A Soul Mate Lost
"Just breathe."
The phrase was sung on the TV above the admit desk. The beautiful voice of Faith Hill rang through the door which Dave held open just after Abby heard the beep from the heart monitor. Slowly, she turned her head to look at the black screen. She smiled slightly as she saw the green line moving jaggedly, not in a straight line.
"Dr. Malucci," Abby called out.
He turned around, a somber look on his face as tears welled up in his eyes. "What is it Abby?"
"Come back here," she commanded. "Now."
He shrugged, told the group in the waiting room to hold on for a moment and walked back in, shutting the door. "What is it?"
Abby's smile grew wider as she pointed to the monitor. "Look!"
At her excited exclamation Luka lifted his head from the body of his supposedly dead daughter and looked along with Dave at the monitor. They both smiled as they saw the line.
Luka quickly jumped up and pulled his stethoscope away from his neck. Putting it on he put the other end over Mariana's heart and listened. Sure enough, there was a heartbeat. It was faint, but it was a heartbeat. Her chest rose and fell, but stayed still. Luka listened to her heartbeat again. It was still there. A minute later her chest rose, fell and stayed still.
"Put her on a ventilator. She's having trouble breathing. But she's alive!" Luka exclaimed happily.
Dave quickly jumped into action as he started preparing Mariana for the ventilator.
"Abby, assist Dave in whatever way he needs help. Make a note in the file about what happened. Record the time. I'm going to go tell Alexandria about her sister," Luka said walking towards the door.
Abby nodded and began working as well. Luka opened the door, walked out and shut it behind him. Alexandria looked up at him.
"Sweetie, I need to talk to you," Luka told her.
Alexandria nodded and followed him, a grave look on her face. Luka headed towards the waiting room, where he planned to have her sit while he told her the news. When they got there however, Kerry was outside the ER trying to shoo off a band of reporters.
When the reporters caught site of the doctor in the white blood-stained lab coat they became even more excited, forcing Kerry off to the side and rushing in. "Doctor, did you work on one of the victims? Which one did you work on? Is the victim okay?"
The reporters came with an endless stream of questions. Luka quickly pushed Alexandria ahead of himself and quickly guided her to the lounge, shutting the door and locking it behind them as the other doctors who had been awaiting news on Mariana's condition ran over to push the reporters outside.
Luka turned around to see Alexandria sitting on a chair, staring up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Is she.is she dead?"
Luka shook his head. "No. She's not. We thought she was for a second. Her heartbeat stopped, and her breathing stopped for a long period of time. We declared her death and then her heart started beating and she started breathing. Her breathing is not very good. She breathes about once every minute. We have her on a ventilator to keep her breathing. Dave and Abby are cleaning her up. When they're done, you can go in and see her."
Alexandria stared at her father in disbelief. "So she's.she's alive?"
Luka nodded. "Yes. For now. I don't want to give you any false hope Alexandria. She's in very critical condition. She was without a heartbeat for almost an hour. That's not good. We don't know what affect that will have on her. Her brain was without oxygen for awhile. She could have some serious brain damage. She has a lot of internal damage. We don't know exactly what condition she is in at the moment. The only time we'll find out is when she wakes up.if she wakes up."
"She's unconscious?" Alexandria asked.
"I'd have to say she's in a coma," Luka told her.
"So, she'll be unconscious longer than when she was stabbed?" Alexandria asked.
Luka nodded, "Oh yes. This is worse than the stabbing."
"How long do you think she'll be in a coma?" Alexandria asked.
Luka shook his head. "I can't say. It could be a day, could be a few days, could be a few weeks, months, years."
"Years?" Alexandria asked her eyes widening. "She could be in a coma for years?"
Luka nodded. "Yes."
"But, she will wake up, right? Sometime, she will wake up?" Alexandria asked.
"I wish I could say that it is guaranteed that she'll wake up," Luka said. "But the truth is, she may never wake up. She may be in a coma for a few days and die. Or she may live a long life, in a coma."
