Part 2
"God, what happened here?" He didn't take a good look at his face, just the injuries that were visible as they unloaded him from the ambulance.
"Eighteen year-old Male, Blunt Abdominal Trauma and an Impalement to his right shoulder, he was injured in a multi-vehicular car accident. All other patients have been routed to Seattle Pres but his parents insisted that we come here, they are right behind us. His father tried to stay in the rig, but we wouldn't allow it. He's stable for now. His eyes were open a few minutes ago... he's in and out."
"Are you out of your mind? Seattle Pres is ten minutes away... you listened to emotional parents and came here instead?" The doctor fussed as he ran alongside the gurney not looking at the person who occupied it. "Kepner!" He yelled, calling over another surgeon. "He could've died en route with the additional ten minutes you took to arrive here. Seattle Pres is more than capable than ta-"
"Dr. Hunt. It's Robert Sullivan!" He jotted his head, landing his eyes on the boy's face, now taking a good look. His feet began to speed up.
"Kepner! Page the Chief." He said trying to stay as tranquil as possible. "Take him to trauma 4."
He speed walked to the intercom speaker, moving everyone out of the way. He held it up to his mouth and so calmly, but anyone with the slightest sense of hearing could detect the panic in his voice.
"Chief Webber, Dr. Grey, Both Dr. Amelia and Derek Shepherd, Dr. Pierce, and Dr. Bailey I need you all in the pit... now. You." He was now talking to an intern. "They will fight you and they will scream at you in German... trust me it makes it worse, but you have to keep Mila and Calvin Sullivan away from this room. You got it?"
Through every overhead speaker in each wing of the hospital, you could hear Dr. Hunt's beck and call.
"Dr. Hunt. Get in here!" He heard Kepner's voice from the desk and rushed into the room, closing the door behind him. "You need to page ortho."
Robert's body jolted forward as soon as his vision became clear.
"Robert, lie down." He looked over to Dr. Hunt. "We're gonna take care of you."
"Dr. Hunt... My man... where you been?" Robert asked with a smile on his face, his eyes looked down at the optimeter on his finger and began attempting to remove the devices from his body.
"Robert... stop."
"I'm fine..." He laughed moving their hands away. "Where's my sister and my parents?"
"We'll get them here, but we need to take care of you first..."
There was yelling outside the door when it opened.
"Dr. Sullivan... why is...Dr. Sullivan fighting Dr. Wilson in my hospital?" It was Chief Webber...
"Chief... Dr. Hunt needs you in Trauma 4.." Dr. Wilson said. "Now.."
He looked towards the door, seeing Dr. Grey widen his frame of sight to the inside. He understood why. He rushed into the room.
"Chief! Hey man!" Robert said attempting to get up from the bed, but was instantly pushed down by Dr. Pierce. He felt no pain, the adrenaline running through his veins made sure of that. "Wie geht es dir heute?"
How are you today?
"What the hell happened?" He exclaimed immediately placing gloves over his hands.
"Lack of sun, black ice, multiple vehicles and a tree happened." Dr. Hunt explained. "Where's Torres?"
"He's crashing!" The beeping of the monitors! Robert's eyes rolled the back of his head and his eyes shut. "CRASH CART!"
...
"Class, settle down... Class..."
"What's this about?" Andy whispered to the girl next to her. The headmistress was at the door with her ringing bell, attempting to get everyone's attention.
"I would like your attention before you are all dismissed to go to your last class."
"Guess we're about to find out." Maya responded.
Once everyone had calmed down, she took more steps into the classroom with a figure behind her, pulling the door closed. Andy and Maya could hear the girls next to them gawking over him, she could do nothing but roll her eyes.
"As you all know, we are getting a new student for the first time in two years..." She could hear people leave comments as she started to continue. "This is Robert Sullivan, he is our new addition to the Academy. I will leave telling about himself, to him if he wishes."
"He's really hot." There was a girl in the class named Claire, she said it. No one heard it but the back row.
"Lucas, I would like for him to shadow you tomorrow, if that is fine with you?"
"Now why would I say no to you, Headmistress." Everyone looked back to Lucas, everyone loved Lucas. All the girls, all the guys, the people who felt as though their gender cannot be defined within the margins of the gender binaries. He was just one of those people you could go to anything about. He stood from his seat and swung his backpack over his back, going to the front of the class.
The class dismissed, so Andy went to retrieve her text book for her Algebra class from her locker with Maya tagged at her hip.
"Andy... Maya." She mentally rolled her eyes at the voice. Before she could even turn around and leave, he was in her face.
