Concrete Angel
Chapter 25:
A/N: I OWN NONE OF THE RECGONIZABLE SVU CHARACTERS. Thanks to all my readers, and reviewers!
PREVIOUSLY:
"I don't think so. I think she may have appendicitis…" the man replies.
He hears Elliot request a bus sent to their apartment, "My partner just called an ambulance. It should be there in five minutes…" she calmly tells him.
"Thanks. That really helps, a lot." Josh says, "I'll call once she's situated in the hospital…"
"Okay, tell her everything's going to be fine." the brunette detective replies and hangs up the phone.
Mackenzie is still screaming, clutching the right side of her stomach. "Honey, it's okay. Shhh… Olivia called the ambulance, you're gonna be okay…" Josh calmly replies.
The child closes her eyes and continues to cry. "Baby girl, stay with me…" Liz gently says.
"I… it hurts… really… bad…" the six year old whimpers.
"Shhh… I know it does sweetie." Liz replies as a knock is heard on the door, "Paramedics… a female voice calls.
8:15am
Derek jumps up and answers the door for the paramedic. "Hi." a tall brunette woman calmly says to him.
The teen leads her to the guest bedroom where Mackenzie is, "We think her appendix is messed up…" he replies; not exactly sure of what's going on.
"Okay. I'll take a look." the woman replies.
Josh sighs in relief when he sees the woman wheeling a gurney into the room. The paramedic looks over and sees Mackenzie crying in her aunt's lap, "This must be Mackenzie…" she says.
"Yeah. We think she has appendicitis. But it could be something else, because her parents have been drugging her to make her sick." Elizabeth explains.
"She's my niece…" Josh further explains to the woman.
"Okay. Mackenzie, can you show me where it hurts?" the paramedic asks.
She watches the six year old girl point to the right side of her stomach. When the child does this, she immediately recognizes the area as her appendix. The paramedic lightly places her hand on Mackenzie's tummy and the little girl screams, "DON'T HURT ME!"
"Honey, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to know what's wrong so I can make you feel better." she replies lightly examining the rest of the child's stomach.
Mackenzie just nods in agreement as the woman takes her temperature. "Sweetie, we need to get you to the hospital so the doctors can fix your tummy…"
The child pouts, "NO. the last time I went to the doctor, they gave me this yucky medicine that made me sick and then… daddy… hurt me…"
The paramedic looks up at Elizabeth with concern in her eyes, "Her parents were arrested yesterday for abuse…"
"Oh. We'll do everything we can to make sure she's really okay and there aren't any internal problems that have been caused by her parents…" the woman kindly replies.
"Mackenzie sweetie, listen, Liz really wants you to go to the hospital so the nice doctors can check your tummy and figure out what's wrong…" the blond woman replies.
"Just whatever you do, don't take her to Mt. Siani, that's where her doctor is." Josh explains.
"Don't worry. I'm thinking Mercy General. They've got a great pediatric unit." the woman replies.
"Okay, Mackenzie, we really need to get you into the ambulance and to the hospital…" the brunette tells the crying child.
"Liz, you ride with her and I'll drive Derek over later once she gets settled." Josh tells his wife.
"Sounds like a plan. Kenzie honey, I'm gonna have to lay you down on the gurney so we can get you down to the ambulance." the blond actress says.
"NO!" she screams and grabs her right side.
"Baby girl, I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but you're gonna have to cooperate with me and the doctors that are going to help you." the woman calmly says.
"Ma'am, the longer we wait, the more serious her condition could get…" the paramedic explains.
"I understand that. But she was just taken from a very abusive home less than twenty four hours ago. Just bear with me here on this okay?" Liz replies, trying to stay calm for her niece.
"IT HURTS!" Mackenzie screams.
"I know baby girl. We're getting you to the hospital now." Liz says and gently lays her down.
"Let's go." the woman replies. With her command the paramedic grabs hold of the gurney, Liz grabs her phone and nothing other than a pair of pink flip flops and heads out the door.
"You know, this is the first time in my life I've been out of the house in my pajamas…" she jokingly tells the paramedic, fixing her hair into a neater bun, "and with nothing more than an iPhone…"
"Wow. Oh my god. You're really…" the paramedic realizes who the woman she's been helping is.
"Elizabeth Johnson… yeah I know." she smiles.
"I never thought I'd be answering a call to her house to help her niece…" the brunette woman pushing the gurney replies.
Once they get outside of the apartment complex they are greeted by a swarm of news cameras and reporters. "AUNT LIZ!" the little girl screams.
"Shhh, baby girl. It's okay. You're gonna be fine. Just hang in there okay?" the woman coos, grabbing the girl's hand.
The gurney is pushed into the ambulance, the doors slam and they take off with sirens wailing, media trucks following, and a screaming six year old, super star actress and a paramedic inside.
5 hours later.
Mercy General Hospital, Children's recovery center.
