Disclaimer: I own nothing except Morgan, MJ and Dr. Rosenberg.
Author's note: This is in my Johnny/ Sue relationship series.
Summary: When a car accident kills Johnny's girlfriend the same way his mother was killed, he is lost. It's up to his big sister to bring him back.
Chapter 1: You're not alone
You're not alone, together we stand
I'll be by your side; you know I'll take your hand
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end, there's no place to go
You know I won't give in, no I won't give in
Sue rushed into the hospital frantic and panicky. She found out what room Johnny was in and went to find it.
What she saw broke her heart. Her normally lively little brother was lying motionless in the bed. There was an IV in his arm, a heart monitor beeping above his head, and an oxygen mask on his face.
"Johnny!" She sat next to him and brushed his air off his forehead. The doctor came in.
"Mrs. Richards?"
"Yes."
"I'm Dr. Rosenberg. I'm treating your brother."
"What happened?"
"We need to talk to your parents."
"Our mom is dead. My father is in prison. My twin brother Sam is in Jersey. I've raised Johnny since he was nine. I was 18, working two jobs, studying to pass my finals so I could graduate. So I suggest that you tell me what the hell is wrong with my brother?"
"He was in a car accident on the Sycamore Bridge. His car hit the wall and went into the lake. The passenger died instantly. The other driver had some minor injuries. Jonathan's lucky to be alive. He's got some broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a dislocated shoulder plus internal injuries. We've repaired what we could."
"Is he going to be ok?"
"Eventually." The doctor said. "May I suggest not telling him about his girlfriend?"
"He has a right to know. I'm not going to lie to him."
"It's not advisable." Reed and Ben came in.
"I think I know what's best for him." The doctor left. Sue went to make a phone call. The phone rang for what seemed like ever.
"Hello?" Came the voice of a six year old girl.
"Hi Serenity. It's Aunty Suzie, is your daddy home."
"Hold on." There were sounds of changing the phone.
"Hello?"
"Sam?"
"Sue?"
"Hey,"
"So to what do I owe the pleasure of this conversation?"
"I wouldn't exactly call this a pleasurable conversation Sam."
"What's wrong?" Sam asked hearing the distress in her voice.
"There's been an accident."
"Oh no."
"Johnny's car went off the Sycamore Bridge. It killed his girlfriend and almost him."
"We'll be up there tomorrow morning."
"Ok." Sue said hanging up the phone. She went back in by Johnny. Sue sat in the chair next to his bed. Reed and Ben stood behind her.
"Sue, how is he?"
"According to the doctor, not good." Reed picked up Johnny's chart.
"He has several internal injuries. He's lucky to be alive." Reed said.
"Way to sugar coat it, Reed." Ben said.
"I know."
"What happened?" Ben asked.
"His car went off the road, hit the wall, and went over the edge of the bridge."
"What bridge?" Sue swallowed hard. "What bridge, Sue?"
"The Sycamore Bridge."
"Oh man." A few hours later, Reed and Ben went home to take care of the kids. Sue fell asleep.
The next morning Reed and Ben came back. They decided to let Sue keep sleeping. They watched Johnny for awhile.
"I've never seen matchstick so quiet and still." Ben said.
"I know what you mean. I've known Johnny almost his whole life and never seen him slow down." Ben chuckled then turned serious.
"You think the kid will be ok?"
"I don't know Ben."
"Remember his 18th birthday? Suzie was so proud that he graduated high school. She wanted to do something special so she made that video. That was the first time I ever seen the kid cry."
Flashback:
Sue handed Johnny a shirt box. He opened it to reveal a DVD.
"What's this?"
"Just a little something I put together to show you how proud I am of you." Sue said putting it into the player. She grabbed the remote and sat next to Johnny. She pushed play.
Their mother appeared on the screen. Sue looked just like her. Johnny grinned at the sight of his mother. "Mom?"
