By Lisey
Dedications: To all the Ben and Bron fans out there, we fought the good
fight and won!!!!!!
Bron smiled to herself and she surveyed the sleeping child. 5 year old, blonde
haired, blue eyed, Dylan Brady had stolen her heart the minute he was admitted
the previous day, for tests after an unexplained fever. She pulled the cover up
further and brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead, before turning off
the lamp and leaving the room. She stifled a ywan as she made her way to the
nurses station.
Connor looked up as she appraoched "Hows he doing?" he enquired
"Sleeping like a baby" she answered with a smile
Jared stood and stretched "Poor kid he really misses his dad" he mused
"Well is he's as big a dead-beat as the mother said, he's better off
without him" Connor said
"Bue Dyaln doesn't know that" Jared argued
"ladies please!" Bron held up her hand "Why don't you go out and
get some fresh air. I'll hold down the fort here"
"Bron your one in a million" Jared stated matter of factly, Connor
just blew her a kiss. She laughed, shook her head and went to make a coffee.
***
"Brr" Connor rubbed his hands together "It's cold"
"You have a real talnt for stating the obvious Connor" Jared said
"Well ecc-cuse me for breathing!"
"Just don't do it again"
"Jared why don't you..."
"Are you 2 at it again?" They turned and saw Ben and Scott standing
there with amused expressions on their faces.
***
Bron was just coming out of the tea room when she heard a noise coming from
Dylans room.
***
Meanwhile outside the boys were still talking, when Doug, a security guard who
is well-known to them all, came up to the group.
"We've had reports of man hanging around, acting suspiciously. Have you
guys seen anything?"
All 4 shook their heads no
"we'll keep a lookout though" Jared told him
"And we'll tell Bron too" added Connor
***
Bron opend the door to the room and shone the flashlight in. Dylan was asleep in
the bed. Bron smiled, then seeing he had kicked off the covers, entered the room
leaving the door open, but not noticing it close behind her. She stood watching
the sleeping child, when someone grabbed her from behind and a large hand closed
over her mouth, muffling her scream. She felt something sharp biting her neck
"Make a sound and I'll kill you" someone hissed into her ear.
Brons eyes were getting used to the dark.
"Now I'm gonna let you go now, but remember, one false move, the slightest
sound and I won't hesitate to kill you. Understand?" Bron nodded in
agreement "Good" her Captor relesed her from his stronghold, she
turned to face him.
"Hel-lo gorgeous! Looks like I've got me keeper!" he leered at her.
"who are you?" she asked
"The names Wayne, Wayne Brady. Dylans me kid"
Bron recalled in horror all the terrible things, Denise, Dylans mother had told
her about her former boyfriend. Wayne saw her expression.
"I suppose Debise has ben telling you what a bastard I am. Bitch, deserved
what she got. Hse's gonna pay for taking Dyaln away from me" he focused on
the sleeping child. Bron saw an opprtunity to escape, she made a run for the
door, but Wayne was too quick for her. She made it as far as the door and
fumbled to open it,. Wayne grabbed her and slmmed her against the door, his
hands closed around her throat. "I warned you" he sneered "Didn't
I tell you one false move and I'd kill you?" he let go of her throat and
carressed the contours of her face, then he brought his lips down on hers,
forcing his tongue into her mouth. His hands started wandering down the the
buttons on her shirt, he was distracted when Dyaln woke up.
"Daddy?" Dylan asked frightend by what was happening. Waynes face
softend.
"Hey matey! How's my boy?"
Bron pressed a hand to her mouth and desperately tried not to vomit.
"What's on daddy?" Dylan asked
"we're going on a little trpi Matey. Would you like that?"
Dylan nodded then said "what about Nurse Bron?"
"She's coming with us" Wayne replied giving her a look that made her
shudder "Get the kid dressed" he ordered, Bron hesitated
"Now!"
"I'm not your slave! Do it yourself" Bron retaliated.
Wayne pressed her up against the door, and put his hand on her breast
"Feisty little thing aren't you 'Nurse Bron'I like that. As soon as we get
where we are going, I'm going to show you how much. Now get the kid
dressed"
****
"So Benjamin, what's going on with you and our Bron?" Connor asked
mischeivously
Ben opend his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Brenda Blair.
