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The one saving grace to arriving to the ER via ambulance is you got to bypass the majority of the triage. Granted - most of the time injuries that weren't life threatening tended to get bumped to the bottom of the pile, but Darren lucked out in the case that A) it was a slow day and B) head trauma did funny things.

Of course it didn't help that any time he was separated from Hafwen he would begin to have a full on panic attack. It got to the point where the nurses just worked around the girl, who was pretty much forced to sit there and hold his hand the entire time he was entered into the system and his mother contacted about his whereabouts. They wanted to keep him a few hours for observation - but they'd clear him to go home soon.

They wanted to do a CAT-SCAN though, just to be safe.

This of course, led to another problem. He steadfastly REFUSED to be separated from Hafwen - and she couldn't go into the scanning room with him. The doctors couldn't sedate him due to his injury for fear that he'd slip into a coma - so they were left with only one choice.

Apologizing to Hafwen, they forcibly pried his hand away from her and carted him down the hall as quickly as possible after restraining him to the bed.

It was entirely possible - as he disappeared around the corner - that some of the noises he was making at the nurses and lab techs weren't entirely human.

About fifteen minutes later, the quick click-click of heels could be heard coming around the corner that lead to the entry/exit point of the ER ward. The woman who came barreling around the corner looking like someone had been shot had deep oak-amber colored eyes. They were looking around the ward expectantly at the numbers, landing on the bay that Hafwen sat in, she suddenly made a straight line forward and entered the bay.

"You haven't met me," she said, attempting to make her button up blouse and skirt look less disheveled. "But my name is Lilly Waughner, I am Darren's mother." She tried to smile, but it was easy to see that she was barely holding on. "The nurse at the desk told me he was brought in with a friend - I'm really glad you were here for him..." Her eyes darted around the ward for a moment, and she suddenly startled when she heard one of the monitors down the row suddenly beep, her eyes quickly slamming shut.

Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her chest. "One... Two... Three... Four... Five... You're okay." She said in a gentle murmur before slowly opening her now tearful eyes and brushing at them with her left hand. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a wreck - it's not every day you hear your son's in the ER with a concussion..."

She offered Hafwen a weak but friendly smile, taking a seat near her on the doctor's stool, her purse placed next to the chair Hafwen sat in. "I can't even imagine how Darren is handling this - I'm surprised nobody's lost a finger. He can't stand hospitals at all... Not since-"

She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, tears coming back in force and her breath stuttering for a second before she forced herself to continue.

"Since his father died."

Shaking her head she let out a low sigh. "So, uhm... I guess since you know who I am - I should probably find out who you are, and why you were with my son when he got a concussion... I hate to say it, but my son's not really the best with girls - so to see a girl here with him - and a cute one at that... I... Well I need details as to what exactly is going on."

Lilly accepted the tissues with a small nod, taking a moment to blow her nose a little and take a deep breath before settling in to listen to Hafwen.

She visibly tensed when Hafwen admitted to being at fault for Darren's current condition, but she sat and listened to all the girl had to sad, before reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose, sitting in silence for a moment as she seemed to be thinking about how to reply.

"Like I said before, my son... isn't the best with girls - or rather - I wouldn't know because he's never brought one home, nor does he seem to have an interest in dating them..." She said as she lowered her hand from her nose.

"Going by your attire, I have a feeling the challenge you issued my son was probably a bit one-sided. He never really professed much interest in sports, so unless his band was actually secretly a rugby team - I'm pretty sure he went into the challenge blind." She placed both hands in her lap as she spoke, watching Hafwen.

"Not that he would of cared, he's his father's son - an insufferably delightful idiot." She smiled weakly after she spoke, before reaching up to rub her right temple slightly. "I'm sure he'll hate me for sharing this but... Darren hasn't really been having a good time at home lately - things have been strained... with his step-parent." She winced a little. "Though I'm starting to wonder if that's no in some small way my fault."

Shaking her head, she smiled at the younger girl and finally offered her a hand across the expanse of where there gurney should be. "It's nice to meet the girl who makes my son happy though, happy enough to take a ball to the face and keep on going anyway."

It was about then, that the gurney carrying Darren was brought back in, he was glowering at the nurse carting him back, if looks could kill the poor man would have been a pile of ashes. He pushed Darren into the spot he was supposed to be and locked the wheels.

