Title: Green Apples - Part 3
Author: Angie
E-mail address: [email protected]
Category: Pacey/Joey
Rating: PG13
Warning: Touches on the very touchy subjects of death and religion.
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to Kevin Williamson, Paul Stupin, and the WB.
Summary: The gang is finally graduating! Everyone is planning on attending college together...except Pacey. Joey is upset, but love can withstand anything, including separation, right? But when the unthinkable happens in the lives of these six friends, will it cause Pacey to rethink his situation? Find out the answers in this new fan fiction series.
Author's Note: Dedicated to everyone who has provided me with feedback and encouragement!
The doctors continued to work with Joey. They had been giving her chest compressions, injections, and then had to shock her heart three times. The young doctor on call had nearly given up when he glanced back up at the monitor one final time. Just as he did, a middle-aged nurse spoke up.
"We've got a pulse!" she exclaimed.
It took them nearly twenty minutes to stabilize her. By that time Dawson was sure his heart had stopped as well. He had known what it was like to loose people that were close to him. Relatives. Friends. But loosing Joey? That was something he had never given a thought too. She was too feisty. They couldn't be loosing Joey. That just couldn't happen!
<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3
Jen looked at Jack and Pacey expectantly. The color had drained from Pacey's face.
"Guys?"
"Yeah," they both spoke at the same time.
"I just asked how Joey was...you didn't answer."
Pacey looked at Jack. 'Oh, please Jack! Please be the one to tell her. Please!!!' he thought, silently, with pleading eyes.
Jack nodded and Pacey was more than grateful.
"Jen..." Jack began, taking her hand.
"Oh, Jack! What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, terrified, tears springing to her eyes.
"Jen, the eighteen wheeler that hit you guys...well, it hit you on the passenger side."
"Jack...no...no..." she said shaking her head violently. "She's not...no...no...she can't be," she said nearly screaming the words.
"Jen...Joey's alive. Just calm down. Listen to me. Joey is alive. But...it looks really bad."
"Is she...is she um...conscious?"
"No. She's...in a coma," Pacey spoke up for the first time. His voice was barely above a whisper
Jen lept from her bed.
"Where are you going?" Jack asked.
"I'm going to see her. You are lying to me. She is fine. She has to be fine."
She got as far as the hall, dragging her IV Pole behind her, Jack and Pacey on her trail when a nurse stopped her.
"Mrs. Lindly, where are you going? You need to stay in bed."
She looked up at her. "Please...please..." she began with tears in her eyes. "I know all about rules and regulations, but I need to see my friend. I'll be fine, and I'll come right back. I just need to see her!" By this time Jen was sobbing.
The nurse knew exactly what had happened and she understood. "Stand right here," she said then walked a few feet to the nurses station. She returned to Jen pushing a wheelchair.
"Come on," she said in an understanding voice. "Sit down. We'll all go. It's the middle of the night so we'll just scoot down there and nobody will ever miss us," she said trying to sound as light as possible. She attached the IV bag to the pole that extended from the back of the wheelchair.
The nurse couldn't help but think about what the doctor had said. Jen had been ordered to rest until he returned the next morning. 'But sometimes there are exceptions,' she thought. 'And from what I have heard about the accident, if she doesn't see her friend tonight, she may not see her at all.'
Once they arrived downstairs, Jen was allowed a few minutes alone with Joey. Pacey and Jack stood outside the door with the kind-hearted nurse they had met only moments before.
Pacey turned to her. "I'm sorry ma'am. My name is Pacey. This is Jack."
"It is nice to meet both of you. I'm Linda."
"We want to thank you for allowing Jen to come down here. I don't think many people would have done the same."
"It's no problem at all guys," she responded with a sweet smile.
<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3
Jen just sat holding Joey's hand and staring blankly at her helpless form on the hospital bed before her.
'So this is true...Joey is really...' She couldn't even allow herself to complete that thought.
"Joey...Joey...I am so sorry. This is all my fault. How can I trade places with you? Oh, if only I could. What can I do???" Tears were spilling down her cheeks. For the first time since she had met the girl, Joey Potter had no response for her. She wouldn't argue, she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't, and couldn't do anything other than lay there.
A picture of grams flashed through Jen's mind. And her words of advise were louder and clearer than they had ever been.
Jen gazed upward. "God...I know you are there. You have to be there for me. Please...please don't let me friend die!"
