A Fight For Life.
Chapter 1.
Just as Leah got back to her desk again following her consultation with the physician, and even though they had planned for the news that she had received in a way it had nevertheless come certainly as a surprise because she hadn't supposed it to happen so soon, so in many respects it had still come as a shock to her. She'd just got herself a cup of tea and was about to commence ploughing through the paperwork from the appointments that she'd had that morning, when her phone rang. The call was from Benny telling her to get to the hospital because Bull had been rushed in after he had found him collapsed and unconscious at the office.
As she went into slight shock as she gathered her stuff together she found herself quietly praying that everything would be ok, especially with her own news that she'd got for him and despite Benny also not having said to her what had taken place she was already feeling that more than lightly Bull had had a heart attack. As even though she had certainly fallen in love with him in her heart and from her own struggles from having been a physician she had been truly worried about him, because when they first met she noticed that he hadn't been taking proper care of himself, but as their relationship had grown into something more serious she had seen that he had started to carry out some changes for the better, but it was evident that those changes hadn't come quick enough if it was the reason why he had ended up in hospital now.
-AFL-
They had now been together for just over six months and to a certain degree it had been love at first sight for the both of them. That initial contact had been an absolute fluke because she had been in a bar that she had never frequented before, and had merely been there because her mentor and now best friend from the days when she was a physician had now retired and she'd been invited to his retirement party at the bar. As she and her other best friend Lily who was also Rob's PA/admin assistant sat there drinking she had seen two men sitting at the bar drinking together, but it had been the younger of the two men that had kept turning round to watch at them because he was ogling Lily. At one stage she had started to get fed up with the shared looks between them so she had told Lily that if she was interested in the man then she should go ahead and make her move, but she was leaving to go outside to get some air.
After a while of being outside she decided to go back in to look and see if Lily had made her move or not, as well as go and say "Goodnight" to Rob as she was leaving to head home. Not watching where she was going as she reached the door she hadn't seen Bull coming out of it, so she smacked straight into him, they then apologised to one another and he then spoke to her saying "I wouldn't bother if I was you, your friend and Benny are getting on quite well in there."
She smiled and responded "I did wonder if they had, so I was just going into see that and also say goodnight to Rob as I was thinking about heading home, I'm Leah Snow."
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Dr Jason Bull."
But that had been it for the initial encounter, as she didn't know if it was just that he wasn't keen in getting to know her as well or if it was just that he had thought she and Rob were partners or not.
-AFL-
Even so somehow that Dr Jason Bull had made an impression on her, so she had looked him up and had found out about his work at TAC. It was then a couple of weeks or so later when the two of them had their next encounter with one another. She had been in family court over one of her cases in which one of the women she worked with had been given parole a few months before and she was now hoping to be getting access to her children, after the trial was over she was going to have some lunch in one of her favourite places before heading back to work once again. As she was heading that way and was walking past the criminal court who should she see there speaking to a blonde woman and also Benny? One Dr Jason Bull, just as she was going to just go past them, even though she did genuinely wish to see him once again, but just as she was going to switch the direction she was going in, Bull chose that moment to turn round and see her and called her over introducing her to both Benny and Marissa. When she then told them about going to grab something to eat she asked them if they would like to join her, while Benny and Marissa declined the invitation Bull had agreed to join her. They had then shared a truly nice dinner together, where he had indicated that he had thought that she and Rob were together and he didn't wish to tread on anyone's toes, but had since found out that they weren't. As they then learned about each other more over their food, it grew into the beginning of a beautiful relationship between the pair.
As the pair started and maintained their relationship she had acknowledged that he was a bit of a workaholic and was troubled about the amount of time he devoted to his job as well as the sleeping at the office and how he didn't exactly keep himself in shape, but she did still love the man very much even if she did still worry about him a lot, chiefly because she had been very much the same when she was a dr and later on when she had become a paediatric specialist.
She had put in long hours at the hospital and had not taken proper care of herself, in the end she had become very close to having a breakdown and thanks to her parents intervention she had gone onto make a complete recovery. When she had got back to work once again though she had found that her heart actually wasn't in it and had quit going on to become the social worker that she now was. She did still know though that she couldn't force him into doing anything for himself, chiefly with her own experience because even though her parents had stepped in at the appropriate time all those years ago, when they had at first sought to help her she wouldn't have anything to do with it and had to start off with had sought to draw away from them.
-AFL-
Following an encounter with his former wife Izzie she hadn't known what had taken place because all of a sudden she noticed that he had begun to drink less and was likewise trying not to remain late at the office or even end up sleeping at the office, plus it had also sparked off a discussion between them about them trying for a family. After having gone to her own dr's following their conversation she had found out that because of the contraceptive that she had been using, there was a chance that it could end up taking a while for her to become pregnant, so they had then had another conversation and had resolved that she would come off it and they would begin to try for their family.
Once again with that decision that they had made she had then noticed that he had tried even more harder with his work hours and was simply having an odd drink now, as well as trying really hard to begin eating a lot better as well.
