Owen and Cristina rushed to the hospital in his truck. When they got there, they ran to the emergency room, where they found out that Sophie had been taken to surgery. It would be a while before the surgeons were through with her and they were told to take a seat in the lobby. Owen sat nervously, worried about Sophie. He was also consumed by guilt because he had been planning to break up with her. Now, that seemed like such a cruel thing to do, given that Sophie was facing such terrible injuries. He hoped that she would survive this.
Cristina saw the anxious look on Owen's face and she reached out and took his hand into hers. "She's going to be okay, Owen. She just has to be." He looked at the face of the woman he loved. She had so much concern for him. He loved her but now, he didn't know whether he would be able to ever tell her this. Life was just so messed up, now.
"Yeah," he said, as he hugged her. The hours passed and they both fell asleep. When the surgeon came out to speak to them, he found them still asleep, with the woman sleeping against the man's chest while his arm was around her. The surgeon gently shook Owen. Owen opened his eyes and realized where he was. He groggily looked at the doctor in front of him.
"Hello," he said in a raspy voice. He realized Cristina was still asleep against him but he didn't wake her up.
"Hello, I am Dr Patel," the doctor said. "You're Mr. Hunt?" The doctor had been informed that Mr. Hunt was Ms. Malloy's boyfriend, so he had found it strange to see Owen and Cristina's intimate sleeping position.
"Yes," Owen said. "How is Sophie?"
"Well, she made it through. Broken bones, internal injuries, as expected from an accident like this. It is going to be a long recovery," Dr. Patel said. "However, I do have a bit of bad news." That woke up Owen, immediately.
"What bad news?" he asked.
"Well, Sophie's spinal cord was injured, very badly. She is probably paralyzed from the waist down," Dr. Patel said. Owen felt so sorry for Sophie.
"Does that mean she will never walk again?" Owen asked.
"I think with intense physical therapy, it may be possible that she could walk, again," Dr. Patel said. "But it is going to take a lot of work."
"Thank you, doctor," Owen said. "When can I see her?"
"Well, she is in recovery right now. It may be a while, yet before she wakes up. Maybe you and the young lady can get some breakfast and then, Sophie might be up," the doctor said.
"Thank you, doctor, for everything," Owen said, shaking the man's hand.
"It's okay. I am just doing my job," the doctor said, as he walked away. "I am just happy that she made it."
Owen shook Cristina awake. "Wake up, Cristina," he said, softly. She opened her eyes. "Where am I?" she asked.
"We're at the hospital. Remember, Sophie got into an accident," he said. She lifted her head from his chest, then she stretched. "Did we get any word?" she asked.
"Yes, the doctor just came out and said that she made it through the surgery," he said.
"Oh, that is so good, Owen. I am happy for you and her," Cristina said with a huge smile.
"Um, well that's the good news. There is some bad news, too. Sophie is probably paralyzed since she has a spinal injury," Owen said.
"But she'll be able to walk again, with therapy, right?" Cristina said, hopefully.
"I don't know. Maybe. She will have to undergo intense physical therapy," he said. He was happy that Sophie made it but he knew the months of recovery and physical therapy would mean he would have to put his life on hold to take care of her. He wouldn't be able to tell Sophie that he wanted to break up with her and he wouldn't be able to tell Cristina how much he loved her. He really understood the meaning of being caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Let's get some breakfast," he told her.
"Okay," she said. She pulled out two new toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste from her handbag and handed him one. "I think we need to brush our teeth first."
"Good thinking, do you always carry that in your handbag?" he asked, as she put some toothpaste on his toothbrush.
"Always be prepared," she said. "You never know if you are going to be stranded somewhere. Clean teeth and fresh breath always make it seem a little bit better."
"I learn new things about you every day," he said, with a laugh. They went to their separate restrooms and after having washed their faces and brushed their teeth, they left the hospital and headed to the Starbucks across the street.
The coffee felt good, hot and sweet, as it hit their throats. They really needed that. They were both quiet, thinking of Sophie and her long, hard road to recovery. It was just then that Cristina remembered that she had to call Julian. She took out her phone and dialed her boyfriend's number.
"Hey, it's me. Have you gone to work as yet?" she asked. Owen listened to her side of conversation, filling in the blanks on what Julian probably said.
"Yeah, it is bad, she is paralyzed. The doctor said that maybe she could walk again, with therapy," Cristina said. "Well, I am going to stay with Owen and we're going to see Sophie in a bit, when she wakes up. Yeah, I will see you this evening."
She hung up the phone. "Well, he is pretty shocked," Cristina said. "He asked me to ask you if it would be alright to visit her in the hospital."
"I don't know about that," Owen said. "We will have to ask Sophie. There is a great deal resentment on Sophie's side, regarding their break-up."
"Okay, then," Cristina said. She reached for his hand. "I just want to let you know that I know it is going to be tough for both you and Sophie over the next couple of months. I am here for you, if you need me. So if you ever need me to help you out, like stay with Sophie, while you go out or if you need a break, you just have to knock on my door and I will be there."
