Chapter 28:
Two hours. Martin had been in surgery for two hours. And for those incredibly long couple of hours, Samantha had nearly paced a hole in the waiting room floor while her mind attempted to process all that had happened. One minute they'd all been laughing and having a good time, and the next minute they were rushing to the hospital.
Thankfully, Rebecca was able to stay calm long enough to drive the three of them to the hospital where she worked, unlike her mother and brother's girlfriend who seemed incapable of any logical thought. From the moment they received the call from the paramedics, Samantha and Emily were walking train wrecks. Had Samantha been her normal self, she might have found that fact a bit ironic considering she dealt with life and death situations on a daily basis, but she wasn't herself. And this wasn't some random stranger. It was Martin.
Her Martin. The man who could make her laugh no matter how mad she was. The man with the bright blue eyes that could see straight through her. The man with a wide smile and sense of humor that melted her heart. The man she loved.
Now though he was lying unconcious in an operating room, doctors surrounding him, poking and prodding him. Rebecca appeared every now and then to update them on his condition, but Sam had trouble really focusing on what she was hearing. A shattered left tibia and fibula, dislocated hip, punctured lung from two broken ribs, and head trauma.
Simply hearing about Martin's injuries made her cringe. No one should have to go through something so terrible. The reconstructive surgeries for his leg would be bad enough but combined with the months and months or rehabilitation to endure afterwards, she knew he had a long, hard road ahead.
An unexpected tear slipped from her eye and rolled slowly down her cheek. Standing in the eerily quiet waiting room that reeked of that unique hospital scent, observing other people much like herself longing for their loved ones, stopping the stream of tears now pouring down her face seemed impossible. The harder she tried to stop them, the harder they fell.
She collapsed into a nearby chair, attempting to quell the gutwrenching sobs all the while knowing she wouldn't be able to until she saw him, until she knew he was okay.
Emily watched helplessly as the young woman struggled to control her tears. The tough exterior Samantha wore was slowly crumbling, exposing just broken she was. She wasn't sure if Samantha wanted comfort, but Emily Fitzgerald was not one to sit idly by, so she stood and made her way over to her son's girlfriend and placed a gentle hand on her back.
As soon as Sam felt the contact, a dam broke in her, releasing another violent wave of tears. Emily pulled her tightly to her chest, running a comforting hand over her back. "He's going to be okay. We have to believe that he'll be okay."
Hearing those soft words gave her a sense of hope. She had to be strong. She nodded into Emily's shoulder, the tears slowly subsiding. "He's going to be fine." She stated, her voice full of conviction. The statement was more for her own benefit than for Martin's mother, she knew that much, but simply saying it out loud made her feel more calm and at ease.
Rebecca reappeared sometime later with Martin's doctor in tow, finding that Samantha had fallen asleep on her mother's shoulder while Emily continued to rub soft circles over her back. Honestly she hated to disturb them, but she was certain that they'd want to know how Martin was doing. Her mother's head turned towards her, finally aware of their presence. Rebecca introduced the tall, slightly graying man as Dr. Ragan.
"How is he?" She asked quietly, never loosening her grip on Samantha.
"He's out of surgery." Dr. Ragan explained, his brown eyes full of concern. "We were able to set his leg and stop the bleeding in his chest. He's breathing on his own which is a good sign, but he's on oxygen just in case. There doesn't seem to be any brain damage, but we're running some more tests to be sure. All things considered, he's doing great." The doctor was called away by a young nurse, leaving the three of them alone.
"When can we see him?"
"They're moving him to a private room now. He's heavily sedated, so it will probably be morning before he wakes up. We can go to his room now though if you want." Her daughter answered, giving her a small smile that faded despite her attempt to keep it there. The seriousness of Martin's condition was beginning to get to her. Slowly but surely, her resolve was cracking and worry was beginning to seep into her veins.
Emily's free hand reached for her daughter's seeing the tears well in her light green eyes. "Sit with us for awhile. We'll go see him in a bit." Rebecca nodded, sliding down into the chair beside her mother still holding tightly to her hand.
Somehow sleep overtook each of them as they sat huddled together in the hospital waiting room. Concern for one man binding them together, the sadness disappearing as happier thoughts of Martin filled their dreams.
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Martin was caught somewhere between conscious and unconscious. He was in a hospital, that much was certain. He could smell the undeniable hospital scent, hear the squeaky shoes of doctors and nurses running past his door and the steady beeping of the monitor to his left.
He tried to wake up, tried to open his eyes but was unsuccessful. Something was forcing him to sleep, keeping him calm, sedated. Morphine maybe. He'd been under it's influence before and the effects were unmistakeable.
Minutes, hours ticked by slowly. He wasn't sure how long it was that he laid there before he felt a soft, light touch on his hand. Samantha. It had to be her. There was no mistaking her touch.
She gently entwined their fingers and dropped a quick kiss to his forehead spreading her warmth throughout his body. Once again, he willed himself to wake up, but it was no use. The medicine was too much for him to overcome.
A shaky breath escaped her lips as she lowered herself into the chair by his bed. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I've heard that it's helpful to talk to people when they're unconcious." She started, taking a deep breath to collect her thoughts. "You really gave us a scare, Fitzgerald. I was a nervous wreck all night last night. I don't know how, but somehow your mom was able to calm me down and help me get some sleep. I think she's still asleep in the waiting room with Rebecca actually. Your dad is on his way here with Brady and Jennifer, so in a little while the whole Fitzgerald crew will be here." She said and he could imagine the small smile settled on her face. "I love you Marty, and I'm going to be right here by your side until I know that you're okay."
That simple statement from her made him happier than anything else could have.
Love was something they'd just recently found in one another, so to hear those three words leave her lips was music to his ears. She loved him. That's all the incentive he needed. If only he could make his body obey his mind. That was proving to be a more difficult task than he thought as his eyes still refused to open.
