Chapter 1
It was October 28, the day his daughter died. Who would have thought tornadoes would ravish this town? He had to laugh at that fact and the fact that the Red Cross had designated him to help out here, of all places with the disaster victims. He gets here and starts triaging victims in the ER unbeknownst to him that his daughter lay in a hospital bed dying just a few floors above. Joe Martin had been walking through the ER and checking on supplies and patients when he caught a glimpse of David. He had walked over and stopped David from checking on a patient.
"Hey Joe if you are going to tell me to get the hell out of here, let me just tell you that the Red Cross sent me here and that…"
Joe cut him off "David there is something you need to know." He said with an unhappy frown on his face wishing to not have to be the bearer of this news, even to David.
"What Joe, what is it?" he asked not liking the doctors tone or demeanor.
"It's Babe. She was injured by the tornadoes and she is upstairs in ICU." He said looking at David's already pained face. He grabbed his arm as he went to race to her. "David, it's not looking good."
"Thanks Joe." He said as he went racing to the elevator. He hit the button several times but it was taking too long, well more than five seconds so he ran up the stairs instead. After climbing the flights of stairs to the ICU floor, he stopped quick at the nurses' station to find her location. "What room is Babe Chandler in?" he almost shouted at the nurse.
"Room 215" The nurse replied with a point, not even bothering to look at him.
He was almost sprinting down the halls to her room dreading what he would find. It doesn't look good, the face Joe had on when he said those words. It can't be good. He finally found the room, the door open and inside he found JR, Krystal, Adam and Tad surrounding what looked like Babe lying on the bed. Krystal and JR were crying as they hugged her, her body. No she couldn't be. He didn't even get to say goodbye.
It was then that Krystal turned to leave the room and saw him standing there. "David, David she's gone." Krystal said tears pouring from her eyes as she walked toward him. She walked to him and put her arms around him just crying and laying her head against his chest. He didn't know what to do he couldn't think and he just put his arms around her and held her there. She's dead. Babe's Dead. This was the only thing he could hear, repeating in his head.
She opened her eyes and felt an immense pain in her left side. She tried to sit up but the pain came with every little movement. What the hell happened! I remember I went to work at Fusion and I was doing some paperwork for Kendall and then I wake up here? In pain, in the dark. It was dark and cold and she could see the dark skies from where she was. Next thing she knew there were rescue personnel and firefighters placing her on a backboard with a c-collar and asking questions regarding her current situation.
It wasn't much longer that she was in an ambulance and headed for the hospital. She still didn't know what had happened and why she was in pain. Finally she asked the EMT what had happened and he told her about the tornadoes and the state of the city. Oh my god. Tornadoes? They destroyed Pine Valley? She thought disbelievingly as he told her. In a couple minutes she was arriving in the ER at PVH. They placed her in the crowded waiting room with maybe a hundred other injured while doctors scattered throughout trying to treat as many as quickly as possible.
He was back down in the ER, trying to forget about it, that his daughter had just died. He thought maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad if he saved a few lives tonight. He worked on patient after patient, cuts and scrapes and broken bones. He had seen the ambulance bring in a young woman and leave her against a wall. He thought of Babe immediately and went to go see if he could help her. He walked up to her and saw her face blank, her lips blue. She isn't breathing. How could they just leave a critical patient here? He quickly started assessing her condition checking her pulse and airway. She had a pulse but wasn't breathing so he started mouth to mouth, although highly unpracticed in a hospital but it would be impossible to find a bag valve mask in the utter chaos that was the ER. He yelled for a nurse between breaths and they moved her into a trauma room. After a few more breaths she started breathing again and he listened with his stethoscope and determining she had a collapsed left lung, most likely from the broken ribs from the evident bruising there. He put in a chest tube to help her breath and further assessed her injuries. He looked at her face again now that she was coming to. Where have I seen this girl before? He asked himself. She looks so familiar. Did I drug her once? He thought with a laugh.
"What is your name hun?" the nurse asked when she woke up.
"Aman, … Amanda Dillon" Amanda replied in pain and slightly disoriented.
Amanda Dillon? She is that young girl who's mother kidnapped my daughter, the young girl I gave truth serum. Wow she has grown into a beautiful young woman. He thought even though she was covered in rubble and laying on a gurney.
What the hell David! She is a patient why the hell are you looking at her like that? He said to himself realizing he had a stupid grin on his face.
"Amanda? Can you tell me where it hurts?" He asked her back in doctor mode.
"My, my chest and my left leg it hurts." She murmured back to him.
"It's going to be okay Amanda. You have some broken ribs that punctured your lung and a broken femur in your left leg. Nothing too serious to worry about sweetie you'll be fine, I promise."
She finally was able to focus on the doctor or man that was talking to her. Oh my god is that who I think it is? It can't be him he left town two years ago. But he looks just like Babe's dad, David Hayward! "Are you David Hayward?" She asked wondering if he heard her.
"Yes I am. Do you remember me?" He asked surprised she remembered who he was from two years ago. I mean I did drug her. I am sure she has nightmares about me. No wonder she remembers who I am!
"Yeah I do. You are Babe's dad." She said waiting for his response but noticing with her words his face fell and it looked as though he were about to cry. "Did I say something wrong? You look upset."
"You are close with Babe aren't you?" He asked making sure as not to break the news to harsh if she was close with his late daughter.
"Yeah Babe and I are best friends. Why is something wrong with Babe? Is that why look so upset?" She said wondering what he was bringing this up for.
"I hate to have to tell you this but Babe… Babe was injured by the tornadoes. She sustained severe crush injuries and internal bleeding." He said taking her hand in his. "Babe died twenty minutes ago." He forced out his eyes watering, trying to hold back the tears.
"What?!! Babe can't be dead .She just can't be. She has Little Adam and JR, Krystal and…and you." Amanda managed to burst out along with tears flowing down her cheeks.
She lay sobbing in front of him and he had no clue how to comfort her. He was grieving for his daughter and she a best friend. "I'm sorry Amanda." The only words he could think of to say.
"Sorry for what? You are the one grieving for your daughter. You have nothing to be sorry for, if anyone should be sorry it's me. I mean my mom kidnapped her and little Adam and almost killed her." She said almost feeling disgusted as though she did it.
"It was your mom, not you. She was sick and she got help. I don't blame you at all now but I know I did at the time and I am sorry for that." He said trying to reassure her placing a hand on the side of her face.
"I know she was, thank you for understanding." She said placing her hand over his.
"Ok I am sending you up to radiology for some X-rays and then a Orthopedic surgeon will come look at your leg. I have some more patients to get to but I will come by later and check on you. We can talk more then, if you'd like?" He asked not sure if she even wanted to talk him again maybe at least as her doctor but not as a confidant.
"Sure I'd like that. It's not like anybody will be visiting me here anyway. I have no one. Babe was really the only person that cared about me." She said tearing up again but quickly wiping them away.
"Ok I'll be back then Amanda and we'll talk." He said almost tearing again as he walked out of the room. I don't know if I can keep doing this, talking to her about Babe. I mean I was just about to cry and talk about how pissed and upset I was about my daughter being gone to an injured young girl who I am supposed to be treating while tending to tornado victims. I can't lay all this on her, but she was Babe's best friend and she is the closest thing I have left to my daughter except for her son who I will never be allowed to see.
Amanda! How the hell can you be bawling about Babe to her father of all people? I mean he just lost his daughter and then saves your life and then you go and cry about how you miss his daughter to him! You seriously need to get a hold of yourself!