It took a little while for me to figure out how to get this chapter written down, but I did it! Also, I want to give a thanks to Flying Kiwi for checking out iMake Sam Girlier for me! That was too kind of you to help me out when I couldn't check the episode myself! Thanks! =D Now onto the story! Beginning with the very anticipated ambulance scene from chapter ten...
Freddie looked down at Sam. Her head tilted lifelessly in sync with the movement of the ambulance as it continued to drive towards it's destination. He glanced at the paramedics and watched as they continued checking on her vital signs. The last thing he wanted to do was bother them, but felt the need to ask his question anyways.
"Is she..." Freddie gulped. "Is she going to be ok?" The female paramedic looked over at him and then down at the unconscious girl, deciding he deserved a quick explanation.
"She passed out because of the pain." She explained and watched as Freddie looked down at his friend in sadness. "But other than that, her vitals have stabilized. The painkiller we gave her through the IV will be working soon."
"Stabilized...so that means?" He looked up at her hopefully.
"She just needs to relax until we get to the hospital. With the morphine in her system, her body will be in a much calmer state."
"Oh, ok." Freddie replied. The female worker gave him a small comforting smile and then returned to her work. 'Leave it to drugs to be the only thing that can calm Sam down..' He thought lightheartedly as he looked down at his friend. One moment ago she was yelling angrily and now she was sleeping peacefully. The oxygen mask was still placed on her face, keeping her airway open and relaxed. Freddie sighed as he looked at her. Many times throughout his life he had wished that Sam was asleep, like when she was tackling him or beating him over the head with a drum stick, but he'd rather have her awake doing all that stuff than asleep in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
"Mmm..." Almost as if Sam had heard Freddie's thoughts, she started to mumble.
"Huh?!" Freddie asked as he felt Sam's limp hand come to life in his own. He looked down and saw her eyes were moving underneath her eyelids.
"Patient is conscious." The male worker spoke to the female.
"And the morphine?" She asked, wanting to make sure the painkillers had made their way through Sam's system so she wouldn't wake up to incredible pain.
"Fully spread throughout her body." The male worker confirmed. "She should be feeling the effects of it now."
"Alright good." The woman looked back over at Sam. She was surprised to see that their patient was actually waking up. She then glanced over at Freddie. "If you can speak some comforting words to her, that would be great. She's going to feel a bit woozy and the sound of a friend's voice will help keep her relaxed." The medic explained to him.
"Of course!" He replied, wanting to help out in anyway he could.
"Thank you." She answered, then looked down at Sam. "It's odd though. Usually when someone passes out and is slipped a painkiller, they remain asleep for the duration of the ride. That girl is one tough cookie.." She then turned around and continued to work on various equipment.
'You have no idea..' Freddie thought. He then returned his sight back to Sam and saw she was still trying to open her eyelids. "Hey Sam.." He gently stated to her.
"Huh...who?" Sam's muffled voice spoke quietly from behind the mask.
"It's Freddie." He quickly replied.
"Fredward...?"
"Yeah, I'm right here." He gently gave her hand a light squeeze to show he was close. He watched as she finally found the strength to lift her eyelids.
"Whoa..." She muttered as she looked around. "Where....?"
"You're in an ambulance." He softly explained, not sure what kind of response he was going to get.
"Am-bu-lance?" Sam weakly repeated his words, as if she couldn't figure out what he said.
"Yeah." He replied as he looked down at her. "We're on the way to the hospital."
"Oh...ok." Sam looked up at him and gave him a big smile.
'Never once in my life have I been so appreciative for painkillers..' Freddie thought as he looked down at his friend. She was extremely peaceful and compliant.
"Hey Freddie......wassup?" Sam once again smiled at him. He couldn't help but give a small laugh. It was just too weird seeing her like this.
"Uh, not much." He replied, finding it odd to have such a normal conversation in an ambulance. "How are you doing?"
"Goooood." Sam replied as she looked down at her nose cross eyed. "Though I think something is trying to eat my face...." She spoke, referring to the oxygen mask.
"Oh that? Don't worry about it." Freddie replied. It was obvious she was feeling the medication.
