Declaimers, author's notes and so on are at the end
Wipe Away the Tears
Chapter1: Congratulations…?
By: Illyria
12/05/00
12:23AM
General hospital
The room buzzed with noise, a constant murmur of voices and various machines as doctors and patients alike moved about. The ER was rather plain with its blue walls, grey tiles, and straight block counters. When it had been remodeled they leaned toward the practical and left out design. It hardly mattered, the ER wasn't a place to relax, it was a limbo so to speak, the lucky got well and the unlucky didn't. An undercurrent of fear and hope permeated the air, this is what Doctors and Nurses fed on, propelling them to do their best, to go beyond were others would have quit, and tonight wasn't any different. The waiting room was packed, people moaned, cried, wailed, and one very green man was sick in the fake fern. It made no difference that it was the night shift, somehow people always managed to hurt themselves or others at all hours. The doors opened with a whoosh as Dr. Meyers rushed through; she spotted the green plastic chairs all occupied and could only sigh. She had transferred to the night shift three months back in an attempt to lessen her workload since she was taking a few specialty courses.
Meyers rushed behind the counter after putting her things in the break room. "What have you got for me Lou?"
The tall, somewhat lanky man only frowned and held up one finger as he listened to dispatch on the radio. The report from the field wasn't looking too good. He took a deep breath to keep the discouraging news from leaking into his voice as he turned to face the entire room.
"Listen up, guys, we got incoming. A 747 went down just south of us and they're bringing all survivors here."
"Shit, Lou, tell me you're kidding," she asked astonished.
"I wish I was, Meyers. Take Wells and get all non-critical patients moved and get some of these beds clear. Come on people! Move! It's go time!" As she moved to make the various preparations she couldn't, no she wouldn't stop the anticipation; this was why she became a doctor. Tonight she would hold someone's life in her hands and she prayed for the strength to get through the night because she knew that many coming in through the door wouldn't survive.
The double doors whooshed open as the paramedics wheeled in yet another patient. "Doctor, I got a live one - pregnant woman, she was unresponsive at the scene, her pupils were fixed and dilated. Her left lung has been punctured, both her legs are fractured and the fetus's heart rate is going down. Patient's been intubated." He spoke quickly and evenly, this was the fourth person transported from the scene. He couldn't help but sympathize with the woman on the gurney and he silently thanked all that his own wife was home safe with swollen feet no doubt eating ice-cream.
"Ok, get her into trauma two. Hey, Robb, I need your assistance on this! We have a possible caesarian!"
1:55AM
"Meyers, did you find any next of kin?" She had barely stepped into the room when the question was hurtled at her. Meyers raised her eyebrows at the question but didn't comment. Robb was a good doctor, if a little impatient.
"No, the airline hasn't sorted anyone out yet," she said as she moved next to the gurney. The woman was young, and despite the bruises, lacerations, and swelling you could tell she was beautiful.
Robb merely grunted with annoyance as he checked the patient. "The mom has severe head trauma. She's not waking up and this baby can't wait any longer. We need to do this now. Call ob; tell them I'm heading up with Jane Doe."
12/07/00
"Good morning, Dr. Meyers."
"Hey, nurse Luna. I just came by to visit baby Jane Doe. I brought her something."
"What's that?" Luna asked curiously.
"Some of her mother's personal effects; rose earrings, matching necklace, a wedding ring, How is she doing?" she asked, looking over to the small infant sleeping peacefully, wrapped in a pink swath.
"Very well, considering that she is about month early. We have her on a breathing treatment but other than that…"
"Do we have any more info on her mother? Any other family?"
"According to what the police and airline were able to put together for us, it appears that both her mother and father were on the plane. He was pronounced DOA, but they were able to get a first and last name from the mother's purse." Nurse Luna produced an object from the folder which she carefully presented to the doctor.
Dr. Meyers took the sonogram and smiled down at the sleeping preemie "Sweet dreams, Lita Kino"
04/17/01
2:45PM
General Hospital
"Oh, God, get this thing out of me!" she screamed, the pain clearly written on her features.
"Come on, honey, breathe - just like we practiced."
"Oh shove it, Mike!" she screamed at her husband. "You're not the one having this baby."
"Ok, Sara, here comes one of the shoulders. One more push and you're done," the doctor said optimistically.
"I can't do this! It hurts too much-!" she screamed as she fought with herself to find the strength for one last push.
"One more push and you're done," the doctor urged.
The baby's cry filled the room, just as the machines warning beeps started.
