Rehab, Actors & Love

Waiting

Dylan's POV

As I quickly drove Della back to the center, I kept sending her worried glances. She leaned her head against the headrest as she squeezed her eyes shut. I reached over and grabbed her hand closest to me. She opened her eyes and sent me a small, painful smile.

"You're gonna be okay," I said softly. "We're almost there. Evan. . . Evan will know what to do."

She nodded as she leaned her head back against the headrest. I continually rubbed circles with my thumb on her hand, trying to calm myself down but also trying to comfort her. We were at the stoplight, right before the center, when I noticed a single tear slide down her cheek. I lifted our intertwined hands up to my lips and pressed a kiss against her knuckles.

The second the light turned green, I pushed my foot on the gas. I almost didn't care about the speed limit. All I cared about was getting Della back.

I quickly parked my car in front of the center and ran around to Della's side. I opened her door and reached up, cupping her cheek in my hand.

"Just hang in there, babe," I whispered, making her open her eyes. "Everything is going to be okay."

I helped her out of the car and gently wrapped my arms around her, leading her inside. I hesitated before deciding to walk her directly to Evan's office.

I held my breath as I knocked on his door. "Yes?" We heard from inside. Della glanced up at me as I opened the door.

"Della?" The panic in his voice said it all. He jumped up and quickly walked towards us. He instantly grabbed her face, gently looking her over. "What's wrong?"

Della tried to start talking but instantly winced in pain. Evan looked over at me, waiting for me to explain it for her.

"She was fine and suddenly started coughing up blood. She finally told me that her throat was bothering her a little and slowly got worse. I didn't know what to do," I started to stutter. "So, I brought her here."

"It's alright," Evan said, trying to keep Della and I both calm. "What you did was perfect. Della? I need you to nod yes or no to my next couple of questions. Does it hurt to speak?"

I held my breath as she nodded yes.

"What about to breathe?"

Della shook her head no, pulling herself closer into my chest.

"Good," Evan nodded, sending me a relieved look. He hesitated before asking, "What about to swallow?"

We waited as Della hesitated. My heart sank when she nodded. Evan carefully reached forward and put his fingers over Della's scars. I instantly saw the look on his face sink.

"Your vocal cords are throbbing," he said softly.

"I'm guessing by your tone that's bad?" I said, subconsciously wrapping my arms tighter around her.

"It's concerning," Evan said slowly. He hesitated before saying, "We have an ER here at the center. We should take her over there and have her looked at. Just to be sure."

I looked down to see a tear stream down Della's cheek. "Hey," I said gently, turning her towards me. "It's going to be okay, babe. I promise."

She nodded, leaning into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, looking up at Evan.

He bit his lip before saying, "Let's walk her over. The doctors know her situation. Once we get her situated and taken care of, I'll give her parents a call."

Della nodded, still leaning against my chest. Evan sent me a look before letting out the breath he was holding. Without another word, Evan and I led Della through the center to the hospital wing.

I was forced to wait outside in the waiting room as Evan went back with Della. Before she walked back, I pulled her into my chest and kissed the top of her head.

"It's going to be okay," I whispered. "I'll be right out here if you need me."

She nodded as she looked up at me. I sent her a small smile as I cupped her cheek in my hand. I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers in a soft kiss. When we pulled apart, I kissed her forehead before finally letting her go.

* * * * *

It's been about 45 minutes since Evan took Della back. I tried to calm myself down, but I kept nervously glancing at the door they walked through, waiting for Evan to come out and give me an update.

I scrolled through my phone, mostly looking at pictures of Della and me, trying to distract myself. I looked up when I heard someone call my name.

"Dylan?"

I sighed when I saw Jack and Jason jogging towards me.

"What happened?" Jack asked harshly.

"Is she okay?" Jason asked, softer than his brother.

"I don't know," I sighed, wishing I had better news. "Evan is back there with her now. All I know is she was having pain all day but didn't tell me until she started coughing up blood."

"What?" They said in sync.

"Della was coughing up blood?" Jason's voice got caught in his throat.

"Hey," I said, gently. "Listen to me, it's going to be okay. Della is going to be fine."

I looked up when I noticed the older woman smiling at me. "You must be Dylan. I'm Della's mom, Amber. I've heard wonderful things about you."

"Nice to meet you," I said politely as I shook her hand.

Before we could say anything else, Evan finally walked out into the waiting room. My heart jumped into my throat as I waited for him to walk over and update us.

"Mrs. Palmer," Evan smiled, shaking Della's mom's hand. He glanced over at the boys and smiled. "Nice to see you two again."

"How is she?" Jack blurted out.

"Is she okay?" Jason asked softer.

"She's fine," Evan said causing all of us to visibly let out sighs of relief. "She stopped taking her medication a few days ago, as scheduled, and she was having a reaction to the withdrawal."

"So, she's alright? Everything's normal?" I asked.

"Can she still come home?" Jason asked before Evan could answer my question.

"Yes," Evan nodded. "Della is still able to go home tomorrow. But, I do have to warn you that due to the effect of the medication, the next couple of days will be rough on her. That doesn't mean she's hurt or getting worse. It's just her body adjusting to not taking soothing medication every day."

The boys let out matching sighs of relief, but I could tell that wasn't what they wanted to hear.

"Would you like to see her?" Evan asked, the boys instantly perking up. They nodded as they started heading towards the door.

"Would you like to come, Dylan?"

I turned to see Della's mom smiling at me. "You guys go on ahead. I'm sure the boys would rather see their sister first. I can. . . I can talk to her later."

She nodded and was about to follow after the twins, but stopped and turned back towards me.

"Dylan," she said, turning back towards me. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for Adeline. I know you blame yourself for the accident and everything, but I just want you to know that none of us do. You changed her life. In more ways than one."