"Hi Johnny. By the time you see this you'll think your parents are lame. Right now, it's your 18th birthday and you just graduated high school. Good Job. Way to go. I knew you could do it. Now let's get serious. If I happen to not be around on this wonderful day. There are a few things. I need to tell you. For starters, the day you were born was one of the proudest and the scariest of my life. You see your father and I were told we couldn't have anymore kids after Sammy and Suzie, so imagine our surprise when we found about you we were thrilled. Your father called you our little miracle. But you were born too early and you had a hole in your heart. We were told you wouldn't make it through the night yet here you are 18 years later and standing tall. You were always our little fighter. When you found out about my illness, you were a tough little cookie. Told me everything was going to be ok. Then my illness went away, and I'd never seen you smile so much in your life." Johnny's smile faded at the memory. "So if I'm not around on the day, you become a man then I want you to know, that wherever I am, I'm watching over you. All those football games and girls. I'll be there for you. I'm so proud of you and the man you've become. You will always and forever be my little Johnnykins. That little boy who always dreamed of going to the stars. You'll make it there one day, I promise. My little miracle. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! I love you."
His father appeared on the screen next. "I thought her message would never end. Hey kiddo, how's it going? I'll make this quick. The day your mother and I found out about you was the greatest. We always wanted a third child. Don't get me wrong, I love your sister and brother but Sammy's not athletic. There are certain things you can do with an athlete that you can't do with a science geek. To start, have you ever seen them play football? It's not pretty. Congrats on going to state by the way. Let's see the proudest moment for me was when I was tucking you in on your 8th birthday and you looked at me and said 'Daddy, when I grow up I want to go to the stars.' You always loved space. You follow your dreams, kiddo. They'll take you far. Don't let mom or Suzie or Sammy talk you out of it. I'm proud of you son. Oh and to answer your question from the other day about how do you know if someone is the one, you just know. When you find her, you'll know. Make sure you treat her right. Look after your sis for me. Happy Birthday, Slugger! I love you." There were tears running down his cheeks now.
Sam appeared on screen. "Hey buddy. Greetings from California. I know I promised I'd be there but my flight got cancelled. Not to worry I'll be there soon. I guess we are supposed to share a moment. I remember when you were thirteen. I was hanging out with my friends and you wanted to know how to get a girl. It was quite funny. You still looked up to me even though I'm not exactly the best big brother in the world. Anyway, Happy Birthday, pal! See ya soon."
Sue appeared on the screen. "Hey baby brother. I can't believe your 18 already. It seems like just yesterday you were that annoying two year old who used to steal my toys. I know. I know. I'm embarrassing you. You always liked to drive me nuts. I remember this one time right after mom died. You had gone to bed and I was on a date with Bryan Gracin, the hottest guy in school. I heard you crying over the phone. Dad tried calming you down but you wanted me. So Bryan brought me home so I could take care of you. He stayed and helped me. It turned out to be one of the best dates of my life. I guess I have you to thank for that. Then there was this other time. You decided you were gonna run away. My friends and I looked for you for hours. I was going crazy. Bryan took me to the cemetery and sure enough there you were, crawled up in a ball at mom's grave, crying your little eyes out. I guess you've grown up from that annoying little brother to my best friend. We've had hard times but we stuck together. You've grown up into someone mom and dad would be proud of. I know I am. I just want you to know that I'll always stand by you and if you're ever in trouble, keep holding on, I'll be right there by your side helping you through. I'm proud of you little brother. Happy Birthday Johnnycakes! I love you." Johnny wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
Reed and Ben appeared on the screen. Ben more human like. "Hey Johnny, I hope your 18th birthday is one you'll never forget. Happy Birthday." Reed said.
"Hey kid, I know you don't know me that well but if I'm going to be your supervisor then I guess we've got to start getting along. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. 18 is a good time. Don't get yourself busted. Happy birthday kid!"
End Flashback
Reed watched as Johnny started to stir. His ocean blue eyes stared up at Reed, pleading for help.
"Ben go get a doctor. Hurry!" Ben ran to find help.
Reed woke Sue up. Johnny tried to get the tube out of his throat. Reed held his arms down.
"Sorry pal. It's for your own good." Ben returned with the cute female Dr. Rosenberg.
"What do you say we get that tube out, Sparky?" She smiled. "Okay Johnny on the count of three I'm gonna need you to start coughing and keep coughing." Johnny shook his head. Sue gripped his hand as he looked up at her. The doctor counted to three and pulled the tube out of Johnny's throat. Then she gave him a sip of water. "I'll be back to check on you later."
Johnny looked around at his family. His eyes fill upon his sister.
"Suzie!" He said hoarsely. "Where's Morgan?"