A/N: Okay sorry about the cliffhanger right, but it picks right up. This is a new/developing arc, but more like an addition to everything else going on. Bookworm: it's reassuring that you can still enjoy the story despite the C/Q stuff going on. Good to know, thanks :)! Red lighting: lot's more to come! Enjoy! Indigo: Wow you read that whole thing fast! With ample reviewage! Okay I'll stop, here it is...
Thursday April 24, 2014 12:30 a.m.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
She can finally feel her heart beating and it hurts. It's falling out all over again. The pain is manifesting every bit of her, but she still can't listen to that message, she has to go see for herself. The anger and guilt are now taking over, coursing its way to every appendage. The flight attendant can even tell.
"Do you need anything?" The woman asks her delicately.
A fucking shot. No a fucking bottle! Anything to take this away.
"Water," she says barely speaking.
She scatters the pills in her palm and stares at them even when her water arrives, and eventually sets them on them in the nook of the tray in front of her. Her phone had stopped ringing. Why? She takes the pills slowly, first a pain killer, then two lithium. Her throat feels constricted again, like she's rejecting them. The bottle of water is her only friend right now and she takes full advantage.
She's then disgusted, feels sick. No really sick. She runs to the back of the cabin, finds to bathroom, and proceeds to throw up the pills. The mirror in front of her is now the only thing in her view, letting her know that everything right now is real. It's happening.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
She's left the phone in her pocket.
Fuck!
Ring. Ring. Ring.
It's Maggie again.
You have to pick it up. You have to.
"Hello," she murmurs.
"Thank god Carrie. Carrie?"
"Uh-huh?"
"Carrie did you get my messages? Stella and dad they were-"
"Accident," is all she can say cutting her off.
"Carrie dad just went into surgery and Stella-"
"Is she- she?" She chokes out to the best of her ability.
"They're still checking her out now. That's all I know," Maggie finishes, finally catching her breath. "Where- where are you?"
"I'm on a plane, I'll be there," Carrie says as the tears begin to form.
"Okay were at Georgetown. Here comes the ER doctor. I got to go. Call the hospital, they need consent."
Ten deeps breaths are taken before she can even do it, but she dials the hospital knowing it's the best thing for Stella for her to be okay.
"Hi-"
"Yes. Hello? Ma'am are you still there?"
There's a along pause.
"Ye- yes. My daughter was brought there," she says struggling to take any breaths.
"Patient's name?"
"St- Stella Mathison."
The station nurse checks the files.
"Okay ma'am it's hospital policy that we cannot give you any information over the phone. Does she have another relative that is here?"
"Maggie. Maggie Mathison is my sister," she says hoping that will ring a bell.
"Oh yes, Maggie. We need your permission for her to make some decisions if we need her to. Can you confirm that for me?"
"She does."
"Okay now I have that recorded. We're going to take good care of her alright?"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"We're about to get ready for take off, all passengers must be in their seats," the flight attendant says.
"Thank you," she says to the nurse before hanging up.
"Ma'am!"
She stares into the mirror before she exits.
"Ma'am-," the attendant says once again as Carrie opens the door.
She looks tired, her face is beat red from crying and she smells like vomit, but the flight attendant does't say a word as Carrie quickly runs past her to get to her seat.
They're alive! She thinks sinking into her seat.
8:00 am
"Fara I need to speak with you," Quinn says while pulling her away from Max.
"Oh okay."
"Come in here," he says while shutting the door behind her.
"Quinn?"
"Carrie went home," he says bluntly.
"She what? Now?"
"Fara something happened. Something bad. Listen to this."
He plays a message from Maggie urging him to let Carrie know she is trying to contact her.
"Wow. Do you know what happened?"
"No," he says bitterly. "I don't."
"Do you think-"
"Fara we might have to pull this whole operation."
"No. We can't do that. We're too far into this. And Carrie-"
"She's gone Fara... Unless... unless you take over."
"Are you going to call her?"
"She still on a plane."
5:00 a.m. (D.C. time)
Carrie races into the hospital now after a long flight, determined to see Stella. She finds Maggie in the main lobby with her hands holding her head as she looks down.
"Maggie?"
"Carrie," she looks up with a loss of words.
Carrie waits for a response.
"She's going to be okay," Maggie spits out. "They have her in room 249."
Carrie begins heading straight towards the elevator, but quickly turns around to ask about her father.
"How's dad?" She asks with caution.
"Maggie removes her hands from her face once again.
"He in a coma Carrie!"
She begins pacing after hearing the news and practically pulls the hair out of her head as she runs her hand through it.