"Hey Eli." Maya acknowledged him but Andy did not.
"Andy, you can't still be mad."
She scoffed and slammed her locked closed. "You poured applesauce in my hair, I'm pretty sure I can still be mad."
"Yea, but it was so long ago."
"It was yesterday!" She clarified and saw Luke coming from the corner of her eye. The guy walking next to him, the new guy, he was smiling at whoever smiled at him.
"Claire was right... He is hot." She heard Maya say and Andy shrugged. He was indeed better looking than any other fourteen year-old at the Academy. "They're coming."
"Andy, I'm talking." She had completely forgot that Eli was beside her and waved him off.
"Lucas is coming." She told him and it was as though he was a deer in headlights, but unlike them, he scurried off just before they took their last step to them.
"Robert, this is my friend Herrera and her friend Maya." He said and Robert nodded his head towards to two.
"We're not friends, Ripley. I'm your tutor."
"Stop dissing me in front of our new friend." He said pushing her head with his fingers and she giggled.
"Hi, I'm Andy Herrera, this is Maya Bishop." She gestured towards the blonde.
"Robert." She noticed something, the one word he spoke didn't sound... usual? There was an accent, or maybe she was just hearing things, it was just one word. Can't get much from that.
"Are you just new to the school or Seattle as a whole?"
"He's new to everything." Lucas said butting in causing Andy to give him a death glare. "Sorry."
Robert chuckled and looked down to Andy. "He is right. I am new to everything here." Andy had confusion written all over her face. "I am from Austria, My parents and I just moved here a few weeks ago..." He confessed and her eyes widened at the thickness of his German intonation.
"Your accent... is so freaking strong." She said and Lucas hit her on the shoulder. "Ouch... I wasn't being rude." Robert chuckled again.
"It is okay. I've heard things like that all doesn't bother me." His smile... Gosh... his smile is... his smile was all she could think.
"Andy..." She looked at Lucas.
"What?"
"I was saying something." He said and she hadn't heard a thing.
"Oh, sorry. What was it?"
"I'm lying, I didn't say anything, but I am now." She rolled her eyes and reopened her locker. "I came over here to say, Robert will be replacing you as my tutor."
Grabbing the chapstick from the shelf and looking into the mirror, applying it. "Okay..." She shrugged.
"See Robert, Andy is very cocky when it comes to GPAs. She's at the top of our seventh grade class. The people in grades above us come to her for tutoring. Don't let her beauty fool you."
Inside, Andy was unphased by Lucas' words, she didn't react simply because they were true.
"But see.. Andy. Robert here was taking ninth grade classes in Europe. Top of his class also... he's coming for you..." He teased.
Andy's head rotated to look up at Robert and gave him a smile. "Good luck with that... what was your name again?" She teased and he laughed.
"Robert Sullivan."
"Sully..."
"Robert."
"I like Sully. It's from one of my favorite movies..." She said and he waved her off with a smile on his face.
"She likes Monsters Inc." Lucas whispered and she rolled her eyes.
Andy closed her locker again and left them both. "Three o'clock at the station, Luke... don't be late or you will fail and not prevail." She yelled. "See you around, Sully."
...
Her phone is on her bed. She tries to keep it there, far away from her so she would not be compelled to pick it up and call him.
Friday he had promised to take her out Saturday, anywhere she wished to go and he followed through. The entire day, from when the sun peeked through, to when the moon made its appearance. The night was perfect, filled with endless love and happiness for the both of them. A breakfast picnic in the skyroom of his parents house. They had stayed the night after Andy's team had defeated the boys in their game night. It had decided to rain that morning, which happened to be Andy's most desired type of forecast. After that, there was ice skating, her idea, he hated the plan, but the day was about her, anything she wanted to do, he was down for. He still had a small cold, she wanted to call the entire day off, but he insisted. It was the last day before they started their small separation that would last five and a half days at a time with half of a Friday and a full Saturday in between.
From the end of ice skating to their next event, they were in bed. Nothing along the lines of erotic, they just held onto each other for dear life as if in the next few minutes one of them would drift away into the wind. Dancing, salsa dancing at a late night club in uptown Seattle was last. He asked her as they arrived if she remembered the dance they entered into the Salsa Competition with years ago.
How could she forget? They won that night, it was perfect. It was one of those moments that you never let slip your mind, one that you hold onto forever. They danced all night forgetting about how time can pass so quickly when you are with the person you care most about. His smile is embedded in her brain, the only memory that takes over her mind and she is not sad.