Tears slipped out of Alexandria's eyes at the thought. "Oh my gosh. She can't live the rest of her life lying on a bed hooked up to machines and tubes!"
"If the situation ever arises where she'll be spending the rest of her life like that, we'll have to decide what to do. But right now, let's not think like that. Let's think about her waking up," Luka said.
"If she wakes up, she's fine then, right?" Alexandria asked hopefully for one piece of good news."
"Not necessarily," Luka whispered, seeing as Alexandria's hopes were crushed. "I'm sorry honey. She could have some severe brain damage. We really can't figure out how bad it would be until she wakes up."
"If she even wakes up," Alexandria whispered. "I could kill the bastard who did this to her. Unfortunately he's already dead."
"Who did this?" Luka asked.
"Warner Gardner. He was obsessed with her and was insanely jealous of Mitchell. But, Ryne Taylor was brought in too. I don't know what his part was in this, he was friends with Warner. That's all I know," Alexandria said.
"Why does Warner Gardner's name sound familiar?" Luka asked.
"He's the son of Judge Gardner," Alexandria informed him.
Luka sighed. "Let's go out. I should check on Ana's progress. And we need to see if the parents of everyone else have been notified."
Alexandria nodded. "Can I see Ana?"
Luka smiled at her, "I'll see."
They walked out of the lounge, Luka's hand on his daughters shoulder. He walked over to the trauma room where Mariana was. He opened the door and slipped in. Abby was sitting by her on one side, Dave was on the other. A tube was in her mouth. "You have her set?"
Dave looked up and nodded. "Yeah. Alexandria can come in if she wants."
Luka smiled slightly. "I'll go get her."
He walked over to the door and peaked outside. The other doctors and nurses were had restrained the press, and were now walking back over.
"Alexandria, you can come in."
Alexandria quickly slipped past him into the trauma room. Luka left the room and shut the door behind him. "Thank you for taking care of the press."
Jing-mei nodded. "No problem Luka. But they're looking for a report. I think it would be good to get out there soon and fill them in a little."
Luka nodded. "But first, I'll fill you in. Mariana's heart and breathing stopped for almost an hour. We called her death, and then her heart started again. She was breathing once every minute, so we hooked her up on a ventilator. She is in critical condition. She's in a coma. What about Mitchell?"
Carter looked up and said, "He was DOA. We worked on him anyway. We didn't want to give up that easily. But when someone's dead, they don't just come back. Except in Ana's case."
Luka nodded. "And I'm glad she did. I'll go take care of the reporters for the moment. Can you call the other two guys parents? I'll call Mitchell's. I can get his number easily."
Everyone nodded and went off in separate directions. Luka walked out of the ER.
"Doctor! What can you tell us? How many survivors are there?" the questions kept coming and coming.
Luka smiled at Kerry. "You can go back in if you need too."
"I can stay here with you," she replied.
He smiled at her again, then turned to face the reporters. Cameras were flashings, video cameras were filming, and microphones were being thrust into his face. Questions came endlessly.
He took a deep breath and yelled, "I am Dr. Kovac. I did work on one of the teens. All I can tell you is that four were brought in, three died. One is in critical condition and in a coma. We will not be releasing any names until the parents are notified. Please, leave us alone so that we can call parents and tend to the needs of the one who is still alive."
With that he turned around and walked in, followed by Kerry. Reporters turned to face their cameras to finish the report. The ER had one TV on. The reporter was concluding, "That was Dr. Kovac from Cook County General Hospital here in Chicago. To recap, four teens were brought in, three died, one is in critical condition. Names will be released once parents are notified. Let's go back to the school. Back to you Bob!"
The news report flashed back to the school where police were streaming on the grounds and students were huddled together. "Thank you Julie. I am here with the principal, Principal."
Randi picked up the remote and reduced the volume. "They're like vultures."
