve, Robin and Dustin exchanged looks with one another before Dustin spoke out. "I'm not going anywhere," He said, defiantly.

Steve set his hand on Dustin's shoulder once again, but Dustin merely shrugged it off, "Dustin, come on," Steve tried to reason with him.

"No way, I'm not leaving her, not again," He said, as if his sister would vanish if he let her out of his sight.

"Dustin, your father and I-" Claudia tried to reason with him, but Dustin merely shook his head.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of me. I'm tired of being left out of shit all the time. Especially when it has to deal with my own fuckin' sister!"

"Dusty!" Claudia gasped out and Chalres hand went to his chest in shock.

"I mean it, she's my family too. Even if she's a half sister, she's still blood to me," He added, crossing his arms.

Delilah was glancing around at everyone in the room in a confused manner. Dustin knew he probably made Steve and Robin uncomfortable being wrapped up in their family drama, but Dustin was standing firm in his being in the room. Every time he seemed to think his sister was getting better or finding something to keep her sated, something bad happened as soon as he let her out of his sight. Everyone in the room exchanged looks with each other except for Delilah who was looking down at her broken arm. The cast was stark white like everything in the room. The only colors were the muted abstract paintings on the walls. The bright lights from the machinery in the room illuminated what would be a sterile hospital room with harsh lighting. Charles cleared his throat.

"The doctors said they found traces of cocaine in your sister's system," He stopped, breathing rather heavily and irrationally, "Is that what you wanted to hear ? About your darling Delilah? Your sister you hold so high in regards?" He started to raise his voice and Claudia began to sob.

"What?" Dustin said, looking back to a sobbing Delilah as well. She couldn't even look up at him. He knew she wasn't sad that they knew but she was sad that Charles was right for once.

Delilah was in the wrong. She was not only driving under the influence but she was on hard drugs. Not weed like she casually smoked. He only knew about cocaine from the movies and had seen what kind of people it could turn into. It was mentioned in all the anti-drug seminars they held at school. And his sister had traces of it in her blood. Dustin looked back and forth from Charles to Delilah.

"Delilah . . . I-I-I-Is it true?" He stammered before feeling his own eyes well with tears, "Was it laced in some pot you got?" He pleaded for a rational explanation but Delilah merely looked away and continued to cry.

"Your sister won't be smoking pot where she's going," He said before staring down at Delilah who shot him a nasty glare.

"Fuck you!" She spat through tear streamed cheeks, spiddle flying from between her lips.

"No fuck you!" All this time you made /me/ out to be the villain," He said, pointing at her as Claudia tried to pull him away from their daughter, "But it's you! You and that satanist boyfriend of yours!"

Dustin couldn't handle anymore. He knew Delilah was about to snap, but he didn't want to see her fend off accusations about Eddie anymore. He was tired of it all. He wasn't sure how much more of Chalres he could handle. Everything seemed to overwhelm him in this moment. His head spun before he bolted out of the room and down the long hall. He wasn't sure how to get out of the hospital and all of it's complicated halls so he looked quick to a smoking walk way. He busted out of the double doors and glanced behind him, expecting to see someone chasing after him. Half of him expected Vecna. He wanted this all to be a bad dream and nothing more. He slammed into someone and let out a gasp before straightening back up, almost tripping himself.

"I-I-I'm so sorry," He stuttered out, wiping his nose before looking up.

"Henderson . . . " The familiar voice called out to him.

The man who had spoken his last name had a baseball hat on and what looked like a ponytail of messy, brown, hair sprung from the back of it. He wore a leather jacket and had a basic black t-shirt on. His jeans had holes in the knees and his high white nike's rang all the bells in Dustin's mind. He looked back up at the face of none other than Eddie Munson.