"Okay, I won't then Freddeh." Sam gave a muffled laugh behind her mask. "I probably wouldn't taste good anyway." Freddie gave a small chuckle.
"So you're feeling alright?" He asked, finding an indirect way to check if the pain had stopped.
"I feel..." Sam stopped to try and think. "I feel amazing. Now who are you young man?" Her head started to bob back and forth slightly as she tried to focus on him.
"Uh, I'm Freddie." He cocked an eyebrow. The full effects of the morphine were obviously hitting her.
"Freddie...I like that name." Sam closed her eyes. "Freddie rhymes with spaghetti. Mmmm, spaghetti and meatballs. Meatballs..." She was starting to rant randomly.
'Leave it to Sam to find a way to turn a conversation to meatballs...' Freddie smiled.
"Do you like meatballs Teddie?" Sam looked up at him.
"Yes I do, and the name's Freddie." He replied patiently.
"Hmm...Freddie. I have a friend named Freddie. He's really smart." Sam closed her eyes once more.
"Really?!" He asked, shocked to hear her compliment him.
"Oh yeah." Sam reopened her eyes once more. "He knows a lot of technomorphic wifi blueteeth cable stuff." She blabbed out random words, some not making sense, but he understood the gist of what she was saying. She then looked up at him, with a polite smile. "So what did you say your name was?"
Meanwhile, Spencer and Carly were in their car once more, driving towards the hospital. Luckily Sam's house was on the way so they didn't waste too much time going out there to get the photo. Spencer heard his little sister sigh and he looked over at her. Her elbow was resting on the car door as she held her head in her hand. She was looking out of the window with a defeated look.
"We're going to be there soon. I'd say we have around three more minutes until we get there."
"Thank goodness." Carly replied. Even though she was with Sam not thirty minutes ago, it felt as if it had been hours since she last saw her best friend.
"My name is Freddie." Freddie responded gently. He felt as if the conversation was going around in circles, but didn't mind.
"Freddie....oh hey Fredhead." Sam looked up at him, seemingly starting to recognize who she was talking to. "Where's Carly?" Now he knew she realized who he was if she was starting to talk about her best friend.
"Um, Carly went to your house to get that photo. But she'll be on her way to the hospital soon."
"Oh no!" Sam looked up at him with a worried look. "Hospital? What's wrong? Is she ok?"
"Yeah yeah! Carly's fine!" Freddie quickly replied, not wanting to upset Sam.
"Oh..." She responded, letting the drugs haze her mind once more. "Thanks goodness....." Sam mumbled. Freddie found that her concern for her best friend was touching, despite her not fully understanding the situation. "So, Carly's going to be here?" Sam asked, her eyelids half closed.
"Yup." Freddie replied.
"That mean we're going to rehearse iCarly?"
"Uh, maybe later."
"Ok, cool." Sam smiled. Freddie was glad she was focusing on the fun stuff instead of hospitals and surgery.
"Alright." The male paramedic started to say. "We're here." The ambulance had started to pull into the hospital emergency drop off area.
'Wow, already?' Freddie thought as he felt the vehicle slow to a stop. Once he and Sam had started talking, time flew by.
"Ok, let's get the gurney unlatched." The female medic stated as the two started to unhook the bed.
"Whoa, what's going on? What are they doing in my room?" Sam looked over at Freddie as she watched the paramedics work.
"Uh..." He wasn't sure how to answer that. Just then he heard a scrape at the door. Freddie watched as it rolled open, sunlight filling the dark van.
"Close the blinds mom.." Sam muttered, shutting her eyes.
"Let's help you out." Freddie looked over and saw a man hold his hand to him from outside. Freddie took it and was helped out of the back of the vehicle. He turned around and watched as the various hospital workers had started to lift Sam out. When she was fully out, they released the spring loaded wheels on the gurney, transforming it back into it's mobile form.
"Holy cheese....my bed has wheels..." Sam mumbled as they started to roll her towards the building. Freddie ran up to her side and took a hold of her hand, walking with the pace of the paramedics. As soon as she felt him grab her hand she looked over.
"Hi Freddie." She smiled.
"Hello." He smiled back.
Freddie continued to walk alongside his friend through the hospital until they met up at a door. One of the paramedics turned towards him.