"I'm going to go get Mitchell's number from Alexandria," Luka told Kerry and walked over to the trauma room. He opened the door and walked in. Alexandria was alone with her. She looked down at her sister's hand, the large heart monitor on her pointer finger.
"She has to be all right," Alexandria whispered, looking up at Luka.
Luka nodded. "I hope she is too."
Alexandria looked back down at her sister and then back at Luka. "Why did this happen to her? Why does all the bad stuff happen to us? I'm sick of it! I don't want other people to suffer like this, but I'd like to stop suffering too!"
Luka nodded. "I'd like all this to stop too."
"Are you going to stay in here for awhile?" Alexandria asked.
Luka sighed. "I wish I could. I need to call Mitchell's parents and ask them to come down though. After that I'll be here. Do you know Mitchell's number?"
Alexandria nodded and told him the number. "Thanks."
Luka left the room and Alexandria looked down at her sister. Closing her eyes, trying to keep tears contained she whispered forcefully, "You're gonna make it Ana! You have to make it! I can't live without you! I can't raise this baby without you!"
~*~*~*~*~
Outside in the hall as Luka was walking to a phone Michael approached him. "Michael! I forgot you were here!" Luka exclaimed.
"I don't blame you. If my daughter had died and come alive again, I think I'd forget something so insignificant," Michael said.
Luka shook his head. "You're not insignificant Michael. Especially since you're there for my other daughter. Would you like to go in with Alexandria and Ana?"
Michael nodded. "Could I?"
Luka nodded, noticing Michael's bloodshot eyes. "And I'm sorry about Mitchell. You two were good friends, weren't you?"
Michael nodded, "Best."
Luka patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Michael nodded. "Thanks. And I'm sorry this had to happen to your daughter."
Luka smiled and went off to find a phone.
Michael knocked on the door of the trauma room where Mariana was before walking in. Alexandria was looking at the door. She smiled slightly as he walked in. "I thought you were a doctor!"
Michael smiled back as best as he could. "I'm so sorry Alexandria!"
"Thanks," Alexandria said, looking back down at her sister.
Michael walked over and stood behind her. He began rubbing her shoulders. "Is she gonna be okay?"
"I hope so. I don't know what I'll do if she dies," Alexandria whispered. Michael nodded, "You'll get on with life. You have to. You have a child coming to think about."
Alexandria nodded. "I guess."
~*~*~*~*~
An hour later Michael and Alexandria walked out of the room to go grab a bite to eat. Mitchell's parents and brother were standing there, talking to Dr. Carter, tears streaming down their faces. Mitchell's mom saw Michael and broke away from her husband running over. Wrapping Michael in her arms she sobbed, "Michael.did you hear?"
Michael nodded, hugging her back. "I did. I'm so sorry Mrs. Evans."
Mrs. Evans nodded, wiping tears away. "Thank you. And I'm sorry to you too. It's hard to lose a friend."
"Harder to lose a friend, I'm sure, but thanks," Michael replied.
Mrs. Evans saw Alexandria and said, "Hi Alexandria. Is your sister here?" Alexandria nodded. "Where is she?"
Alexandria pointed towards the room. "In there."
"Is that where my Mitchell is?" Mrs. Evans asked. Alexandria shook her head. "Who's in there then?"
Alexandria blinked tears out of her eyes. "Mariana."
"What?"
"Mariana was shot too," Alexandria answered.
"Oh, sweetie! She's not.too, is she?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"No. Not at the moment," Alexandria replied.
Mrs. Evans sighed with relief. "Oh, thank God! How is she?"
"She's in critical condition. In a coma," Alexandria replied.
"I'm so sorry," Mrs. Evans said.
Alexandria smiled, "Thanks. I'm sorry about Mitchell."
Mrs. Evans nodded as fresh tears popped up in her eyes. Her husband walked over, "Honey, we can.we can go in to s-see him now."
Mrs. Evans nodded, "Bye Alexandria. Bye Michael."