"Shit! Here's trouble" Jared commented
"And she's breathing fire" Connro said
"Mr Levine, Mr Costello. Just what exactly do you think your doing?"
"we're just getting some fresh air" Jared replied
"And just hwo is looking after your ward?" Brenda was incensed
"Brons there" Connor tried to explain
"No she's not" Brenda retorted
"What do you mean, No she's not. We just left her up there"
.
Ben sat in the tea room of War 17, his head in his hands. "I found some
blood", echoing through his head.
Von stood in the doorway and watched him for a few seconds before making her
presance known.
"Here, drink this" she said placing a styrofoam cup in front of him.
"Von!" he sounded somewhat dazed "thanks" he said before
taking a sip and grimacing "ugh, that's sweet".
Von nodded her head "It'll help with the shock" she said "Soooo
wanna talk about it?"
"What's there to talk about" Ben said trying to sound vague
"Bron's missing, I'm sorried about her. End of story"
"Oh right," Von said trying to suppress a smile Your just worried
about her, that's it?"
Ben just grunted in reply "Come on Ben, I didn't come down in the last
shower. Why don't you do us all a favour and admit your in love with the
girl!"
At this Ben's head snapped up and her opend his mouth to deny it, but changed
his mind, :is it that obvious?"
"Only to the trained eye" Von replied "Does she know?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders "She did"
"Did?"
"I don't know alright!" Ben finally lost it "I don't know
anything anymore! All I know is that I love her and I want to be with her, but
she's out there somewhere thinking I don't."
"Well tell her that" Von said logically
"What if it's too late? What if something's happend to her?" Ben
panicked
"What if Connor was actually born male?" at this Ben couldn't help but
crack a smile, Von reached out to lay her hand on top of Ben's.
"she's going to be just fine"
Ben stood to leave "Thanks Von"
"Any time" Von smiled to herself as Ben left the room.
****
Ben walked into the main area of Ward 17, and surveyed the scene before him.
Police were still milling about, looking for evidence. His heart caught in his
throat, as he looked at the doorway sealed off from the rest of the world by
police tape. He pictured her in that room, terrified, with some maniac standing
over her. He could hear her scream as a knife sliced into her.
He closed his eyes and saw Bron again. He pictured her face when they were
making love, she was so beautiful and it was so perfect, "I'm such an
idiot" he thought to himself.
He felt the tears stinging his eyes and her quickly looked away.
He saw Scott, Jared and Connor were talking to the detective in charge of the
case, Detective Harris. From the looks on their faces, it wasn't good news. He
walked over to them, his footsteps echoing in his ears.
"What's going on?" he asked
"I'm going to check the grounds again, but I'll need to get a statement
from you as well" detective Harris said before departing
What-is-going-on?" Ben repeated annunciating every word.
Jared and Connor were obviously in no fit state to speak, so Scott spoke up his
voice wavering slightly.
"umm, the preliminary tests on the blood are back"
"And?"
"Both Dylan and Wayne Brady are type o positive, and Bron is ah AB
negative, it's a pretty rare blood type"
Ben suddenly felt sick to his stomach, "What type was the blood they
found?"
There was a momentary pause before Jared said "AB negative"
Ben fought the urge to panic "Oh god, but wait. I mean it doesn't mean
anything, she could've cut herself or..." Ben was losing his fight, Scott
interrupted him.
"Ben they're officially calling it a murder investigation"
>
The soun of metal scraping aginst metal.
The unmistakable odour of death and deacy.
The queasiness that had started earler, had now become a permanent resident in
the pit of his stomach.
He stared at the sheet covered lump on the metal drawer. He focused on what
appeared to be the face. A lump for a nose, 2 indentation where the eyes are and
a glimpse of coppery red hair.
"it's funny" he thought to himself "I've seen more bolld, guts
and gore than I can count, and it's never bothered me, but now..."
"Are you ready?" Detective Harris asked him.
"Yes, let's get this over with" he replied
Harris nodded at the mortician, who stepped up to the body and pulled the sheet
back, concealing it's identity.
He held in his breath, as he took in the features of the young woman. The big
blue eyes, wide and unstaring, the read hair caked with blood and streaked with
dirt.
He could feel the bile rising in his throat. He made it to the toilet with only
seconds to spare, before he was violently scik over and over and over again.
When he had nothing, save his internal organs left to bring up, he managed to
stand and make his way to the basin. He rinsed his mouth and bathed his face.
