Title: Everyday is a Winding Road
Author: EllaKnight22
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Rating: T
Pairing: Carcy!!
Summary: How it should have been! Picks up from the end of the Season 6 episode 'All In The Family', Lucy doesn't die. Instead she survives but has to deal with the consequences of what happened to her. Carcy all the way!!
"OK that's it, we've done everything we can…" Dr Romano said, defeat evident in his voice. Elizabeth stared hopelessly at her superior. Romano looked back at her, a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. She had never seen him show any emotion before and it scared her. A lump formed in her throat as realisation set in.
"Hold compressions" he said, instructing himself. The shrill warning sound emanating from the machine echoed as he reluctantly pulled his hands from Lucy's heart. There was a pause as both surgeons stood there, unable to comprehend that they had lost one of their own. Lucy's heart failed to beat.
"Damn it!" Robert protested, rage building up in his eyes. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled as he angrily toppled over a trolley, not capable of containing his frustration.
"No…No, no let's give it a minute for the last epi to circulate" he said, returning swiftly to the table and resuming heart massage. "Charge to 30!!" he shrieked, his hands shaking as they made Lucy's heart beat. Elizabeth stared at him with tears in her eyes, unsure of what to do.
"Robert…" she meekly protested, but he was having none of it.
"Come on Lizzie lets go! Charge to 30!!" Although in her own opinion it was a lost cause she knew why he wanted to continue, and for the same reason so did she. As she wiped the tears from her eyes she grabbed the internal paddles and regained her composure.
"Clear!" she yelled. There was an expectant pause, for a moment they waited to hear if their last attempt had worked. It seemed like an eternity. The machine returned to its monotonous tone. Flatline.
Romano sighed loudly and tried to clear his head. He resumed heart massage as he frantically thought of a solution. "We must be missing something here. It's not over yet"
Elizabeth closed her eyes tightly, willing the tears not to fall. "Hang another two units!" she ordered, her voice crackling with emotion. As she continued to squeeze the bag providing Lucy oxygen through her trach tube she leaned in close to her ear and spoke to the dying med student. "Don't give up Lucy, I'm not losing you now, not here, not like this."
"Give another high dose epi! Now!" commanded Robert as he rhythmically massaged Lucy's heart. "Charge the paddles to 40!"
Elizabeth effortlessly followed his order and grabbed the internal paddles. "Clear!!" she shouted. There was another more laboured pause as Elizabeth and Romano silently prayed for a miracle. The monitor registered a blip.
"We've got a heartbeat. She's back in sinus" one of the nurses stated in wonder.
"I've got a weak carotid pulse" said another.
Romano and Elizabeth took deep breaths and regained their composure. A look of relief appeared on Elizabeth's face. "Well done Miss Knight" she said to the unconscious patient while gently stroking her hair.
"Back to the task in hand Lizzie. Let's continue with the Greenfield filter." Robert calmly said, his voice devoid of the emotion it had contained only moments before. As both surgeons continued the procedure they both knew that they weren't out of the woods yet. Lucy had been down for a while and her brain had most likely been deprived of oxygen. They could only wait and see…
"Good. Sensation's intact" Peter Benton said as he assessed Carter post operatively, a small smile playing on his lips. He had worked hard on Carter, determined to give him the best possible outcome and it had paid off.
Carter acknowledged the statement but his expression remained the same. He was still trying to take everything in. Peter watched his former med student closely. "You were lucky Carter" he informed him.
"I know" he replied, almost immediately. Carter met his gaze. "Thank you".
Benton looked down, focussing on his assessment. "You're welcome. All right, I'm gonna test your motor strength. Lift your leg" he instructed.
Carter sighed heavily with tiredness in his eyes and turned his head to the side. He just wanted to be alone, but first he had to know how she was. "How's Lucy doin?" he inquired.
Peter sighed and looked at the floor. Reluctantly he pulled a chair up and sat down closer to Carter. He was hoping he wouldn't have to be the one to tell him but knew it was inevitable.
Carter observed his every move and expression, mentally scrutinising each action, desperately trying to determine what his old mentor was going to tell him.