They walked off and Michael put his arm around Alexandria's shoulders, leading her towards the elevator. "You need to eat." ~*~*~*~*~
Alexandria was sitting the ICU room where Mariana was being held. "You're gonna make Ana. I know you will."
There was a tap on the door and Alexandria turned around to see Luka walking in. "It's eleven o'clock Alexandria. You need to go home and get some rest."
Alexandria nodded. Looking down at her sister she said, "I'm gonna go home right now Ana, but I'll be back tomorrow. So, just hold on. I'll see you when I get back. Be here, okay?"
Turning back to Luka he held his arms open. Alexandria walked into them and he wrapped her up tightly in his arms. "We'll be okay Alexandria. So will she. No matter what happens, everyone will be okay."
Alexandria tried to nod, but couldn't pull it off. "I don't want her to be alone all night. What if she wakes up?"
Luka smiled. "I already took care of that."
"You did?"
The door opened and Dave walked in. "I'm here till five. At five, Romano is coming in and he's going to be here till eleven. From eleven till five Jing- mei will be here. And from five till eleven Carter will be here. That schedule will continue until Mariana wakes up. If for some reason one of us is not able to be here for our shift Elizabeth, Kerry and Susan are here to fill in for us. You can come in here anytime, and if you want to be left alone the person on duty will leave the room. They will always still on this floor or if they're not, you can beep them and they'll come up. Our work schedules are being shifted as much as possible so that we can do this. You, Luka and Abby are free to come and go as you please."
Alexandria smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks! And if she wakes up?"
"We'll call you immediately."
Alexandria thanked him again. "I feel better knowing someone will be here."
"Yeah, thanks. Are you going to try to get any sleep?" Luka asked.
"Nope. I have plenty of Mountain Dew and magazines to keep me up," Dave responded.
"Okay. Well, we're going to go get some rest so that we can be ready to spend the day here tomorrow," Luka replied.
"See you tomorrow."
~*~*~*~*~
Alexandria was lying on her bed. She had a CD of country music, her favorite type of music, playing. Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" came on. The beautiful song floated through the air of the room.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance,
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance, And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)
Alexandria blinked back tears. She felt like Mariana was talking to her. But if this was Mariana talking to her, was Mariana going to die?
Alexandria looked at the clock. She hadn't been able to sleep at all that night. It was now eight in the morning. Getting up she grabbed the car keys for the car she shared with Ana off her desk. Running out the door she saw Luka and Abby eating breakfast.
"I'm going for a drive," she said and ran out of the apartment.
Minutes later she rushed out of the elevator and burst into her sister's room. Romano looked up and smiled. "Hi Alexandria."
"Is she okay?" Alexandria asked.
"She's doing fine."
Alexandria sighed. "Can I be alone for a couple minutes?"
Romano nodded. "Of course. I'll be out in the hall."
He took the copy of the "New England Journal of Medicine" that he was reading and left the room. Alexandria sighed and sat down in the chair he had occupied. Putting her head in her hand she propped her elbow up on the nightstand beside the bed.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
Opening her eyes she opened the door of the nightstand and looked in. Sure enough, there was a phone book inside. She pulled it out and opened it up. Finding the number she was looking for she picked up the phone and dialed the number. It rang a few times before someone answered.
"Pastor Hart! I'm glad you're at church right now! This is Alexandria Watkins," Alexandria answered.
"Alexandria! Hi! I'm glad to hear from you! I haven't seen you or Mariana for awhile. How are you two?" he exclaimed.
"Well, I'm okay.I.I guess. But, Mariana, she's not doing so well," Alexandria said.
"What's wrong?" Pastor Hart asked.
"She's in a coma," Alexandria told him.
"What happened?" he exclaimed.
"She was shot in the school shooting yesterday. Could you come here? We're at Cook County General, in ICU."
"Yes! Of course! I'm on my way!" he exclaimed.
"Thanks," Alexandria said, told him the room Mariana was in and hung up.
