The Story You Were Never Told

4 - Panic

-----The Hospital:-----

Oakley quickly climbed out of the taxi he ordered from the school and rushed into the emergency room after being told his father had been critically injured in a car wreck. He was told his dad was still alive but on a ventilator and his odds of surviving were close to none. He was holding back tears as he feared for his father's health. He couldn't lose him. He was the only parent Oakley had. Without him, he had virtually no one.

He ran up to the main desk in the ER were the receptionist was filing some paperwork. "Excuse me ma'am, do you know where Nicholas Fairhill is? I got a call he was admitted to this hospital after a car accident, I need to know if he is okay." Oakley asked the nurse, barely taking a breath. He wanted to see his father. He wanted to confirm that the person on the phone was lying and that his dad was okay. Oakley was in denial.

"Oh, Fairhill? He was wheeled up to the ICU 30 minutes ago. I can take you there but you have to know, they might not let you in to see him." The nurse calmly told Oakley. She could tell that he was upset and nervous so she tried her best to speak in a calm tone despite the chaotic work environment.

"Okay, that's fine. I just really need to see him. Please." Oakley was basically begging the nurse at this point. It was impossible now to hold back tears as he felt drops of water fall down his face. He felt his chest become tight and began struggling to breathe.

The nurse nodded and stood up from her desk and walked over to Oakley, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't we get you somewhere private while you calm down." The nurse replied, still in a calm manner. She began leading Oakley to one of the private family rooms, giving him a quiet space to take a breath.

Oakley's heart was racing as an overwhelming amount of anxiety and fear rested on his shoulders. His world was spinning and his legs were trembling as he was guided to the private room. He had no idea what to expect in the next coming hours and all he could think about were the odds he was given over the phone. 'The odds were low that he would survive', he was told. Those 8 words just kept repeating in his mind as it now felt impossible to take a breath.

Once in the room the nurse led Oakley to, she shut the door behind them and sat Oakley down on a chair. She took an empty plastic cup and filled it with water for Oakley, placing it on the coffee table in front of him. She handed him the box of tissues before sitting on the chair next to him. "I need you to take a breath. What's you name son?" The nurse asked him.

Despite not being able to hear properly because of his panic attack, he managed to just about make out what the nurse asked. "Oakley." He responded as he continued gasping for a breath since he still felt like he couldn't breathe.

The nurse nodded at his response. "Okay Oakley. Take a deep breath for me." She demonstrated to Oakley how to breathe. He copied her and repeated it, finding that it helped him. "Good. My name is Luna. How about we try some grounding techniques. Can you name for me five things you can see? Take your time Oakley." Luna told him.

Oakley nodded and took a good look around the room. He was still breathing like how the nurse demonstrated to breathe. "The green rug.. the ceiling.." Oakley spotted the nurses badge, seeing the name Mayfield. He thought the name was familiar from one of his classes. "Mayfield?" Oakley questioned Luna.

"Oh, yeah that's my surname. Do you know anyone with the same surname? I think one of my nephews is in high school. Starside Academy I think? His name is Luke." It suddenly made sense who she was.

"I know Luke. He's in my drama." Oakley told Luna quietly. The small talk about who she was calmed him down a lot. "I bumped into him today and made a mess of myself." Oakley laughed quietly a little as he thought of something happier.

"You did? What happened? I won't tell him this by the way. This is private and confidential." Luna told Oakley, smiling a little bit. He smiled back and went on to tell her everything that happened that day after drama with Luke. They laughed about it and Luna gave him some information about Luke's likes which would hopefully help Oakley.

The small talk eventually helped him calm down a lot. He wiped the tears off his face using the tissues the nurse gave him and took a sip of water. He felt ready now to see his father. "I think I'm ready to see my father now." He told Luna, standing up from the chair, now able to properly stand and walk.

Luna saw how Oakley had improved mentally from when he first walked into the ER and nodded, willing to take him to his father. "Okay then. Come on." Luna stood up and opened the door, letting Oakley walk out first. She closed the door behind them and began leading him to the ICU where his father was. His condition had gotten worse since Oakley had arrived at the hospital, but he wasn't made aware of that. And that was probably for the better.

When they made it to the ICU, Luna pulled Oakley aside for a second to speak to him. "Hey Oakley?" She needed to grab his full attention so she could warn him about what sights were about to come.

Oakley was confused when Luna suddenly pulled him over to speak to him. "Yeah? What's the matter? Can I not see him?"

"No, no. You can see him. I just want to warn you, the next sights you are about to see aren't going to be nice. Your father was in a really bad accident and I just need you to ready yourself to see him." Luna told him, trying not to scare him. But she needed to be blunt with him so he knew what could happen.

Oakley nodded, understanding what the nurse was telling him. He felt a sense of dread overcome him and a lump grow in his throat, but he went through with it anyway.

Oakley slowly entered the room his father was in and froze when he saw his father, basically lifeless on the hospital bed. There were wires all over his body leading to machine which were keeping him alive for him. Without them, he would be dead. It killed Oakley to see his father like that.

He walked to his father's bedside and held his hand, that being one of the only things he could do. His heart was breaking just looking at him. He had to hope though. There had to be some hope. Right?

(1194 words - yall better be prepared for the next chapter because im not)