They were waiting for him. "well?" Harris asked "was it
her?"
***
The hallway outside the morgue was crowded. Ben leant against the wall, numb.
Connor paced the hallway up and down, back and forth.
Jared stared at a spot on the wall.
Scott picked at an empty styro-foam cup.
Von watched Ben and the emotions that played on his face.
The silence was broken when Connor suddely laughed out loud. "She told me a
joke the other day, it was prett bad. I have 80 legs, 50 arms and 10 heads, what
am I?"
"You don't want me to answer that" Von said wryly.
"A Liar!" Connor exclaimed before bursting into a fit of hysterical
laughter. His laughter only lasted seconds, before he burst into tears.
"Oh Connor" Terri said before going over and trying to soothe him
"let is all out"
The door to the morgue slowly opend. They all loked up expectantly.
Ben could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
"Well, was it..." Jared trailed off.
Professor Richard Craig looked at the sea of faces before him. Bronwyn's
friends, her 'real' family. For some strnage reason he found himself wanting to
be a part of it. But for now all he could do was to give them some relief.
"No, no it's not her" he said, his own relief evident in his voice.
***
Bron struggled out of a restless sleep. The car had come to a stop. They were
somewhere in the Blue Mountains, by the look of it. She winced as she stretched
her neck, the action had pulled at the deep wpound inflicted by Waynes knife.
She felt weak from blood loss. Thankfully it had missed the veins and all vital
organs.
"Come on Nurse Bron" Wayne said "We're on foot from here on
out."
***
"I can't stand this!" Jared exclaimed "at least if that..."
he paused for a second "had been her, we'd know. We wouldn't be sitting
here wondering"
"So what are you saying?" Connor asked "that you want Bron to be
dead?"
"Don't be stupid Connor, you know what I'm saying" Jared snapped back.
"Oh so now I'm stupid, well if I'm stupid you're..." he was cut off by
an irate Scott.
"Would you 2 shut up! Al you ever do is fight"
"Well all you ever do is eat!" Connor retorted
Everyone laughed at the comment
"I do not" Scott replied
Ben couldn't resist "Scotty if your njot shooting your mouth off, you're
stuffing it!"
"And all you ever do is chase after Bron" Scott teased, but at the
mention of her name the mood once again sobered.
"any news?" Mitch asked as he cmae back into the room.
"not yet" Von replied.
Glenys came running into the room "Mitch, Brons on the phone. It's urgent.
Something about Dylan"
"Find Harris" Mitch told her "Who's coming?"
Everyone followed Mitch to the desk "Bron are you okay?" thney held
their breath waiting for an answer "She's fine,. Bron look you have to get
Dylan to a hospital, he's got aplastic anaemia"
***
Wayne grabbed the phone off Bron "Why is Dylan so sick?"
***
"Wayne, we have to get your son to the hospital, he urgently needs a bone
marrow transplant" Mitch said
"No way I'm not stupid. I know if I go anywhere near that hospital, the
cops will be all over me"
"If you don't, he'll die. He's a very sick little boy. And what about Bron?
She doesn't sound too good either. Do you want Murder charges hanging over your
head?"
Wayne thought for a moment "No, I love my kid Doc. That's what this is all
about. I hate not being able to see him."
"Then bring him back Wayne. Give him the best possible chance" Mitch
said
There was a long silence "alright...." Wayne was cut off when Harris
grabbed the phone off Mitch and snarled:
"I'm coming after you, you sonofabitch! Do you hear me? Wayne? He hung
up!"
Mitch was livid "Congratulations Harris! I had managed to convince him to
bring them back, but now you've probably killed them"
***
A couple of hours had passed since the phone call, and there was still no word.
"Von why don't you go home?" Terri asked "I'll call you with any
ne..." she was cut off when the crash doors swung open, and a very pale and
weak looking Bron staggered in with Dylan in her arms.
"Bron! Oh my god get Mitch!"
she said to Von taking Dylan from Bron.
Ben came running "Bron! Oh my god" he swept her into his arms and held
onto her for dear life.
"Ben" Bron managed to croak. She pressed her face into his chest and
cried. Suddnely her legs gave out from under her. Ben scooped her up
"Take her into room 1" Terri told him
Ben carried her into the room and kicked the door shut, and placed her on the
bed.