"Just breathe."
The phrase was sung on the TV above the admit desk. The beautiful voice of Faith Hill rang through the door which Dave held open just after Abby heard the beep from the heart monitor. Slowly, she turned her head to look at the black screen. She smiled slightly as she saw the green line moving jaggedly, not in a straight line.
"Dr. Malucci," Abby called out.
He turned around, a somber look on his face as tears welled up in his eyes. "What is it Abby?"
"Come back here," she commanded. "Now."
He shrugged, told the group in the waiting room to hold on for a moment and walked back in, shutting the door. "What is it?"
Abby's smile grew wider as she pointed to the monitor. "Look!"
At her excited exclamation Luka lifted his head from the body of his supposedly dead daughter and looked along with Dave at the monitor. They both smiled as they saw the line.
Luka quickly jumped up and pulled his stethoscope away from his neck. Putting it on he put the other end over Mariana's heart and listened. Sure enough, there was a heartbeat. It was faint, but it was a heartbeat. Her chest rose and fell, but stayed still. Luka listened to her heartbeat again. It was still there. A minute later her chest rose, fell and stayed still.
"Put her on a ventilator. She's having trouble breathing. But she's alive!" Luka exclaimed happily.
Dave quickly jumped into action as he started preparing Mariana for the ventilator.
"Abby, assist Dave in whatever way he needs help. Make a note in the file about what happened. Record the time. I'm going to go tell Alexandria about her sister," Luka said walking towards the door.
Abby nodded and began working as well. Luka opened the door, walked out and shut it behind him. Alexandria looked up at him.
"Sweetie, I need to talk to you," Luka told her.
Alexandria nodded and followed him, a grave look on her face. Luka headed towards the waiting room, where he planned to have her sit while he told her the news. When they got there however, Kerry was outside the ER trying to shoo off a band of reporters.
When the reporters caught site of the doctor in the white blood-stained lab coat they became even more excited, forcing Kerry off to the side and rushing in. "Doctor, did you work on one of the victims? Which one did you work on? Is the victim okay?"
The reporters came with an endless stream of questions. Luka quickly pushed Alexandria ahead of himself and quickly guided her to the lounge, shutting the door and locking it behind them as the other doctors who had been awaiting news on Mariana's condition ran over to push the reporters outside.
Luka turned around to see Alexandria sitting on a chair, staring up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Is she.is she dead?"
Luka shook his head. "No. She's not. We thought she was for a second. Her heartbeat stopped, and her breathing stopped for a long period of time. We declared her death and then her heart started beating and she started breathing. Her breathing is not very good. She breathes about once every minute. We have her on a ventilator to keep her breathing. Dave and Abby are cleaning her up. When they're done, you can go in and see her."
Alexandria stared at her father in disbelief. "So she's.she's alive?"
Luka nodded. "Yes. For now. I don't want to give you any false hope Alexandria. She's in very critical condition. She was without a heartbeat for almost an hour. That's not good. We don't know what affect that will have on her. Her brain was without oxygen for awhile. She could have some serious brain damage. She has a lot of internal damage. We don't know exactly what condition she is in at the moment. The only time we'll find out is when she wakes up.if she wakes up."
"She's unconscious?" Alexandria asked.
"I'd have to say she's in a coma," Luka told her.
"So, she'll be unconscious longer than when she was stabbed?" Alexandria asked.
Luka nodded, "Oh yes. This is worse than the stabbing."
"How long do you think she'll be in a coma?" Alexandria asked.
Luka shook his head. "I can't say. It could be a day, could be a few days, could be a few weeks, months, years."
"Years?" Alexandria asked her eyes widening. "She could be in a coma for years?"
Luka nodded. "Yes."
"But, she will wake up, right? Sometime, she will wake up?" Alexandria asked.
"I wish I could say that it is guaranteed that she'll wake up," Luka said. "But the truth is, she may never wake up. She may be in a coma for a few days and die. Or she may live a long life, in a coma."
