The Things That Keep Us Apart

Chapter Seven

"What do we have?" Luca asked, walking towards the ambulance.

"34 year old female found in her apartment, shot twice in the chest." The paramedic announced. "BP is 100/70, couldn't get a consistent pulse ox reading. She's coded once already and has lost a lot of blood."

"Lucy?" Luca questioned as they got into the hospital. "Shit. Let's get her into trauma one."

He saw that Abby and Chuney were ready for them in trauma one. "You guys, it's Lucy."

"What?" Abby rushed over. "Oh God."

"Page for Elizabeth. We need her down here now!" Luca commanded as they transferred her over to the gurney. "Let's see what we are working with. I want her hooked up to monitors, type and cross for four units, get a pulse ox reading, cbc, chem 7 and trauma panel. We also need films."

"Luca, this is bad." Abby said softly.

"I know." He nodded.

"You needed a consult?" Elizabeth asked, entering the room and putting on her second glove.

"It's Lucy." Abby said, looking over at Elizabeth.

"What?" Elizabeth rushed over and started to examine her. "Oh no. Looks like a bullet to her right lung and one to the abdomen. We need to get her up to surgery now and we need films so we know exactly what we are dealing with!"

"Alright." Luca replied. "Just let me make sure her airway is protected."

"I can do that on the way up." Elizabeth told him. "Abby, page Robert and get him to meet me up there."

"Sure." Abby nodded, dialing the number.


"I'm telling you though, I didn't hurt Lucy." Carter told the investigator. He had been sitting in an interrogation room for at least a half hour now and it didn't seem like anyone wanted to believe him. He didn't call for a lawyer because he didn't think he needed one. He wasn't guilty of anything. But they just kept grilling him and he wondered if not asking for a lawyer was a mistake.

"Why were you are her apartment?" Officer Toshi asked for the third time.

"I went there because one of her friends told me Lucy was quitting her job and leaving town. I realized I needed to let her know that I don't hate her like she thinks I do. I actually still love her. But it's complicated." He explained.

"Complicated enough for you to shoot her?"

"No!" He sighed. "I wouldn't shoot her. I wouldn't shoot anyone, but especially not her. Besides, I don't even own a gun."

"We're searching the scene for the gun that was used right now." Officer Toshi. "Is there anything you would like to tell us to make that search easier?"

"No." He shook his head. "Because I don't know where it is. I didn't shoot her."

Officer Toshi sighed. "Care to tell us how you got the split lip?"

"One of my co-workers punched me earlier today." He sighed.

"Ok. Are you sure you don't want to call a lawyer?"

Carter thought about it. "Actually there is a call I'd like to make."

"Ok. We'll arrange it in a bit." Officer Toshi then left the room.

He sighed. This was not where he wanted to be right now. He wanted to be at the hospital with Lucy, making sure she would be alright. The amount of blood on the floor around her was troubling and he wondered who could have done that to her.


"What are we dealing with?" Elizabeth asked as Robert came in with Lucy's films. She watched as he put the films on the reader and then came back to wash up for the surgery. He had met her at the elevator and volunteered to take Lucy to get her films done. She agreed because there was a look of desperation on his face and she felt bad for him. She knew he cared about Lucy and was over her earlier jealousy.

"She has a bullet lodged in the bottom part of her lung. It needs to be resected at the very least and possibly removed depending on how severe it looks when we get in there." Robert sighed deeply. "And the bullet to her abdomen looks to have pierced the top of her liver. That will need to be resected as well."

"I can't believe this is happening." Elizabeth sighed.

"I know what you mean." He nodded.

"I wonder who did this to her."

"Whoever it was better hope they never meet me."

"Do you want to take the lung or the liver?" She asked. "I figure we should try to repair both at the same time."

"You take the lung." He told her. "I'll handle the liver."

"Alright." She was done washing up and was about to go in but turned to face him. "We're going to get her through this, Robert."

"I sure hope you're right Lizzie." He replied, continuing to wash up.

"Should we call Carter and tell him about Lucy" Luca asked Abby as they stood at the front desk.

"I don't know." Abby shook her head.

"I'd want to know if you were you shot." He told her.

She gave him a small smile. "But that's different. You actually kind of like me. Carter and Lucy aren't on good terms right now."