"Ma'am," the nurse said with a nod. "The doctor should be with you shortly to give you an update."

Lilly nodded before looking at Darren with a small smile, it was clear she was relieved he was relatively unharmed.

"Scheiße, Scheiße insgesamt. Ficken Sarg," Darren muttered, but seemed to relax when Hafwen slipped her hand into his, he squeezed her fingers back, gently.

"Darren Waughner, watch your language," Lilly huffed, frowning. "Really, it was for your own health and benefit. You may not like it but it's important to find out if anything is wrong."

Darren sighed and looked to his mother, nodding his head slowly and weakly. "Sorry, sorry... It's just... you know." He looked around the ward they were in and shuddered. "At least they didn't stick an IV in me. So there is hope."

"Well I was having a lovely conversation with your... friend?" Lilly motioned her head in Hafwen's direction. "She seems to feel like this is all her fault."

Darren shook his head, looking between Hafwen and his mother before finally just laying his head back down on the pillow of the gurney. "Naw, its not her fault. I already told her it was all my fault. I made a bad dive for the ball and took it square in the face. She really didn't have anything to do with it."

"Ah, okay," Lilly said with a nod. Turning to look at Hafwen she smiled at the girl. "See Hafwen, you really don't need to apologize. But thank you for it all the same."

"Please, call me Lilly. Mrs. Waughner is my mother-in-law." She smiles at Hafwen before bowing her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine."

Darren shook his head, his fingers trying to catch and holds hers as she tried to pull her hand away from him. "Please stay... I don't want to get home and wake up only to find out this is a dream." He smiled weakly at her, but nonetheless his fingers slowly and gently released her hand, letting his own lay on the gurney as he sighed. "But..."

His eyes slowly drifted to his mother and then back to Hafwen. "I understand if you need to go. My Mom is here now so it's okay... I can call you tomorrow if you need to get home... let you know how things went..."

He knew this must be really awkward for her and he didn't want to subject her to that - so he was willing to let her go if she needed to go. He didn't want to force her to stay even if he'd prefer her company over his mother.

There was a soft twitter of a giggle from Lilly, which was quickly stymied by her biting down on the knuckle of her index finger. She watched Hafwen, her eyes gleaming with mischief for a moment before that to faded away. But aside from the initial humor at Hafwen's choice of words, nothing else came of her statement.

Darren nodded slowly, smiling weakly at her as he lay mostly propped up in the bed. "With any luck they'll let me go before then," he said with a smile. "I'd rather not stay here overnight."

"Well that probably won't be a problem," said the man who'd just entered the curtain into the ward, smiling at the assembled group and tapping his clipboard with his pencil. "Darren Waughner, right?"

Darren nodded slowly, it still hurt to really move his head.

"I'm Dr. Winters," the doctor said as he approached Darren. "We're still waiting for your CT results, it'll probably be another fifteen minutes or so, but I wanted to come and take a look at you before I got them." He went through the usual tests of a concussion, before nodding.

"It looks like you have a pretty decent concussion - I'll know more when I see the CT scan just to be safe. But the good news is as soon as I look at your scan if everything is fine I can send you home. But no sleeping for twenty-four hours okay?"

Darren nodded and squeezed Hafwen's hand a bit.

"Alright, I'll be back after I have a look at those CT scans." Winters said before slipping out of the ward.

Darren let out a slow sigh of relief when it was over, leaning back on the bed as his head throbbed slowly. It was painful yeah - and he'd of really liked some pain medication - but he knew if he took anything he'd probably end up asleep and since the doctor had pretty much already told him that was a no, he just had to suck it up as best he could.

He smiled at Hafwen and nodded slowly, crossing his own free hand and showing it to her. "Here's hoping..." He murmured weakly before laying his hand back on the bed.

"Oh, Hafwen, have you eaten?" Lilly pipped up, watching the girl for a moment. "If you haven't yet - let me treat you to dinner once Darren gets discharged, it's the least I can do for all the help you've given Darren."

"I will very much take you up on that offer," Darren said as a genuine smile lit up his features. "I'll try to keep the conversation entertaining but not keep you awake all night if you need sleep."

Lilly frowned and clicked her tongue. "Really, I must insist, you've been so helpful and I need to repay you somehow." She smiled warmly at the younger girl. "But if you really are that pressed for time I understand, and I'll just have to take a rain check now won't I?"