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A New Life
-Chapter 24: The Last Great Storm–
Previously:
-She's doing great. We still can't be happier for her…dumping that loser Ben. Alex is so cool. He plays catch with me, now that Charlie's in the hospital, and Susan's always there. I never knew he was good at baseball. He and Rose are really happy, and they like…"
"Really deep, little bro. Speaking of deep, your voice, has it gone and changed while I've been away?"
"Yeah, people won't stop giving me a hard time about it. Grandma Heather was the worst, she wouldn't stop pinching my cheek and telling me how grown up I was getting."
"You think you have it rough. I was being hounded nonstop starting when I was twelve cause they found out I had kissed a girl…so all of a sudden I had a 'hot love life'."
-"Who says he can't be taller than me? He's thirteen, I'm seventeen."
"Never mind, I was just askin' a question. He looks just like you accept…he's skinny."
"He didn't used to be this big, actually he used to be kind of ch…" Mike began to blabber.
"He doesn't need to hear about that. Trust me. He doesn't."
"I'm guessin' there's more than just facial features you two have in common." McCoy observed, referring to Mike being on the thin side.
"You mean the fact that we both have the sugar d's?" Mike asked innocently.
"Yeah, I thought so. Are you the same brother that broke his back…?"
-"Charlie I have some good news for you…well it might be good news."
"Okay, it's about time. I was starting to think all you could tell me was bad news."
"Well… according to the tests we ran this morning, there is the possibility you could go into remission fairly soon."
"How good…I mean what are the chances? I mean, I don't wanna get my hopes up if it's not gonna happen." Charlie stated in a very uncharacteristically pessimistic manner.
"I'm sorry I can't promise anything. But don't give up just yet."
-Jake Ryan turned the key in the ignition and just as the motor started the entire car exploded.
-"Let it be known that on this day Lucas Eugene Tomland was legally executed by the process of lethal injection for the crime of…"
-15 Years Later-
*from this point to the end everything in italics is a flashback scene.
"Daddy…wake up! Daddy!"
"Huh…what time is it?"
"I gotta go to school!"
"It's only seven thirty. School's not till nine." Jim moaned as he sat up.
"I wanna be ready. I don't wanna miss the bus! Remember you promised?"
"Promised you what Nicki?" Jim asked through a bear of a yawn.
"Dad! You promised you'd take me to the bus stop! It's my first day of kindergarten!"
"That's today? Oh man…"
"Of course it's today! Now get up, I don't wanna miss anything!" Nicki stated plopping himself down next to his father.
"Nicki I'm really sorry…when I promised you that I didn't know I was gonna be on call at the hospital. A lot of sick people are counting on me." Being on call meant Jim had to be available at any time to come down to the hospital if he was needed.
"Dad! You promised!" Nicki complained mercilessly.
"I know I did. But there's nothing I can do about it. I'm sorry. How 'bout you're Uncle Mike takes you today and I'll take you tomorrow?"
"Promise?"
"I promise!" Jim said with as smile, his arm around the back of his sons head rubbing his thick black hair.
"Fine, but you better mean it this time."
"Of course I do. Now go back to bed. You wanna be awake and rearing to go when you really do need to start getting ready." Jim told his son, who obediently ran out the room and up into another.
Jim made his way into the living room in the front of the house. When he got to the couch someone was waiting there for him with a look of apology on their face.
"I didn't have the heart to tell him you were on call. Sweaty he really wanted you to see him off."
"I know Ally; I really wanted to be there too. But you know nothing ever seems to turn out the way you think it will." That's when Jim's mind turned to times past and his wife's face faded away.
"Honey get your back pack you're gonna be late for you first day of kindergarten!" Lilly Oken yelled to her son.
"I'll be right there; I'm just making sure my lunch is okay mommy."
"It's fine Jimmy, I even put a little mustard smile inside your sandwich just the way you like it. Now come on. Alice is outside waiting to walk to the bus stop!"
This made Jimmy move a little faster. He zipped out the front door with his mother following behind. After a few steps out the door he unwittingly bumped hands with Alice. His puffy cheeks turned a dark red. They didn't speak to each other until lunch time that day.
