Stand By Me - Leah Williamson

What Happens Now?

TW: continued themes from previous chapters

Leah's POV

"So will she live?" I asked the doctor anxiously, chocking back the tears as I sat in the consultancy room. 

"We can't make any guarantees, and it's uncertain at the moment, but we are hoping for a recovery," He nodded, looking down at his notes. 

The breath left my throat, breaking apart as the tears began to roll down my cheeks, relief flooding into my system breaking down the damn I'd created. I knew that the news wasn't perfect, it wasn't a definite yes but it was better than a no and I was holding onto any positives right now. 

"What happens now?"

"We've pumped her stomach, she's had eight stiches and we'll have to keep an eye out for signs of liver failure, but at the moment we are not seeing any signs. We'll keep her here for a few days only hopefully, get all her vitals up and then she'll have to see a psychiatrist who will then take on the mental health side of things."

"Okay," I nodded, trying to take everything in but it felt impossible, "Thankyou. Thankyou so much for everything."

If this team of doctors had managed to save Kameron's life, I'd be forever indebted to them; I would have given them all of the money in the world and everything I had to my name. I'd have given up everything in an instant for Kameron. 

"If you have any more questions Miss Williamson, come and find me."

I nodded and then walked back into the waiting room, my whole body still shaking.

It hit me then that I had to tell people, this was going to be the most painful news in the world to share, but Kameron's loved ones deserved to know, she wouldn't want them being left in the dark. 

I still hadn't collected my thoughts but I don't think I ever would, how is someone meant to react when the reason they love life, hates life to the point they try to end their own? 

Slowly, I opened my phone, finding hundreds of notifications, still mostly from Lucy, Keira and my mum, I'd answer them shortly but there was one person who needed to know first, the person who I was most afraid to tell. Alessia.

I knew Alessia's love for Kameron was undying, she'd put her entire life on hold for Kameron and this news was going to tear her apart, but she needed to know and I felt she deserved to know first. It was only right. It was what Kameron would have wanted.

By the point I'd prepared myself to make the call, the receptionist led me to a separate waiting room, people were taking pictures of me and it just wasn't appropriate for loads of football players to sit among people whose loved ones were in so much pain when we'd be attracting so much attention. This also didn't need to be all over the media, that would have been a nightmare. It was times like this when I wished that I could just disappear.

"Leah, how are you?" Alessia asked, her voice cheery as always, I so hated that I was about to make her entire life turn upside down. 

Closing my eyes, I mentally prepared for the words to come out of my mouth, "Alessia I've got something to tell you," I almost whispered, my voice not being able to get any louder, "you might want to sit down."

"What is it Leah? What's happened?" Her words wavered, her mind instantly travelling to Kameron. She just knew.

"It's Kameron."

Immediately I could hear crying from the other side of the phone, making me begin to sob again too, I couldn't stop the tears flowing down my face, "What's happened?" Alessia asked. 

"She's in hospital, they said she'll be fine," I told her through the cries I tried so desperately to hold back, "she overdosed Alessia."

"What? When?" Alessia sounded completely broken. 

"This afternoon."

"What hospital are you at? Me and Ella are coming now," Alessia spoke, still crying but I could hear her trying to pull herself together. 

"The Royal London."

"Okay, we're leaving now. Do you need us to bring anything Leah?" Alessia had always been so selfless, somehow in moments like these she had the ability to keep her head strong, to do what was right whereas I just crumbled.

"No thanks," I croaked out, almost ashamed at how I could hear Alessia's heart breaking but somehow she carried on but I'd grown weak.

"We'll be there as soon as we can," Alessia had now turned to comforting me. 

"Okay, text me and I'll come and get you cause we have a separate waiting room."

"She's going to be okay Leah," Alessia told me, her voice somehow both strong and weak all at once.

"Yeah, she's going to be okay," I repeated, trying to make myself believe those words, but I just couldn't. Alessia hadn't seen Kameron, laying there on that bathroom floor, she looked gone to the point of no return. I'd put her into my lap and her head had fallen limp, I was so certain that I'd lost her in those moments. I'll forever remember the fear that shook through me.  

The call ended shortly as Alessia had to explain everything to Ella. Even down the phone, I could hear Alessia's heart shattering, and it still felt like my fault. If I just hadn't have left her, we'd be snuggled up on the sofa watching Harry Potter or something rather than Kameron's body fighting for her to live whilst her mind wanted the opposite. And I was breaking the news to the people who loved Kameron most in the world.

It was difficult, as much as I tried to put my feelings aside, I couldn't; I was heartbroken and worried to the point I felt violently ill. If Kameron took a single step back, I'd loose her, everything was so delicate. Life was so fragile and I didn't know how to pull myself back together. 

If I was going to get Kameron through this, I needed to pull myself together, I just wanted my mum. So, I dialed her number, the phone not even ringing for a full tone, "Leah what's happened?" She asked immediately.

"Can you come to the hospital mum?" I broke down completely, talking to my mum made me realize how much this had affected me, "It's Kameron."

My mum didn't ask a single question more, she assured me that she'd be here in ten minutes and to hold on until then. 

In those ten minutes, I'd text Keira back, explaining everything to her and she's said that her and Lucy would catch the next flight back to England. Of course, everyone was heartbroken but they'd all been so quick to jump into action, like a survival instinct. 

I think I'd lost my survival instincts because the true reason I'd lived was for Kameron, she was my reason to wake up every day. And once I thought I'd lost her, I had no real reason to survive, all my walls had come crumbling down, so while everyone else was acting upon instinct, I'd lost mine because normally they'd been driven by Kameron. 

But it felt as if she was gone.