Innocence

Chapter Eighteen - Reality.

Tyler's P.O.V -

I had been held at gun point 2 times in life - not including this one. The shameful thing about the previous times was that my opponent was either inexperienced with a gun or too scrawny to have a firm grip on the weapon to begin with. Emma's dad was both experienced with the cool metal object that was pressing against the skin of my skull, and he was also gripping the gun - as well as the back of my leather jacket - with a firm force that I couldn't wriggle my way out of.

Emma's voice replayed in my mind as the image of her yelling at me in the car resurfaced - reminding me that I couldn't use my fists with this guy. She was right - and the realisation hit me at a full force when her father yanked me up by the collar of my leather jacket and led me down the dark, narrow hallway - back to the entrance of the house. "Listen up boy," He began, his teeth clenched as he pressed the head of gun into my head, "I don't like when people interfere with my plans. I tend to kill whoever does you see, just like I plan on doing with Emma's sweet mother now that I've already killed something that's so precious to her; and you? Well you've waltzed into my house - uninvited, might I add - to ruin my plans of disposing that disgrace of a daughter lying down on the bed over there. I'm going to be blunt - I don't like you. Because of that, I'm afraid I have to kill you. Sorry kid."

I felt his fingers move to the trigger of the gun and that's when I decided to act. My fist flew and connected with his nose just as the gun went off.


*

It grazed my ear - painfully. I winced, not allowing the full effect of the pain hit me as Emma's father groaned and stumbled backwards, dropping the gun to hold his bleeding nose in the process. I didn't have time to blink. Emma's father's eyes lay on the gun at the same time mine did; and we both lunged for the weapon that held the power in the house.

"You don't even know your daughter to talk about her like that." I spat as we wrestled for the gun. I felt the dark, warm liquid that was coming out of my earlobe trail down the back of my neck slowly as I shifted my position to get a better aim at Emma's father's face. If I punched his nose again - he'd be in more pain then he would be able to handle - giving me the upper hand in this scenario.

He knew this as well, and blocked any contact that could come to his face as I held him down. "Aw... is Mr Bad Boy in love with her?" He mocked as he struggled underneath my grip, spitting out blood in the process. I glared down at him and clenched my jaw as the grip I had around his arms tightened, making him wince in pain. I was holding onto a place where I had hit him previously. "She won't give you anything but trouble - take it from the one who married her mother. She's pathetic. I did you a favour. She doesn't deserve to live." He let out a psychotic laugh as I felt my skin tingle with anger. My fists began to shake as I released my hand from the grip of the gun and my fist flew into his nose again.

He groaned and let go of the gun - and I took hold of it and threw it across the room before he could get to it again. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DOESN'T DESERVE TO FUCKING LIVE! YOU'RE A COWARD THAT HAD NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE OTHER THAN TORMENT YOUR OWN FAMILY!" I roared, punching him repeatedly with as much force as I could muster. He fought back - getting me in my ribcage and my face, but eventually he stopped struggling. I still continued to hit him; too blinded by my rage to notice that his groans were decreasing before I heard the door slam open and people rushed in.

"Tyler!" I heard someone exclaim as I was ripped away from Emma's father's limp body by 4 arms. I thrashed against their grip and almost fought free - until another pair of arms joined the previous ones - pinning me against the wall as reality slowly began to reveal itself behind my blind rage.

I looked around to find a SWAT team gathered in the house; pointing guns at the limp figure that lay on the floor while throwing uneasy looks in my direction. My eyes slowly travelled away from them to the people who were around me - Nate, Damien, and James. "Are you okay?" Damien asked as my eyes met his. He hesitated for a moment, before releasing his grip on me, James and Nate soon following suit.

I nodded and swallowed. "Emma." I said in a croaky voice as I rushed back down the hall to the dimly lighted room. I heard their footsteps follow behind me and come to an abrupt halt at the entrance of the room as I kneeled down at the bed and placed a light kiss on her forehead. The white of my shirt had completely transformed to the same shade of red that covered her body, and I clenched my jaw at the sight. I scooped her fragile body in my arms and held her bridal style - passed Damien, James and Nate; who choked at the sight of her limp body - all the way to the ambulance that was waiting outside the white house.

"TYLER!" I heard someone shout once the medical team had rushed over to me and took Emma out of my arms. "Are you alright, mate?" Blake asked, a look of concern crossing his features as he jogged up to me.

