Bashful - A Skephalo Story ❤️

Part 12

Darryl gripped Zak's hand tightly, as the nurse administered anaesthetic through a breathing mask. "I love you so much," he whispered fiercely, "everything's going to be okay. I'll see you soon, I promise!"

Zak just stared back, bemused by his carer's odd behaviour. He started giggling, slurring, "You're so funny..." As everything went dark.

"He's out, sir," the nurse informed Darryl, "please exit the theatre and wait in the main hospital area. If all goes to plan, you should be able to talk to Zeke again in an hour or so."

Ignoring the mistake the nurse made, Darryl reluctantly left the room and made his way to the hospital cafeteria, checking the clock on the wall. 'One hour is a fucking long time,' he thought angrily, ordering a salted caramel milkshake and blueberry muffin. When he had paid, Darryl walked over to a table near the window, in full view of the clock. He set down his order number and took out his phone, morosely opening Twitter.

His feed was full of conspiracies: that they were breaking up, running away to get married, going on a secret holiday, and many others.

'I wish,' he thought bitterly, scrolling through all of his fans' replies. Some were actually concerned and offered their support, which comforted him a little bit.

When the waiter brought over his order, Darryl nodded absently in thanks and started eating the muffin. Curious, he got his headphones out of his bag and plugged them into his phone, opening YouTube.

Scrolling through Skeppy's channel was like a walk down memory lane. He found the video he wanted: the last video Zak remembered making.

Darryl hit play, listening to Zak's voice ring out. "HEEEEYYYY! I banned hacker, I unbanned hacker, I banned hacker..." A tear slowly rolled down his cheek, quickly followed by more. He was worried sick; he just wanted to hold Zak close and say he was sorry. It was all his fault, he hadn't taken Zak to the doctor and he could lose his memory permanently - or worse...

Darryl sat this way for a while, listening to Zak's happy voice whilst he drank his milkshake, and watching the hands of the clock move round painfully slowly. It was full of sugar, supposed to be comfort food, but he just felt hollow inside.

After 45 minutes, Darryl couldn't stand to wait any longer. Closing YouTube, he turned off his phone and put it in his bag. Trying his best to walk slowly, he trekked back to the neurology department, right to the back by the theatre doors, where two flimsy yellow plastic chairs were placed. Sitting in the one nearest the door, he listened intently, trying to pick up what the surgeons were saying.

"... pulse is normal, scar tissue..."

Darryl almost cried with relief. Pulse normal! He hugged his knees to his chest, his mind more at ease.

"... still unresponsive, should be conscious by now..."

His heart plummeted. Unresponsive? Was Zak not going to wake up?

"... small shock, that should do it..."

The sound of electrical charging could be heard, then a sharp zap. Suddenly, the quiet was shattered with Zak's earsplitting scream.

"Zak! ZAK!" cried Darryl, banging on the door.

Dr. Snow sighed, unsurprised. She motioned for her assistant to check Zak was in a stable condition, then opened the theatre doors. "He's absolutely fine, love. Just a bit of a heavy sleeper," she chuckled. However, when Darryl went to go inside, she blocked his path. "He's absolutely fine, I promise," she said gently, "but you can't come in here. Why don't you head back to Zak's room? He should be along in 5 minutes or so."