The night ended with his lips on hers, she dreaded going back to her home without him. Going to bed without him, without his head on her chest or his face buried deep into her neck, but that is the only thing that can assure her of his safety. She only has the option to settle with a text message from him. A text message notifying her that he is at home or at Ripley's or his parents, but she has yet to receive one.
A part of her says that he has just forgotten like other times, but another part, her paranoid half, just doesn't feel right. She is uneasy.
"Andy." She doesn't hear her name being called. Too far into her memories and worries to pay attention. "Andy... Earth to Andy..." Followed by a clap, loud enough to startle her and bring her back to reality.
"Yea?" Her hands run down her face and over her hair.
"Where are you right now?" She glances over to Victoria who sits across from her on the floor, she is helping her finish her hygiene and meal kits for people who are homeless.
"Sorry." She kept the answer simple, not wanting to over exaggerate her concerns. Victoria knows Andy well enough now that she can tell when she is not okay, but she also knows her well enough to know when she does not want to talk about things.
"So... is this for your end of the year senior project or what... because it's kind of early to start that." She asks.
Forcefully pushing everything that does not consist of what is in front of her to the back of her mind, she engaged in the conversation Victoria was trying to have.
"No, it's something that Sully, Lucas and I did every Christmas for the homeless, but since everything was going on when it did... We're just doing it now." She reaches for the deodorant from the pile, placing it neatly into the box, sitting it on top of the blanket and coat.
"That's really nice, you bought all of this?" Andy nodded.
"Sully does the food part, but he is doing it at Luke's."
For that small amount of time that she cleared her mind of him, her worries were back. She looks to the bed, staring at it hoping for a sound to come from it. Something, anything to tell her that she could relax, to tell her that he was in the shower and couldn't text back... something. Nothing.
She wants to be safe, she needs to call him, but she shouldn't. This is what she and her therapist had been discussing.
He is nothing more than busy right now. Then it came to her mind that It is eight o'clock at night on a Monday night, there is nothing to keep him busy outside of his home. She knows his schedule, nothing is coming to mind that would keep him occupied enough to not contact her. It's like her feet had a mind of their own... she didn't even remember getting up and traveling to her bed.
"What are you two doing for Valentine's Day?" She pays Vic no mind as she reads over the last message that was delivered to her phone from him. It was a simple 'I love you.' The one before that stated that he was leaving Lucas's place, he would text her when he made it home. Her stomach is tangled into a knot, a knot that could only be undone by him, the sound of his voice. The feeling has returned, the feeling that the worst of things has happened to him, no one knew of her newly found disorder other than her therapist and Robert. Why does she always think the worst? "Andy..." She heard her, but she wasn't listening to her.
Her thumb is trembling as it hovers over the blue circle that would call his phone if she pressed it. Her mind and heart is having a heated argument over what to do. If she calls him and he is perfectly fine, they must start over, another week added. She cannot. He is fine, he is sleeping. Convincing herself of these things as she places her phone down onto the bed. She picks it back up... conflicted.
One small tiny call to his phone will do no harm, will it? Her thumb hangs above his contact name... just as she is about to press, a ringer went off. Her shoulders dropped when she realized it was not hers that had rang.
"Hey, Luke" Victoria answers, the name makes Andy look to her friend. Her facial changes expression to worried, Vic's was. She clears her throat and looks to Andy giving her a sad excuse of a reassuring smile. "You're sure?" The call went on longer and Victoria didn't say a word.. just listened, like he was giving her instructions. Anyone could hear the shakiness of her voice, but Andy. "O-Okay... I'll be right there." She hangs up the phone, not daring to look Andy in the eyes.
"What'd he want?" The time that the phone call started and now, she was distant. Andy noticed instantly within a few seconds. She giggled nervously asking again. "Victoria.."
"He uh... wanted me to tell you that Robert is um... he's staying at his house tonight. His phone is dead so he couldn't text you." The smile she gave wouldn't fool anyone, but Andy. She was desperate for anything right now and if Victoria told her
A brick... no. A cinderblock? Nope. A elephant felt like it had been lifted from her shoulders. Her knees feel lighter, she is a feather right now. She could breathe, then noticed her pick up her bag. "You're leaving?" Victoria didn't say a word, mostly because she wasn't paying attention to what Andy was saying. "Vic... earth to Victoria..." She repeated the words she [Victoria] had said to her earlier.
"Huh..." She looks over to Andy. "I'm sorry... yea I have to go... it's pretty late and..." She went to the door, looking back. "I'll talk to you tomorrow... love you." She was long gone before Andy could return the phrase.