I nodded. "Thank you for doing this." I managed to get out before I felt darkness take over my vision.

*

I hated hospitals. I hated the strong aroma of disinfectant, the sound of sick people and the annoying beeps that came out of machines, the idea that whatever you touched could get you sick, the taste of the stale food they provided their patients and the sickening white everything. What I hated most about hospitals though, was waking up in one.

I was slowly regaining consciousness to the sound of muffled voices around me. Once I had opened my eyes, I found Damien, James, my mother, and Nate sitting in the chairs and conversing in low tones. My eyes shut on their own accord as pain shot through my body and I groaned, making all conversations in the room die out.

"Tyler?" My mum's soft voice called out, making my eyes open up again. Once my gaze met hers, she ran towards me and pulled me into a cautious hug, trying to avoid any bandages I had wrapped around my body. "Sweetie, I'm so glad you're okay. It's been so long. I- I thought I was going t- to lose you." She choked on a sob as her grip around me tightened and I managed to wrap an arm around her waist in an awkward hug.

Once she pulled away, she smiled at me before wiping away a tear that was trailing down her cheek. "I'm going to get your sister and Courtney. They'll be thrilled to hear that you're awake!" She exclaimed excitedly before leaving the room in a rush.

My gaze trailed over to my three best friends, and I glared at their grinning faces. "What the fuck are you looking at." I demanded just as Nate and Damien's faces fell.

"WOOHOO! PAY UP LOSERS! $50! THAT WAS THE DEAL!" James cheered as he fist pumped the air before placing his palms out in front of Damien and Nate - who each grudgingly placed a 50 dollar bill into his hands.

I looked at them in confusion, waiting for an explanation. "We made a bet on what your first words would be when you woke up. James - the winner, obviously - said that you'd swear and say something that you usually would. Nate said that you'd ask about Emma, and-"

"DAMIEN SAID YOU'D ASK WHERE YOU WERE BUT THEN I SAID YOU'RE NOT A DUMBASS AND YOU'D KNOW THAT IT'S A HOSPITAL." James announced during his fit of laughter. Damien blushed slightly but glared at James, making him laugh even more. I rolled my eyes at the idiocy they obtained before my expression turned into a frown, making me slightly wince from pain. "Where is Emma? Is she okay? She's not... She isn't... I mean, of course she wouldn't be... is she..." I choked on my own words, not wanting to come to the reality of the situation if it were true; and looked over to Damien for an answer.

He shook his head and I physically felt my body relax - only slightly. "She isn't dead." He murmured, giving me a sympathetic look before looking down at the palms of his hands. "She's... pretty close to it though." He declared, making my body tense up again.

"What the fuck do you mean by that?" I exclaimed, my voice rising as I tried to get up from my laying down position. Damien rushed to my side immediately, pushing me back down by my shoulders with a firm force. "You're not allowed to get out of bed. You're still severely injured." He explained with a stern expression.

I glared up at him. "Does it look like I give a fuck about how I'm doing right now?! Where. Is. Emma." I asked through clenched teeth, my fingers rolling into fists beside me.

A gasp came from the doorway and made both our heads snap in that direction - ending the conversation. "Tyler said a bad word mum!" Katrina whispered, her voice echoing around the silent room.

"HELLO TYLER! I'VE MISSED YOU! CAN I PAINT YOUR NAILS? LUCY SAID I COULDN'T BECAUSE YOUR HANDS ARE HURT. IT'S BEEN THREE WEEKS SINCE YOU SAVED EMMA, TYLER. ARE THEY STILL HURTING YOU?!" Courtney's loud voice filled the room which her bubbly aura, temporarily blocking out the annoying beeping noise that was coming from the machine beside me. Both Courtney and Katrina ran up to me with big smiles, as they each kissed a separate cheek. "We missed you." They said in unison, Courtney's voice slightly dominating Katrina's.

"Man, why does he always get all the chicks?" James whined, earning himself a whack on the head from Nate. I chuckled before turning back to the two little girls sitting on each side of the bed, smiling at me.

"I missed you guys too." I murmured. Courtney's hands instantly flew up to her head and I gave her a curious look before Katrina tapped Courtney's shoulder. "His hands are hurt, he can't wreck our hair." She explained, and Courtney let out a relieved sigh before her hands fell back to her sides limply.

