How to Save a Life
Frozen to the spot in front of the flight departure screen, she stares blankly at the listing, knowing she was making the hugest mistake of her life by getting on this flight. Every fiber of her being is screaming for her to turn around and walk out of that airport, to let her past remain right where it has always been, giving no care to the man that had called her with fear and heartache in his voice. She knows that she should express some form of sympathy for him, but how could she? After nearly fifteen years of no contact whatsoever, he chooses now to call her and only for the sake of his cherished half-sister.
She couldn't tell you how long she has despised Elizabeth Webber's very existence. It seemed as if it had been from birth because she could hardly remember when it had began. All her life, all she's known is her hatred for everything Webber related. Her father, most of all. It was common knowledge to all who knew him that, at the time of her conception, he had wanted a son. When Steven had been returned to him, her existence barely seemed to register in his head. Leaving her with a mother like Heather was the cruelest thing her father had ever done to her.
Please, Scarlet, I know I have no right in asking for your help, but I am, her brother had begged before saying something she swears she'll never forget, something no one has ever said to her before in her entire life, she's your sister, too. Half-sister, she had snapped at him before she ended the call abruptly, disgusted with the way he chose to handle the call. It wasn't until after she had hung up and downed half a bottle of tequila that she realized there was no good way to have that call. After all they had been through, there was just no good way to have that conversation.
Despite every distasteful thought running through her mind, despite all the reasons why it wouldn't be her fault if she refused to give them what they wanted, Scarlet booked the first available flight to the wayside town known as Port Charles. Growing up, knowing she was nothing more than a pawn in her mother's sick scheme to win over her father, Scarlet had always sworn she'd never step foot in that toxic town. Standing there, staring at the departure board, unable to understand the emotions surging through her, she felt like a huge failure.
Dragging her carry-on luggage, she makes her way through customs before boarding the plane to the one place on Earth she has deemed as her own personal hell. Not only was she conceived in that pathetic excuse of a town, but she was also born in a rundown building within the confines of that town. The only thing she will ever be grateful to her mother for, the absolute only thing she can credit to the woman, was her ability to survive. In her unparalleled ability to survive anything that happens to her, she inadvertently ensured the survival of her newborn child.
Glancing around the plane, she felt her anger grow at the fact that she couldn't drink even an ounce of alcohol the entire flight, knowing what she had to do when she lands in the wayward town. As much as she despises the woman's very existence, it would be a complete waste of her time if she were to get drunk and pass out on the flight. She doesn't intend to be in that town longer than she has to and drinking now would only prolong her stint.
Standing outside his sister's hospital room, Steven could practically feel the walls beginning to close in on him, knowing he had no clue of whether or not she would actually show up. The last thing he wanted to do was pull her back into the craziness that is their family, but he couldn't help it. So far they have been out of luck in finding a match and Elizabeth is fading fast. If they don't find a match soon, she could very well die.
"Do you think she'll show?" Jason Morgan, his sister's fiance, questions as he moves to stand beside him.
"Honestly, I don't know." Steven admits sadly, pained by the fact that he has allowed his relationship with his sister to fall to shambles as it has in his escape from everything tied to his mother. "She hates the Webbers almost as much as she hates Heather. There's really no telling what she'll do."
"Will she become a problem?" Jason wanted to know. The last thing he needed was more stress to be piled onto his fiancee.
"For me, probably." Steven admits before shaking his head. "But not for Liz. Even Scarlet wouldn't attack someone in her fragile state."
"But would she let her die?"
"Like I said earlier, the last time I spoke to her she was still a kid in high school." Steven says with a deep sigh. "I have no idea what she'll do. For now, we'll just have to hope and pray that either the hospital comes up with a donor within the next twenty-four hours or Scarlet shows up and is deemed a match."
