Chapter 93—Part 1
AN: A special thank you to 'I_Love_Zombies' for the idea for this fic.
Tony was not prepared. He was never prepared for this holiday of horror, otherwise known as Black Friday. Nobody should have to die just because they wanted their kids favorite toy at 50% off. But, he had seen many a mangled body on this horror of holidays. He, the nurses and the other doctors were stocking up supplies for the onslaught that was about to come.
Tony made a face as he looked under the sheet of the first Walmart shopper brought into the E.R. When the doors were set to open at 6 a.m. one door jammed. This lady had been crushed as the crowd pushed forward. The door was finally forced open. And the people who had already been crushed were now trampled as those behind them as they continued to try to make their way into the store.
"She should never have been brought into the E.R." Tony shook his head. He pulled the sheet up over her head. She looked like every bone in her body was broken. She had likely died in the store or in route to the hospital.
Tony sighed and went to the next room, his next patient. This patient, a 9-year-old child, a boy. He got separated from his parents when the push started.
"Hey kiddo." Tony said, trying to put the kid at ease as he examined his cuts and bruises. The kid was very lucky, his injuries were only minor.
"I don't know where my mom and dad are." He said, rubbing his arm and pouting a little.
Tony looked around the room. He caught the eye of a nurse and motioned her over. "This is Nurse Shella, Tommy. She's going to talk to you for a bit and she'll help you find your parents, okay?"
Tommy Hudson nodded his head.
"Just clean up his wounds. He may need a stitch or two. Then locate his parents." Tony ordered.
Shella nodded and then got to work.
What followed for the next 5 hours were a host of broken bones, skinned knees and bruises, with the occasional skull fracture thrown in, just to break up the monotony.
Tony had seen 45 patients in those 5 hours. Seven of which died in the E.R. Three more died in the operating room. The rest ranged from cuts and scrapes to broken bones and concussions.
Tony pulled off his last pair of rubber gloves of the day. He would be off in another 10 minutes, and he needed to go home. He only had a few hours before his shift at NCIS started.
Tony rubbed his hand over his face. He just needed to stop by the locker room. Then he was out the door…until he heard a familiar voice. Megan Fisher his next-door neighbor's daughter was calling out to him. He turned to see her and her mother being wheeled into the ER on stretchers.
Tony hurried to Megan's side and began assessing her wounds.
"I thought you were out of here." Sherrie Nixon said, as she moved around Tony to get to the little girl. "What's your name, Sweetheart?"
"I was." Tony said. "But, this is my neighbor, Megan Fisher. Here mom is over there." Tony pointed to the next stretcher. "That's her mom, Claudia Fisher."
Sherrie smiled at the little girl. "Nice to meet you, Megan."
Tony kept working on the little girl. But, he continued to look over at Claudia to see how she was doing. She was unconscious and looked at have a severe head wound.
"Those people at the store runned over us, Tony." Megan explained. "They runned in the store and knocked me and Mommy down."
Tony finished his examination. Megan was lucky. She just got a few cuts and scrapes and a sprained ankle. He ordered Sherrie to clean and bandage her wounds.
"Mommy's got blood on her head." Megan told him. "Is she going to be okay?"
Tony shook his head. He didn't know. But, Megan was 7-years-old and very smart and observant for her age. "We're going to have to work on her some more. We may have to take her upstairs and do some x-rays. Like what we're going to do to your ankle. I have to make sure that it's not broken." He said gently patting her leg.
Megan nodded. She did understand that. But, she was very scared. The ER was loud and Tony wanted to get her somewhere quieter. He needed to call Carson Fisher, Megan's dad, and tell him what happened. And he was not looking forward to that phone call.
Tony knew where Carson worked. But, he didn't know the number. He hurried to the nurses' station and borrowed a phone book. He placed the call. Then he proceeded to find somewhere quiet for a terrified little girl to wait for her daddy.
Tony chose a seldom-used exam room that had been basically turned into a storage room. There were a few spare machines in the room. There were a couple spare beds. But, it was close to the nurses' station so that all the nurses could drop in and keep an eye on the little girl.
Tony asked one of the nurses to stay with Megan for a few minutes, just long enough for him to change clothes. He knew that the scrubs he was wearing scared Megan. She was used to seeing Tony in his street clothes. He hurried to the locker room to change. He had already made his mind up to stay. He just hoped that Carson would arrive soon.
Carson Fisher had just started his shift. He loved the night shift position at the college. His job was to make sure that the administrative buildings and the classrooms were empty and secure for the night. He also walked the campus every hour or so to make sure that the dormitories were secure and that there were no strange characters lurking about. He got Tony's call an hour into his shift. But, he couldn't just abandon his post. He had to make sure another guard was there before he left. So, he called another guard and his supervisor and explained the situation. He showed up at the hospital about an hour later.
Carson arrived to find his daughter asleep in the bed. Her right ankle was wrapped in an ace bandage to support the sprain. Her various cuts had been bandaged Her favorite neighbor and doctor had fallen asleep in the chair beside her bed.
"Carson." Tony said as he opened his eyes and yawned. He stood up and stretched.
Carson shook his head and jumped a little. He thought that he had managed to sneak into the room and not wake anyone.
Carson nodded. "Hey, Tony. How are my girls?"
Megan was a little scared. "All the noise in the ER. That's why she's in here. It's nice and quiet. She's just got a few cuts and scrapes and a sprained ankle."
Carson nodded. He eyed the Ace wrap. "How about Claudia?"
Tony hesitated for just a second. Carson and his wife were good friends. He wanted to soften the blow. But, it was no good way to say what he needed to except skirt the subject entirely.
"Dr. Williams preformed her surgery. She will be able to tell you…." Tony motioned for Carson to follow him and the both stepped out into the hall.
Carson sighed. "Which is doctor's speak for 'there's bad news to give…and I don't' want to be the one to give it."
Tony took a deep breath before he spoke. "Claudia survived the surgery."
Carson nodded. "That's great."
"But, she…she's not awake yet."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"Claudia lapsed into a coma during surgery." Tony stated. "She…she's…."
'…swelling…brain damage…severe skull fracture…' Carson Fisher heard the words that Tony was saying. But, he had…he could not make it make sense. He was glad that Megan was still asleep.
"I'm not a surgeon, Carson. Dr. Williams would be…."
"I trust you, Tony."
Tony shook his head. "It's not about trust, Carson. I just don't want to tell you the wrong thing."
TBC
