"Mommy?" Kate leaned onto her mother's shoulder.
"Yes, sweetheart?" Carol looked at the child, smoothing back her hair.
"Is Tessie going to die?" Kate asked the question with such fear in her voice and big eyes.
"Oh, honey, of course not!" Carol cried, hoping she was right herself as she held the small girl. "They're just helping her breathe."
"I don't want her to die...she's my sister, I love her." Kate murmured distractedly.
"I know." Carol kissed the top of her head. "I do, too."
A little while later, Doug walked into the hallway, wheeling Tess out of Trauma One and into a room with the help of Elizabeth and Malik.
"Doug, is she okay?" Carol asked, walking alongside the gurney.
"Yeah," he replied. "Gave her a high-dose epi and some Albuterol to open her bronchial tubes."
"What?" Kate said, confused.
"We gave her some medicine to open her lungs. We also put a tube down her throat to help her breathe." He explained.
"Is she on a respirator?" asked Carol worriedly.
"Yes, but it's just a precaution until she wakes up." Elizabeth replied, getting Tess situated in Curtain 3C.
"When will she wake up?" Kate asked.
"In a little bit." Said Doug. "Meanwhile, Carol, you should go get something to eat, you skipped your picnic and you're looking pretty tired."
"I was about to take my break, why don't you come and have some coffee with me in the cafeteria?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Alright." Carol nodded. "But call me if anything happens."
"I will." Doug said.
"Mom, I don't wanna go to the cafeteria." Kate announced.
"Katie, sweetheart, you have to come." Carol replied.
"Why don't I take her?" Malik offered. "We can go play in the lounge for a bit."
"Can I, Mom? Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Kate clasped her little hands together, begging.
"You sure it's not a problem, Malik?" Carol asked.
"Positive. And if I have to go, Randi can watch her." He said, tousling Kate's curls.
"So can I?" she said.
"Fine." Carol kissed her goodbye and watched her scamper off to the lounge.
"They're both getting so big." Elizabeth said after they had gotten their coffee and a miffin to share.
"And Kate's power of persuasion have grown as well." Carol smiled. "I'll bet Ella's excited to be going to their school, even if they're in first and she's in kindergarten."
"She's pleased as punch." Elizabeth replied. "Ella adores Tess and Kate."
"Just as much as they love her." Carol said. "How are you doing, Elizabeth?"
"I'm getting along well." Elizabeth began to toy with the silver locket that held a picture of Mark and Ella together, two months before he succumbed to the cancer that had taken over his body. "Romano's working me like a dog and I'm supporting myself and a little child, not to mention losing three ER doctors and a nurse in one year and only getting two doctors and a med student to replace them."
"Well, when Dr. Benton got that offer in Vermont, he had to take along Cleo and Nina. And when Luka went back to Croatia, Abby wouldn't let him go alone." Carol protested.
"I know." Elizabeth sighed. "And Ananda Nichols is one of the best doctors I've ever seen, but we're so short-staffed, what with Jing-Mei leaving in a month."
"She said she might not, a hospital is the best place to work when you're pregnant."
"She shouldn't be working the traumas anymore."
"No need to worry, Carter's already taken care of that." Carol smiled, sipping at her coffee.
"It's adorable how he's much too overprotective of her." Elizabeth said.
"Mark was like that when I was pregnant with Tess and Kate." Carol smiled a little.
"What about you, Carol? How are you doing?" Elizabeth reached out and touched her hand.
"I'm alright." She said. "My life's been a bit messed up since Doug came back...." Carol's voice trailed off. "Elizabeth?"
"Hmmm?"
"Did you know about him coming?"
"Who? Doug?"
"Yeah."
"Perhaps."
"Elizabeth!!"
"They made me promise not to tell."
"Who?"
"Kerry and Carter."
"They knew?"
"Everyone knew."
"*Everyone?!*"
"Well, almost everyone."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I told you, they made me promise." Elizabeth protested. "But it isn't that bad."
"Isn't that bad? The father of my children comes back and he doesn't even know that six years ago, I gave birth to his twin daughters!" Carol cried, drawing more attention than even Tess could want.
"You mean you haven't yet told him?" Elizabeth asked, leaning across the table. Carol shook her head. "Whyever not?"
"How am I supposed to? I'm already trying my hardest not to fall back in love with him." Carol admitted.
"Truly?" Elizabeth said like a schoolgirl.
"Maybe." Carol said sheepishly. "I don't want to be hurt." She sighed. "I'm going back. I want to see my girls." Carol threw her Styrofoam cup in the trash can and left.