<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3
It must have been about 10:00 before Pacey went home to take a shower and change clothes. Bessie could have sworn he made it home and back in less than 30 minutes. He returned carrying a plastic bag.
"Pace, visitation is in a few minutes. Would you like to go in first?" she asked.
"Sure...thanks, Bessie."
He entered Joey's room and sat in the chair beside her bed.
"Hey beautiful," he said taking her hand. There was, again, no response. Just the hum of the machines.
"I brought you something." He opened the bag and took out a granny smith apple. "You remember how much we loved these things as kids? I remember when you, and Dawson, and I would go visit my aunt in the country. You remember that, Jo? You remember that apple tree? We would pick green apples from that tree every day then sit on the back porch and eat them. Then when we were through we would chase Dougie through the house throwing the apple cores at him." Pacey smiled at the memory.
"We got in more trouble that way. I believe I can give you a detailed description of every corner in every room of my aunt's house."
"And you remember that time you got mad because Dawson and I wouldn't allow you in our tree house?" Pacey laughed. "You whizzed those apples one after the other up into that tree. I thought that knot on the back of my head and the bruise on my knee would never heal."
"Well...I got to thinking this morning that I never got a rematch. I'm a better aim than I used to be, Jo. What do you say?"
Nothing. No response. No movement. Just...nothing.
Pacey couldn't keep this up any longer. He crossed his arms over the edge of the bed, laid his head down, and wept softly.
<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3
Bessie visited Joey after Pacey returned to the waiting room. When she returned she was as white as a bed sheet.
"Bessie, honey?" Mrs. Leery said.
"The doctor just left," Bessie replied.
"What did he say about Joey?" Dawson asked her.
Bessie shook her head. "No change. He doesn't give us much hope."
Grams and Henry returned to the waiting room from seeing Jen just in time to hear this news. The entire room fell silent.
Grams spoke up. "Dear, we can't go in to see her again for nearly two hours. Go home and take a breather. I will be here for Josephine if she needs anything. And if there is any change I will call you.
Bessie thought about this. She did not want to leave her sister in this place alone. But, Alex...she needed Alexander there with her. "Well, Bodie and Alexander went home a couple of hours ago. I'll just run home, get a quick shower, get a change of clothes for tonight, and we will be back up here before time to see her again."
Bessie started to leave then turned around. "I just wanted to thank all of you for being here with us."
"Bessie, we love you guys! And none of us are leaving until we all do. We are going to be here with you," Andie said, and everyone nodded in agreement.
"And, if we need to sleep in shifts, we can do that too," Mr. Leery added.
"Thanks," Bessie said with a small smile and turned to leave.
On the way home she thought about her mom. 'Mom, I know you miss her. I know you do. But she is so young. I am taking good care of her. Or...at least I thought I was. Oh, how could I let this happen? God, please! I promise I am going to do better. My sister and I...we are a team. We need each other. Please don't let me loose her.'
<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3
"Bessie, you can't do that."
"Bodie, don't tell me that. I can and I am. It has been 12 hours since the accident. You know what the doctors are saying. And look at him!"
Bessie and Bodie were arguing over whether or not they should get a sitter for Alex or take him back to the hospital. Alex was standing in the door to Joey's room peering in. "Jo?" he asked softly.
"Bodie. I know he doesn't understand, but he also doesn't understand why she isn't here!"
Alexander must have commented on her absence a dozen times. He was still very young, but he could still tell when something wasn't quite right. He had never acted like this when Joey had been gone to school or anywhere else.
He made his way over to Bessie and pulled on the hem of her blue jean dress. "Mommy...Jo? Where is Jo?"
"They are not gonna let him into ICU. You know they aren't." Bodie stated.
"Yes they will. We'll just have to figure something out," Bessie answered.
<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3
'What is going on here?' Joey thought. Jen had been...praying? It sounded as though she said something about dying. Dying?!
She'd heard Pacey again too. His voice was barely recognizable as it sounded as though he had been...crying?
'Where am I?' she thought. 'I am here...but I'm not!'
She knew that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. But she wasn't gone either. Everyone was there...but they weren't.
Joey felt as though she had just entered the twilight zone...and there were no signs of an exit. Where was Pacey when she needed him. Oh, how she wished he were there to calm her fear.
<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3~*<3
End of Part Three.
Feedback is appreciated guys! =)
You can e-mail me at [email protected].