Peter forced himself to meet Carter's gaze. "There was a complication after her surgery. She developed a pulmonary embolism. They fixed the clot and then she coded on the table. They got her back but she's in a coma." Peter said despondently, giving a clue to the severity of her prognosis.
"But she's alive?" Carter asked, needing confirmation.
"Yes" Peter replied unable to meet Carter's gaze.
Carter took a deep breath and laid his head back on the pillow, digesting all the information he had just been given. The two men sat in silence for a few moments. "I want to see her" he finally responded while staring at the wall.
"Not yet man, you need your rest…" Peter informed him.
"I said, I want to see her" Carter defiantly responded, trying to remain calm.
Peter recognised the stubborn attitude he had come to accept but as his doctor felt the need to protest. "Carter, I promise I will take you there myself in the morning but right now you gotta get some sleep" he forcefully replied.
Carter finally turned his head and faced Peter. "With all due respect Dr.Benton, I'm going to see her with or without your help, so if you don't help me into that wheelchair I'll do it myself." Carter responded emphatically.
Peter knew he had lost. The surgeon put his hands on his hips and exhaled loudly. "Ok but you got 5-"
"-10 minutes" Carter interjected cutting him off.
Peter looked at Carter in annoyance. "Fine. 10 minutes but then you're getting back to bed and you're staying there until I say so."
"Deal" Carter responded as he shifted over on the bed ready to be helped into the wheelchair. He winced in pain and clenched his fist.
"Easy man" Peter worriedly responded.
"My back is killing me" Carter complained.
Peter helped him into the chair and made sure he was comfortable. When he had mobilised the IV he disconnected the monitor and wheeled Carter slowly down the corridor in silence. Carter's heart pounded frantically in his chest, the suspense killing him. He needed to see her but he was afraid of what he was going to find. He couldn't bear to think of her in that state. Especially when he felt responsible for how it had happened. As they neared the ICU they could see the silhouette of Elizabeth sitting by Lucy's bedside in the darkened room. She turned around as she heard them enter. Tears formed in her eyes as she caught sight of the man in the wheelchair and the expression on his face at seeing Lucy.
"Carter, do you really think you should be out of bed so soon?" Elizabeth queried in concern.
Peter sighed and wheeled Carter closer to the bed. "That's what I said but he was determined he was going to see Lucy" he explained.
Carter still hadn't said a word. Elizabeth sensed the tension in the room and realised Carter needed to be alone. As she rose from her chair she motioned for Peter to leave and went to follow him out. She paused behind Carter and swallowed hard clearing her throat.
"She was stabbed several times, twice in her abdomen, twice in her chest and once in the neck." Elizabeth said softly. "Her liver was damaged and there was a laceration to her proximal aorta. They performed a thoracotomy in the ER after she arrested. Then they gave her a trach to maintain her airway before bringing her to the OR."
Elizabeth took a deep breath and watched for any sign of emotion from Carter but there was none. He merely stared at Lucy, not taking his eyes from her.
"We managed to repair her liver in surgery however we did have to remove her spleen. She awoke after surgery and I spoke with her. Shortly after she developed a pulmonary embolism. We took her to angiography to insert a Greenfield filter but she developed another clot and arrested again. We managed to remove the clot and eventually we got her back." Elizabeth wiped a stray tear from her eye and looked up at Carter. He was still staring at Lucy but his hand was beginning to shake. She could see fresh tears spring into his eyes and he gulped hard.
Elizabeth began to cry at the sight. "Carter she was down for 12 minutes. Her brain was more than likely starved of oxygen." She told him honestly. "We conducted a brain activity scan and there is still some significant activity but her injuries are very grave."
Carter gulped again and spoke for the first time "Will she wake up?" he said, his voice quivering with emotion.
"I don't know" Elizabeth hopelessly replied. With that she slowly turned and left the room. Peter was waiting outside. He offered a consoling shoulder for her to cry on.
Carter leaned forward and took Lucy's hand in his as the tears fell from his eyes. "I'm sorry" he whispered, hoping she could hear him. Hoping she would wake up. Willing her to be ok.