The happy, excited atmosphere fizzled out as the doctor visibly switched gears from relaxed routine to concerned urgency. "Nurse Luna, take the baby."
As the nurse moved away others moved in. Mike found himself being shuffled aside as the bed was lowered. They moved quickly and efficiently, focusing on the patient, and ignoring his panicked questions.
"What's wrong? What's happening to my wife?" Her husband asked in a panic.
"She's bleeding too much; we need to get her to the OR immediately. Please stand back."
Nurse Luna was relieved to see the baby was in good health. She listened with half an ear to the scene behind her and turned in time to watch the young woman being wheeled out as her husband was left standing in the middle of the room with a dazed look on his face. Despite her focus having been on the baby, the pieces of conversation she had heard were distressing. These situations made everyone involved feel helpless and Luna was far from immune. With a heavy heart, she picked up the baby and tried to focus on the bright side.
"Hey, Dad, it's time to meet your new daughter."
As she approached him he jolted, the worry and panic clear in his eyes as they darted from her face back to the door. "Nurse, my wife." His voice was ruff from unshed tears, and the fight to keep it from breaking.
"I promise you she's in good hands. There's nothing that you can do for her, but you can hold your new baby girl," she said as she shifted the baby into his arms.
"I have a daughter," he said quietly to the infant. Sadness filled Nurse Luna's eyes as she noticed that he never smiled.
04/18/01
9:12AM
"Mike?" she blinked away the sleep in her eyes but couldn't shake the vague floating sensation from her mind.
"Sara, how are you feeling?"
"What happened? Where's the baby?" she tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her abdomen stopped her.
"Sara, try not to move. You've just had surgery, hold on I'll raise the bed a bit. Tell me when to stop." He was avoiding her eyes; not wanting to answer her questions. How could he begin? He knew his wife, he knew this would hurt. Their hopes and dreams for the future were crushed.
Mike turned and scoped up the sleeping baby from the crib before sitting next to his wife and transferring the sleeping bundle over. "Sara, meet Rei Hino." The rising panic in the new mother was quickly replaced with disbelief.
"…. What a girl? No, you've got the wrong baby. We were supposed to be having a boy."
"No, Sara, the sonogram was wrong. We had a girl." He spoke solemnly.
Sara looked at the baby, disappointment clear in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mike. I know you wanted a boy; we'll try again ok? …Mike?" The look in her husband's eyes made her breath catch in her throat. "Mike? What's wrong?"
Mike slowly moved from the bed to cross the room, trying to clamp down on his own emotions. "Sara, you can't have any more kids. You had to have an emergency hysterectomy - they couldn't stop the bleeding. You would have died." As Sara processed this information she failed to notice her daughter's cries.
'It would have been better if I had….' she thought to herself sadly.
04/10/00
1:30PM
Offices of Parry and Grant
Ms. Aino was having a tantrum - plain and simple.
Mark took the time to study the woman in front of him. Her legs were long, hips small, chest ample, and sharp defined facial features. She no longer wore her hair long, nor did she go three months without dying it a different color. It swung freely and brushed her shoulders in a deep burgundy as she stalked around the room. Tina had been a bright spark that came into his life. Their relationship had, at first, been professional, both helping the other rise up in the entertainment business. Change is, was, and always will be, a staple of the business. You have to be ready to adapt and change if you're going to make it. Tina was young, beautiful, and had amazing talent with the personality to match.
He was easily ten years her senior, but he still found himself falling in love with her when they first met. But that was long in the past he reminded himself, and the feelings had long since faded. Tina had turned arrogant, demanding, and malicious since then. The biz swallowed her up and she had gone willingly into the wild life that was drugs, alcohol, and sex. To her it was Kool-Aid and candy. Tina Aino was no longer the girl he had loved and she hadn't been for a very long time. Today Tina was still beautiful, although now it was only a mask meant to cover the ugliness inside of her.
"Mark, please. You've been my agent since forever. We go way back - don't do this to me." She finally took the seat in front of Mark's desk, big crocodile tears in her eyes. Had he been anybody else, he might have fallen for it, but he'd known her too long to be so easily fooled.
Mark shuffled through the paperwork on his desk trying to give the impression that he was doing something before giving an exasperated sigh. "Tina, look, there's just nothing out there for you," he said, indicating the papers with a wave of his hand. "The casting crews are looking for young, fresh talent. You've turned down all the TV roles that I've presented to you."
"I will not be some old grandma obsessed with sex!" she interrupted, slamming her palm onto his desk.
