by J. O Mantel
“Sienna, stop! This isn’t helping the situation, and it’s not good for the babies either.”
Sienna looked down at her belly, but that just made her more emotional as she thought about Lukas. She looked back at the TV and could see Annie now being raised onto the chopper.
“Those waters would be freezing, Ivy. What if-?”
“Don’t you even go there, Sienna,” Ivy said. “Have you called Jake?”
Sienna shook her head, Ivy grabbed her cell and dialed Jake’s number.
“Voicemail,” she said looking at Sienna.
“What if they can’t find him, Ivy? What if he’s stranded on an island with no food, water or medical supplies? What if there’s another storm?”
“Sienna, Hon, you really need to calm down. This stress isn’t good for you.”
Ivy helped Sienna to her feet and over to the sofa. She went to the kitchen and poured her some water.
“Here, drink this,” she said, handing Sienna the glass and sitting down beside her.
Sienna’s hand trembled as she held the glass, she quickly placed it on the coffee table in front of her before it slipped from her fingers.
“I don’t know what I’ll do if they can’t find him, Ivy.”
“Sienna, listen to me. They’re going to find him, okay? He’s probably being rescued as we speak.”
“Then why haven’t they said it on the news? Why are they focusing on Tyler and Dave? I’m not an idiot, Ivy. And stop treating me like glass, I’m not going to break.”
“As you can see from these images, the captain, Tyler Peters and Dave Michaels have safely been rescued from the Caribbean after their boat was caught in a vicious storm overnight. The search is still on for lead singer and guitarist Lukas Dark and second guitarist, Matt Wills who were both thrown overboard during the ordeal. No word yet on their whereabouts,” the anchorman said.
Sienna put her head down and cried. Ivy wrapped her arms around her and comforted her with a tight hug.
Ivy dialed Jake’s number again, but again it went straight to his voicemail. “Hey, Jake its Ivy. Can you please give me a call as soon as you get this message? Thanks.”
She put the phone down and looked at Sienna.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” She asked.
“No! You have Dick to worry about, you don’t need to babysit me,” Sienna replied.
“I’m not babysitting Hon, I’m just worried about you. I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“Ivy, I’m fine. I just want to make sure that Lukas is all right and then I’ll stop worrying.”
“Why isn’t Jake answering his phone?” Ivy asked.
“He’s on tour in Europe at the moment, he’s probably busy. And what difference does it make? This is about Lukas, not Jake. I’m sure it’s all over the news everywhere by now. When Jake gets a chance, I’m sure he’ll call me,” Sienna said. She got up and started pacing the room, Ivy didn’t know what else she could do other than offer her support and comfort.
“Have you had breakfast?” Ivy asked.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Babe, you have to eat something.”
“I’m not hungry, Ivy,” Sienna snapped.
She looked at Ivy apologetically; “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Don’t apologize.”
“I think I’m just going to go and lay down,” Sienna said, rubbing her belly and heading for her room.
“I know you’re not hungry, but I’ll make you a sandwich anyway. You can have it when you wake up if you’re feeling hungry.”
“Thanks, Ivy.”
She smiled at Ivy and closed her bedroom door. She pulled back the covers and lay down on the bed. She knew that she wasn’t going to get any sleep, but she didn’t want to keep watching the TV, in fear of bad news and losing her shit with Ivy. At least this way, she wasn’t in her face and she minimized the risk of any potential arguments.
It was sometime later when Ivy knocked on the bedroom door. There was no answer so she quietly opened the door and looked inside, Sienna was sound asleep. Ivy tiptoed inside her bedroom holding a sandwich, being careful not to make a sound and wake her. She approached the side of the bed and placed the plate gently down on the bedside table beside her. Ivy looked at Sienna, her face was red from all the crying, she pulled the hair out of her face and slowly pulled the covers up.
“He’s going to be all right,” Ivy whispered as she kissed Sienna on the forehead.
She slowly crept out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.