Tears slipped out of Alexandria's eyes at the thought. "Oh my gosh. She can't live the rest of her life lying on a bed hooked up to machines and tubes!"
"If the situation ever arises where she'll be spending the rest of her life like that, we'll have to decide what to do. But right now, let's not think like that. Let's think about her waking up," Luka said.
"If she wakes up, she's fine then, right?" Alexandria asked hopefully for one piece of good news."
"Not necessarily," Luka whispered, seeing as Alexandria's hopes were crushed. "I'm sorry honey. She could have some severe brain damage. We really can't figure out how bad it would be until she wakes up."
"If she even wakes up," Alexandria whispered. "I could kill the bastard who did this to her. Unfortunately he's already dead."
"Who did this?" Luka asked.
"Warner Gardner. He was obsessed with her and was insanely jealous of Mitchell. But, Ryne Taylor was brought in too. I don't know what his part was in this, he was friends with Warner. That's all I know," Alexandria said.
"Why does Warner Gardner's name sound familiar?" Luka asked.
"He's the son of Judge Gardner," Alexandria informed him.
Luka sighed. "Let's go out. I should check on Ana's progress. And we need to see if the parents of everyone else have been notified."
Alexandria nodded. "Can I see Ana?"
Luka smiled at her, "I'll see."
They walked out of the lounge, Luka's hand on his daughters shoulder. He walked over to the trauma room where Mariana was. He opened the door and slipped in. Abby was sitting by her on one side, Dave was on the other. A tube was in her mouth. "You have her set?"
Dave looked up and nodded. "Yeah. Alexandria can come in if she wants."
Luka smiled slightly. "I'll go get her."
He walked over to the door and peaked outside. The other doctors and nurses were had restrained the press, and were now walking back over.
"Alexandria, you can come in."
Alexandria quickly slipped past him into the trauma room. Luka left the room and shut the door behind him. "Thank you for taking care of the press."
Jing-mei nodded. "No problem Luka. But they're looking for a report. I think it would be good to get out there soon and fill them in a little."
Luka nodded. "But first, I'll fill you in. Mariana's heart and breathing stopped for almost an hour. We called her death, and then her heart started again. She was breathing once every minute, so we hooked her up on a ventilator. She is in critical condition. She's in a coma. What about Mitchell?"
Carter looked up and said, "He was DOA. We worked on him anyway. We didn't want to give up that easily. But when someone's dead, they don't just come back. Except in Ana's case."
Luka nodded. "And I'm glad she did. I'll go take care of the reporters for the moment. Can you call the other two guys parents? I'll call Mitchell's. I can get his number easily."
Everyone nodded and went off in separate directions. Luka walked out of the ER.
"Doctor! What can you tell us? How many survivors are there?" the questions kept coming and coming.
Luka smiled at Kerry. "You can go back in if you need too."
"I can stay here with you," she replied.
He smiled at her again, then turned to face the reporters. Cameras were flashings, video cameras were filming, and microphones were being thrust into his face. Questions came endlessly.
He took a deep breath and yelled, "I am Dr. Kovac. I did work on one of the teens. All I can tell you is that four were brought in, three died. One is in critical condition and in a coma. We will not be releasing any names until the parents are notified. Please, leave us alone so that we can call parents and tend to the needs of the one who is still alive."
With that he turned around and walked in, followed by Kerry. Reporters turned to face their cameras to finish the report. The ER had one TV on. The reporter was concluding, "That was Dr. Kovac from Cook County General Hospital here in Chicago. To recap, four teens were brought in, three died, one is in critical condition. Names will be released once parents are notified. Let's go back to the school. Back to you Bob!"
The news report flashed back to the school where police were streaming on the grounds and students were huddled together. "Thank you Julie. I am here with the principal, Principal."
Randi picked up the remote and reduced the volume. "They're like vultures."
