Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only.
Thicker than Water
Chapter 7
Two hours later Dom and Michael were back in the hospital, waiting on word about Caitlin. The surgery had gone longer than expected due to some previously unseen internal injuries and the doctors were just now finishing up. Although a nurse had assured them that all had gone well, Dom was waiting on final word from the doctor before calling Caitlin's parents. He wanted to make sure he had all of the information before speaking to them.
In reality, though, Dom knew he was procrastinating more than anything else. This was one particular phone call he didn't relish the thought of making. He had no idea how he was going to answer their questions about what had happened. Caitlin's mother was already not a fan of her flying. Dom couldn't imagine what her reaction to this would be.
Finally the doctor came in the room, still dressed in his surgical scrubs. "Gentlemen, sorry it took so long but I want to assure you that Ms. O'Shannessy seems to have come through it as well as expected."
"What exactly does that mean, Doctor?" Dom asked.
"I think we've successfully repaired all of the bleeders and reset the broken bones. We took her spleen out and she seems to have tolerated all of that fairly well. We're still watching her closely for the head wound and we'll keep her in critical care until she comes out of the anesthesia which can potentially be a problem in conjunction with any type of head trauma."
"So, is she going to be alright?" Dom asked impatiently just wanting to know the bottom line.
Looking from Dom to Michael, the doctor waited to continue until he got a nod from the spy telling him he needed to go ahead and let Dom know everything. "I told you earlier, Mr. Santini, I don't give guarantees but I will tell you I'm hopeful. However, it's not going to be an easy or painless recovery. She'll have a lot of rehab and therapy to do and she'll need someone who's willing to dedicate some time to take care of her for a while. If she has family, they need to be informed."
"I'll call them right away," Dom said. "Can we see her?"
"I'd rather you didn't right now. I know she was pretty agitated before surgery. I need to make sure that when she wakes up she's calm and resting. I'd like to figure out her state of mind before she sees you. I know it's a difficult thing to ask but I hope you understand."
"Sure, I get it, Doc," Dom said solemnly. "If you don't mind, though, I'd like to stick around for a while. Just to make sure she's doing okay. At least until her family arrives, anyways."
"Of course, Mr. Santini. I'll make sure that the nurses keep you informed of any updates."
"Thank you," Dom answered as the doctor left. Turning back towards Michael, the spy could tell the toll that the past several hours was taking on Dom. The man seemed to have suddenly age about ten years or more.
"Dominic, why don't you let me make the phone call to Caitlin's parents?," Michael offered. "I can tell them I'm a friend and that you couldn't call because you were tied up with the paperwork or something."
Rewarding Michael with a weak smile, Dominic just shook his head. "I appreciate it but this is something I have to do," he said with a sigh. "I guess I can't put it off any longer. I'd appreciate it if you'd find me some fresh coffee for when I get back though."
"How about if instead of a coffee I see if I can find you a bed…you look exhausted. Some rest would do you good. The FIRM always keeps one of the VIP rooms available here, just in case. It's not the Ritz but you can at least catch some sleep in private."
"Thanks, Michael. That'd be great," Dominic said half-heartedly as he headed out to find a payphone.
AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW
After walking aimlessly for almost an hour, Hawke found himself on the outskirts of the city. Seeing a diner he went in and used the phone to call a cab that took him back to Santini Air. Once there he immediately got on his motorcycle and headed out. He'd had no particular destination in mind but didn't seem surprised when he ended up at The Lair.
Something about seeing Airwolf and the solemness of being in the Valley of the Gods suddenly caused him to break. Getting off the motorcycle, Hawke fell to his knees and the tears started to fall. Somehow in the last 24 hours, Hawke's world had completely crumbled before him and it was nobody's fault but his own.
Sure, he and Dom had patched things up at the hospital but he knew that he'd said things to the man that he could never take back; things that had hurt Dom deeply. And then there was Caitlin. His carelessness, and if he was being truthful with himself, his ego had almost cost her the most precious thing of all, her life. How could he have emotionally and physically hurt the only two people in the world that truly understood him, that truly accepted him for who he really was? How could he turn his back on the only ones that he trusted and, other than his brother who he didn't even know if he would ever see again, that he loved?
This was his family and he had done everything in his power to tear them apart. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he thought as he rose from his knees and found himself drawn over to The Lady. He wanted so much to be able to blame everything on the machine that stood before him…hadn't all his problems started since Airwolf had been dropped into his lap by Archangel and The Firm?
It would be all so convenient if he could do that but on the other hand he realized if it hadn't been for the big, black machine he probably would have never met Caitlin to begin with. And what a shame that would be. How much happiness and joy had that little red-headed spitfire brought into his life the last couple of years? How many times had he found himself smiling or laughing at something she had said or done in spite of himself. It wasn't often that Hawke found people he felt comfortable around but something about Caitlin had immediately put him at ease.
It also wasn't often that he could find someone willing to stand up to him and to call him out when he was being self-righteous, or more likely, when he was wallowing in self-pity. The last thought actually made him chuckle. "And what the hell would she think if she saw you now, Hawke? She'd tell you to get your butt back to her and take your lumps like a man instead of running away. She'd be feisty and she'd be mad but in the end she'd have you laughing at yourself for being such a jerk. That's what she'd think. So, are you going to let her down AGAIN? Or are you going to get your ass back over to that hospital and try to right some of these wrongs?"
Hawke knew what he had to do. Getting back on his motorcycle, he pointed it towards the hospital as fast as he could go.
TBC….
A/N: I know it kind of sounds like we're heading towards a resolution but there are still a few more bumps in this road. The muse is riding the angst train and doesn't seem to want to get off, so hang on….
