| CLAIMED part three by Saimone "Where is he?" demanded an irritated voice. "Ben, this is what...the fifth time you've asked that? We don't know where he is!" replied Anna Maria. "And I'm going to keep asking it until he gets here!" Ben shot back. "Because we can't to a soundcheck without our singer; we can't have a practice session without our singer; we can't SING without our damned SINGER!" "Guys, cool it, please..." spoke up Karl. "He's probably just running late." They all glanced at the clock as he said this. It was 9:27. "He's probably still asleep!" Daniel groused, already thinking of ways to get back at his best friend. "I'm bored!" Ben stated. "We all are..." Lee replied. "Well, I'm gonna turn on the telly until he gets here. And when the DIVA finally does decide to show up, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" grumbled Ben as he made his way over to a small television in the corner of the practice room. The band members sat down to watch what was left of the Saturday morning cartoons. They hadn't been watching for ten minutes when a news bulletin came on and interrupted. "Aww man!" Ben complained, as once again his fun was spoiled. He was about to turn it off when Anna Maria stopped him. "Maybe there's a traffic jam or something... Lets just listen to what's going on--it could tell us why Darren's late." "I agree with Dan--the bum is still in bed!" "Shhhhh!" Karl said. "Yeah. Listen!" replied Daniel. " ...an accident on River Bridge has traffic backed up for more than two miles..." the TV was saying. "See! A traffic jam!" stated Anna Maria. "That's probably why Daz is late." "...a collision with a drunk driver has left one man dead, one man in custody, and a thrid in serious condition," stated a female news anchor, standing on scene at the Bridge. Behind her, one could see the tow truck and other emergency vehicles clustered about. The twisted mess of guard rail where a car had gone over the bridge was also clearly visible. Daniel gave a low whistle. "That looks bad..." he mused. The others nodded, but turned their attention back to the television where the anchor continued, "The drunken driver, driving down the center of the road, struck a taxi cab and managed to send it hurdling off of the bridge into the icy river below. The driver of the taxi, a man identified as Robert Hafstra, was killed intantly when the car impacted with the water..." "That poor man. Drunk drivers suck!" Lee stated, angrily. "...the passenger of the cab, Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes, was pulled out of the fridged waters and rushed to nearby Mercy Hospital..." "WHAT?!?" Ben yelled. "Oh my god, Dazza..." Daniel gasped. "Shh! Let's hear the rest of it!" snapped Karl. They instantly ceased talking. "...Hayes has been listed as being in serious condition. The other driver..." They had stopped listening by this point. "Darren! Oh Christ, Darren...We gotta get to him!" Daniel was trying not to visibly panic. "Mercy Hospital isn't that far from here," Lee spoke up. "We can be there in fifteen minutes." They were out the door and into the van in seconds. No one spoke much on the way to the hospital. They couldn't. Their fear and the tension hung heavily in the air, pressing upon them. The silence was only broken by Daniel's unconscious muttering, "He was in an accident...Hurt...Oh god, oh god.... Darren... He's going to be okay...Ok....he's going to be fine...." Daniel stiffened as Anna Maria slipped an arm around his shoulders. "You're right, Dan. Darren is going to be just fine. You'll see..." He turned glassy, unfocused eyes towards her, not realizing that he had been voicing his thoughts. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when Lee, who was driving, made a hard turn, throwing the people in the back of the van together. "Lee, man slow down!" Karl said. "Us wrecking isn't going to help Daz!" Lee didn't listen; if anything he went even faster. He didn't slow his breakneck speed until the van pulled into the parking ot of Mercy Hospital, narrowly missing a returning ambulance. As soon as Lee parked the van and killed the engine, the others quickly filed out and bolted through the parking lot. Daniel led the group's mad dash into the lobby where they descended on a hapless nurse. The unsuspecting nurse was able to point them in the right direction--Darren's hospital room. There they encountered the doctor that was currently monitoring Darren. He introduced himself as Dr. Wallis and, upon finding out who they were, gave them a synopsis on Darren's condition. "Mr. Hayes has suffered a sprained wrist, minor abrasions and lacerations, a gash to the head which