"Earth to Jim, where were you just now. You kind of zoned out for a second."
"Sorry about that little bro."
"I don't know why you still call me that. I'm four and a half inches taller than you." Mike commented.
"Maybe tall people snore more than short people."
"Really? You would know being a doctor and all."
"No, it has nothing to do with height."
"Wait…then how do you know I snore? Do you spy on me at night or something?"
"Don't have to; I've got my own personal spy. He's five and you share a room with him when your team is in town." Jim said, a wise-guy look on his face.
"Well if he hates it so much maybe I'll find somewhere else to stay from now on."
"You're only here for two months every year. And I'll let you in on a little secret. I think somehow the snoring helps Nicki sleep. Don't ask…"
"I won't…I miss us all being in the same house like it used to be…you know?"
"Yeah, I know… but I'm a doctor now, you're a hot shot pitcher in the big league, and Rose…she's a teacher like mom."
"Yeah, I know. I bet the kids are wondering when ole' Mrs. Oken is finally gonna retire…but you know what I miss…well not really miss but I wonder what it'd be like? Charlie…he and I were gonna be on the same time when we made it pro." Mike said, looking down at his feet.
Jim walked down the hospital hallway looking for his brother. He was home from college on winter break during his second year. His mother had told him Mike was at the hospital visiting Charlie. So Jim knew it was a good bet if he found Charlie's current room in oncology (cancer ward) he would find Mike as well. But when he got to Charlie's room it was just Charlie in his bed and a younger boy in the other. They were watching something on the television screen across from the beds. The younger boy had fallen asleep.
Jim came into the room to ask Charlie where his brother was. But Charlie spoke up before he could pose the question.
"You just missed your brother. Mike went down to the cafeteria."
"Mind if I hang out here till he gets back? You look pretty bored? I bet you could use the company."
"Sure, have a seat." Charlie gestured. He turned off the television while Jim sat at the end of his bed.
"So where's Susan. Don't you two have dates every week?"
"That's kind of become a joke, seeing as I can't even leave the hospital."
"They said you're in remission, so you should be out pretty soon, right?"
"That's what they keep telling me."
"Cheer up Charlie. You've got a great girlfriend and lots of people that care. Plus I happen to know the baseball team is waiting for you to come back in the spring."
"Thanks, that means a lot. You're right I do need to cheer up…cause otherwise I…" Charlie fell silent, his head fell to the side on his pillow. Jim looked up at the thin sheet of transparent glass that was Charlie's vital signs read-out monitor. His breathing and heart rate were starting to go down. In one quick fluid motion Jim strode over to the head of the bed and hit the medical emergency code button and a loud alarm sounded. Seconds later two doctors came running in and started frantically working to help stabilize Charlie's vitals. But with every passing moment things looked more and more desperate from Jim's point of view.
"His vitals are tanking. He needs to be defibrillated! Now!" One doctor said to the other. The second doctor pulled open Charlie's gown to reveal his eerily thin body. The first doctor placed the electrical paddles in contact with Charlie's chest and lower side.
"Alright. Charging. Clear!" A loud burst of energy was shot into Charlie causing his whole body to jump in the bed.
"He's still crashing, give it a little more!"
"Charge. Clear!" Charlie body shuddered once again, not nearly as much this time.
"Quick! He's circling the drain!"
"Clear!"
"Nothing…he's gone." The monitor showed all of Charlie's vitals as thin white lines moving straight across the plate glass screen, and a slight constant monotone was audible. Jim had seen it before when he worked at the hospital. But nothing prepared him less to see someone he knew go this way. Susan and Mike stood just outside the door way, looks of ice cold shock on their face. They were both heartbroken as they had just witnessed one of their closest and dearest friends die.
"Yeah, he was a really good guy. He definitely went before his time." Jim uttered the only thing he could think of to break the tension at the moment.
"Speaking of time Jim, it's time for me to go. You doctors get to go in when you get a page. But we nurses have to be there by eight no matter what." Alice said giving Jim a sarcastic smile.