"What took you so long, Mom?" Kate asked when she met her in the hallway.
"I wasn't gone *that* long, Katherine." Carol said, somewhat agitated.
"Tessie's up and she wants that swooshy thing out of her mouth." Kate pointed to the doorway.
"She is?" Carol asked. Kate nodded and they both hurried into the room to find Doug giving Tess instructions on how to remove the tube.
"Ready?" he asked, his hand perched on the end of the tube. Tess nodded, a little fear running through her eyes.
"Squeeze my hand, Tess." Malik said, offering a palm, which the girl took gratefully.
"OK, when I say three, breathe out." Doug instructed. "One...two...three!" Doug pulled on the cord and Tess choked it out.
"Here's some water, sweetheart." Carol handed her a cup. Tess swallowed it and handed her the cup when done.
"Did it hurt?" Kate asked curiously, leaning on the bed.
"A little." Tess replied. "Can I go home now, Mommy? I feel much better."
"We can go in a little bit." She replied.
"Then can we get McDonald's?!" Kate started jumping up and down.
"Yeah, Mom, we didn't get our lunch, can we??" Tess chimed in.
"Maybe." Carol sighed.
"Sounds good, maybe I'll come along." Doug smiled.
"We didn't invite you, Doug." Carol said.
"Aw, let him come, Mom!" Kate cried.
"Yeah, we'll have fun!" Tess said.
"Please?"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease oh please oh please?"
"Yeah, Carol, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
Kate dropped to her knees and clasped her hands and Doug did the same.
"Fine, fine...." Carol sighed. "Just get off the ground. Kate, you'll ruin your jeans and Doug, you look like an idiot."
"That's not nice, Mom." Kate wagged her finger at Carol.
"Yeah, Carol, it's not nice." Doug grinned cheekily.
"Apologize!" Tess ordered.
"I'm sorry, Doug." Carol said through gritted teeth.
"Better." Doug smiled.
"Can I go now?" Tess whined. "Doug, pleeeeeeeeeease?"
"Let me just sign you off, then you can get dressed and we can go to McDonald's."
"Inviting yourself yet again, Dr. Ross?" Carol smirked.
"Maybe." He said. "I'll let you get changed." Doug tousled Tess's hair and walked out.
"Yes, sweetheart?" Carol looked at the child, smoothing back her hair.
"Is Tessie going to die?" Kate asked the question with such fear in her voice and big eyes.
"Oh, honey, of course not!" Carol cried, hoping she was right herself as she held the small girl. "They're just helping her breathe."
"I don't want her to die...she's my sister, I love her." Kate murmured distractedly.
"I know." Carol kissed the top of her head. "I do, too."
A little while later, Doug walked into the hallway, wheeling Tess out of Trauma One and into a room with the help of Elizabeth and Malik.
"Doug, is she okay?" Carol asked, walking alongside the gurney.
"Yeah," he replied. "Gave her a high-dose epi and some Albuterol to open her bronchial tubes."
"What?" Kate said, confused.
"We gave her some medicine to open her lungs. We also put a tube down her throat to help her breathe." He explained.
"Is she on a respirator?" asked Carol worriedly.
"Yes, but it's just a precaution until she wakes up." Elizabeth replied, getting Tess situated in Curtain 3C.
"When will she wake up?" Kate asked.
"In a little bit." Said Doug. "Meanwhile, Carol, you should go get something to eat, you skipped your picnic and you're looking pretty tired."
"I was about to take my break, why don't you come and have some coffee with me in the cafeteria?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Alright." Carol nodded. "But call me if anything happens."
"I will." Doug said.
"Mom, I don't wanna go to the cafeteria." Kate announced.
"Katie, sweetheart, you have to come." Carol replied.
"Why don't I take her?" Malik offered. "We can go play in the lounge for a bit."
"Can I, Mom? Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Kate clasped her little hands together, begging.
"You sure it's not a problem, Malik?" Carol asked.
"Positive. And if I have to go, Randi can watch her." He said, tousling Kate's curls.
"So can I?" she said.
"Fine." Carol kissed her goodbye and watched her scamper off to the lounge.
"They're both getting so big." Elizabeth said after they had gotten their coffee and a miffin to share.
"And Kate's power of persuasion have grown as well." Carol smiled. "I'll bet Ella's excited to be going to their school, even if they're in first and she's in kindergarten."
"She's pleased as punch." Elizabeth replied. "Ella adores Tess and Kate."