Andy put all of the things on her floor away deciding that she would complete everything tomorrow. After she finished putting her project away, she climbed into her spacious bed, feeling the feeling she did last Sunday, when she made the decision to be away from him. There was a big Robert sized hole on the left side of the bed that she wish he could just come over and fill.
Occupying herself with her phone for a few hours, she heard a knock at her bedroom door before saying come in. It could only be one person.
"Hey." Andy said quietly.
"Can I uh... can I sleep in here?" She had on her night clothes and Andy scrunched her eyebrows together, nodding her head. Andy moved to Robert's spot and Maya climbed up into Andy's. She rested her head on the pillow instantly before letting out a loud sigh.
"Want to talk about it?" Andy asked and she shook her head. "Okay." She clapped her lights off and they both got comfortable into the bed.
Looking every which way there was. He tried to land his eyes on anything that made sense. Anything that would point him into the direction of his bestfriend. Any sign that he was okay. Everything around him was muffled voices... his head was spinning.
"Sir... can I help you." Bringing him back in, he looked to the nurse who was offering her assistance.
"R-Robert Sulli-"
"Lucas." He turned around to see Robert's mother. Her hair was pinned up, tear stains very visible in the light.
"Ms. Mila... wha- what happened... where is he?"
"Car accident. He's out of surgery."
"Surgery? Is he okay? Can I see him?"
"He's um... he's been in the ICU recovering for a while... I can't let you go up there, Luke."
"He's okay through?" He asked and she looked away.
"Did you tell Andrea?" Lucas shook his head.
"You told me not to."
"He told me not to." She said. "When we arrived, that's the last thing he said before he passed out. I won't tell her until I am sure that he can not. It's probably best if she doesn't know right now."
Lucas nodded, running his hands through his hair. "He's okay?" He asked again and she nodded, shrugging her shoulders.
"He will be." He embraced the woman in a hug being that he noticed that she would fall over any minute.
Their heads turned to the direction of a nurse coming towards them. "He's awake, he was just moved to a regular room. 232."
They both jogged towards the staircase, forgetting about the elevator they had access to. Arriving at the room, Calvin was there as was Dr. Grey. She was taking his vitals. "He's out of the woods, he's groggy and probably will not be completely lucid for an hour or two. He's on pain meds and I will be back in here personally, to redress his shoulder wound. Dr. Avery did the stitches on his abdomen and shoulder so the scar shouldn't be too bad. His broken arm should be good in about six weeks." She explained. "He's been asking for you all."
"Thank you Meredith." Calvin said as she left the room.
He squirmed slightly in the bed mumbling incomprehensible words...
...
Running up the stairs of Robert's house, she jogged down the hallway holding a piece of paper in her hand. Bursting into his room, she covered her eyes instantly seeing a girl with less clothes on than Andy preferred to see, the girl covered her chest and Robert closed his eyes sighing at the person in his door frame.
"Andy!" Robert mumbled, running his hands over his face. "Get out..."
"No..." She told Robert."You... you get out." She told the girl, uncovering her eyes. "Come on.. up. Get out, Mamacita." She moved closer into the room, taking off her jacket, placing the paper down on his desk and the girl gasped. "NOW!" She yelled, smiling. "You don't have to go home... just got to get the hell out of here." She shooed her away.
She hurried, putting her clothes on and scoffed at Robert before slamming his door. "Really?"
"Really... and I'm not getting into that bed until you burn the sheets."
"I'm naked..." He said and she shrugged and turned around so he could put something on to cover his bottom half.
"I'll be in the guest room down the hall, I refuse to get into that bed. Take a shower before you join me." She walked out, getting comfortable into one of many spare rooms. He came in like thirty minutes later, smelling clean and fresh with nothing but a pair of sweatpants on.
"You really gotta stop doing that." He laid across the end of the bed.
"And you've really gotta stop hooking up with every girl that has legs." She snatched the paper from beside her and held it to his face. "You passed me."
"I passed you?" A questionable look plastered on his face.
"Well... you didn't pass me, but our GPA's are the exact same..."
He smiled taking the piece of paper from her hand, looking over it. "Haha." She snatched it back. "How does it feel?"
"Shut up." She said huffing, laying back against the pillows. "You're such an ass."
"Because we have the same GPA?" He asked chuckled at her pouted lip and she nodded.
" Yes." She sighed rolling her eyes. "And I'm hungry."
"Go make something." He turned on his back looking up at the ceiling.
"No."
"Well... you aren't hungry."
"Do you ever... you know? Shut up?"
"I like to annoy you." He said and she balled up the paper and threw it at him. "You want to go out and eat?"