He wanted to have faith in his sister, to believe that she wouldn't knowingly let Elizabeth die when she could possibly save her, but he truthfully didn't know his sister well enough to make that assessment. If it wasn't for the fact that a familial match is Elizabeth's best chance at surviving, Steven would never have made that call. Taking a deep breath, he tells his future brother-in-law to call him if there are any changes before making his way to the hospital chapel. If there were such a thing as the best time to pray, this moment would be it.
The cold immediately surrounds her in its icy embrace as she makes her way out of the local airport and into the godforsaken town. Waving down a taxi, she instructs him to take her to General Hospital before settling into the backseat, anxious to get this over with. A part of her hopes that she isn't a match, that they never find a match and Elizabeth dies a slow and painful death. That part of her, however, is overruled by her inability to allow a person to die.
Hell, there were times when she could have let Heather rot in hell and boy did she want that more than anything. Unfortunately for everyone, she could watch her mother die and gave her the help she so desperately needed. If she can save the devil herself, Scarlet knows there's no way she'd let her brother's angel die if she can help it. Hating a person is one thing. Willingly letting them die when you had a chance to save them, well, that's a whole other thing entirely.
"Hello." the desk nurse greets her when she walks up to the sixth floor nurses' station. "How can I help you?"
"I'm here to get tested." Scarlet says, glancing around the room before focusing on the nurse. "I'm supposed to see if I'm a match for Elizabeth Webber."
"You must be Ms. Grant. My name's Sabrina." the nurse replies, shaking her hand before walking around the desk to stand in front of her. "We've been expecting you. If you'd like I can walk with you to the lab where you'll be tested."
"That would be nice." Scarlet says simply. "Mostly because I have no idea where it would be."
"Is this your first time to GH?"
"You can say that." Scarlet replies before following Sabrina onto the elevator. "The last time I was here I was just a newborn."
"Ah, well, you'll find that our staff is truly accommodating." Sabrina says with a bright smile. "If there's anything we can do for you, just let us know and we'll see what we can do."
"Only thing I need is for this to be over with." Scarlet says plainly, staring blankly at the doors. "The faster the better."
"Forgive me for asking, if this is too personal, but are you sure you want to do this?" Sabrina dares to ask as she sees the blank look on her face, having seen it in donors who aren't too keen about giving up a piece of themselves. "I mean, have you really given it much thought? Once you go through with this, there's really no turning back."
"Do I want to be doing this? No." Scarlet states honestly before turning to look at the nurse. "But if I am a match, I'll have no choice in the matter."
"What do you mean?"
With nothing better to do in that moment as they make their way to the lab, Scarlet tells the nurse all about her history with the Webber family and the reason behind her not really wanting to be there in that moment. As they arrive at the lab, Scarlet could see a sense of understanding shine through the nurse's eyes, which strangely didn't piss her off as much as it usually did when people looked at her that way. Taking a deep breath, she grants the nurse a slight smile, knowing that she couldn't blame the woman for being friends with Elizabeth. It seemed that everyone under the sun, besides herself, liked the woman.
"Thank you for walking with me." Scarlet voices, actually grateful to someone for the first time in a long time.
"Oh, no problem." Sabrina waves away her gratitude. "I should be thanking you. It really is a brave thing you're doing and I know Elizabeth will be beyond grateful for what you're doing for her."
"Sure." she clears her throat, uncomfortable with the way the conversation has turned. "Anyway, I should probably go get tested. Thanks, again, Nurse Santiago."
"You can call me Sabrina, if you'd like." Sabrina says with a soft smile. "I'll be one of the nurses taking care of you if you're a match."
"Here's to hoping, then." Scarlet says before pulling open the door. "And, Sabrina?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't want anyone knowing that I'm the one that made the donation." Scarlet says firmly. "So, if you can inform the staff of my decision, I'd appreciate it."
"Why would you want to do that?" Sabrina looks at her in disbelief. "What you're doing..."
"Is something that doesn't require recognition." Scarlet cuts her off. "An anonymous donation from someone on the national registry. Okay?"
"If that's what you want, I'll get started on the paperwork." Sabrina replies. "But your family..."
