Holding Onto Hope

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Mark is filling out paperwork as quickly as possible in the waiting room. The hospital nurses said he couldn't go back in the operating room. He fills out the last form and goes to the lady at the desk.

"When will I be able to see him?"

Nurse: "Are you family?"

"No but his family is all the way in Ireland, I'm the only friend he has."

Nurse: "I'm sorry but you'll have to wait for the doctor's opinion."

Mark clinches his fist.

I feel so useless. This is all my fault. I should never have left him alone.

Mark walks around the waiting room, pacing as he trys to contact Jack's family. Eventually he gets thought to one of his siblings and tells them about what happened. They said they will take the next plane out to California. Several times a nurse walks around with a cart of coffee and snacks and offers some to him but he is too upset to eat anything. Eventually the nurse at the counter walks into the waiting room and calls Mark over.

Nurse: "The Doctor is calling for you. You will need to follow me."

"Okay"

She leads him down the maze of corridors and they end up at two double doors.

Nurse: "Just straight through there, sweety."

"Thank you"

Mark walks into the room and is greeted by a tall man in a lab coat.

He must be Jack's doctor.

Doctor: "Are you here for Sean William McLoughlin?"

"Yes"

Doctor: "Well we managed to stop the bleeding from his wrist and we are pumping his stomach now. Do you have any idea what he took?"

"Yeah, he uh- had taken all of his Lexapro and Prozac and probably my Ambian aswell but I didn't really look."

The Doctor's face seemed to harden a bit.

Doctor: "Do you know how long ago he took them?"

"No"

The Doctor sighed and motioned for Mark to follow.

They walk around to some room off to the corner and the doctor moves away the curtains.

Jack is laying in the hospital bed with tubes coming out of his mouth. He is hooked up to a lot of machinery and a heart monitor. His arms are wrapped in gauze and bound my wrist restraints.

"Are those really necessary?"

Doctor: "If he pulls though this he will be put on suicide watch, so yes."

"How is he?"

The doctor turns to Mark and makes eye contact.

Doctor: "Not good"

"But he'll make it right?"

The doctor turns his head back to Jack and inhales sharply.

Doctor: "It depends on how long ago he took those pills."

Mark brings his hands to his face and swipes away tears and clears his throat.

The doctor sees how upset Mark is and tells him that he can stay here if he doesn't cause any problems. The doctor leaves after doing some test leaving Mark and Jack alone with the machines try to keep he alive. The heart monitor is beeping slower than it should be. He remembers to beat from all the times he's been in the hospital. Mark pulls up a chair and holds one of Jack's hands. He hangs his head and cries.

This is all my fault. What if he dies? I don't think I could live with myself if he did. He is my best friend and I caused this.

Mark's sobs turn more aggressive with each minute as he clinches Jack's hand.

Why did you have to do it? We could have...

He stops mid thought from the sound of the heart monitor flat lining.

A/N: This is the true ending of the story but keep going if you want to have an alternate ending

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A/N: This is the true ending of the story but keep going if you want to have an alternate ending. This was the original ending that I planned from the moment I began to write it.

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