"Fuck! Fuck! How did this happen Maggie?"
Maggie fights her way through to explain the situation again.
"He had a heart attack and hit a pole!" Maggie says still hysterical.
Carrie has a hard time processing everything, but is aching to see Stella.
"I'm going to go see her!"
She walks down the hall of the second floor anxiously seeking out room 249. As she walks in the night nurse tries to turn her away.
"There's no visiting at these hours."
"I'm her mother," she says.
"I'm sorry. Please come in. I forgot they said you'd be coming."
She sees Stella sleeping peacefully with the pink bunny she sent her, surprising given that her leg is heavily bandaged making Carrie cringe.
"They had to stitch her leg after she was cut by a piece of glass," the nurse explains.
Carrie attempts to wake her by giving her a kiss, with no results.
"They just got her to sleep at 2, but I have to take blood work."
Carrie nods and knows what's coming for Stella and this time successfully wakes her. She flutters her eyelashes slowly and doesn't quite realize that Carrie is there yet. Carrie smiles while uncontrollably laughing in the fact that she realizes that Stella is really okay. The baby picks up the laughter.
"Ma-ma," Stella mumbles faintly after spotting her.
Carrie's stunned what she has just said, but the laughter continues as Stella looks at her. She's now simultaneously crying with her hand over her mouth, attempting to stifle the outburst. She finally gets it together as the nurse prepares the needle and holds her close. Stella's smiling face quickly disappears as the needle pierces through her arm.
"Shhhhh it's okay, it's almost over," she tries to soothe the crying.
After it's over Stella whimpers, never taking her eyes off Carrie.
The nurse notices the baby's gaze.
"She has beautiful eyes," the nurse comments.
"Thank you," Carrie says accepting the comment with pride.
"Such a brave little girl too," she adds.
"I'm going to sleep here," Carrie informs her.
"Oh yes. We have pillows and blankets down the hall. I'll be right back."
As soon as the nurse returns she finds both Stella and Carrie sleeping, not letting go of one another's hands.
9:00 a.m.
Carrie is awaken by the doctor who is seemingly playing peek-a-boo with Stella. He notices her waking up and immediately switches to professional mode.
"Oh excellent you're awake."
"Sorry about that," Carrie says rubbing her eyes
"No no it's fine. So your daughter is doing well, taking to the antibiotics and should be ready to be discharged today," he explains with optimism.
She's elated with the news, but remembers who else was there.
"Shit... I'll be back."
"Okayyy," he says as she hurries out.
Carrie heads to the ICU very unprepared for Franks condition. When she makes it to his room, she's even more upset.
He's banged up badly, hardly recognizable. There's nothing she can do except talk, hoping that he'll hear her.
"I'm so sorry dad," she cries while resting her head on the bed next to his hand. "I love you so much!"
She sits in their for a good hour and gets a full report from the physician assistant. He tells her the biggest puzzler in the entire situation is that they strongly believe that his heart attack occurred after the crash.
12:00 p.m.
"Maggie you need to go home," Carrie tells her.
"I can't Carrie I need to work in an hour."
"You're not working today. Come on I'll pick up the girls from Julie's. You can sleep in the car."
"What are we going to do Carrie?"
"I don't know Maggie. I don't know," she says with a frown.
1:00 p.m.
The doctors finally discharge Stella and Carrie drops Maggie off at the house first so that she can get some much needed rest. She picks up the confused Josie and Ruby, and drives back to the house.
"Is Stella going to be okay?" Josie asks.
"Yeah stupid that's why they let her go home," Ruby shouts from the front seat.
"Hey hey now," Carrie says trying to break it up.
"I'm not stupid. You're stupid!" Josie screams.
"Shut up!"
"No you shut up!"
"Girls! Please!" Carrie interrupts.
"Sorry aunt Carrie," they both apologize.
It's rather silent for a few moments.
"Is grandpa going to be okay?" Ruby asks hopeful.
"I hope so sweetie. I hope so."
Carrie's trying to focus on getting the three girls back home, but can't help but notice the car that has been behind her since she's left Julie's. It's quite a distance back, but she's squinting hard to identify the driver through the heavily tinted windows.
She pulls onto Maggie's street and pulls over to see if they'll follow. Her instincts must be off, because they do not turn down the street.
Huh?
"Aunt Carrie can we go?" Ruby asks.
"Yeah yeah sorry."
She takes the kids out of the car and turns around just for a moment before walking up the steps. Sure enough, the same car comes from the opposite direction, quickly speeding by.