"The only family I have is Heather Webber." Scarlet says plainly, smiling slightly at the look of disgust that graces the nurse's face before she masks it. "By the look on your face, its clear you share my hatred for the woman."
"She's...something."
"Yeah." she laughs softly. "Its just best this way. I can trust you to handle this, can't I?"
"Of course." Sabrina assures. "If you want it to be anonymous, it'll be anonymous."
"Thank you, Sabrina."
Walking into the lab, she allows the door to slowly shut behind her as she makes her way over to the lab technician, introducing herself before they begin the ever frustrating process of seeing if she's a match to her half-sister. First things first in the long list of things that need to be done is blood type testing. Obviously telling the man she was O positive wouldn't cut it. Something about having to be absolutely positively certain about her blood type. Obviously this Brad guy is meant to test her patience.
Once her blood type is validated, they move onto the questions regarding her health history, after which they move on to more and more questions until her answers give a clear picture that she was healthy enough to withstand the surgery and hopefully make a quick and full recovery once the donation is completed. By the end of it all, she gained an sense that the technician didn't particularly like her half-sister. At least she wasn't the only one.
While they are testing her first batch of blood and urine samples, she will be upstairs getting checked into her own hospital room, where she'll begin prepping for surgery. Once her tests come back a match, she will undergo another set of tests, but then they'll be cross-matching her blood with Elizabeth's to see if she will be able to take the kidney.
According to the lab technician with a bad attitude, she will be in the hospital for a good week before being released, if she really works at it, that is. She won't be able to travel for a good two to three weeks after that, in case any complications arise due to surgery, but once that time frame is reached she will be out of Port Charles and she won't bother looking back. God, she couldn't wait for that to happen.
She couldn't really understand why, but she couldn't help feeling bad for the woman that was about to do the most selfless thing for someone she cared deeply about. She knows Elizabeth on a more personal level, one that Scarlet didn't know her on, and she couldn't help but want to fix that. To live in a world where the only family you feel any form of connection with is Heather Webber, it couldn't be a decent world to live in. Just the thought of it sent chills down her spine.
"Hey, you're awake." Sabrina says softly as she makes her way into Elizabeth's hospital room. "Where's everyone?"
"Chased them away." she smiles softly. "I threatened to leave if they didn't. They'll be back soon."
"Good. Those two could use a good meal and a decent shower." Sabrina approves before picking up her chart and walking over to jot down her vitals. "Still stable. That's good."
"You seem...brighter." Elizabeth comments, looking at her curiously. "Did something change?"
"We haven't found a match yet...we won't know for sure until the tests come back, anyway."
"But there is a viable donor?"
"There is." Sabrina smiles brightly. "She's getting checked in while the tests are being done. If she comes back a match, they'll do the cross-match and then we'll know for sure."
"Can I meet her?" Elizabeth questions as she tries to wrap her head around the fact that she could be receiving a new kidney soon.
"Unfortunately, she's chosen to remain anonymous." Sabrina says, trying to keep the smile on her face. "But the good news is that you are much closer to a match than you were a few hours ago. That's gotta make your day a little better."
"Thank you for letting me know, Sabrina." she says with a soft smile. "I just wish I could thank the woman that's willingly giving up a part of herself to save me."
"Me, too." Sabrina admits. "She's really kind and, obviously, generous."
"Who is?" Steven questions when he walks into the room with Jason close behind.
"They found a possible donor." Elizabeth tells them, smiling softly when her fiance moves to stand by her side, slipping his hand into hers. "They're just waiting on the tests to come back."
"But it looks really promising." Sabrina adds. "The initial results have come back a match. Once the full results come back, we'll start the cross-match and then go from there."
"Can we meet her before the surgery?" Jason asks, knowing that his fiancee would want to meet the person saving her life as much as he wants to.
"Unfortunately, the donor has chosen to remain anonymous." Sabrina voices before taking a deep breath. "Anyway, I should go finish my rounds. I'll come check you once we know for sure, okay?"