She shrugged her shoulders, and he heard her stomach growl. "We could."
"Where to?" He asked.
"Parallax." She said and he raised his head.
"I'm not going to San Francisco for the third time this week just because you want a steak."
"Ass." Having a enough of her name calling, he pulled her leg down towards to end of the bed where he was earning a giggling fit from her. "Stop." He stood from the bed, throwing her over his shoulder and walking out of the room. "Sully... where are you taking me?" She asked calmly dangling until he opened a door, placing her on her feet. She turned around seeing they were in a walk-in coat closet, then it clicked. "No!" She said heading back in the direction of the door. He pulled her back, laughing.
"Come on, Andy." He said.
"No. Absolutely not. We got kicked out last time and I told you it was the last time." She giggled.
"We have to... it's a tradition."
"Tradition?" She asked and he nodded going towards one of his Dad's jacket's placing it over her bare upper body.
"You know you want to." He threw a coat and scarf and sunglasses at her, landing them over her face. "Let's go... Spanish this time, you pick this place. We can take my driver" He left the room leaving her.
He was like a child at the playground for the very first time. It never ceased to amaze her how he got excited about things they did together for the hundredth time in life, but she wouldn't dare complain. The smile that spread across her face was undeniable love for her bestfriend.
...
The pounding headache that he had contracted and the metallic smell of bleach was overbearing. His eyes barely able to open because of the harsh lighting. His throat felt like cotton had been lodged between his esophagus.
There was a tightening on his arm that caught his focus. It was a blood pressure pump and he still tried to clear his confusion himself being that no one saw that he was awake. His eyes tried to adjust to his surrounding. He let out a groan, catching the attention of whoever was in the room with him, he was still oblivious to his location.
"Robert." He heard and look up at Luke who had hurried from his chair. He addressed him as his government, Lucas hadn't used that since the first day they met. He stole it from Andy. "Hey, Man..."
Robert gestured toward the cup of water on the tray. He sipped from the straw and cleared his throat. "I'm in a hospital?" He looked around and spotted his father on one side of the room asleep and Victoria on the other side of the room, asleep. "What the hell happened?" His voice was hoarse and low.
"Car accident... but we'll talk about that later. How you feelin'?" Lucas asked. "You look like shit."
"Fuck you." He said attempting to laugh, but it pained him to. "Where's my ma?"
"She got called into an emergency surgery."
"Nova?"
"Vlad."
This one he held his breath for his response. "Andrea?" He closed his eyes allowing the pain in his shoulder to subside.
"We didn't tell her." He was relieved that she wasn't notified of his condition and he was like to keep it that way. "And you don't plan on telling her, do you?" Robert said nothing, he just shifted in his typical hospital bed that had a terribly uncomfortable mattress. But Lucas could read his mind. "You have 2 wounds and a broken arm... how do you plan on hiding this Sully, you can't keep this from her."
"I have to." He said resting his head against the pillow. "My phone..." Lucases brought him his phone from the plastic bag.
2:33am
He could care less about the time in that moment, he immediately went to her contact information, not hesitating to call her.
Being startled from her sleep, Andy needed a minute to adjust to whatever sound was being made. It was her phone. Maya was still next to her and she had to silence it before she woke. She picked it up seeing his face and name pop up, causing her heart rate to speed. She accepting the call.
"Robert?" She whispered. "A-are you okay"
"Hey." The corner of his lips curled at the sound of her voice. He looked to Luke who was staring a hole through his head. "No... um. Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to hear your voice."
"It's two o'clock in the morning, I-I thought you were hurt or something... you can't do that." Her heartbeat slowed, but his skipped a beat.
"I know." There was silence on the phone for a minute, Lucas still looking at Robert, hoping the next words that came from his mouth was a confession. If Luke knew about Andy and her sessions, he would have a different perspective but Robert didn't dare tell him. That was Andy's place. "I'm sorry I woke you. I... I just wanted... I needed to tell you that I love you." The pain medication was starting to fade away and he was beginning what had happened a few hours ago.
She rubbed her eyes from the sleep and placed her head on her pillow. "I love you too." She said. "Is everything okay?"
"Yea... yea everything is good." Lucas scoffed, shaking his head and Robert swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "I'll let you go back to sleep, I just wanted to talk to you for a second."
"You sure you're okay? You don-..."
"I'm fine Andy."
"Okay... good." She said "Parallax this weekend still right?" She whispered and he hesitantly nodded as if she could see him. He knew he wouldn't be able to make their date, but he needed to spare her.
"See you then."
