Swell (Complete)

Chapter Fifty-Six (Part One)

"As the walls crashed down I felt it slip away,
Cause I went to hell and back just to be where I am today."

....

Tom sat on the donation chair and breathed steadily. Will was still in surgery, and apparently their blood wasn't as common as they had always assumed.
Or at least the hospital of a small town only had a couple of bags handy.
It worried Tom that they needed more than two bags of blood for Will, and it sickened him that he'd not seen Marti as the stalker.
She had set him up to take the fall; he could see that in hindsight. The talk about Will being in danger as long as he was with Adora, when all the time he had been in danger from their own little sister.
His parents sat together on some plastic chairs outside the hallway, Tom could see them through the window as his blood drained into a bag.
"How much does he need?" He asked the nurse.
"They've stopped the bleeding now, so it's just replenishing his body as best we can." She said grimly.
Tom felt sick. How long had Will been gone? He'd heard the bike in the morning, and gotten the text message about having the camera gear ready for Iain, not Will.
It had been Will's phone that had sent the text, so he'd not questioned it, but he knew now he should have.
Will's bike had never come home, Will's suit had been gone, but had that been packed away to be hidden?
"All done." The nurse smiled and put a cotton pad over Tom's inner elbow. "Hold this." She pulled the needle out of his arm and left him holding the cotton ball on his crease.

"Tom," Dodge's voice surprised him and he looked up from the cotton ball in surprise. Dodge grimaced as he stepped into the small room and let the door close behind him. "Have you got any news?"

Tom shook his head. "Not really. I just donated some blood, nurse says they've stopped the bleeding. But that's all I know."
"I'm sorry." Dodge took the seat in the corner of the room.
"So am I." Tom nodded and lifted the cotton bud. A pinprick of blood ballooned and he pushed the bud back down. "Marti had us all."
"Adora's fretting."
"She's alright?" Tom looked to the principal and felt a twinge in his stomach. Was it jealousy? Would Adora have been as worried as him if they had continued to date?
"She'll be fine. Just observation overnight." Dodge stood up and looked out of the window. "Do you think your folks know more about Will?"
"I honestly don't know, you can try." Tom shrugged and watched as Dodge left the room.
Adora was alright, and Marti was under arrest. He was in the clear now; nobody would doubt his innocence again.
He slumped back in the chair and closed his eyes.
Had his baby sister really killed people? Including trying to kill their brother.
Thinking of Marti as a murderer hurt more than Tom was ready for.
He took a deep breath before he got off the chair and left the room.
He jumped back as another gurney was rushed down the hall of the hospital.

"Debbie!" He saw the knotted blonde hair slip off the pale face and started to follow. He caught up enough to reach of her hand, but another hand stopped him.

He looked from the strong grip on his wrist to the man's face and his lips parted.
He let the man pull him away from the rushing nurses and doctors and stared limply after the wheeling bed.
"There's nothing they can do." The voice was soft and sorry.
"She's..." He felt his eyes stinging. Debbie had died suspecting he was the killer.
When had she died? The hand left his wrist and gently squeezed his shoulder as Debbie disappeared behind more doors.
"Over a day ago." The voice was grim and Tom felt incredibly alone.
Over a day ago?
If he and Debbie had still been together they would have been talking over a day ago, planning the dance.
The truth about his drunken amnesia had caused their break up.

Why had Marti killed Debbie?

***

Adora sat outside Will's room the next morning. She'd been cleared to go home, but she refused to go until Will at least woke up. She remained outside because Tom and his parents were all inside with him.
Debbie had drowned in the cave. Will would have been next if she hadn't tried calling him, if she hadn't looked down and seen his bike.
The thought made her stomach churn and she rocked on the chair. Her mother had brought her some warm clothes during the night while she slept.
Her dress had been packed roughly into a bag at some stage between the car crash and her waking up in the bed and a hospital gown.There was no love lost for the bloodied lace and tulle.
Mrs Taylor came out of the room and Adora bit her lip and looked up, expecting to hear that Will had woken up.
But she saw Mrs Taylor holding a phone to her ear and looked back down to the bandage on her arm.
She didn't dare ask if they'd heard about Marti.
Thinking of the name made her feel sick, let alone trying to care about the girl.
She felt wicked for being so mad, but Marti had tried to kill Brett, she had killed Gus and Debbie, and had almost killed Will.Adora's face contorted with anger and she jerked as she felt a hand touch her shoulder.
She spun around and saw Tom holding both hands up near his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Adora felt the anger dissipate and she wrapped her arms around Will's twin. "I'm so sorry, Tom." She felt his arms gently close around her.
"It's alright, Marti fooled us all, even had me wondering about my innocence." Tom pulled back and gave her a half smile. "He's awake, and asking for you."
Adora let go of a shuddering breath and gave Tom another hug before she hurried into Will's room.

His father was on the far side of the bed, holding Will's hand and moving some hair from his forehead. They both turned and looked to the door as she let it close behind her.
She took the seat closest to her and picked up Will's other hand. "Are you alright?" She whispered, holding their hand to her chin.
"Apparently." He smiled dryly and she tilted her head. "Are you OK?"
Her eyes blurred and she used a free hand to wipe at them as she nodded. "I crashed the car." She spoke shakily.
"I heard." Will looked from her to his father and then back again. "I'm grateful I know how to drive, it means you never have to have control of the wheel while I'm with you." He tried to sound like he was recovered enough to joke, but there was hardly any humour beyond his smile, and pain in his face as he tried a laugh.

She tried to smile back at him. "Do you know what happened?" She asked.
"Yea, most of it." He nodded with a frown. "I know I'm a kidney short now, but that's OK, I can survive on one."

Adora felt something slide down the side of her face.Dodge had told her Tom had needed to donate blood during the night. She hadn't realised how close Marti had been to adding another body to her count.
As if her own best friend, Gus and Debbie weren't enough to think about, Marti had almost killed her own brother.
"I'm so sorry, Will." She whispered. She barely noticed Mr Taylor leave them alone.
"Why? Marti's my sister..."
"She did this all because of me." Adora choked on the words.
Will tried to sit up and cringed before giving up and letting go of a shaky breath. "No, you didn't do anything to deserve the blame for this. Marti's obviously some kind of insane. Don't you dare think it's you," he reached his other hand over to her face and she leaned into his palm and sniffed.
"I'm just glad it's over and she's gone." Adora said quietly.
"You and me both." Will gave her a half-smile. "I've got to stay for a day or two, how about you?"
"I get to go home today."
"Swap?"
"Not a chance." Adora took Will's hand in hers and rested her head on his bed beside him. "I never want to feel that type of fear again."
"I hope you never do." She felt him shift slightly and then his chin on her head. She closed her eyes and listened to the machines in the room.
Almost a comforting sound after their ordeal the evening before.
So much for a romantic slow dance between them. Marti had ruined a lot of hopes and lives with her murderous claim to love.