"Thank you, Sabrina." Elizabeth says, growing tired.
"No problem." Sabrina smiles brightly. "Seeing you healthy again will be thanks enough."
More than anything, she wanted to tell them who the donor is, knowing how badly they want to know the person that's saving Elizabeth, but its not her place. Her place is to ensure that her patients survive and go on to live another day. With a deep breath, she makes her way to the nurses' station to see if Scarlet has been assigned a room, wanting to make sure that she was well taken care of. Just because she didn't want her family to know she's the donor, it didn't mean that she couldn't stand in and take care of her while she's there.
Through the night, Scarlet had thought her brother would somehow find his way to her room, not believing that anything really stayed anonymous for long in that place, but she was pleasantly surprised to find that she still didn't have any visitors by morning. None other than the sweet nurse that couldn't seem to leave her alone for that long until her shift was over. Leaving her with the promise of returning in the morning, Sabrina left for the night and, just like promised, she returned in the morning.
"Is this for the cross-match?" Scarlet questions when Sabrina's done drawing more blood.
"Yes." she confirms. "Once they finish the cross-match, we'll prep you for surgery and then you'll be in recovery for the rest of the day. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you should be back in your room by tonight and out of the hospital in about a week."
"And then stuck in this town for three weeks before I can travel back home." Scarlet adds. "God, this can't be over fast enough."
"I'll be with you during your surgery and while you're in recovery."
"Don't you have other patients to tend to?" Scarlet questions before elaborating when a look of offence crosses her face. "I just mean, you're one of the nicest nurses I've ever met...I'm sure other patients could use you to brighten up their day."
"I appreciate you saying that, but I'm all yours until you're done." Sabrina says with a soft smile. "Besides, your stay here won't be that anonymous if you have rotating nurses."
"Right." Scarlet shakes her head. "Makes sense, I guess."
"They're going to run the tests as soon as I drop these off." Sabrina says simply. "Once the tests are done, I'll come back in to help you prep for surgery."
"Great." she says simply. "Can't wait."
"Just follow the rules and you'll be out of here in no time." Sabrina says with a slight smile. "I'll be back to check on you soon."
"Okay."
Waiting long enough for her to walk out of the room, Scarlet lets out a deep breath, wishing that she could just reach into her own body and hand the nurse her kidney before going about her day. Too bad life just didn't work that way. If she's lucky, she'll make it through this surgery, breeze past the recovery time and hop on the first flight out of Port Charles. Her lucky, however, has never been that good up until no, so, she won't hold her breath.
It seemed as if time flew by because they were now wheeling Elizabeth down to the operating room in preparation to receive the kidney. They still have a long road ahead once she receives the kidney, but Jason couldn't think on that right then. Not when his fiancee is finally undergoing the surgery that can literally save her life at this point.
Making his way to the observation room with her brother, Jason could tell the man was itching to find out who the kidney was coming from, wanting to know for sure if it was his sister that made the donation, but the hospital wasn't budging and Jason didn't think having Spinelli run a search was proper at the moment.
"There it is." Steven voices as they watch the head nurse walk into the operating room with the kidney.
Breath caught in his throat, Jason watches with bated breath as the doctor puts the kidney into his fiancee, praying to the high heavens that this would keep. He has done so much research on kidney transplant that he almost feels as if he could be the one doing the surgery right now. The chances of organ rejection, though seemingly low, is still too high for his liking.
Only time will tell, however, and he just can't wait for all of this to be over with. He can't wait to get married and take her away from that town. To take her to Italy where she'll finally have all her dreams come true. He swears that life will be on her terms from now on. No more danger, no more mob messes, just the two of them living out her dreams.
