Never Let Go

Chapter 21

Dedicated to _fandoms for the lovely cover they made. :)

~Chapter 21~

Before

"He's in a chemically induced a coma, just for the time being. We need to let his body heal." The doctors had explained.

That had been hours ago, and even though they assured me that Daniel would be okay, nothing could ease the panic that consumed me. That, and the numbness.

Sitting in the corner, I felt invisible and that's what I wanted to be. The tears wouldn't stop and Marissa wasn't here yet. I'm sure she would be the one to tell my parents where I was. None of that mattered to me at the moment, though. All that mattered was the shattered boy lying in the bright hospital bed in front of me.

When a man who bore a striking resemblance to Daniel hurtled into the room, I knew it was none other than his father. I didn't exist to him as his eyes agonizingly took in Daniel and the tubes hooked up to his body. He saw his torn up face and the blank expression. Even if his son was alive, none of it eased the panic in him.

I've never seen a grown man break down like I did in that moment and I hope I never have to see it again. It was one of the most heart wrenching scenes of my life, and as he broke down sobbing I knew I had to leave the room. I was no meant to witness this.

I got up slowly, careful not to make a sound. But I didn't escape in time to miss his pain filled gasps.

"How could you let this happen again? Please don't take him, God, please no. Please, for the life of me spare this one."

I couldn't hear anymore as I lost myself in the hallway. This man truly loved his son, no matter what he showed on the surface, and I was the source of his misery. I was the reason his son had ended up in that hospital bed. I was the reason that Daniel could be dying.

But in the hallway I was greeted by my parents accompanied with the police. They immediately hurtled question after question at me, wanting to know what happened. It took several attempts to speak and my words were choked. My parents didn't stop the police as they noticed my hysterics, they pushed their own questions. I answered as honestly as I could, barely able to form sentences.

When the police were satisfied they left me with my parents who looked a mixture of shock and disappointment. I buried my face in my hands to wash out their expressions as my dad asked me why I hadn't ever told them what happened in Florida.

"I couldn't," was all I could say.

My mother was a mess herself. "So this is why you wanted to keep away Wes and why you left when I told you he was around? This has been going on the whole time? What was he to you?" She rasped out. "Did you have sex?"

"No!" I gasped. "God, no. He...he only hurt me."

This angered her further. "Then what is the boy in the other room to you?"

"I don't know... He's...Daniel."

She sniffed, now tears forming. "I don't know where we went wrong with you, Addy, or how all of this went on under our noses. I'm disappointed that you never told us. We have the right to know as your parents... I have to take a walk. All this stress is bad for the baby." She mumbled and left.

My dad looked torn as he looked between me and my retreating mother. I hated to make him decided but in her condition she was important, so I told him, "Just go after her."

He hesitated and then took a step forward, his arms engulfing me. I felt a temporary sense of warmth and comfort but then it vanished. I was alone and my dad was chasing my hysteric mother. A father was praying for his broken son in the next room.

And it was entirely my fault.

~''~ ~''~ ~''~

Now

"Addy, oh my god!" Marissa yelled as she reached me, hunched over in a chair outside of Daniel's room. She hadn't been able to come to the hospital until the morning.

"Have you stayed here all night?" She asked, stunned.

I nodded slowly. "Uh, yes, I think... My parents left for a walk a few hours ago... Daniel's dad is in the room, so it's just me, here."

"I heard what happened from your parents. I ran into a few floors down. They're livid that you never told them, but they're angry with themselves. They hate that you went through all this and that they never notice. They don't blame you, but themselves." She said softly, crouching down in front of me, trying to meet my dead stare.

"But it's my fault," I whispered. "All of it."

"It's that psycho's fault for being the reason for all of this in the first place. You did nothing wrong. Yes, you should've told your parents or the police, but you never knew it would lead to this. It's Wes' fault for being insane and having the need to harm people. It's not your fault at all. Daniel wouldn't blame you."

A sob broke through me. I felt my entire being crumble. Somewhere inside of me, I heard Daniel's words during a distant night, as he assured me I shouldn't blame myself. It wasn't my fault, and at some point I had to realize that.

I let myself drown into the days events with Marissa, and I don't know how long it took before I resurfaced.

~''~ ~''~ ~''~

Marissa had brought a chair over to where I sat and waited with me. She kept an arm draped around my shoulders and she tried to say anything to get through to me. I felt as if I was floating far, far away. All of this was a dream and Daniel was fine. Wes was in Florida and I was free.

But then I would remind myself that this was reality and I'd have to fight off the tears again. I would again be stuck in the chair outside of the hospital room with a loyal friend by my side.

It had been hours since Daniel's dad had first arrived before he left the room. As he walked out, he watched me with weary eyes. Suddenly, he stopped in front of Marissa and me.

"Daniel once snuck you into our house when it was late. He was heading home from a friend's house."

I suddenly felt very cold and my body stiffened. "Once he did..." On the night that my father had left. That night felt as if it was years ago.

"The police said the person driving the car was after you?"

"Yes..." I said honestly. I waited for him to break out in rage and scream at me, tell me I was a horrible person for what I did to his son. He never did that. He simply spoke calmly to me.

"I don't know what was going on between you and that murderer but I need to know what you were to my son. He hasn't snuck a girl into the house for years and when he brought you in, it wasn't for the same reason as them. He went to help you last night, too. You're something unique to him, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "Daniel and I..." I waited for myself to grasp the right words for it. "It's...complicated, but we...we get each other. I care about him a lot... I can't imagine what it'd be like without him."

His lips turned up slightly, not enough for a smile but to express approval. "I look forward to meeting you in the future." He hinted that there was a future, ensuring that Daniel would be okay and with me at that time. He made it sounded like things would be okay.

Part of me believed him. "I...I look forward to that too, sir."

He left after giving me a quick nod and I turned to Marissa.

"Do you think everything will be okay?"

Marissa bit her lip and nodded. "I think it will be, Addy. Wes is gone and Daniel will be okay..."

If I could've, I would have smiled in that moment.

Daniel will be okay.