He nodded. The things that he wanted to tell her, he could no longer do so. The timing of everything was now so bad. "Thanks, Cristina, you are a great friend," he said.
After breakfast, they headed back to the hospital to check on whether Sophie was awake. They were told that she had been moved to her room and they could see her.
When they got there, Sophie's eyes were still closed. Her body looked broken and her face was swollen. "She must still be asleep," Cristina whispered. As soon as Sophie heard her voice, she opened her eyes.
"Hey, Sophie," Owen said. "How are you doing?" She struggled with the tube in her mouth. "It's okay, you don't have to talk. Cristina and I waited for you to get out of surgery." Sophie looked at Cristina, gratefully.
"Hi, Sophie," Cristina said. "I am just so glad you made it through. All you have to do now is get better." She wondered if Sophie knew that she was paralyzed. Probably not, she thought. It was not her place to mention it. The doctor would have to see about that.
"Sophie, Julian wants to know if he could visit you," Owen said. "He isn't going to come, unless you say it is okay. Can you blink once for no and twice for yes?" She blinked once then blinked a second time. Owen was surprised at that. Sophie was actually willing to allow Julian to come visit her. That was a change of tune, he thought.
They stayed with her for a while, until Dr. Patel came by to tell her the news. Owen and Cristina nodded at him, when he started talking to Sophie, saying how well she did in the surgery. Then, his tone changed. Owen and Cristina both knew what he was going to tell Sophie. They could see the panic in her eyes as he told her. Then, she started to cry. Cristina felt so sorry for her, while it broke Owen's heart to see her that way. He went to her and held her hand.
Dr. Patel left the room to give them some privacy, as did Cristina. She sat outside near the nurses' station for about half an hour. She figured it would be best if she should go home and give Owen and Sophie the time to be by themselves. She felt like a third wheel and she had already served her purpose of offering support for Owen during the night. Cristina told the nurse that when the blonde gentleman emerged from the room if she could tell him that she had left and that if he needed her, she would be at home. She called a cab and headed home to her apartment. She was exhausted. She took a shower and then collapsed on her bed.
She didn't know how many hours had passed, when she heard the knocking on her door. She got up and answered the door. It was Owen. She let him in.
"Hey," he said. "You left."
"Yeah, I thought it would be best to leave you and Sophie alone, after she heard such devastating news," Cristina said. "It was probably better for Sophie without me hanging around."
"Yes, she did take it rather badly. I told her that with physical therapy and determination, she probably would be able to walk, again," he said. "She felt a little better but not a lot."
"So are you heading back there, later?" Cristina asked.
"Yes, I came home to grab something to eat, get a shower and a change of clothes," Owen said. "I may take a little nap, too."
"I took a nap," Cristina said. "I feel so much better. You really should, too."
"Okay," he said. "Going to my apartment, now." He started to leave. She ran to him and gave him a hug. He held her in his arms and they stayed like for that, for a few minutes.
"Thanks," he said, as he released her. "I needed that." He looked back at her, as he left. How much he wished he could tell her how he felt about her.
Later that evening, Julian went to the hospital with a bit of trepidation. Cristina had called him and told him that Sophie had said it would be alright to visit her. There was a time that he had deep feelings for Sophie. He knew he had greatly disappointed her but at that time of his life, he was not ready for serious commitment and had allowed her to walk out of his life.
He knocked on the door before he entered. She was alone because Owen had not yet come back from the apartment.
She was awake and they had removed the tube from her mouth, so she could now talk. Her throat was still a little sore.
"Hi, Sophie," Julian said. "How are you feeling?" He felt strange, being there. He looked at her swollen, bruised face. It reminded him of Cristina when she had that rollerblading accident.
"Okay, I guess," she said. "Thank you for coming."
"Yes, I just want to check on how you were doing," he said. "Just a terrible thing to have happened to you."
"You heard the bad news?" she asked.
"Yes, Cristina told me," Julian said. "I am so sorry." The tears started welling up, again in Sophie's eyes.
"Hey, hey," he said, coming forward to hold her hand, as she cried. "It's going to be okay, Sophie. You're a champ; you've always been strong. You're going to come out of this, better than ever." Sophie held on tightly to Julian's hand.
"Oh, Julian, I am just so scared," Sophie said. Julian stroked her hair and wiped away her tears. "You're going to be alright, Sophie."
Owen came back, just in time to see this scene. Julian's back was turned so he didn't see Owen. Owen backed away from the room and stood outside. In a way, he felt like he was intruding on them. He walked away and sat on a chair near the nurses' station. He waited until Julian left before he went into the room.
Sophie was asleep, when he got there. Julian had stayed until Sophie fell asleep. He found the most comfortable chair in the room since he was going to spend the night. He lay back on it and pondered how much life was going to change for all of them.
A/N: Please leave your comments. I do appreciate your thoughts.