He smoothed her hair back from her face "Are you alright?" he asked
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to go home"
"We need to talk" he said
"You're right we do, but not here" she replied
"Later then, but I want to say one thing. When I told I love you, I meant
it"
" I know that" she said softly.
Just then the door opend and Connor and Jared rushed in, followed by Mitch.
"Bron! Thank God" Connor said pulling her into a hug.
"Are you ok?" jared asked her
"Yes I'm fine" Bron said
"Well I want to take a lok at you anyway" Mitch told her "That
cut on your neck looks nasty"
"We'll wait outside" Jared sauid pushing Ben and Connor towards the
door.
"You want to talk about it?" Mitch asked her after they were alone.
"Not really, is Dylan alright?" Bron asked
"He'll be fine now. You just concentrate on yourself for a while"
Mitch said.
***
Ben had been waiting to see Bron fr about 20 minutes. Around him Ward 17 kept
running, despite the near tragedy they had all almost suffered. Somewhere in the
distance, something clatterd to the floor, people spoke in hushed tone and the
wail of a siren announced an ambulances arrival. Still Ben waited, and waited,
and waited. Finaaly the door opend and Terri emerged.
"How is she?" Ben asked
"She's fine" Terri replied "She's sleeping, but go and sit with
her. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you when she wakes up"
***
The steady sound of Bron's rhythmic breathing was the only sound as Ben enterd
the darkend room. He sat in the only chair beside her bed and took her hand in
his. She stirred in her sleep but did not wake.
He watched in awe as she slept. She was so beautiful. They sat like that for a
long time, Ben watching Bron sleep.
The door opend a crack and Connor stuck his head in.
"Ben?"
"Come in Connor" Ben said tiredly
"How is she?" Connor asked
"She was sleeping when I came in, and she hasn't woken up. She must be
exhausted' Ben replied
"Yeah" Connor said "You must be too. Why don't you go home and
get some sleep"
"No, I want to be here when she wakes up" Ben replied
"She'll sleep through the night" Connor said "she's fine
Ben"
I want to be here in case she wakes up in the middle of the night. I really need
to talk to her. I really screwed things up Connor"
"Yeah, you did" Connor said "But I know Bron. She loves you,
she'll forgive you"
Ben just gave a small smile
"I'm pulling the graveyard shift tonight, so if you want anything..."
"Thanks mate" Ben replied
"Gotta go" Connor said as he left
Ben resumed his watch over the sleeping Bron.
"Home sweet home!" Connor announced opemimg the door with a flourish.
Bron smiled absentmindedly as she sat down.
"You're thinking about Ben, aren't you?" Connor asked her point blank.
"He wants to talk," Bron said "doesn't sound good does it?"
"I wouldn't over analyse it, Bron" Connor said sitting down and
putting an arm around his friend.
"Doesn't sound good to me" Bron said laying her head on his shoulder.
"Are you going to be alright while we're at work?" Connor asked her
worriedly
"Yeah, I'll be fine" Bron said, then seeing the look on his face,
added "really"
***
"...so then I grabbed Dyaln and ran" Bron finished
"So he's still out there somewhere?" Jared asked in disbelief, then
seeing the look on Bron's face "not that he would try anything"
"Well we have to go" Connor said propelling JAred towards the door.
Jared opend the door, and saw Ben poised to knock.
"Hi Ben and bye Ben" Connor threw over his shoulder. The door closed
behind them.
"Hi" Ben said
"Hi" Bron replied. An awkward silence hung in the air, finally Bron
could take it no more.
"Ben, you have to make up your mind what you want. I can't do this anymore.
I love you, but if you're not ready..."
"I am" Ben quickly interjected, "Bron all I've wanted for the
last 6 months is you. And somewhere along the way I forgot to say goodbye, but I
have now." Ben reached out a hand to Bron and grasped hers, pulling her to
him "Come here, you!", before kissing her.
Bron's arms automatically circled his neck, and eventually he lifted her, so her
legs went around his waist. Their lips never parted as he carried her to the
bedroom.
***
Later that night...
Bron and Ben lay cuddled up in bed, oblivious to the world around them. Ben
placed a tender kiss on Brons' forehead, and she instinctively cuddled closer.
He picked up her hand and intertwined it with his own. "I love you" he
said softly
"I know" she replied looking up at him "I love you too"