Chapter 2
When Nate arrived at the hospital he went straight to the reception desk and asked for Doctor Chris Prichard. The nurse told him to wait as she called him and showed him to the waiting area. As Nate sat waiting for the doctor he watched the people move in and out of the hospital. He hated hospitals. He hated everything about them, the smell, the noise and most of all he hated the memories they brought. Finally Dr. Prichard made his appearance. He introduced himself to Nate and then told him to follow him. Nate did as he was asked and walked swiftly behind him into the bowels of the hospital to the ICU section. Once there the Doctor showed him into a private room which contained one bed and a bank of machinery. Nate's heart seemed to stop momentarily as he saw her lying on the bed. There were pipes and tubes protruding from every part of her, her mouth and face obscured by the respirator that was keeping her breathing. The slow beeping of the heart monitor and the rhythmic swooshing of the respirator filled the room. Nate drew in a deep breath and approached the bed. She lay completely still, her face pale as if she had been drained of her blood. Nate cast his eyes to the doctor who stood on the other side of the bed.
"I am sorry Mr. Ford but there is nothing else we can do for Mrs. Collins. The injuries she sustained in the accident were too severe. The only thing that is keeping her alive at the moment are these machines." The doctor paused for a moment letting the information sink in. "As you hold her medical proxy we need your permission to remove the machines."
"Turn off the machines…" Nate repeated looking from the still form of his ex-wife to the doctor. He was asking him to give him permission to kill his wife. Nate blinked a few times and swallowed hard. This was not a decision he ever wanted to make but he knew what Maggie would want. He knew that Maggie did not want to be kept alive by machines. They had talked about this very situation, Maggie had made her wishes clear then and even though Nate did not want to, he knew what he had to do.
"Mr. Ford, we would also like to know if Mrs. Collins wished to be an organ donor." The doctor continued. The doctor could see the emotional turmoil on Nate's face and understood what he was going through. This was not the first time the doctor had had to give a family member bad news, or the first time he had had to ask one to remove life support. Every time he had to do it he could see the internal fight that went on in the person. He could see the horror that the doctor was asking them to effectively end the life of their loved one. But it was not ending life, the person was dead for all intense and purposes and the doctor knew that. He also knew that there was a chance that the tragedy that had befallen that particular family could save the life of another person with the organ donation. It was his job to remain as calm and cold and disconnected as possible and to convince the family member to do the right thing. "Mr. Ford, I know that this is difficult, but we need to know your decision as soon as possible. Mrs. Collins' death would not be in vain if you would agree to organ donation, she would be saving lives." The doctor said to Nate.
Nate looked up at the young man and fought back the tears as replied. "Yes…yes Maggie wanted to be a donor…you are sure…?" Nate stuttered, he wanted to make sure that there was no hope that Maggie would ever be coming back.
"Yes Mr. Ford. Mrs. Collins is gone. You are making the right decision believe me. I will get my nurse to bring you the forms that need to be completed for organ donation and for the removal of the life support. You are doing the right thing Mr. Ford." The doctor said and then left Nate alone in the room with Maggie.
Nate took Maggie's hand in his, it felt cold and lifeless. He let his tears fall unheeded now as he told her how much he loved her, how sorry he was for everything he had put her through with his drinking and Sam's death and the divorce. He told her how much he stilled loved her and cared for her. When he had finished he sat there and stared at her, still holding her hand tightly. He was sitting like that when the nurse entered the room. The nurse first gave him her condolences on his loss, which seemed odd to Nate because Maggie was still breathing, she was still alive. The nurse then gave him the forms and explained the procedure that would follow. He would not be allowed to be with Maggie when they took her off life support. As soon as he had said his final goodbye to her they would take her to the operating theatre and remove her organs for transplantation. Nate merely nodded and looked at the papers and the pen that the nurse offered him. This was final, he was signing Maggie's death warrant, or at least that was how he felt. He logically knew that that was not the case, that Maggie was already gone, it just…well it felt almost wrong. He shrugged off the feeling and signed the papers. The nurse thanked him and told him he could take as much time as he needed to say goodbye. Nate thanked her and then sat down again next to Maggie, taking her hand again as the nurse left the room. His thoughts turned to the team. He knew that Sophie and Maggie had become friends, good friends and he should let her know about this. He knew that the rest of the team liked and respected Maggie and that they too would want to know. He was losing somebody he loved again. Every time he got close, every time he allowed himself to love, every time he opened himself he lost. He lost Sam, he lost his Father, his mother and now Maggie…who would be next, Parker; Hardison; Eliot or….Sophie…he shook his head. No he could not think about that he could not even consider that possibility. He stood up and placed a gentle kiss on Maggie's forehead and whispered his final goodbye. Then he made his way out of the room. The nurse was waiting outside for him, a whole team of people entered the room as he left it to prepare her for the surgery ahead. Nate watched them enter the room and then walked away. He needed a drink and he knew exactly where the nearest bar was. It was the bar that he had gone to when…when Sam…he shook his head trying to drive the memory away. He walked swiftly out of the hospital and was at the bar in no time. He ordered a whiskey and when it arrived drank it down in one gulp. He then ordered another and told the bartender to leave the bottle with him. Taking the bottle he moved to a corner table and took out his phone. He needed to tell the team…
Thanks for the reviews they are really appreciated. Please keep them coming and let me know what you think so far…
Hope you enjoy my new story…I am sorry it took so long to post but I have been away in Kenya…please review and let me know what you guys think, they are really appreciated as always.