"I'm sorry, but you can't walk past this point. You'll have to stay in the waiting area." The man pointed to a big lobby-like section with couches and chairs.
"I understand." Freddie replied, sadly. This was the moment he regretted, leaving one of his best friends. "Sam, I have to go now." He looked over at her and saw her eyelids were slowly going up and down, as if she was trying to keep them open.
"You're leaving?" She asked quietly. Freddie gulped. He felt guilty but knew there was nothing he could do from this point.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"Oh...ok." Sam replied sadly. "I'll see ya later then." She smiled as she perked up.
"Yeah." He returned the smile. "See ya later." Sam, still in the midst of drugs, gave a small wave to him as she was then pushed through the doors. Freddie stood there and waved back until he saw the doors shut. He then ran his hand through his hair.
"Man.." He sighed. 'That was hard..' He turned around and started to walk towards a chair when he heard a familiar voice. He looked up and saw that his mother was standing at the front desk and speaking with a lady. "Mom!" Never in his life had he been so happy to see her. Mrs. Benson turned around at the sound of his voice.
"Freddie!" She exclaimed happily as he walked up to her.
"I'm so glad you're here! They just rolled Sam in." Freddie pointed to the doors. She nodded in appreciation and looked back at the lady behind the desk.
"That girl who was just wheeled in, her name is Samantha Puckett." Mrs. Benson explained.
"Are you the mother?" The lady asked as she started to get papers ready.
"No. We're friends." Mrs. Benson pointed to herself and Freddie. "We're not sure where her mother is."
"Really?" The lady looked up at her. "Any number we can contact?"
"Sam's mom doesn't have a cellphone." Freddie cut in.
"And her father?" The lady asked.
"Uh, I don't think he's in the picture." Freddie added.
"Alright, well do you have a home number we can try to get to?"
"Yeah sure." Freddie answered as he read out Sam's number. The lady wrote it down as he spoke.
"Thank you." She replied.
"So, what happens if you can't contact her mom?" Freddie asked, realizing that was quite possible.
"Well, generally a patient needs parental consent for certain operations, but if it's an emergency, the hospital has a legal right to save a patient's life." The woman explained.
"Good.." Freddie sighed, relieved.
"Listen, I'll handle all the hospital paperwork alright? How about you sit over in the waiting area and relax?" Mrs. Benson stated to her son.
"Ok, thanks mom." He gave his mother a hug, appreciative of her help. Mrs. Benson returned the hug and then watched as he walked away. She turned around to continue discussing the issues about Sam's operation.
Spencer and Carly had just pulled up to the hospital parking lot. Carly couldn't describe the amount of anxiety she was feeling at that moment. The two got out of the car and Spencer clicked the lock button on his keys.
"You got the photo?" He asked.
"Yeah, right here." Carly gently held it out.
"Good. Socko and Taylor are going to meet us here. They're going to help search for Sam's mom." Spencer explained to his sister as they walked into the building.
"Do you think they can find her?" Carly asked hopefully.
"Socko and Taylor can find anything." Spencer confirmed. Eventually they had made their way to the emergency area. As they walked through the hallway, they finally stepped into the waiting room where Freddie and his mom were.
"Carly! Spencer!" Freddie jumped up from his seat as he saw the two familiar faces walk in.
"Freddie!" Carly ran over, happy to see him. "When did you get here?"
"Uh.." He looked over at a clock on the wall. "I'd say roughly twelve minutes ago."
"And Sam...?" Carly asked.
"They wheeled her through those doors right away." Freddie pointed to them.
"They're going to see what's wrong with her." Mrs. Benson added. "Right now they're checking to see what the abdominal pain is from and if she needs an operation."
"Ok." Carly replied. She was just so relieved to have everyone together again.
"So you found the picture?" Freddie asked.
"Yes, right here." Carly held it up.
"Here, why don't you give that to me." Spencer took the picture from here. "That way I can give it to Socko and Taylor when they get here."
"Alright, but make sure you take care of it! And tell your friends to take care of it too. It means a lot to Sam." Carly replied, knowing the importance of the picture.