"Well I guess I'll see you when I get there. Knowing the place, it'll be a good minute after you."
"See ya then." Alice said kissing him on the cheek and quickly scooting out the door. When Alice was gone the two brothers were left to each other's company.
"So you really can't take Nicki to the bus stop?" Mike asked curiously.
"I really can't take my son to the bus. I'm sorry. Wait why am I apologizing to you?"
"Beats me. You know I was there at the bus stop on your first day of kindergarten."
"Yeah, but you were in stroller. That hardly means anything."
"Well it's about time to get Nicki up…oh wait never mind. Here he comes now."
Nicki came bounding out into the kitchen fully dressed. His dark black hair was combed straight and his bright blue eyes glistened with anticipation.
"I promise I'll take you tomorrow little man." Jim repeated.
"I know…you better!" Nicki replied gleefully.
"One thing I liked better than the first day of school…"
"Michael you liked everything better than school." Jim cut in.
"I know, but what I liked better than that was when we used to go to the beach and you would watch other people surf and try to copy their moves." Mike recalled, he was actually trying to bring up a happy memory to calm Nicki down. He knew his nephew well enough to know he got excited when he was nervous. And today Nicki was especially excited.
Jimmy ran down the beach ahead of his mother and little brother. He found the perfect place to set up their stuff. He threw down his towel and yanked off his shirt revealing his ample belly that shone from fresh sun screen and quivered with every step he took. His best friend Sam stood next to him, a thin stomach matted with orange freckles. Jimmy grabbed the picnic basket from his mother who was not too pleased. She did not want a fat son. He began to eat a sandwich with more than a little vigor.
"Don't eat so fast Jimmy, you'll make yourself sick." Lilly scolded.
"I'm fine mom, but I think Mikey is getting a little bored."
"You're eight and already one of the biggest kids in your class."
"That's not true. Andy Corelli is huge! He told everybody the other day he was a hundred pounds! I'm not even close to that."
"It's true Mrs. O, we all saw Andy break a chair the other day!" Sam chimed in.
"I'm not surprised with the guy he's got as a father." Lilly muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"I said: don't get too overconfident, the way you're going at that sandwich you could catch up."
"Sam's mom says I'll grow into it." Jimmy said, Sam nodded in agreement, backing up his best friend.
"I hope she's right. Help your brother put his water shoes on."
Jimmy sat his little brother down and extracted the water shoes from the bag. When he went to slip one of them on his brothers tiny foot he reached his other hand over and tickled the bottom of his foot. Michael giggled happily. Jimmy quickly did what he was told though, he didn't want to cause too much chaos.
"Well that's my cue. I just got a page from one of the interns. They need me at the hospital right now. You be good on your first day buddy." Jim said scooping his son up in a big hug and then he headed out the door. He pulled into the car garage at "LA County Teaching Hospital" in his red 2050 model Mustang. The license plate "JOKEN" could be seen by any passers-by. A worried looking intern was there to greet him at the elevator doors.
"Wow how'd you know I was here Greg?" Jim asked the intern, Dr. Hefley, bewildered.
"Remember last year they GPS tagged all the doctors cars so people in the hospital could tell when a doctor would get here?"
"Oh yeah, still not sure I'm comfortable with that but I guess I'll live with it. Anyway, you paged me so what's going on?"
"It's mister Altman, he's having all these symptoms…and…"
"Symptoms?"
"Yeah…it'd be easier if I just take you to him." Greg uttered shakily.
"But you paged me. You couldn't have paged Turner? He is your resident."
"Well you're the Attending…and I thought you should…you know?.."
"I get it you wanted to be on the safe side." As the elevator headed up to the ICU Jim thought he should do something to calm Greg down. "So have you asked her yet?" Jim asked.
"Asked who?"
"You know Dr. Grey? You've wanted to ask her out for weeks now. Did you say anything yet?"
"I'm still waiting to come up with the right things to say to her."