"Still…anyone can see he still loves her." Luca mentioned. "He should know about this."

"Maybe." Abby replied.

Luca closed the gap between them and gave her a hug. "Lucy will be alright."

Abby chuckled and pulled out of the hug. "I appreciate you saying that even though we both know she could very easily die."

"She is strong through." He told her. "And she had two good surgeons working on her. I may not like Romano, but he is good at his job."

"That's true."

Frank interrupted the moment by sticking the phone in Abby's face. "It's for you."

"Thanks." She rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone. "This is Abby."

"Abby! I'm so glad you are still there."

"Carter? Why are you calling me here? Actually…never mind. There's something I need to tell you."

"How is Lucy?" Carter asked. "Is she ok? Is she going to be ok? Is she in surgery yet?"

"How do you know about Lucy already?" She was confused because she didn't think anyone had called him. "Did someone call you?"

"It's a long story." He sighed. "I'll tell you later. Just tell me how Lucy is doing. Please?"

"She is in surgery right now. Elizabeth and Romano are working on her. They are trying to repair the damage from the bullets."

"Do you think she will be alright?"

"I don't know." She replied honestly. "I just know she was a mess when the paramedics brought her in. After Elizabeth took her upstairs we stopped getting updates. But I really think you should be here."

"I would be there in a heartbeat if I could. Believe me…I'd rather be there."

"Where exactly are you?" She asked.

"I'm at the police station." He explained. "I got to Lucy's apartment after she had been shot and when the police arrived they saw me there. They think I shot her and arrested me."

"Oh my God. Do you need anything?"

"I just need to get out of here and check on Lucy. But I'm not sure they are ever going to believe me when I tell them I didn't shoot Lucy."

"Do you have a lawyer?"

"Not yet." He explained. "This was my first call. I'll call a lawyer next."

"I'm sorry Carter. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks." He said. "Let's just hope that Lucy is ok."

Abby put the phone down and looked over at Luca, who was staring at her. "You won't believe this, but the police arrested Carter for shooting Lucy."

"What?" Luca chuckled. "But Carter wouldn't do that."

"I know that and you know that. But he was there when the police showed up and they arrested him. He's down at the police station right now."

"Does he need to make bail?"

"I don't think they have gotten that far yet. It sounded like they were just interrogating him so far." Abby sighed. "This night just keeps getting worse."


Five hours later

Robert sighed as he took off his scrub cap and threw it on the floor. He had left the room without waiting for Lizze to follow him. The surgery had been long and harrowing. Lucy had coded twice on the table. The second time they didn't think they would be able to bring her back. If he hadn't been stubborn and convinced everyone to try one last time…she would be dead right now.

But now the really hard part started. They had to wait to see if the work they did would allow her to survive and see if she would wake up.

Elizabeth had to remove a part of the bottom of Lucy's right lung. While he had tried in vain to just resect the part of Lucy's liver that had been damaged by the bullet, he ultimately had to remove a portion of her liver. The wound was simply bleeding too much for him to be able to fix it. She could live without the portions they both removed.

But she had lost all of her own blood during the surgery. They went through over nine units of blood. It seemed like she would bleed it out as quickly as they could get the blood back in.

She was also trached to help with her breathing. He made sure that was done instead of just putting her on a ventilator with an ET tube because it reduced her risk of infection and put less stress on her lungs.

She was currently in the surgical ICU being monitored by a nurse at all times. He made sure that Lucy wasn't going to be left alone for even a single second just in case something happened or she woke up. He was tempted to go back and sit with her himself, but he realized he needed a moment to decompress first.

"Well that was the least favorite surgery I've ever performed." Elizabeth sighed as she came out of Lucy's room.

"Mine too." He sighed.

"But we got it done, Robert. She survived."

"For now."

"You can't think like that." She chastised him gently.

"It's hard not to." He told her. "You saw the damage those bullets did, just like I saw it."

"Yes." She agreed. "I did. But I also saw how we repaired it."

"I'm just afraid it won't be enough." He sighed, leaning up against the wall and sliding down to a sitting position.

"I know." She said, going over and sitting next to him. She put her head on his shoulder. "I feel the same way."

"I think we should do shifts with her." He suggested. "You know, make sure she isn't alone."

"Alright." She nodded.

"I'll take the first shift." He told her. "You can go get some rest."

