CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Title: "Forever and Always: For Eternity"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #6 in the Salvation, Forever and Always Series. The honor of your presence is requested at the wedding of Lana Palea and Chin Ho Kelly.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the sole property of the author!
Date Written: June 6, 2011
A/N: Thank you all so very much for the wonderful reviews and private messages I've received about this story! You all humble me with your love and support, and I am totally blown away by how you all have responded to my original characters! You guys are so awesome, and my "muse" and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Please continue to let me hear from you; your kind words mean the world to me! Michelle
"Is Lana going to . . Is she going to make it?"
"We're doing everything we can, Det. Kelly, I promise you that. An aortic tear is a very serious injury. Lana's lost a lot of blood but they're doing everything they can to repair the tear and stop the blood loss. She's young and strong and otherwise healthy, so there's every reason to believe that she'll survive this injury. As I said, two of the best trauma surgeons in the country are in that operating room with her, and they truly are extremely skilled surgeons."
"What about her head injury?"
"Again, we didn't see any obvious skull fractures on the x-rays we shot in the E.R. and they're going to do an MRI of the brain as soon as she's out of surgery and her vital signs stabilize. We have every reason to believe there's no serious brain injury. If there is, we'll deal with that once we've determined the specific nature of the injury and what would be the best course of treatment."
"Was . . Was she conscious when she got here? Did she say anything?"
"No, she was unconscious both at the scene and after arriving here."
(Mary Ellen, the house supervisor enters the room and Dr. White turns toward her questioningly.)
"Lana's still in surgery but we have a situation. Her blood type is A Positive and the blood bank is running low on that particular type. We're calling other area hospitals and the Red Cross right now, but we were wondering if any of you are A Positive or O Negative. If so, would you please go to the Lab and donate a pint of blood?"
(Immediately, Sam, Steve, Danny, Tony, Caroline, and Mike Thrasher are on their feet and heading toward the door. Kono is A Positive but cannot donate due to her pregnancy. Libby is also A Positive but cannot donate due to her ongoing cancer treatments. Chin cannot donate because his blood type is B Positive. As the six people leave the room, Tony can be heard on his cellular phone contacting his SEAL team to get them to come in and donate blood, as well. When it is just Chin, Kono, Libby, and Dr. White in the room, the doctor turns back toward Chin.)
"Are there any other questions I can answer for you, Det. Kelly?"
"What are her chances, Dr. White, and, please, tell me the truth?"
"That's a question I'm always asked in situations like this and one that I really don't like to try and answer. It's difficult to give an answer that's anywhere close to accurate because there are so many variables involved, and, while we have a fairly good idea of the extent of Lana's injuries, it's possible that there's more internal damage than we were aware of in the E.R. There may be injuries we won't find until they get inside the abdominal cavity, but, again, we're doing everything we possibly can for Lana."
"Please, Doc, just . . . Please try."
"All right. . If I had to guess, I'd say that, right now, she has a fifty-fifty chance of survival, but I must stress to you that Lana is young, strong, otherwise healthy, and, according to her co-workers, she has a very positive outlook on life. . And, she has you, Detective."
"Thank you. I appreciate your honesty."
"You're welcome. I'm going to have Mary Ellen get you all settled in the private waiting room outside S.I.C.U. and make sure that you are given periodic updates on Lana's condition. I'll also have her call the Lab and let the others know where you've gone so they can join you once they're finished. If you need anything at all while you're here, please let me know."
"Thanks, Doc."
(As promised, Mary Ellen returns shortly after the doctor leaves and personally escorts Chin, Kono, and Libby to the private waiting room upstairs. . .
In the Lab, the six people who are there to donate blood are quiet as they fill out various forms and wait their turns. The Lab personnel were told to expect them and have set up three donation tables in a large room where they can all be together throughout the donation process. Sam, Steve, and Tony have just completed their donations and Caroline, Danny, and Mike are just starting theirs when Tony's SEALs arrive. While they're waiting on the others, Steve puts his arms around Sam and pulls her close; her head resting on his chest as they both lean against a wall. The tables Caroline and Danny are reclining on are side by side and he reaches over and takes her hand in his while they're donating. It is Tony, however, who gives voice to what they're all feeling.)
"I can't imagine what Chin's going through right now. If it were Kono, I think I'd lose my mind. God, what she must have gone through when I was injured on that op awhile back."
"A little part of you dies every second that you wait and wonder. You can't think about anything but what's going on in that operating room, and you pray like you've never prayed before."
(Steve's words, so quietly yet firmly spoken touch all of them, but Sam's eyes fill with tears as she realizes he's describing what he went through when she was shot on the same op in which Tony was injured. She tightens her arms around his neck and looks up at him with pure love in her eyes. They all take a moment and think about the person they love more than anything and then each of them says a silent prayer that Chin doesn't lose Lana.)