It was days after the kiss. Jimmy was twelve and he had just kissed Alice, his best friend. She was a girl and he was just getting used to liking girls or even thinking about liking them. He ran down the shoreline of the beach, this was a new habit he had developed days ago after he had had a big fight with his rival Andy Corelli. He supposed it was better this than punching Andy across the jaw and besides it seemed to make him eat less or at least not the same things anymore. He was not wearing at shirt at the moment. It was to avoid questions when he got home covered in sweat. He was taller than he used to be and not nearly as flabby. But his belly still protruded slightly with the extra weight he had.
He was trying to make sense of all the feelings he now had rushing through his head which was now covered in short hair for the first time since he was very little. He couldn't figure out whether or not he was alright with what happened between him and Alice. She was his best friend. She was very good looking. But she was a girl, and he was still not over thinking of girls as gross or at least not something more than friends. But the thought crossed his mind that maybe it wasn't like that. Maybe girls could be way more fun to be with than he had thought. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice that was familiar and it sent a chill down his spine. It was Alice.
"Hey Jimmy. I think we need to talk about what happened the other day. You know the kiss…"
"I don't wanna talk about it. I wanna pretend it didn't happen!" Jimmy shouted.
"James Oliver Oken! You don't talk to me like that, it did happen! And we're gonna talk about it!" Alice shouted back. With that Jimmy was even more confused.
"I don't want you to see…me right now…you can see all my fat…" Jimmy said blushing deeply.
"You're not fat, you're cute." Alice smiled. She seemed to have reasoned out her feelings even if Jimmy hadn't. But something came over Jimmy at that moment.
"Now let's talk about the kiss."
"It told you I don't wanna talk about it." Jimmy said, he moved closer and kissed her on the lips, pulling away quickly. He stood there and said nothing. Alice seemed pleased with what had just happened.
"Well that's one way of discussing it."
"Alice I really like you…more than a friend. But please don't tell anybody…not yet."
"Okay, I get it…you're worth it." Alice kissed him lightly on the lips. He seemed more comfortable with it now. They walked down the shore together. Alice wrapped her arm around Jimmy's fleshy backside.
"You should say something to her, sooner rather than later. You know if you don't someone else will." Jim told Greg.
"You're right, tonight when we all get off I'll tell her how I feel."
Just then they got off the elevator and three frantic interns came running up.
"Doctor Oken, it's mister Altman, he's coded three times…Dr. Turner's been able to figure it out so far but it doesn't look good and she said to page you." One of the interns said in a highly agitated voice.
"As long as he's stable we need to keep trying to find out what's wrong." They made their way over to the patient's bed and Jim examined the man's vitals which were displayed on a holographicly projected readout. Things looked to be alright at the moment. But Jim recommended several tests to be safe.
"Okay, now that I'm here we might as well do rounds on the other patients." Jim told the interns.
When things seemed to calm down one of his more promising students, an intern named Meredith Grey spoke up.
"I know this doesn't really have anything to do with the patients but…it's really crazy around here most of the time, and you found time to have a wife and a son. How'd you do it? I mean I suppose if I found the right guy."
"First of all Alice and I were together before I became a doctor, and my son, well he just made sense. And it was probably the easiest decision I ever made, having him. Even with such a busy job you just have to make the time…you don't think twice."
"Jim tomorrow's the big day!" Sam said smiling intensely.
"And what big day would that be?"
"You're getting married! And as you're best man I'm insisting you calm down a little."
"Calm down? I'm not the one that needs to calm down."
"I still haven't heard you thank me for that awesome bachelor party I threw you last night."
"I'll start thanking you when my headache stops thanking you."
"No need to get snarky."
"I'm sorry; I guess I'm just a little on edge."
"Who wouldn't be? I was so nervous on my wedding day; I almost came down the aisle with my shoes on the wrong feet."
"I'll never let you forget that. Especially since it was only two months ago!"
"Be a good sport, you make way more than me so you won than one."
"Come on Sam, I earn it. I save lives."
"'I Save lives'," Sam said mockingly, "Jim you're an intern, you're just learning."
"Yeah, well I still save lives."
"Oh, yeah save this!" Sam stuck his tongue out and threw Jim's tie across the room.