As Ivy prepared herself some lunch, cleaned around the house and folded Sienna’s laundry, her attention was drawn to the television a few hours later as the anchor-man appeared on the screen with another breaking news announcement.
“In further breaking news. After a five hour search, we have reports that missing band members Lukas Dark and Matt Wills have been found. Their condition is not yet known, but we have reports that they have both been airlifted to New York’s Presbyterian Hospital for treatment.
Ivy dropped the laundry basket and ran over to Sienna’s bedroom. She burst open the door and ran inside.
“Sienna! Sienna!” She yelled, frantically shaking Sienna, waking her.
“Huh?” Sienna replied, sleepily.
“He’s been found! They found Lukas,” Ivy said.
“What?” Sienna’s face lit up with shock.
“Come on, get dressed and I’ll drive us to the hospital.”
Sienna quickly changed her clothes, grabbed her purse and phone and then raced out the front door. Ivy locked the door, jumped in the car and the two of them headed for the hospital.
Sienna ran through the doors at New York’s Presbyterian Hospital. She raced over to the nurses’ station and started yelling at one of the nurses.
“Where is he?” She asked, frantically.
“Pardon me?” One of the nurses asked.
“Lukas. Where is he?”
“Sienna calm down,” Ivy said, finally catching up to her.
“Lukas Dark,” Ivy told the nurse.
At that moment a crash cart came through the same doors Sienna had just ran through. She turned, just as two stretchers were being wheeled into the wing. On the first one was Matt, he had a breathing apparatus fixed to his nose and mouth and a few scratches on his face, his eyes were open. Behind him lay Lukas, he had tubes attached to his chest and the same breathing apparatus attached to his face, one of the paramedics looked as though they were pumping oxygen through a large tube. His eyes were closed and he appeared non-responsive.
“Lukas? Oh my God, Lukas?” Sienna yelled frantically, trying to grab his hand. Ivy pulled her back as the doctors and nurses wheeled him away.
“Lukas? Wh-where are they taking him?” Sienna asked one of the nearby nurses.
“The O.R,” the nurse answered.
“O.R?” Sienna repeated.
“Hon, sit down-”
“No, Ivy! What’s happened, why is he in the O.R?” Sienna asked the nurse.
“Miss please,” the nurse replied, not answering her question.
Soon the crash carts and stretchers disappeared through the doors and Sienna walked over to the nurses’ station.
“What’s going on? Why won’t anyone talk to me?” Sienna pleaded.
“Sienna, babe you need-”
“Don’t tell me I need to calm down Ivy. I want someone to give me a straight answer,” she snapped but Ivy ignored it, she knew Sienna was distraught and meant nothing by her tone.
“I’m sorry, are you and Mr. Dark related?” The nurse asked.
“I’m his girlfriend and the mother of his children,” Sienna blurted out.
Ivy looked at her, horrified. Sienna knew what she had just said, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was answers, she wanted to know what happened to Lukas.
“Ma’am, please take a seat and I’ll have one of the doctors come and talk to you as soon as he’s out of surgery.”
/> Ivy pulled Sienna by the arm and the two of them sat down on some nearby seats.
“Why won’t anyone tell me anything, Ivy? Something’s happened, I know it.”
“Sienna, please. You really need to calm down, this extra stress isn’t good for you or the babies. Maybe they don’t know anything yet, I mean you just saw Lukas being wheeled into the O.R, and they haven’t even had a proper chance to look at him yet.”
Sienna stood up and started pacing the corridor, waiting for a doctor. Every time one turned a corner, her heart would stop.
She finally sat back down next to Ivy and tried to remain still, but she kept fidgeting.
“You must be exhausted. Why don’t you lay down and have a nap, you can rest your head on my thighs.”
“No. I want to make sure I’m awake when he’s out of the O.R.”
“Sienna, I’ll wake you the minute the doctor comes out.”
Sienna was hesitant, but she was tired. Since she found out about the accident all she had done was cry and make herself exhausted.
