A few hours after Jeff and Jane had got home, Jeff's mobile buzzed, he answered quickly when he saw it was the hospital calling, Jeff listened and his face dropped, his eyes filled with tears as he slumped into a chair, shock was setting in.
"It's bad news, Richard may not survive the night, he has a bad bleed on the brain, they have scanned his head and they want me or us to return to be with him before it's . . . " Jeff could not say the words or even think them as he informed Jane.
"OH Shit" replied Jane.
Jeff and Jane returned to the hospital ward, Richard had been moved back into intensive care, he was wired to various monitors which bleeped away, breaking the silence in the ward.
Jeff and Jane got no response from Richard, his eyes were open as he looked through both of them, his eyes cold and fixed, staring out.
Jeff was worried and Jane tried to comfort him with her words, saying Richard was a fighter a survivor, he would come through this, but as she spoke alarms started going off from the machines hooked up to Richard's body.
Richard's bedside was filled with nurses and doctors as Jeff and Jane looked on, helpless. Richard started to shudder and shake violently, then as quick as it started Richard stopped shaking, still as a statue.
Doctors and nurses acted in a flurry of activity, then one spoke.
"Sorry, Richard has gone!"
Jane lost it and tears ran from her eyes as she shouted "NO, no, no!".
Jeff hugged Jane as his eyes filled too.
Richard was gone, Richard was dead, gone before he was 21!
To be continued . . . . .
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