One Month Later:
Luggage in hand, Scarlet finds herself standing frozen before yet another departure board, this time anxiously awaiting her flight out of town. After being released from the hospital, she stayed the three weeks in a rundown motel where no one knew her name and she frankly didn't care to know any of theirs. Other than Sabrina, who has proclaimed herself Scarlet's friend, she didn't have any visitors to speak of. If she had to make a friend with one of Elizabeth's, she can't complain about it being Sabrina. She's a decent person and a really good friend. With all the fake friends she has had in her life, a friend like Sabrina is something Scarlet can definitely appreciate.
"I wish you'd tell Elizabeth it was you that saved her." Sabrina voices from behind her, causing her to turn away from the departure board.
"The doctors saved her." Scarlet counters. "I merely gave them something to work with."
"Wrong. You saved her." Sabrina says seriously. "The doctors merely put your gift inside of her. You were the one that saved her."
"She's alive. She's healthy." Scarlet says simply. "Let it be enough."
"You're wrong about her, you know?" Sabrina counters. "Elizabeth...you'd like her if you gave her half a chance."
"Maybe so, but that's not about to happen." Scarlet replies. "I have to board my plane."
"Okay." Sabrina sighs, accepting that nothing would change in that moment, knowing that from the last three weeks of asking her to tell Elizabeth the truth. "I'm gonna miss you."
"I'll miss you, too." she voices wholeheartedly. "Take care of yourself."
"You, too."
"You'll keep me updated, won't you?"
"Of course." Sabrina promises. "Then again, it'll be easier for you to find out if you just..."
"Sabrina."
"Right...I know." she chuckles softly. "Can't blame a girl for trying."
Dragging her luggage, she makes her way through customs before boarding the plane, thankful to finally be out of the confines of that town. As much as she enjoyed Sabrina's company, she just couldn't wait to be as far away from Port Charles as possible. Taking a deep breath, Scarlet settles into her seat, preparing to endure the long flight back home. As she's moving to take off her jacket, Scarlet feels something unfamiliar in her pocket, letting out a low chuckle when she pulls it out and finds that its from Elizabeth. No one can ever say that Sabrina wasn't a sneaky one.
Dear Anonymous Donor,
More than anything, I would have loved to have thanked you in person for saving my life, but I can see now that it isn't what you wanted. A part of me has a feeling that you're the half-sister I was never supposed to know about, if you're not that person, I apologize and I still appreciate your generosity just as much.
Either way, I'd like to tell you about the person that you have chosen to save. My name is Elizabeth Imogene Webber and I'm a mother of three. I will soon be marrying the man that I have loved for what seems like my entire life. Inside is an invitation to my wedding that will be taking place in two months time. Don't feel obligated to attend, I know you have given me more than I could ever dare to ask for, but if you'd like to come you are more than welcomed to attend.
And if, by some chance, I'm right and you are my half-sister, Scarlet, I truly hope you can find it in your heart to come to my wedding. Give me a chance to explain things from my point of view. I swear, if you give me this chance and you still hate me, I will accept that and I won't try to contact you again. I'd just like the chance to thank you and show you that not all Webbers are as bad as you think.
Forever Grateful,
Elizabeth Webber
Scarlet wasn't sure if she would take her up on the offer or if she'd let the chance pass her by, but she can admit that she was glad to have received the letter. Its not every day that she gives a part of herself to save someone's life and it was nice to be thanked for it. Sure, people should do nice things for others without expecting a thank you in return, but it still didn't hurt to hear it. Especially since that gesture still sent a dull shock of pain through her body when she stretches in the wrong way.
Folding up the letter and sliding it into her jacket pocket, Scarlet settles back into her seat, uncertain if she'll ever be ready to face the youngest Webber. Maybe someday down the line, long after the incision turns into a badass scar, and she comes to terms with her own childhood, maybe she'll set up some face to face time with her half-sister. Today, however, she'll remember the one good thing she's done with her life, so far, in saving her and let it be enough.
A/N: To my dear friend, The Jackal's Vixen, here is the story you have asked me to write so many times before. I know it took forever, but I hope its one of those better late than never situations. Part 2 will be up soon. I hope you loved it. We'll talk soon. Take care and much love.