"Ms. Aino," he said, getting angry. "There's nothing out there for you. You're past your prime. Even if anything did come up, they wouldn't hire you while you're pregnant." Mark settled his features into a blank mask and spoke with cool detachment. "I'm sorry, but I'm dropping you as a client."
She was stunned into silence. Tina Aino was used to getting her way, and this was just one more straw on the camel's back, but hell would freeze over before she let anyone see. The moment passed and Tina quickly regained her ground. "You're wrong, Mr. Grant," she said with a cool attitude, all sign of tears gone. "I'm dropping you!" Mark Grant could only sigh as she stalked out of the room.
10/23/00
6:00AM
General Hospital
Tina Aino's room was filled with flowers, balloons, and countless cards congratulating her on the new baby. However at the moment she was not happy she picked up the phone and dialed the nurse's station. "Yes, Miss Aino. How can we help you?" the voice sounded somewhat exasperated.
"Nurse, where is my baby? I want to dote on her. Have her sent over immediately."
"Yes, Miss Aino, right away," the nurse hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What's wrong, Anna?" Luna asked her, placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.
"Don't sneak up on me like that, Luna," Anna said, her hand resting on her chest and her eyes wide from her sudden start. "Will you switch me please? Take Miss Aino for the rest of the day. Her highness is driving me crazy. She just requested her daughter be brought to her - immediately." Luna chuckled in sympathy as she walked off towards the nursery to pick up the newborn baby girl.
"Hi, Ms. Aino, how are you feeling?" Luna asked, as she wheeled the baby in. Luna's greeting was promptly ignored.
"What took you so long, and where is the other nurse?" Ms. Aino asked rudely. "I haven't seen my baby all morning, bring her here." She opened her arms exasperatedly waiting for the nurse to hand her the baby.
As Luna brought the baby over, Ms. Aino leaned forward and scooped her up, impatient with the dark haired nurse in front of her. "Oh isn't she beautiful?" Tina cooed. "Hm, her nose is a bit flat, and her ears seem to stick out a little much," she mused. "She'll grow out of those with time I suppose, and if not we can fix it," she said smiling at the bundle. "Yes we can." The nurse raised her eyes, shocked at the comments being directed at the hours old infant. She was quickly waved a dismissal by the new mother and wisely opted to keep her own counsel. "You'll be perfect, my Mina," she cooed.
02/18/01
9:07PM
Apartment
Slap!! The sound echoed in the ensuing silence of the room. "I can't do this anymore, Greg. You're smothering me. There are things that I want to do with my life and having a baby is not one of them. I want out …of all of this - I want an abortion," she spoke with finality to her voice. The young woman paced and rubbed at the goose bumps forming on her arms. She was angry but the fear she felt towards Greg was never far from her mind.
"Don't you dare even suggest anything of the sort! It's my baby too!" He was angry and each word was spit out through gritted teeth. "Don't you see how much I love you? I want to marry you. Mary, I want us to have a beautiful baby girl together." His tone changed from harsh and angry, to calm and loving smoothly without a hitch. In a distant part of her mind Mary recognized the ploy for what it was.
"You don't love me. Don't give me that shit! You love the idea of me; you love what I let you do to me, but no more. I'm leaving," her voice faltered despite her resolution, and wasn't as steady as she'd have liked. Clinging to her last bit of resolve, she turned to grab the door handle and was able to open the door a scant few inches before Greg grabbed her, and slammed her against the hard surface. The door shut with a resounding bang from their combined weight and she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She turned her head to the side and immediately felt his warm breath against her cheek. Her eyes closed tightly as a little voice whispered in her head, 'He's not playing anymore.'
"Mary, you are not leaving me and I'm not letting you have an abortion. You will have this baby; you won't take away what's mine." It was said calmly, and In the silence that followed, he spun her to face him and pressed his lips painfully against hers, forcing his tongue in her mouth, the gesture serving to remind her that she was his property.
9/12/01
3:10AM
General Hospital
Mary lay in the hospital bed feeling as if a train had run her over, the incessant wailing of her newborn daughter giving her a headache
"Oh isn't she wonderful, Mary?" Greg, the happy new father, was holding his daughter tightly to his chest. 'More like playing the part,' Mary thought.
"I can't stay any longer; I have to get back to work. I'll pick you up tonight when they release you," Greg said while handing the baby to Mary and kissing her forehead. After he left, Mary waited about two minutes before calling a nurse into the room.
"Hi my name is Nurse Luna," the dark haired woman smiled kindly as she introduced herself.
