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bTitle/b Life's Little Rehearsal: Prelude: Steel
bAuthor/b Victoria (ihatebrumby@hotmail.com)
bDisclaimer/b JAG isn't mine, never will be. I promise to return the
characters in more or less the same condition in which I found them.
bRating/Class/b PG/A, R (H/M)
bSummery/b One dead, two alive. Two dead, none alive. Life is NOT a
rehearsal.
bAuthors Note: /b When I started this, I didn't know where I was going
with it, I had an idea, that's it; but then, that's usually how it starts.
Now it seems to have taken on its own life. I believe that when I'm done
there should be at least two more parts, a part one, and maybe a part two.
Not everything follows the season eight storyline, in fact, we're going to pretend that everything after "The Promised Land" hasn't happened, 'cause I was pretty well into it by that point. I've done my best to revise it and make it at least follow to the best degree it's able. FEEDBACK is always appreciated. Let me know how I'm doing.
bAuthors Note: /b I AM NOT a doctor, I did my best so don't be a monkey on my back over errors. If there are some please let me know nicely and I'll fix them. Thanks.
Completed: December 15, 2002
bPRELUDE: BUILD ME A CASTLE/b
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DECEMBER 23, 2003 (1500H LOCAL) JAG HEADQUARTERS FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
"Are you sure?.I'll be right there." Mac dropped the receiver into the cradle and in a flurry of motion was on her feet, shoes almost on and jacket and cover in hand. She stumbled out the door and straight into Commander Turner. He stayed her with a hand on her shoulder so she didn't fall. "Easy up Mac. Where's the fire?"
Mac took two seconds to breathe. "I was just on my way out. I need to leave. Lt Simms---"
"I want a work with her when she gets back."
"She's not coming back Sturgis. I need to find Lt. Roberts."
"Wait. Run that by me again."
She looked sharply at him and started to walk. Sturgis followed, understanding her urgency, on some subconscious level. "Lt. Simms was killed in a black ice/ semi accident. Visibility's low. AJ was with her. I need to pick up Bud and get down to General. She relayed as she signed out on the guard sheet.
"What about AJ?"
"I don't know anymore than that he's alive." She opened her car door: "Sturgis, don't say anything for the time being?"
"Fine. Go. Be careful. Drive slow." He warned her well aware that he sounded more like a concerned and winded brother than a friend. He stood motionless as she slammed her car door and was in motion before she even engaged her clutch.
WASHINGTON GENERAL HOSPITAL
Mac plowed through the Christmas crowed in the trauma center with Bud in he wheelchair. She herded him straight to the front counter. "I'm looking for a boy. Four years old. Blonde hair, blue eyes, he came in from the scene of a semi accident."
"Name?"
"AJ Roberts."
"Full name?'
"AJ Roberts."
"Nope. No blonde four-year-old's been through here."
"Where else can we look? I was told the ambulance was en-route to General." Bud piped in.
"You'll either want to check surgery or the morgue."
Mac kept her eyes trained on the duty clerk while she deftly pushed Bud back into his chair. "Where can I find surgery?"
"Floor Zero off the elevator, just follow the plastic signs."
"Thank-You ma'am." Mac was polite until she was out of hearing range. "What a bitch!"
"I agree." Bud didn't know what to do with himself as he pushed along side of her. "Thank-You for stopping me."
"Not a problem Bud. Lets just find your son."
SURGERY, ZERO FLOOR (TWO HOURS LATER-1700H LOCAL)
"Lt. Roberts. Lt Colonel MacKenzie."
"Yes." "Bud stood on his crutches firmly, locking his eyes at the doctors level.
"I have good news and I have bad... Bad first, your son lost a lot of blood. He had a rib puncture his lung five broken ribs; he also sustained a broken collarbone, and left both his left arm and femur during the impact. He's on a respirator and will continue to need to be for a week or more. He also has some minor swelling on his spinal cord. We're having some cardial problems with him."
Bud's tenuous balance slipped and Mac helped him into he wheelchair. "I thought there was good news."
"There is. He should be expected to make it through the night. He was lucky and there seemed to be no signs of any brain damage. If the cardial problems don't catch up with him he has a good chance of surviving. Whether or not the swelling goes down will also play a role in his recovery."
"And if his 'cardial problems' do catch up with him?"
"We're going to try and prevent that from happening. He's young, and we have ways to reverse tacardia, but he is in a precarious position where his body may not know what to do. It's got so many things happening to it right now."
A nurse appeared in the doorway. "You can see him now." Bud started himself rolling, and then turned back. "You can come too ma'am."
"No Bud, you go." When the door swung shut she looked back to the doctor. "What do you think are his chances?'
"He's a strong kid, but I don't really know. He might make it, he may not. If he does he may look like he'll make it, then we take him off the respirator, and he does okay for a minute, and flatlines, I've seen that happen. Sometimes we're able to recover those kids, but if their bodies aren't up to it then they aren't going to pull through. I've been doing this a long time, and I still pray for these kids, I think his chances are good, but there're no guarantees. I've seen too many kids like AJ die."