"I'll take care of it as if it were my own." Spencer replied. Carly just stared at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Ok, I'll take even better care of it!" Spencer added, realizing he wasn't all that careful with his own items.
"Good." Carly confirmed. She then turned around towards Freddie and signaled for him to sit down with her. "So how was the ride?" She asked hesitantly.
"Well..." Freddie cleared his throat. "Sam was pretty ticked off in the beginning." Carly gave a small smile.
"Sounds about right." She replied.
"Yeah." Freddie chuckled. "You should of seen when they gave her the IV."
"A needle?"
"Yup." Freddie nodded.
"Yikes."
"Tell me about it. Anyways.." Freddie took a deep breath. "The pain had started to get worse for her." He spoke as he watched Carly's face turn to worry. "It got a bit rough.." He stated quietly.
"Rough?" Carly asked.
"Yeah...it was pretty bad. She was having trouble breathing."
"Oh my god.." Carly spoke softly.
"But don't worry!" Freddie quickly assured her. "They gave her oxygen and morphine."
"Morphine?" Carly asked.
"It's a painkiller." Freddie replied.
"Oh, ok, so then what?" Carly asked, fearing what else he had to say.
"She kind of passed out again..." Freddie explained. Spencer and Mrs. Benson listened quietly as the kids spoke.
"Really?!" Carly asked.
"Yeah, it was from the pain."
"Sam..." Carly looked down at the floor, in worry. Freddie gently touched her on the shoulder.
"She did wake up though."
"She did?"
"Yeah, like a minute after she fainted."
"And how did she feel then?" Carly asked.
"Well..." Freddie looked up for a moment, recalling the events. "She was a lot ......calmer."
"Calmer?"
"Yup. Apparently the painkillers had started to kick in, and she was pretty relaxed."
"Oh, that's good then?" Carly asked, unsure.
"Yeah definitely. She and I chatted the rest of the way to the hospital. She wasn't in any pain." Freddie gave a small smile.
"Thank goodness.." Carly sighed. She really wished she had been there for her friend. "What did you guys talk about?" Carly asked and was surprised to see Freddie smile.
"Meatballs." He replied.
"Meatballs?"
"Yup." He looked at her. They both sat in silence before they started chuckling.
"That's so Sam." Carly replied with a smile. Just then a man dressed in green clothing walked up to them.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Smith. Are you the people who came in with Samantha Puckett?" He asked. Everyone stood up as they looked at him.
"Yes we are." Spencer replied.
"Are you the parents?" He pointed to Mrs. Benson and Spencer.
"No, we're not." Spencer replied.
"Family?" The doctor asked.
"No, friends." Spencer explained.
"Do you have a diagnosis?" Mrs. Benson asked.
"I really should be speaking to her parents.." The doctor started off.
"Please!" Carly added. "Her mom's not here, and probably won't be for a while. We're all she has right now and we're worried about her. Tell us what's wrong!"
The doctor saw genuine worry in her face. "Alright..It seems as though she does indeed have appendicitis." He explained. "I will be operating on her shortly. While we are getting the anesthesia ready, we're currently trying to bring her fever down as it's pretty high."
"Oh man.." Spencer mumbled.
"So if you're bringing her fever down, that means she's currently in the waiting area?" Mrs. Benson asked.
"Yes." Dr. Smith confirmed.
"Is there any chance that visitors are allowed?" Mrs. Benson asked, fully aware that parents were allowed to be with their children when they were waiting for surgery.
"I'm sorry, but that's only reserved for family and...."
"Excuse me a moment." Mrs. Benson stated to the kids as she walked over to the doctor and pulled him away to talk in private. Spencer, Carly and Freddie watched as they discussed something from far away. Eventually the two walked back over.
"Alright, under the circumstances, I'll allow ONE visitor." He explained. The group looked over at each other and the answer was obvious.
Freddie spoke up. "Carly, you go."
Alrighty! Carly may have not been there for the ambulance ride, but she gets to be Sam's one visitor! Luckily Mrs. Benson knows how to work the hospital crowd. ;)
Also, again, I know NOTHING of how the hospitals work so just use your imagination for this story if I get stuff wrong lol. Hope you liked this chapter! I had fun writing the Freddie/Sam conversation. ^_^