-AFL-
With Benny having not actually told her anything and that she was to just get herself to the hospital, Leah didn't know how she had done it, but somehow on autopilot she had got herself to the hospital with all the uncertainty and everything else running through her head. She was then very happy to see Benny waiting for her by the entrance, but the revelation she had was to discover that Izzie was with him. As soon as they were sitting in the private waiting area just inside the door he introduced her to Izzie and then stated "I know we don't like this, but we're going to have to be a bit conservative with the truth because they won't let us in and I don't know if it was something Bull was planning, but you're down as being his medical power of attorney because of being his fiancé so we're going to have to play along with that."
She responded "I agree I don't like it, but we must." She then draws a deep breath and continues "So what the hell happened Benny?"
He says "We'd gone to dinner and I realized there was something that I needed from the office, that I knew I could have got in the morning before court, there was something telling me that I needed to get back there again, which is what we did do. As soon as we walked in he was there out cold on the floor. I checked his pulse and breathing and couldn't find either, so I started CPR while Izzie called an ambulance. By the time the paramedics got there I'd got his heart going, but his breathing was still very weak. They were the ones that told us he'd likely had a heart attack, but we don't know when it was or how long he'd been out for, then when we got here they wouldn't tell us anything else unless you were here."
She responds "Ok let's go and find out what's going on and Benny if anything happens and we can't get in, then pull out the attorney card and that you are mine."
"Will do."
As they all get up she then hugs Benny and then Izzie as she says "And thank you both for finding him and getting him here."
-AFL-
When they get up to the counter and once again ask for "Dr Jason Bull" and Leah says that she's his medical power of attorney and fiancé she's taken through to another waiting area and is given the paperwork for her to fill in, not only that she also expresses to the nurse that she does want Benny and Izzie to be there with her with Benny being her attorney, but also very good friends as well, she then continues that someone else may also come down because she knows that she hasn't got all the details she needs for the form with her and will require someone to bring them down for her. So while she does sit there and fills in all the paperwork Benny gets on the phone to tell Marissa what has taken place and to ask her to bring down what Leah needs for the paperwork. After that they then settle in for the wait to receive some news.
Finally after what has seemed to feel like hours to them all, especially as after delivering the paperwork that Leah needed Marissa ended up staying with them as well, and they all end up sitting there just lost in their own thoughts. When the dr comes into see the group Leah is just so far gone in her thoughts and to some extent prayers that Bull will be ok, it's Marissa that is the first one to see him there and quietly clears her throat to alert them of his presence. As they turn to face him Leah instantly says "Is he ok, what's going on?"
The dr then holds out his hand to her and says "I'm Dr Adrian Levin and have been looking after Dr Bull. He has had a serious heart attack and as soon as we had him stabilised in the ER he was rushed straight into surgery, he has come through it with some difficulty because we nearly lost him twice, but we eventually got him stable and completed the procedure. He is now under sedation and will be monitored very closely and the next twenty four, forty eight hours will be the most critical."
As the tears have started coming from Leah's eyes she asks "Can we see him?"
He responds "We're just getting him settled now in ICU, once that is done you will be able to see him, but for now it will just be one person at a time for just a brief period of time, I will come and get you once we have got him settled."
-AFL-
When Dr Levin comes back again it's Leah that goes first due to the way that everyone else suggested that she should be the first in there, although what she doesn't realise that she has an audience because Benny and Marissa stand out of her sight in the doorway to listen to what she has to say.
As she walks in with Dr Levin she draws a deep breath to brace herself for what is to come, but she still ends up with tears once again flowing out of her eyes as they approach Bull's bed and all she can see is the man laying there that has been so full of life, and now laying so still with wires and tubes coming out of him, the only thing of reassurance to her is the bleeping of the heart monitor and the sound of the oxygen going through the tube in his throat, and even though she has seen him without his glasses on plenty of times, in a sense it feels so very strange not to see him with them on now.
Once she's alone with Bull determined not to let herself waver as she speaks softly to him, she once again draws a deep breath to steady her nerves and get her emotions under control as best she can.
She then goes and kisses him tenderly on his forehead and brushes her fingers across as well, then as she stands by his side she carefully takes hold of his hand being careful not to disturb any of the wires from the machines hooked up to him as well as the drips, but she still somehow manages to bring his hand down to her belly as she says softly "I love you Jason and I truly want you to be ok, I need you, we both need you. I found out today I'm pregnant."
As the emotions start getting to her again and she somehow knows that this time there is no way that she is going to manage to keep herself collected, the tears come once again as she carries on saying "I so wished to be able to tell you the news in a better way than this, but I need you back here with me fit and healthy for our little one, I can't do this alone." She then places his hand gently back onto the bed again, as she goes to sit down at his side she's so very surprised to see that both Benny and Marissa have slipped into the room and they take her into a group hug as they both say to her that she won't ever be alone, no matter how long it takes for Bull to make his recovery.
A/N: This story came about following some speculation as to what could possibly happen in the season 2 finale and using that possibility sparked off the idea for this AU story. The plan is for this to be multi chaptered and as well as the highs and lows of the relationship there will be the highs and lows of Bull's recovery as well! As well as it being the first attempt at writing a story like this it is also my first attempt at also writing some whump too and I hope that you enjoy it! And if anything like what this story is based around then it is just purely coincidental!