"Thank-You."
"I'll keep doing all I can for AJ. I want him to fight this.Does Lt. Roberts have any other family?"
"He has a younger brother at Annapolis."
Not everything follows the season eight storyline, in fact, we're going to pretend that everything after "The Promised Land" hasn't happened, 'cause I was pretty well into it by that point. I've done my best to revise it and make it at least follow to the best degree it's able. FEEDBACK is always appreciated. Let me know how I'm doing.
bAuthors Note: /b I AM NOT a doctor, I did my best so don't be a monkey on my back over errors. If there are some please let me know nicely and I'll fix them. Thanks.
Completed: December 15, 2002
bPRELUDE: BUILD ME A CASTLE/b
/html
DECEMBER 23, 2003 (1500H LOCAL) JAG HEADQUARTERS FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
"Are you sure?.I'll be right there." Mac dropped the receiver into the cradle and in a flurry of motion was on her feet, shoes almost on and jacket and cover in hand. She stumbled out the door and straight into Commander Turner. He stayed her with a hand on her shoulder so she didn't fall. "Easy up Mac. Where's the fire?"
Mac took two seconds to breathe. "I was just on my way out. I need to leave. Lt Simms---"
"I want a work with her when she gets back."
"She's not coming back Sturgis. I need to find Lt. Roberts."
"Wait. Run that by me again."
She looked sharply at him and started to walk. Sturgis followed, understanding her urgency, on some subconscious level. "Lt. Simms was killed in a black ice/ semi accident. Visibility's low. AJ was with her. I need to pick up Bud and get down to General. She relayed as she signed out on the guard sheet.
"What about AJ?"
"I don't know anymore than that he's alive." She opened her car door: "Sturgis, don't say anything for the time being?"
"Fine. Go. Be careful. Drive slow." He warned her well aware that he sounded more like a concerned and winded brother than a friend. He stood motionless as she slammed her car door and was in motion before she even engaged her clutch.
WASHINGTON GENERAL HOSPITAL
Mac plowed through the Christmas crowed in the trauma center with Bud in he wheelchair. She herded him straight to the front counter. "I'm looking for a boy. Four years old. Blonde hair, blue eyes, he came in from the scene of a semi accident."
"Name?"
"AJ Roberts."
"Full name?'
"AJ Roberts."
"Nope. No blonde four-year-old's been through here."
"Where else can we look? I was told the ambulance was en-route to General." Bud piped in.
"You'll either want to check surgery or the morgue."
Mac kept her eyes trained on the duty clerk while she deftly pushed Bud back into his chair. "Where can I find surgery?"
"Floor Zero off the elevator, just follow the plastic signs."
"Thank-You ma'am." Mac was polite until she was out of hearing range. "What a bitch!"
"I agree." Bud didn't know what to do with himself as he pushed along side of her. "Thank-You for stopping me."
"Not a problem Bud. Lets just find your son."
SURGERY, ZERO FLOOR (TWO HOURS LATER-1700H LOCAL)
"Lt. Roberts. Lt Colonel MacKenzie."
"Yes." "Bud stood on his crutches firmly, locking his eyes at the doctors level.
"I have good news and I have bad... Bad first, your son lost a lot of blood. He had a rib puncture his lung five broken ribs; he also sustained a broken collarbone, and left both his left arm and femur during the impact. He's on a respirator and will continue to need to be for a week or more. He also has some minor swelling on his spinal cord. We're having some cardial problems with him."
Bud's tenuous balance slipped and Mac helped him into he wheelchair. "I thought there was good news."
"There is. He should be expected to make it through the night. He was lucky and there seemed to be no signs of any brain damage. If the cardial problems don't catch up with him he has a good chance of surviving. Whether or not the swelling goes down will also play a role in his recovery."
"And if his 'cardial problems' do catch up with him?"
"We're going to try and prevent that from happening. He's young, and we have ways to reverse tacardia, but he is in a precarious position where his body may not know what to do. It's got so many things happening to it right now."
A nurse appeared in the doorway. "You can see him now." Bud started himself rolling, and then turned back. "You can come too ma'am."
"No Bud, you go." When the door swung shut she looked back to the doctor. "What do you think are his chances?'
"He's a strong kid, but I don't really know. He might make it, he may not. If he does he may look like he'll make it, then we take him off the respirator, and he does okay for a minute, and flatlines, I've seen that happen. Sometimes we're able to recover those kids, but if their bodies aren't up to it then they aren't going to pull through. I've been doing this a long time, and I still pray for these kids, I think his chances are good, but there're no guarantees. I've seen too many kids like AJ die."
"Thank-You."
"I'll keep doing all I can for AJ. I want him to fight this.Does Lt. Roberts have any other family?"
"He has a younger brother at Annapolis."