I chuckled again and used the hand I could move to ruffle Courtney's hair once her guard was down, causing her to groan and huff angrily. "Tyler!" She exclaimed, making everyone in the room laugh. My smile faded as a memory of Emma using the same voice on me whenever I'd do something 'inappropriate' in public came into mind, and I looked away from the angry 6 year old. "I need to see Emma." I repeated, getting ready to get out of the bed again.

"Oh, no you don't." A stern voice said from the doorway. I glared as a man in a white coat walked into the room, Emma's mum trailing closely behind him. "Tyler! Thank heavens you're alright!" She breathed as she rushed over to the bed and gave me a similar hug to my mothers'. "I'm so sorry you're hurt. It's all my fault that all of this happened. I'm so sorry. I'm glad you're okay." She said in hushed tone as she stroked my hair lightly, before pulling away.

"Ms Carter. This is not your fault at all. Get that thought out of your mind." I ordered with a stern expression, shaking my head at her accusations. She shook her head and gave me a sad smile before going to stand next to my mother, who was also smiling in my direction.

"Well, Mr O'Brian. It's been a rough three weeks for you, hasn't it? You've been slipping in and out of consciousness, but the medication has certainly started taking affect. It shouldn't be long now until you're released; but you're still in a vital condition. Let's get you checked up, shall we?" He smiled as he pressed a button to make the hospital bed move my body to an upright position, and I bit the inside of my cheek to refrain from crying out in pain.

"I don't care about my 'condition'. I want to see Emma." I repeated again, glaring.

"Tyler, Emma is sleeping. You can't see her now. She won't wake up until she feels better." Katrina said in a know-it-all tone. I looked down at her and frowned. Sleeping?

"She's in a coma." I heard Emma's mum mutter from the end of the room, and my gaze flew over and met her pained expression just as the doctor clamped a device on my finger to check my pulse.

"What." I asked with the coldest voice I could muster, just as the portable machine in the doctor's hand began to beep rapidly. "Mr O'Brian, you need to calm down." He murmured, making my cold expression turn into the glare I'd use on people who got in my way.

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down you prick!" I roared, slamming a fist into the mattress of the hospital bed.

"Tyler, please calm down." My mum begged from the end of the room. My eyes met hers and my expression softened - slightly.

"S- She lost a lot of blood, and there was internal bleeding from the recent hits h- he did. The cuts were even deeper than last time, a- and the bruises - it was just all too much for her body to handle. It went into shut-down mode." Emma's mum explained with a soft voice, choking on her last few words as she began to sob. My mother took her in for a comforting hug, and Damien continued on Emma's prognosis. "The bruises are almost all gone, and the cuts are slowly healing. Almost all the blood she's lost is back into her system, but... the doctor says it wasn't only a physical shut down, it was a mental one as well. We've all tried speaking to her, but no one is getting through. We even tried a recording of your voice from something Courtney and Katrina had secretly filmed, but that also didn't have any effect..." Damien trailed off, a sad expression overcoming his usually calm demeanour.

I couldn't find any words to reply. Emma was in a coma. Multiple emotions ran through me as I continued processing her condition - fear for her life, grief that I might loser, anger that she shut herself out and away from me.

The doctor put a shot into my arm before taking a step back, "You're looking increasingly better, Mr O'Brian. I'll prescribe a weaker medication for you. At your healing rate, you'll be out by a week and a half, two weeks at most." He smiled, before writing something down on his clipboard and leaving the room.

"I need to see her. Please." My voice broke, the raw desperation exposing itself as the words tumbled out of my mouth.

"I know you do, sweetie, but you can't. You're in no shape to move from that bed. Just wait a week. You'll be better by then." My mum reassured me, walking over to my side from the end of the room to give me a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"No. She'll wake up if she hears my voice! I need to be next to her! Please." I begged, my eyelids becoming heavy.

"The meds are starting to kick in. We should go. Let him sleep." Damien murmured, glancing at the others in the room.

"No, I'm fine." I drawled out, gripping my mother's wrist weakly. "Please, mum. Let me go see Emma." I mumbled, my vision beginning to blur.

"I love you sweetie." My mother murmured before placing a kiss on my forehead and following the rest out of the room just as my vision went blank.

*

They knew. They knew I was planning on sneaking out of my bed to go and see Emma. It's been 4 days since I found out about Emma's state - and there has not been a single moment where there hasn't been someone constantly watching me like a guard dog.