"Why I outta!" Jim said playfully pumping his fists. He rubbed his knuckles over Sam's head. They both laughed hysterically.
Jim was sitting in the hospital cafeteria with the chief resident, Dr. Turner. She was always looking to him for answers he knew she could come up with on her own if she just found a little more confidence. But the question she asked today was one she didn't already have the answer to, and Jim only addressed on occasion.
"So why did you get into medicine Doctor Oken?"
"I would have to say it was because of my brother. He's amazing. He always has been, and I think he always will be…"
Jimmy who was now closing in on thirteen was testing his newfound muscles by lifting his paralyzed brother into his wheelchair.
"We're gonna go to the beach today little bro. How's that sound?"
"You sure you can let Alice see you with your shirt off…just kidding."
"I know you are, you better be…I'd hate to have to put a hurt on you!" Jimmy said imitating his parent's friend Miley.
"Besides you look a lot skinnier now."
"It's not skinny, it's muscle little bro." Jimmy said, flexing his biceps and mustering his best macho face. It made Michael laugh wildly, which was a good thing. These days getting Michael to smile was always a good thing. Just then something happened that put a crimp in their whole day. A clap of thunder shuddered the room and it began to pour down rain outside.
"Oh, great, well will you take a rain check little bro? Hah, rain check! Get it?" Jimmy laughed. Michael was not amused.
"Tomorrow for sure." Michael said, he wheeled himself into another room, a look of gloom on his face. Little did they both know the very next day they would discover that Michael would in fact soon be free of the wheelchair.
"Dr. Oken! One of the interns just paged me. Mr. Altman is crashing." Dr. Turner told him.
"Alright, let's go!" Jim commanded. They made a bee line to the elevator and made it back to the ICU in record time. When they got there the holographic monitor was flashing all sorts of alerts and Mr. Altman looked like death.
"His BP's falling."
"Start him on…" The intern panicked. Jim intervened and injected the patient with a needless injector.
"Okay, he's getting better, but John you need to insert than line into his chest!" Jim ordered.
"I…I don't know if I can…"
"Look at me!" Jim said his eyes wide and serious. "You can do this now insert the line into his chest."
The intern obeyed, albeit a little too tensely. He seemed still not to have quite the confidence he needed, he was having difficulty taking action.
"I…can't get it through his pleura."
"Just push, it'll go through." Jim said reinforcing the intern's confidence. He pushed harder and the line went in. He stood there waiting to be told he had succeeded.
"Good going, nurse attach the tube." Jim instructed them. The nurse attached the tube and fluid began to flow freely through it.
"He's stable!" John exclaimed. He seemed to be holding something in.
"Go ahead." Jim told him.
"Wa-hoo! Yeah."
"Okay, that's enough. Now go find a data pad and start logging this…You did great."
"Thanks, Dr. Oken."
Just then another doctor came up to Jim. He knew this could be trouble, or it could be the other way around.
"Jim, I got a page for a surgical consult." McCoy said in his usual southern tones.
"Umm, not from my team…but how's it going?"
"How's it going? I've got a million things to do down in the OR and I get a bad page. How you think it's going?"
"That good, huh? I'll see you later okay Len?"
"Yeah, okay."
For some reason this made Jim think of his sister.
"Alex you're getting married today. You're not just marrying anybody. You're marrying my sister." Jim intoned.
"Uh-huh…" Alex said, at a loss for words.
"You're perfect for her. You always have been. That's why I agreed to be your best man. But so help me if you get up there and it's your turn to say 'I do' and you say 'Uh-huh'…well you can use your imagination."
"I'll be fine Jim."
"Wait…that's what I'm supposed to tell you."
"I love Rose. I've known it since I was in third grade. I've been waiting for this day for so long…I know I'm not gonna mess it up."
"You're right, you're ready. And I've been ready to welcome you into the Oken family since you started dating my sister."
"But she'll be Rose Rhodes."
"I know but the grooms family welcomes the bride into their family and the bride's family, that's us, welcomes you into our family…just so you know I already thought of you as family. This just makes it official." Jim told him, patting him on the back.