"Just as much as they love her." Carol said. "How are you doing, Elizabeth?"
"I'm getting along well." Elizabeth began to toy with the silver locket that held a picture of Mark and Ella together, two months before he succumbed to the cancer that had taken over his body. "Romano's working me like a dog and I'm supporting myself and a little child, not to mention losing three ER doctors and a nurse in one year and only getting two doctors and a med student to replace them."
"Well, when Dr. Benton got that offer in Vermont, he had to take along Cleo and Nina. And when Luka went back to Croatia, Abby wouldn't let him go alone." Carol protested.
"I know." Elizabeth sighed. "And Ananda Nichols is one of the best doctors I've ever seen, but we're so short-staffed, what with Jing-Mei leaving in a month."
"She said she might not, a hospital is the best place to work when you're pregnant."
"She shouldn't be working the traumas anymore."
"No need to worry, Carter's already taken care of that." Carol smiled, sipping at her coffee.
"It's adorable how he's much too overprotective of her." Elizabeth said.
"Mark was like that when I was pregnant with Tess and Kate." Carol smiled a little.
"What about you, Carol? How are you doing?" Elizabeth reached out and touched her hand.
"I'm alright." She said. "My life's been a bit messed up since Doug came back...." Carol's voice trailed off. "Elizabeth?"
"Hmmm?"
"Did you know about him coming?"
"Who? Doug?"
"Yeah."
"Perhaps."
"Elizabeth!!"
"They made me promise not to tell."
"Who?"
"Kerry and Carter."
"They knew?"
"Everyone knew."
"*Everyone?!*"
"Well, almost everyone."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I told you, they made me promise." Elizabeth protested. "But it isn't that bad."
"Isn't that bad? The father of my children comes back and he doesn't even know that six years ago, I gave birth to his twin daughters!" Carol cried, drawing more attention than even Tess could want.
"You mean you haven't yet told him?" Elizabeth asked, leaning across the table. Carol shook her head. "Whyever not?"
"How am I supposed to? I'm already trying my hardest not to fall back in love with him." Carol admitted.
"Truly?" Elizabeth said like a schoolgirl.
"Maybe." Carol said sheepishly. "I don't want to be hurt." She sighed. "I'm going back. I want to see my girls." Carol threw her Styrofoam cup in the trash can and left.
"What took you so long, Mom?" Kate asked when she met her in the hallway.
"I wasn't gone *that* long, Katherine." Carol said, somewhat agitated.
"Tessie's up and she wants that swooshy thing out of her mouth." Kate pointed to the doorway.
"She is?" Carol asked. Kate nodded and they both hurried into the room to find Doug giving Tess instructions on how to remove the tube.
"Ready?" he asked, his hand perched on the end of the tube. Tess nodded, a little fear running through her eyes.
"Squeeze my hand, Tess." Malik said, offering a palm, which the girl took gratefully.
"OK, when I say three, breathe out." Doug instructed. "One...two...three!" Doug pulled on the cord and Tess choked it out.
"Here's some water, sweetheart." Carol handed her a cup. Tess swallowed it and handed her the cup when done.
"Did it hurt?" Kate asked curiously, leaning on the bed.
"A little." Tess replied. "Can I go home now, Mommy? I feel much better."
"We can go in a little bit." She replied.
"Then can we get McDonald's?!" Kate started jumping up and down.
"Yeah, Mom, we didn't get our lunch, can we??" Tess chimed in.
"Maybe." Carol sighed.
"Sounds good, maybe I'll come along." Doug smiled.
"We didn't invite you, Doug." Carol said.
"Aw, let him come, Mom!" Kate cried.
"Yeah, we'll have fun!" Tess said.
"Please?"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease oh please oh please?"
"Yeah, Carol, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
Kate dropped to her knees and clasped her hands and Doug did the same.
"Fine, fine...." Carol sighed. "Just get off the ground. Kate, you'll ruin your jeans and Doug, you look like an idiot."
"That's not nice, Mom." Kate wagged her finger at Carol.
"Yeah, Carol, it's not nice." Doug grinned cheekily.
"Apologize!" Tess ordered.
"I'm sorry, Doug." Carol said through gritted teeth.
"Better." Doug smiled.
"Can I go now?" Tess whined. "Doug, pleeeeeeeeeease?"
"Let me just sign you off, then you can get dressed and we can go to McDonald's."
"Inviting yourself yet again, Dr. Ross?" Carol smirked.
"Maybe." He said. "I'll let you get changed." Doug tousled Tess's hair and walked out.