“Promise?” Sienna asked.
Ivy nodded.
Still not entirely satisfied, Sienna placed her feet on top of the seats and lay across them and rested her head on Ivy’s thighs. As Ivy stroked her cheek gently and pulled her hair behind her ears, Sienna finally drifted off to sleep.
It was at least two hours later when one of the doctors walked over to Ivy and Sienna. Ivy shook Sienna gently to wake her and she sat up.
“I understand you’ve been enquiring about the condition of Lukas Dark?” The doctor asked.
“Yes, how is he?” Sienna asked, standing up.
“Are you his wife?” He asked.
“I’m his girlfriend, Sienna,” She replied.
He looked at her and could see that she was pregnant, “Sienna, please sit down,” he said.
“My name is Dr. Evans, I operated on Lukas when he was brought in.”
“Is he all right?” Sienna asked.
“Sienna, when Lukas was brought into us, his condition was serious. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but when he was thrown overboard he hit his head on the railing, knocking him unconscious. When he went into the water, he was lying face down. Matt managed to find him, but Lukas had already been in the water for some time. Matt quickly swam to shore, but Lukas had swallowed a lot of water.”
“Wh-what does all this mean?” Sienna asked confused.
She was about to burst into tears, Ivy grabbed her hand and clasped their fingers together.
“Sienna, when Lukas hit his head, he sustained some injuries.”
“Injuries? What kind of injuries?” Sienna asked, almost in tears.
Dr. Evans took a deep breath and looked at both Sienna and Ivy.
“Sienna, Lukas had some severe swelling to his brain. Because of its location and the severity of the situation I had to wait before I could operate.”
Sienna squeezed Ivy’s hand tight, causing her to gasp slightly.
“In English please Dr. Evans,” Ivy asked.
“Basically, due to the length of time he was out at sea and unconscious, it increased the pressure and swelling to his brain. I can’t be certain of the full extent of damage until he recovers from the surgery.”
Sienna’s lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears, and they started streaming down her face.
“Are you-” she began to cry. “Are you saying he could have brain damage?” She asked.
Dr. Evans didn’t say anything, he sat there and looked at Ivy and Sienna.
“Dr. Evans?” Sienna repeated.
“I did manage to reduce the pressure to his brain. Right now I can’t be certain for sure about any long term damage. All we can do now is wait until he regains consciousness, and give him love and support.”
“What happens if he doesn’t regain consciousness?” Sienna asked.
“We’ll deal with that when, and if, the time ever comes.”
“Can I see him?” Sienna asked.
“He’s still in recovery. Once he’s in his room, I’ll have one of the nurses come and get you.”
At that moment his pager beeped, he excused himself and disappeared somewhere near the nurses’ station.
“Ivy, did you hear what he just said? Lukas could have brain damage,” Sienna cried, as she leaned into Ivy.
Ivy comforted her as best she could, gently rocking her. It was difficult for Ivy to hold back her tears also, it pained her to see Sienna like this. But she too was scared for Lukas.
By the time Lukas was out of recovery, and in his own room, it was the early hours of the evening. Sienna and Ivy sat on two chairs next to Lukas’s bed. Sienna was exhausted, the twins had been moving around and kicking all afternoon and she was constantly rubbing her belly.
She got up and slowly walked around the room, stretching her legs and back before sitting back down again.
“I’m going to go and get something to eat, do you want anything?”
“No, I’m all right,” Sienna replied.
“Sienna, you haven’t eaten since we left the house, you need to keep your strength up,” Ivy replied.
“I guess you’re right. Just get me a sandwich or something light. I don’t know if I can eat anything else.”
“Be back soon,” Ivy said kissing Sienna on the cheek. As she walked by the bed she grabbed Lukas’s hand and gently squeezed it, before walking out of the room and shutting the door.
Sienna moved closer to the bed, she grabbed Lukas’s hand and covered it with kisses, and then brushed it against her cheek.