Except for tonight.

There was no one here, except for the nurse who was doing the final check-up of the night before it was 'light's out'. I fidgeted impatiently as she threw me a flirty smile and hung the clipboard back on the end of the bed. "Are you sure you don't need me to do anything else for you, sir? I can take you to the bathroom... Give you a shower if you're still in pain..." She trailed off, biting her lips and battering her eyelashes in my direction.

I glared. "No. Go away." I said bluntly, before turning away and looking at the hideous green curtains beside my bed. I heard her sigh in content before she left the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Shortly after that, all the lights in the hospital went out - with the exception of the reception desk a few doors down the hall.

I continuously checked the time on my phone as I waited for the 11PM mark. Once it hit - I jumped out of my bed eagerly - and instantly regretted it as shockwaves of pain ran through my system, making me wince in pain and bite down on my lip to refrain a loud groan from escaping.

This plan had more holes than Swiss cheese - firstly, I couldn't walk properly. Secondly, I had absolutely no clue where Emma's room was. Lastly, I was a big guy, and there were nurses creeping all over this rotten smelling prison that are bound to notice me. I would still do it. I needed to see her.

I crept out of my room as quietly as I could and scanned the area for any workers. Okay Tyler, think of it as a stakeout. The nurses are the opposing gang members, and Emma's room is the headquarters you need to get too in order to get what you want. I mentally coached myself as I walked through the hallway and snuck past the reception desk - where a nurse was drinking a cup of coffee and reading a magazine that had a photo of Kate Moss on the cover. A small fraction of the tension in my body released as I successfully got passed her without her noticing, and I continued my decent down the hall.

Emma was a severe case, and she was in a coma, so she had to be in the section of the hospital where they kept their most severe patients. I had just made it to the ward when someone caught me. "Hey! You shouldn't be out of bed!" The male nurse exclaimed in a hushed tone, looking around to see I there were any other patients or nurses around.

"Sorry. I've lost my way." I mumbled, putting on a look of confusion as I reached up to scratch the back of my head and wincing from the pain in the process.

The nurse's frown softened as he took in my battered and bandaged image. "That's alright. Surname?" He asked.

"Carter."

"You'll be in room 3B, here, I'll take y-"

"No, it's okay. I like to be alone." I muttered, flashing a tight smile before turning and looking at the number beside me. 3F, it had to be further down...

"It's okay. I'll just drop you off." The nurse said. I let out a frustrated sigh as I clenched my jaw, attempting to calm down. "I'm fine." I growled in a low tone, before walking off. He didn't follow after that - and more tension released itself from my body as I came face to face with 3B. Emma. My heart beat instantly increased as I entered the room and saw her angelic figure laying limp on the hospital bed.

"Emma." I breathed as I walked over to her side and kissed her forehead. The visible bruises on her face and arms were had faded, only a slight yellow trace remained behind. The cut on her arm was heavily wrapped up with a white bandage, a small spot of blood leaking through the gauzy material. My jaw clenched as the image of her father appeared in my mind, and I breathed out heavily to try and remain calm.

My eyelids began to droop, and I found myself crawling into the hospital bed beside her, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. "I love you baby. Please come back to me." I murmured, before placing a kiss on her cheek and slipping into a deep slumber.

*

I was abruptly awoken by the faint sound of an alarm going off in the distance, and chose to ignore it as I snuggled up to Emma's fragile body. Signs of early morning revealed themselves as the bland, white walls of the hospital began to glow from the morning sunlight bouncing off of them, hitting Emma's pale features in the process.

A few nurses rushed past the room and I realised the alarm was still going - making me annoyed. "I hate hospitals. I'm only here for you." I murmured into her hair as I stroked the soft locks. "What do you say, me and you make a run for it. They won't even know what hit 'em." I chuckled to myself. "I can so imagine you right now. Slapping my arm and thinking it hurt me. Then you'd be all 'Tyler!' in your scolding voice and shake your head with that small smile you put on whenever I do something you think is too unsuitable for the public to see. I only do it to see that smile, you know? I wouldn't talk at all in public if it weren't for you. Just to see you laugh and become a tomato. That's why I love you so much. You can't dance for shit, you're the worst in public situations, you can't catch a ball even if you're life depended on it, you have the worst taste in movies; yet all you do is scream innocence-" The door burst open, and 3 security guards, along with the doctor that does the regular check-ups on me, and two other nurses burst into the room with frantic expressions crossing their faces.