required stitches. The blow to the head also resulted in a concussion," the doctor rattled off. Then he continued, "That's all minor really... What really worries me the most was your friend's over-exposure to the cold water. Because Mr. Hayes was in the river for well over ten minutes before the medical team pulled him out, we could be looking at a serious case of hypothermia." "Hypothermia?" "Yes, he is currently being treated for the early stages of the condition. We need to get his body temperature back up to normal levels." "Anything else we should know?" Anna Maria asked. "That's all for now. As we learn more about his condition, we'll let you know." "Thank you..." Daniel said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Can we see him now?" "That shouldn't be a problem..." Dr. Wallis, walking over to open the door to Darren's room. " But don't be alarmed when you enter. Mr. Hayes is unconscious; he lost consciousness moments after rescue and has yet to regain it..." "He's been out that long?" Ben demanded, his voice a little too loud. The doctor fixed him with a Look. "Yes, Mr. Hayes has been 'out' for that long. Its a common occurance in tramatic situations. When you enter the room, please be sure to keep your voices down." The group nodded and watched as Doctor Wallis opened the door and stepped in. They stood in the hall for a moment, steeling themselves before entering the room--not sure what to expect. As a unit, they walked towards the doorway and looked in. And gasped in shock... Daniel broke away from the group and immediately rushed to Darren's bedside, looking his friend over in shocked facination. Darren's eyes were closed and he was so very pale. His normally glistening black hair rested limply, a stark contrast to his pale, pale face and the white of the pillow. An oxygen tube kept him breathing fresh air, while a heart monitor recorded every flutter of his heart. Darren was bundled in many warm blankets, but every now and then small tremors would shake his frame. He looked so small and delicate resting quietly in that bed. Daniel knelt beside him and gently clasped Darren's hand. So fragile... Upon clocer inspection, Daniel could see that Darren's lips were still tinged blue from the cold. He also noticed a jagged, stitched up, inch-long gash which was partially covered hy his hair. Gently, Daniel brushed his hand through Darren's hair. "Daz," he spoke softly. "Dazzy, can you hear me?" If Darren heard the softly uttered words, he showed no sign. "Darren, wake up. Please..." There was still no movement from the bed. The others, by this time, had wandered over to the bed and watched silently as Daniel stroked Darren's hand and continued to talk to him in low, hushed tones. "When do you expect him to wake up?" Karl asked Dr. Wallis. "Really, we don't know. We're hoping that he'll regain consciousness at any time. We can only wait and see..." Karl nodded his thanks as the doctor left the room. Lee and Ben began to look around the room, uncertainly. They felt useless--there really wasn't anything for them to do. Anna Maria, sensing this and seing that Daniel might want to be alone, spoke up, "Lee, Karl, Ben?" They looked to her. "Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and get some coffee? I have a feeling that its going to be a long morning..." "Coffee?" Ben repeated hopefully. "Yeah, Ben. Coffee....You up for it?" Ben nodded and moved towards the door as Anna Maria looked inquisitively at the other two. Karl shrugged. Lee glanced over at Darren and asked, " What if he wakes up while we're gone?" "Then Daniel will take care of him," She looked to Daniel for confirmation. "Right, Dan?" He glanced up, puzzled. "Huh?" Anna Maria grinned at his confusion--it was a good distraction from her worry. "We're going to go and get coffee," she explained. "Are you going to be alright here and will you watch over Darren?" She already knew the answer to both questions. Daniel nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine..." he paused before adding, "And so will Darren." Now it was Anna Maria's turn to nod. "Okay. While we're gone, do you want anything? Besides Darren waking up... she mentally added. "No, thank you." She'd been expecting that answer, too. "We'll be back in a little while," she told Daniel, giving him a reassuring squeeze on the arm. He didn't notice because he was already back in his own little world. A world--Anna Maria knew--that centered around Darren; only Daniel didn't fully realize it yet, and neither did anyone else... The group slipped quietly out the door, leaving Daniel to resume his one-sided conversation in peace. "Darren, please..." |