"I'm not certain I can sleep right now." She confessed.

"Maybe we just stay here together for a moment." He suggested, reaching around and putting his arm around her body.

"Sounds good to me."


"So why are you holding my client?"

Carter watched as his lawyer started to be the one interrogating the police.

"Mr. Teller, your client was right there with the victim when we arrived. He was not the one called 911. That was a neighbor who called when she heard the gunshots. If you were the police and you arrived on the scene to see a woman bleeding and a man right next to her, what would you think? You would probably arrest the man as a precaution while you investigate what is going on too." Officer Toshi explained.

"And that is exactly what we have done. Unfortunately the victim has been in surgery for hours and hasn't come out of the anesthesia for us to be able to ask her any questions."

"Lucy's out of surgery?" Carter exclaimed. "Is she ok?"

His lawyer sighed. "John, what did I say? Shut up and be quiet."

"But…" Carter started to say.

"Shut up." Mr. Teller repeated. "My client is innocent. I'm sure a quick conversation with the victim will clear this all up. I respectfully ask that since you don't know when the victim will wake up and be able to talk, you let my client bond out of here."

"We can't do that." Officer Toshi replied.

"Have you found a gun? Any forensic evidence to suggest my client was the one who shot the victim?"

"I can't comment on that." Officer Toshi shook his head. "I'm sorry but your client has to stay here until the victim wakes up and can tell us what happened."

"And if she doesn't wake up?" Mr. Teller questioned.

"Then your client is in a lot of trouble." Officer Toshi replied, leaving the room.

"Do you think that Lucy will wake up?" He asked.

"I don't know." Carter shook his head. "But I hope so, and not just because I want her to clear this misunderstanding up."

"Well let's just hope for the best."

"How long can they keep me here without charging me?" He asked.

"Up to 72 hours."

Carter sighed and looked at his watch. "It's only been about seven so far."

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" Mr. Teller asked. "Like when you were arrested?"

"I didn't think I needed to call you because I'm innocent." Carter explained. "I thought I could explain it to them and they would let me go."

"They won't just let you go because this looks incredibly suspicious." He pointed out. "You go to an ex-girlfriends' apartment at night after getting into an argument with one of her friends about your treatment of her to confront her about her leaving...which she claims is because of you and she just happens to have been shot."

"That's a very watered down version of the truth…"

"But it is the truth." Mr. Teller sighed. "Look at it from the police's point of view for a moment. They think they have a slam dunk case because you have motive and opportunity."

"But they don't have a weapon or anything to tie me to it because I didn't shoot her!" Carter exclaimed.

"And the truth will win out in the end." Mr. Teller explained. "But you have to realize that it is going to take some time for this to work itself out. Now hopefully Lucy wakes up soon and can tell the police who shot her, or at the very least tell them that you didn't shoot her. If that doesn't happen, then we have a bigger fight on our hands. But I will see you through this. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried about me. I know I didn't do it and, like you said, the truth will win out in the end." Carter admitted. "I'm worried about Lucy."


Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, briefly wondering why she was in so much pain. It felt like she had been hit by a truck. That's when she remembered…she had been shot. Breathing wasn't easy and it was painful.

At least pain meant she was still alive.

She finally was able to keep her eyes fully open. Looking around, she realized she was in the surgical ICU. In the chair next to her was Elizabeth. It looked like she was asleep. She tried to say something before realizing she had a trach in. So there was no point trying to talk because there would be no sounds coming out of her mouth.

She briefly wondered what else had been done after she got shot. Her memories of the shooting were blurry with bits and pieces missing. But she knew who shot her and would have no problem letting the police know once they came to ask her.

"NO!" She cried out, looking at her assailant. "Please, don't shoot…" He began to shoot before she could finish her sentence. She felt the first bullet hit her in the chest, immediately taking her breath away. The pain ripped through her. Seconds later there was another bullet hitting her in the abdomen. She doubled over, coughing up blood into her hands.

She felt faint and soon found herself falling to the kitchen floor. She could see him run off and was glad that at least he wasn't going to shoot at her anymore. But she had no way to call for an ambulance.

It shouldn't end like this.

It didn't take long for her to pass out into the darkness.

She looked back over at Elizabeth, who was still sleeping. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she closed her eyes to get some rest.