Once their eyes set on me laying down in the bed, the security guards sighed and one of them picked up their walkie-talkie. "We've found him." He muttered into the device, and seconds later, the annoying alarm stopped shrieking in the distance.

"Mr O'Brian. We specifically told you not to leave your bed until we said you were fit to do so." The doctor said angrily, with a stern expression set on his face. "Why did you go against our orders and come here?"

I shrugged, "Because I wanted too. You can't stop me from doing what I want." I glared just as Emma's heart rate monitor spiked up slightly, making all six heads - along with mine - turn to the monitor in shock. "Is she alright?" I asked frantically, looking back at the doctor.

He nodded his head slowly, still staring at the monitor in shock. "Remarkable..." He murmured, his gaze trailing over to where Emma and I were in the hospital bed. "The family have tried everything-"

"Yeah except the real me." I muttered under my breath, throwing a dirty look in his direction.

"You got through to her. This is progress. But that does not matter at the moment, we need to get you back to your room Mr O'Brian." The doctor said, his stern expression returning.

I sighed, "Okay, okay. I'll go, just... give me five more minutes with her." He opened his mouth to respond but I cut him off. "Please."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before sighing and nodding. "Fine. Five more minutes. No more. We'll be outside."

I nodded as they left, closing the door behind them softly. I turned back to Emma and glared. "So I say a whole romantic speech about your smile and you just ignore it, but when I tell the doctor that I'm here 'because I want to be', your heart rate spikes up? You're the weirdest girlfriend." I muttered at her sleeping figure, bending down to place a kiss on her healing forehead.

Emma laughed softly and I stopped dead in my tracks - my whole body tensing up in hope as I looked down at her figure. Her eyes were still closed, but a ghost of a smile had appeared on her lips. "Doctor!" I screamed out, sitting in an upright position. The doctor and nurse burst in, worry engraved in their faces. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm good. But s- she laughed! And now she's smiling!" I exclaimed, my smile quivering slightly as I felt hope consume the darkness I felt inside me for the past 2 months. "Does that mean she's waking up?" I asked, desperate for their response.

The doctor and nurse exchanged a sympathetic look before the doctor turned back to me. "Not... Not necessarily. A comatose patient will occasionally laugh or move in their state - while that is usually a positive sign, it does not necessarily mean that the patient will awaken. Basing my hypothesis on Emma's injuries and the events that occurred; I would say that Emma would be in this state for a while longer..." He trailed off.

"No, she won't!" I exclaimed, getting out of the bed and wincing as the full weight of my body came down on me as soon as my feet touched the cold floor of the hospital room. The nurse rushed over to assist me, and I gratefully leaned into her. "As soon as I came in here and started talking to her, the signs of her waking up started to appear! She just needs a little more time with me, and maybe her mum and sister, and I'm sure we'll get through to her! Let me stay, please. I can make her wake up!" My voice was raw with emotion, and the doctor's expression turned sympathetic again.

"Tyler, I know you want her to wake up... but you're not in the best state right now. Just, have a couple of more days of rest, I'll even try transferring you over to an empty room in this ward so you can be close to her. Once you're done healing, I'll personally help you work on Emma, okay?" He asked, raising his eyebrows as he waited for my answer.

I sighed and thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Okay." I muttered, as they led me out of Emma's room. I stole one last glance at her before the wall covered her completely.

I was going to do it again tonight.

-

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii guys! How are we all on this fine 1AM evening/morning? LOL!

This is all Tyler's POV because... Well, Emma's knocked out, so unless you want to read about how interesting that must feel... yeah :P What? I don't know what just happened there. Um, hi! Again... LOL! Sorry it's rushed guys, I'm super tired, kind of had a writer's block while writing this and I really want to finish innocence all together before my holidays end! There are only a few more chapters left, how sad : ( SORRRRRY FOR ANY MISTAKES OMG!

What did you guys think? I hope you guys get the 'because I wanted to' reference LOL! If not... well that was a fail xD 26 Days until the One Direction concert, yay! :D

Vote/Comment/Fan if you deem it worthy enough!

WARNING: SHAMEFUL ADVERTISING - Check out my other story, The Assistant! I'm really enjoying writing that one, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it!

Woooooooo! This was a loooong author's note HAHA! Thanks for reading lovelies :D x