"I'm feeling rather tired now. Can you take her back to the nursery?" Nurse Luna was met with emotionless eyes as Mary turned her eyes away from her baby.
"Of course, I'd be happy to. If you don't mind my asking, what's her name?"
Mary had to pause ~what the hell did Greg name the brat?~ "Her name is Amy Mizuno."
6/30/01
5:22PM
General Hospital
"Daddy, what happened?" six year old Sammy asked, his excitement barely contained.
"Hey, there's my boy," Ken said lifting him into a hug
"Daddy!"
"Ok, ok, you have a beautiful baby sister," Ken chuckled at his son's sour face. "Sammy?"
"I wanted a brother," he grumbled with disappointment. "But," he said after some thought,"A sister is pretty cool too."
Ken smiled widely and gave his son another hug. "I'm glad you think so. I'm going to get back to your mom now and then you can come see her and the baby once their settled."
Ken barley got the sentence out when the words "Code blue, code blue" rang thru the hospital, and what seemed like the entire hospital staff ran into his wife's room. "Sammy sit here, don't you dare move," he said firmly as he followed after into his wife's room.
As doctors and nurses ran to and from his mother's room, each face seemed to get sadder and sadder. No one seemed to want to answer his questions and so Sammy waited as patiently as any six year old could. After what seemed like an eternity to him, a nurse finally wheeled out a baby.
"Wait, can I see my sister please?" he called out to the nurse.
"Why of course you can. My name is Nurse Luna." Her smile was bright, if a bit forced.
"Mine's Sammy," he said while standing on his tiptoes to look over the edge at his new baby sister. After a while he turned to the nurse. "My mommies sick, isn't she?" Sammy stuck his chin out, a little defiantly, no doubt trying to look older than his six years.
Her smile faded a bit but she spoke evenly. "Sammy, I think I should let your Daddy talk to you about that."
His shoulders sagged and Sammy looked once more at the baby, then back to the door his father went thru. "Please tell me, my Daddy won't."
Nurse Luna only shook her head. "I have to take the baby to the nursery; your dad will be out soon. Don't worry, honey."
As the nurse was walking away, Sammy called after her, "It's the baby's fault isn't it?"
Nurse Luna stopped and turned to bend down to look into the little boys eyes. "No, Sammy, it is not the baby's fault." She put as much conviction into her voice as possible and waited as the little boy meet her eyes, holding his gaze briefly. With that said, she nodded and left, leaving Sammy to go back to his endless waiting.
Ken walked out of his wife's room; the red haze that had choked his senses was far from lifting. He didn't notice his son clinging to his leg at first, but eventually lifted him into his arms with stiff movements as if the familiar action was a dim memory. Ken buried his face in his son's shoulder, and tried to keep his control from slipping.
"Daddy where's mom? Tell me." Sammy's voice shook with the question. He'd never seen his father act this way, and it squeezed his chest with fear.
Ken cleared his thoughts. "Sam, mom's gone. She died." Sammy didn't understand. Died, dead - these were bad things, and bad things couldn't happen to his mommy. But he was too scared to talk, to ask questions. He could only watch as his father's face went from grief, to anger, thinking he should somehow help his dad. Sammy told him what he learned from Nurse Luna.
"Daddy, it wasn't the baby's fault." This only seemed to make his father angrier. As Sammy was placed on the floor, his father grabbed his hand and started to stalk down the hallway. "Daddy," Sammy tried. "Daddy!" he said with more force. Sammy pulled against his father's hand, digging his feet into the floor with all his weight. "Daddy, what's my sisters' name?"
Ken stopped, and Sammy was sure his father was going to explode. It would have been better then the cold, hard voice he answered with. "Serena. Your mother named her Serena."
Okay, standard disclaimers come first. Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of Naoko Takeuchi and more corporations than I can keep track of. This story is meant for entertainment, not profit (not that I don't wish). The story itself is mine, so I get to say "story copyright march 2008 by Illyria aka J.R.N. Oooh Ahaaa yea me" J
Props and many thanks go out to alizeP for beta-reading this chapter; it wouldn't be the same without you. ;}~
Author's notes: This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I bet everyone says that. The story idea just came to me, one very long, boring day, when I was doing my taxes. I at least got something done that day.J As for the story itself, it is entirely complete, the only thing left is editing. I don't have a set posting schedule, so if I take to long just yell at me. Anyway I hope you like my story, keep in mind this is an alternate reality, which means it's my world now Mawhahaa....the madness has passed I'm okay …for now. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think, I'll look for your reviews by for now.
Illyria