Hours later the wedding was about to begin, and Alex was in a back room with Jim and the other groomsmen.
"Jim, I might throw up on you."
"You'll be fine. Just think in about fifteen minutes Rose is gonna be your wife."
"A little better, but I think it might make me want to throw up more."
"It's just nerves. You'll get over it." Jim said. They heard a knock on the door. It was time for Jim and the other groomsmen to make their way to the side of the alter across from the bridesmaids. Alice was Rose's maid of honor. She smiled over to Jim and Mike who now stood at attention as music began to play Alex stood at one side of the alter and waited as Rose made her way down the aisle accompanied by her father, Oliver.
"Do you, Alexander David Rhodes, take Rose Nancy Oken to be your lawfully wedded wife…?"
"I do." Alex answered. Anyone there could tell it was the one question he had been waiting to answer that way for a very long time.
"And do you, Rose Nancy Oken, take Alexander David Rhodes, to be your lawfully wedded husband…?
"I do."
"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
As Jim watched his sister and new brother-in-law kiss for the very first time as husband and wife, he could not be more proud of his family.
The end of the day snuck up in the hospital and Jim was more than ready to get home. Alice had already beaten him to it when he had to deal with a patient bleeding out. On the way out one of the interns asked him a question he was more than happy to answer.
"So what are you doing when you get home? I'm just getting a drink and going to sleep. I'm beat." Dr. Grey said.
"I'm going home to see my family." Jim said proudly.
When he got home he only saw a flash of motion and felt an impact.
"Daddy!" Nicki shouted with glee, as he jumped up into his father's arms in a big hug.
"How was your first day little man?"
"It was great! There's lots of great kids. But this one girl, Izzy, she won't leave me alone."
"Maybe that means she likes you, you ever think of that?"
"EW! No! She's a girl!"
"Okay, well I'm sure she'll leave you alone eventually."
"Maybe…" Nicki responded, sounding unsure.
"I'm taking you to the bus tomorrow for sure. Alright?"
"Yup, you promised, so you hafta!"
"Okay."
The morning came before he knew it and Jim made his way out into the front of the house were his son was already waiting for him, two bowls of cereal ready.
"I made you breakfast daddy!" Nicki told him.
"I'm having a breakfast of champions today!" Jim said with a smile. Mike rolled his eyes, which told Jim he'd better be careful.
They made it to the bus stop with plenty of time. Nicki stood between his dad and a couple of friends from the neighborhood as they waited for the bus. When it came Jim quickly kneeled down to talk to his son.
"Now Nicki, you have a fun day. And if that girl Izzy gives you a hard time, just remember you are Nicki "Smokin'" Oken!"
"Smokin' Oken!" Nicki repeated coolly. He turned and got on the bus with his friends. Jim watched his son, a new life that only just begun.
-THE END-
-This is the final chapter. However I will be writing 1-3 smaller chapters that discuss everything that happened to Charlie in his perspective, and some things from Alex's perspective. So look out for those.
Notes to the readers:
*Reviews are much appreciated!
-I would like to thank any of the people that have stayed with this story all this time, I looked back in my files it has been just about a year since I started this. I have enjoyed writing this story, and hope anyone reading it enjoyed it too.
** This is the twenty-fourth chapter of my story "A New Life". If you haven't read my first saga you may not know where these characters are coming from. So you might want to read it, or at least "Meant to Be Parts 5-9". This story takes place before the end of "Meant To Be".
-I will be uploading all the chapters again under one "A New Life" story entry and then adding the extra chapters later.
***Lilly and Oliver, and Miley and Jackson are in their fifties. Jim is 33. Rose is 30. Michael and Susan (Miley's daughter), and Robbie Rod (Jackson's son) are 28.
****If you want to find my other stories (My first saga) click on my screen name on the top of this page, and you can find my stories on my profile. If you want to stay updated as to when I post new chapters, please subscribe to my username!
-I hope to write more stories in the future. I need to come up with another idea that can stretch out like this one. Until then I hope you enjoy "Mean to Be" and "A New Life".
Thank You.