"I'm going to go get Mitchell's number from Alexandria," Luka told Kerry and walked over to the trauma room. He opened the door and walked in. Alexandria was alone with her. She looked down at her sister's hand, the large heart monitor on her pointer finger.
"She has to be all right," Alexandria whispered, looking up at Luka.
Luka nodded. "I hope she is too."
Alexandria looked back down at her sister and then back at Luka. "Why did this happen to her? Why does all the bad stuff happen to us? I'm sick of it! I don't want other people to suffer like this, but I'd like to stop suffering too!"
Luka nodded. "I'd like all this to stop too."
"Are you going to stay in here for awhile?" Alexandria asked.
Luka sighed. "I wish I could. I need to call Mitchell's parents and ask them to come down though. After that I'll be here. Do you know Mitchell's number?"
Alexandria nodded and told him the number. "Thanks."
Luka left the room and Alexandria looked down at her sister. Closing her eyes, trying to keep tears contained she whispered forcefully, "You're gonna make it Ana! You have to make it! I can't live without you! I can't raise this baby without you!"
~*~*~*~*~
Outside in the hall as Luka was walking to a phone Michael approached him. "Michael! I forgot you were here!" Luka exclaimed.
"I don't blame you. If my daughter had died and come alive again, I think I'd forget something so insignificant," Michael said.
Luka shook his head. "You're not insignificant Michael. Especially since you're there for my other daughter. Would you like to go in with Alexandria and Ana?"
Michael nodded. "Could I?"
Luka nodded, noticing Michael's bloodshot eyes. "And I'm sorry about Mitchell. You two were good friends, weren't you?"
Michael nodded, "Best."
Luka patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Michael nodded. "Thanks. And I'm sorry this had to happen to your daughter."
Luka smiled and went off to find a phone.
Michael knocked on the door of the trauma room where Mariana was before walking in. Alexandria was looking at the door. She smiled slightly as he walked in. "I thought you were a doctor!"
Michael smiled back as best as he could. "I'm so sorry Alexandria!"
"Thanks," Alexandria said, looking back down at her sister.
Michael walked over and stood behind her. He began rubbing her shoulders. "Is she gonna be okay?"
"I hope so. I don't know what I'll do if she dies," Alexandria whispered. Michael nodded, "You'll get on with life. You have to. You have a child coming to think about."
Alexandria nodded. "I guess."
~*~*~*~*~
An hour later Michael and Alexandria walked out of the room to go grab a bite to eat. Mitchell's parents and brother were standing there, talking to Dr. Carter, tears streaming down their faces. Mitchell's mom saw Michael and broke away from her husband running over. Wrapping Michael in her arms she sobbed, "Michael.did you hear?"
Michael nodded, hugging her back. "I did. I'm so sorry Mrs. Evans."
Mrs. Evans nodded, wiping tears away. "Thank you. And I'm sorry to you too. It's hard to lose a friend."
"Harder to lose a friend, I'm sure, but thanks," Michael replied.
Mrs. Evans saw Alexandria and said, "Hi Alexandria. Is your sister here?" Alexandria nodded. "Where is she?"
Alexandria pointed towards the room. "In there."
"Is that where my Mitchell is?" Mrs. Evans asked. Alexandria shook her head. "Who's in there then?"
Alexandria blinked tears out of her eyes. "Mariana."
"What?"
"Mariana was shot too," Alexandria answered.
"Oh, sweetie! She's not.too, is she?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"No. Not at the moment," Alexandria replied.
Mrs. Evans sighed with relief. "Oh, thank God! How is she?"
"She's in critical condition. In a coma," Alexandria replied.
"I'm so sorry," Mrs. Evans said.
Alexandria smiled, "Thanks. I'm sorry about Mitchell."
Mrs. Evans nodded as fresh tears popped up in her eyes. Her husband walked over, "Honey, we can.we can go in to s-see him now."
Mrs. Evans nodded, "Bye Alexandria. Bye Michael."
