"Alex, you need to go. Donovan will be fine; he just needs to sleep," Doctor Larosa told her as he gently pulled the needle out of the vein in Frank's right arm.
Alex took a long look at Frank, who was relaxing into the deep medicated sleep he needed so badly. Her mind was still in turmoil--and awe. She was remembering the events of the previous evening.
Frank's shoulder had been shot through--a clean wound--but he'd bled out. The lab estimated his blood loss to be three and a half pints, maybe closer to four. The team had been frantic because Frank had a very rare blood type-- AB negative--and no one on the team was compatible. The blood bank was out of AB negative, and O blood had been running low.
Despite his serious injury and blood loss, Frank had managed to stay conscious until just after he'd been transported to the hospital. He'd heard the commotion about the blood dilemma: a little boy had been transported pursuant to an MVA and he was in serious condition.
"Give the blood to the boy first," he'd whispered.
Alex gasped. "Frank! You've lost an enormous amount of blood," but Frank cut her off by holding up his hand.
"Give. The blood. To. The. Boy." Frank said as forcefully as he could and gave both Alex and the ER doc a hard stare.
"Are you refusing treatment...for the moment?" The doc asked, needing to be sure.
"Yes. I am refusing treatment...for the moment," Frank managed to whisper before he'd slipped into unconsciousness. One of the ER nurses took Alex by the arm and led her from the treatment room.
The doc had shook her head and shouted "give the blood to the boy--this patient's requested it!" The nurses gathered around Frank's bed shook their heads as well as they continued to cut Frank's clothes off him.
Alex came back to the present time. "When can I next see him?" she asked.
"Tomorrow, same time," Doc Larosa said as he dimmed the lights in the hospital room. Frank's breathing had evened out into a deep sleep. Alex turned and walked to the door.
Once there, she turned again and gave Frank a long look. "Sleep well, Frank Donovan," she whispered. "Get well soon. We need you."
Alex came out of the room and went to a pay phone. She inserted coins into the pay phone and the phone was ringing before she remembered she could have used her cell phone. She was distraught as she knew the other members of the team were--for they were in Peoria, attending to their own, less-serious wounds. Frank had been the most seriously injured and had been airlifted back to Chicago at the request of Paul Bloom. Bloom was taking no chances with his star FBI man.
"Pick up the phone!" she muttered and as she did so, Cody answered.
"Cody."
"He'll live." She heard a sigh of relief as Cody breathed heavily.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he muttered. "When can we see him?"
"Tomorrow afternoon, same time," she said.
"I'll make the arrangements for the rest of the team," he said. "Cody out," and his phone clicked off.
Alex hung up her phone and hung onto the edge of the phone cubicle. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. She remained there just a moment longer, then left the ICU. She felt a bit guilty, but Frank would be ok.
"Nothing, it seemed, could keep Frank down for long," she thought to herself as she exited the hospital and got into the dingy Ford Escort rental car she'd had to rent. "I'll be back tomorrow, Frank," she said, looking up at the hospital window that she knew to be Frank's.
****************
Alex took a long look at Frank, who was relaxing into the deep medicated sleep he needed so badly. Her mind was still in turmoil--and awe. She was remembering the events of the previous evening.
Frank's shoulder had been shot through--a clean wound--but he'd bled out. The lab estimated his blood loss to be three and a half pints, maybe closer to four. The team had been frantic because Frank had a very rare blood type-- AB negative--and no one on the team was compatible. The blood bank was out of AB negative, and O blood had been running low.
Despite his serious injury and blood loss, Frank had managed to stay conscious until just after he'd been transported to the hospital. He'd heard the commotion about the blood dilemma: a little boy had been transported pursuant to an MVA and he was in serious condition.
"Give the blood to the boy first," he'd whispered.
Alex gasped. "Frank! You've lost an enormous amount of blood," but Frank cut her off by holding up his hand.
"Give. The blood. To. The. Boy." Frank said as forcefully as he could and gave both Alex and the ER doc a hard stare.
"Are you refusing treatment...for the moment?" The doc asked, needing to be sure.
"Yes. I am refusing treatment...for the moment," Frank managed to whisper before he'd slipped into unconsciousness. One of the ER nurses took Alex by the arm and led her from the treatment room.
The doc had shook her head and shouted "give the blood to the boy--this patient's requested it!" The nurses gathered around Frank's bed shook their heads as well as they continued to cut Frank's clothes off him.
Alex came back to the present time. "When can I next see him?" she asked.
"Tomorrow, same time," Doc Larosa said as he dimmed the lights in the hospital room. Frank's breathing had evened out into a deep sleep. Alex turned and walked to the door.
Once there, she turned again and gave Frank a long look. "Sleep well, Frank Donovan," she whispered. "Get well soon. We need you."
Alex came out of the room and went to a pay phone. She inserted coins into the pay phone and the phone was ringing before she remembered she could have used her cell phone. She was distraught as she knew the other members of the team were--for they were in Peoria, attending to their own, less-serious wounds. Frank had been the most seriously injured and had been airlifted back to Chicago at the request of Paul Bloom. Bloom was taking no chances with his star FBI man.
"Pick up the phone!" she muttered and as she did so, Cody answered.
"Cody."
"He'll live." She heard a sigh of relief as Cody breathed heavily.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he muttered. "When can we see him?"
"Tomorrow afternoon, same time," she said.
"I'll make the arrangements for the rest of the team," he said. "Cody out," and his phone clicked off.
Alex hung up her phone and hung onto the edge of the phone cubicle. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. She remained there just a moment longer, then left the ICU. She felt a bit guilty, but Frank would be ok.
"Nothing, it seemed, could keep Frank down for long," she thought to herself as she exited the hospital and got into the dingy Ford Escort rental car she'd had to rent. "I'll be back tomorrow, Frank," she said, looking up at the hospital window that she knew to be Frank's.
****************