“Lukas. Babe, I don’t know if you can hear me right now, but please, please wake up. I really need you right now, I just need you to wake up and be the man that I love. The man that can make everything all right again. The man that… ” she started crying and placed her hand over her mouth.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go on that stupid fishing trip, this is all my fault. If only I’d tried harder, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
She looked up at his face, it was badly bruised and swollen, and his head had a bandage wrapped around it. His chest was covered in tubes and his arm was attached to a drip. A tear streamed down her cheek as she kissed his fingers.
“I love you Lukas. Please know that I love you, and our children love you. I know we still don’t know who their real father is, but I know it’s you, I can feel it.”
She gently placed his hand back on the bed and she rested her head on his stomach, she lay there with her eyes closed listening to the beeps of the heart monitor.
A few minutes later Ivy returned, she was holding a sandwich in one hand and a bottle of fruit juice in the other. She placed them on the table beside Lukas’s bed, just as Sienna lifted her head.
“Hey,” Ivy said.
“Hey.”
“I got you a sandwich and something to drink,” Ivy handed them to her.
“Thank you,” Sienna whispered.
“Still no change?” Ivy asked.
Sienna shook her head.
She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite out of it, she was starving, and it was good to finally have something to eat.
“Hon, why don’t you go home and be with Dick and your parents. I’m okay here.”
“Absolutely not! I’m not leaving you alone,” Ivy insisted.
“I’m not alone, Lukas is here. And besides, there’s nurses around in case anything happens. Go, I’ll call you if I need anything.”
Ivy had to admit she was pretty tired. All the stress, crying and running around really took its toll on her today. She was looking forward to a good night’s sleep, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Sienna.
“Go,” Sienna said, seeing the look of hesitation on her face.
Ivy grabbed her purse, keys and phone. She kissed Sienna on the cheek and then leaned over the bed, kissing Lukas on the cheek also.
“I’ll swing by your place and bring you a fresh change of clothes tomorrow,” Ivy said, as she opened
the door.
“Thanks, Ivy,” Sienna replied.
Ivy whispered “Goodnight,” and closed the door behind her.
Sienna stood up and walked over to the closet. She opened the door and grabbed the two pillows and blanket that were resting on the upper shelf. She placed the pillows on the headrest of the seat she had been sitting on and unfolded the blanket. She made herself as comfortable as she could and wrapped the blanket around herself.
Other than the distant sounds of voices coming from the nurses’ station, the only other noise was the beeping of the monitors in the room. She wriggled around in the chair and adjusted the pillows, trying to make herself more comfortable, but it was as good as it was going to get.
She rested her head on the pillows, and after much tossing and turning, she finally managed to shut her eyes and fall asleep.
The following morning Sienna woke up and found Dr. Evans and a nurse standing at the end of Lukas’s bed, looking over his notes. Sienna quickly sat up and looked at Dr. Evans.
“Is there any news?” She asked.
“Nothing yet, Sienna. He’s still unconscious.”
“What about the swelling to his brain?” She asked.
“It appears to have gone down a little overnight, which is a good sign that he’s recovering.”
“So why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Sienna asked, concerned.
“The brain is a very delicate organ, Sienna. Unfortunately we can never predict how it’s going to respond to anything.”
Sienna sat there and looked at Dr. Evans, confused.
“It’s complicated, Sienna. But the good news is that the swelling has gone down, so it’s just a matter of waiting now.”
“How long do we wait?” Sienna asked.
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that.”
He made some final notes on the board, and then hooked it back onto the railing at the end of the bed. The nurse checked all of Lukas’s vitals and with one last look at Sienna, the two of them left the room.
Ivy came to visit that afternoon, after work. She brought Sienna a change of clothes and toiletries, and she also brought some clothes for Lukas.
By the early hours of the evening, dinner was served to the other patients. Lukas was still unresponsive and Sienna hadn’t left his side since he had been admitted.