Mackenzie Johnson's room.
The six year old child lay quietly, sleeping with a very tired Elizabeth Johnson sitting in the uncomfortable green chair by her. The doctors were able to successfully remove her appendix and fix another small area of internal bleeding from a blow she had taken a day ago.
Liz had started dozing off when her phone rang. "Johnson…" she yawned.
"It's Buzz…"
"Shit, what do you want?" she angrily replies as she steps out of the room.
"Media's got you getting into an ambulance with your pajamas on. What the hell is going on?" the man asks.
"Family emergency. Just shut them up. I slept in a rocking chair from two a.m." she replies and looks around, "Okay, if I tell you this promise me it won't get out?" she asks.
"What is it…" he worriedly asks.
"Promise your job you won't let this leak, but my brother's been arrested for abusing his daughter, my niece. That's who's kids I had last night. That's who I was getting into the ambulance with in my pj's with, and that's where I am now. Mercy General's children's recovery center. My niece just had her appendix out less than twenty four hours after being rescued from a very abusive home…" she says, struggling not to cry.
"Oh my god. I'm sorry. I'll shut it up. I'll just say that… I don't know what I'm gonna say yet. I'll think of something." "And cry if you need too…" he kindly replies.
"I have to be strong for her. She hates my show because when it was on, that's when the bad things happened at home…" the woman replies.
"So it's like, you were there, but not really. Maybe they did that to make it harder for her to deal with…" the man says.
"Dude, shut the hell up." Liz yells into the phone. "I'm really worried right now. That's the least of it, they've drugged her with who knows what, they couldn't do the tox screen when she came in because of her appendix. They just did one, and I'm terrified. My brother is a maniac."
"I'm really sorry Liz… let me know if you need anything…" he replies.
"Just don't say anything stupid again or your job is cut… understand me?" she angrily says and hangs up.
She paces back and forth outside the curtain for a few minutes before walking back into her niece's room. The nurse comes in to check on the little girl and smiles at the blond woman, "Is everything okay?" she asks.
"Yeah… work is really bugging me right now…" Liz replies.
"She'll be okay if you need to go into the office for something for a few hours…" the nurse kindly suggests.
"No, I need to be here with her. Her situation is much more complicated than just a bad appendix." the blond woman explains.
"Okay…." the nurse replies and then understands who the woman is she's talking to.
"You're… Oh my god…" she says.
"Yeah. I've gotten that all day. I'm sorry, I'm usually really nice to my fans, I love them." She replies running a hand through her hair. "Today and yesterday have been really stressful for me and every doctor in this hospital has done the same thing." the blond woman kindly replies.
"It's fine. Don't worry. I'll shut them up. I'm her nurse for the next six hours, is there something I should know?" the redheaded woman asks.
"She was just taken from a very abusive home about twenty four hours ago. My brother is a monster… let's just leave it at that." the blond woman sadly replies.
"Okay. That would explain the bruising on her abdomen and thighs…" the woman tells Liz.
"God. I haven't been able to check to make sure she's okay myself. Partly because she's so terrified. I wanted to just make sure nothing was broken but she flipped out so I didn't. honestly, I'm glad her appendix didn't burst when she was at school, or home." Liz replies.
"We have some great counselors that can help her understand what has happened and help her get through it. What grade is she in at school?" the redheaded nurse asks.
"Kindergarten…"
"Oh, poor thing…" the woman replies when they are interrupted by a yawn from Mackenzie.
"Aunt Liz…" she croaks.
"Baby girl! You scared me. I'm glad you're okay now though." the woman replies, taking the girl's hand.
"Am I in trouble?" the child asks when she realizes that her surroundings are different and she's hooked up to monitors.
"No sweetheart. Your appendix burst, the doctor had to take it out. You're better now. You're with the good doctors, not your mean one anymore, okay?" the woman explains.
The nurse quietly walks out of the room and leaves the two alone.
"I don't feel good…" she whimpers.
"I know baby girl. It's just the medicine they gave you to fall asleep during surgery. It'll go away soon, it's helping you this time. The doctor wants you to stay here for the rest of today and the next day or two. Depending on how you feel." Liz replies.
"What about school? And Mrs. Davis?" the child asks.
"Honey, she'll understand. Believe me, uncle Josh has already called her. She's gonna come see you when school is over…" the woman smiles.
The little brunette tries to smile, "Where's my bunny? I want it…"
"My apartment sweetie. I can get Uncle Josh to bring it up here really fast…" Liz replies.
"Okay… can he?" Mackenzie skeptically asks.
"Of course sweetheart, let me go call him."
A/N: Wow. What do you think of this chapter? Should I start bringing this story to an end? But I've been writing this for so long, I can't seem to leave these characters behind, especially Mackenzie. I hope you enjoyed this part of the story, no police action at all, but I think next time it'll be all about that. Please let me know what you think should happen by reviewing and favoriting and adding this story to your alerts!