Night shift - Completed

Chapter 69

Calum's PoV

Sat in the van with the others, all I could do was stare down at my bloodied hands, hoping and praying that the ambulance had got Poppy to the hospital on time. She didn't deserve any of this shit. She'd tried to help a friend, to stop her from being in an abusive relationship but it had backfired because of drugs. She became the bad guy. Even after all that had happened, she stood back up and made herself a better person, becoming a nurse. I admired every part of her story and honestly couldn't find a bad bone in her. If anything, it had made her more heroic as she desperately tried to help everyone else to satisfy her mind. She'd helped Bex in the club, she'd helped me countless times, helped Ashton, she'd gained the trust of Luke and Michael and despite everything, Dave and Jack ended up loving her too. She was too good for this. Too good for me.

"Cal?" Ashton's voice pulled me from my thoughts once more. I didn't even look up at him. My eyes never left my red hands. That was Poppy's. She'd stopped it happening to me. That guy was obviously mad that I'd called out for help and he wanted to teach me a lesson. "Cal, please. Are you alright?" Ashton pressed, trying to look out for me.

"Would you be? If that was Bex, Sierra or Crystal would any of you be okay?" I still looked down, the images of her laying there clouding the rest of my mind. The van went silent again. Good. What a stupid question to ask. We pulled up at the apartment, even the outside of it reminding me of the many times Poppy had come in there with us, and everyone filed out. Everyone but me.

"Calum lets go." Diego pushed. I ignored him. "Now, Calum."

"Fuck off." I said as I pulled the door shut between us. I didn't want to listen to his militant tone or nagging any more. Just leave me to think. I could hear him ordering the others around and they listened, heading into the building quickly. Moments later, the door opened again and Dave climbed in the car next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"I heard what happened out there. I'm sorry Cal." He said softly. The harsh exterior I'd put up to block Diego came crashing down instantly around Dave. I didn't know what to do with the rush of emotions and I began to cry. Dave pulled me into a big hug and stayed silent as I emptied my emotions to him, finally feeling like I could express myself.

"She's so stupid." I mumbled out. "I was meant to take that and she took it for me. I'm so mad at her for doing it, for putting me through this and making me see her that way..." I finally pulled away from Dave and rubbed my eyes with my sleeves. "But yet I'm so thankful and I didn't know it was possible but it's just made me love her more." Dave's arm remained around my shoulders as a comfort blanket while he spoke.

"That's love for you. She sacrificed herself for you. She weighed up what would be a greater loss to the world and decided it was you. You're a celebrity, you're in a band, you've got a top career. She saw all of that and didn't want it to be lost. All those happy fans she's seen, all those people you guys have helped. It's all in her mind. Remember, this is relating to her past too, she probably didn't want you to get caught up in it all. She wants to fight her own battles and demons without anyone else hurting." Everything Dave said made sense, put it into perspective for me, made me see what she saw. I took a moment to digest it and I sighed.

"I really want to be with her right now." I said softly. "I can't just sit in the apartment and wait. I want to be at the hospital and-" Dave's phone began to ring. He apologised as he pulled it out and saw Jack's name. "Answer it! Jack went with her!" I urged. Dave picked up the phone and all I could hear was Jacks frantic voice the other side of the call. Fear set in. My stomach knotted in anxiety. I saw Dave wriggling nervously in his seat as he took it all in. Jack was talking for ages, barely taking a breath between sentences.

"Right. Okay. Thanks Jack. Keep us updated." Dave hung up as he turned to me, noting my wide eyes and tensed body.

"I'm sorry Cal..." Dave begun, but that's all I needed to hear. My body shut down. I couldn't bear to look at him. He didn't say anything more, he waited for me to digest that what he was going to say was going to be bad news, difficult to hear. I finally nodded, bracing myself to hear the worst of it. "She lost consciousness in the ambulance. They've rushed her straight to surgery..." I bit my lips together as I looked up to the sky. "In the ambulance she told Jack to tell you that she loves you and you are the best thing that's ever happened to her."

"Why would she say that?" I asked quickly, my mind spinning with this new information. "Why would she want to pass on a message and not tell me face to face?" I quizzed Dave as if he had the answers to everything, but then it hit me. She didn't think she was going to make it. My chest tightened. "I need to get to the hospital right now." I scrambled around in the van, picking up my stuff and trying to get out so I was able to drive. Dave grabbed me and sat me back in the chair.

"Cal, you need to calm down." He fought against me to keep me from getting into the drivers seat.

"Don't tell me what to do! This is Poppy we are talking about. Let me go!" I tried to pull myself away from him but his grip was too strong.

"You're not thinking straight!" Dave urged.

"Let me see her!!" I screamed at him, finally breaking free and shoving him away from me. I fumbled my way out of the car and opened the drivers side door, only for Dave to pull me back and slam me into the side of the car, anger obvious in his eyes.

"You're not in the frame of mind to drive." His voice was booming and infuriated. I fought against him once more.

"I need to see her!" I shouted again and just like that, I saw him snap for the first time.

"See what? Huh? See her on the operating table? See her as they slice her open and try to save her? What do you want to do? You couldn't help her then and you can't help her now!" He shouted at me, his arm pinning me to the car. "We all care for her but you're not going to help by acting like this. You'll get yourself and others hurt too!" The moment the words left his mouth he seemed to freeze, regretting what he had said. He took a few steps back and ran his hands over his face. I shook myself off and turned away from him.

"You know what? I'll walk."