They walked off and Michael put his arm around Alexandria's shoulders, leading her towards the elevator. "You need to eat." ~*~*~*~*~
Alexandria was sitting the ICU room where Mariana was being held. "You're gonna make Ana. I know you will."
There was a tap on the door and Alexandria turned around to see Luka walking in. "It's eleven o'clock Alexandria. You need to go home and get some rest."
Alexandria nodded. Looking down at her sister she said, "I'm gonna go home right now Ana, but I'll be back tomorrow. So, just hold on. I'll see you when I get back. Be here, okay?"
Turning back to Luka he held his arms open. Alexandria walked into them and he wrapped her up tightly in his arms. "We'll be okay Alexandria. So will she. No matter what happens, everyone will be okay."
Alexandria tried to nod, but couldn't pull it off. "I don't want her to be alone all night. What if she wakes up?"
Luka smiled. "I already took care of that."
"You did?"
The door opened and Dave walked in. "I'm here till five. At five, Romano is coming in and he's going to be here till eleven. From eleven till five Jing- mei will be here. And from five till eleven Carter will be here. That schedule will continue until Mariana wakes up. If for some reason one of us is not able to be here for our shift Elizabeth, Kerry and Susan are here to fill in for us. You can come in here anytime, and if you want to be left alone the person on duty will leave the room. They will always still on this floor or if they're not, you can beep them and they'll come up. Our work schedules are being shifted as much as possible so that we can do this. You, Luka and Abby are free to come and go as you please."
Alexandria smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks! And if she wakes up?"
"We'll call you immediately."
Alexandria thanked him again. "I feel better knowing someone will be here."
"Yeah, thanks. Are you going to try to get any sleep?" Luka asked.
"Nope. I have plenty of Mountain Dew and magazines to keep me up," Dave responded.
"Okay. Well, we're going to go get some rest so that we can be ready to spend the day here tomorrow," Luka replied.
"See you tomorrow."
~*~*~*~*~
Alexandria was lying on her bed. She had a CD of country music, her favorite type of music, playing. Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" came on. The beautiful song floated through the air of the room.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance,
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance, And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)
Alexandria blinked back tears. She felt like Mariana was talking to her. But if this was Mariana talking to her, was Mariana going to die?
Alexandria looked at the clock. She hadn't been able to sleep at all that night. It was now eight in the morning. Getting up she grabbed the car keys for the car she shared with Ana off her desk. Running out the door she saw Luka and Abby eating breakfast.
"I'm going for a drive," she said and ran out of the apartment.
Minutes later she rushed out of the elevator and burst into her sister's room. Romano looked up and smiled. "Hi Alexandria."
"Is she okay?" Alexandria asked.
"She's doing fine."
Alexandria sighed. "Can I be alone for a couple minutes?"
Romano nodded. "Of course. I'll be out in the hall."
He took the copy of the "New England Journal of Medicine" that he was reading and left the room. Alexandria sighed and sat down in the chair he had occupied. Putting her head in her hand she propped her elbow up on the nightstand beside the bed.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
Opening her eyes she opened the door of the nightstand and looked in. Sure enough, there was a phone book inside. She pulled it out and opened it up. Finding the number she was looking for she picked up the phone and dialed the number. It rang a few times before someone answered.
"Pastor Hart! I'm glad you're at church right now! This is Alexandria Watkins," Alexandria answered.
"Alexandria! Hi! I'm glad to hear from you! I haven't seen you or Mariana for awhile. How are you two?" he exclaimed.
"Well, I'm okay.I.I guess. But, Mariana, she's not doing so well," Alexandria said.
"What's wrong?" Pastor Hart asked.
"She's in a coma," Alexandria told him.
"What happened?" he exclaimed.
"She was shot in the school shooting yesterday. Could you come here? We're at Cook County General, in ICU."
"Yes! Of course! I'm on my way!" he exclaimed.
"Thanks," Alexandria said, told him the room Mariana was in and hung up.