Paige entered the library.
"Is there anything that I can help you with?"
"No thanks, I'll be fine. You know where I'll be." Paige looked at the woman. Two days ago, they recognized eachother immediately, after 10 years.
"Sure thing honey." The librarian turned around and walked away, back to work.
Paige went up the stairs, around the corner, and found the couch with pillows where she used to sit 10 years ago, reading her favorite books. She sat down, and grabbed the orange pillow with pink fringe all over it. That one had always been her favorite pillow. She cried on it when her mother had died, and when her father decided to let Paige live with her aunt Abbie.
She always loved her father, but now she was angry. He shouldn't have hit her. But where could she go now? She was afraid of going home, and she knew nobody else in Philadelphia.
She couldn't help but crying. She just didn't know what to do...
She thought about her father.
"Paige... I have to tell you something." William looked at his 6 year old daughter, and knelt down, next to her.
"What is it daddy? Why didn't mom pick me up from school? And why aren't you at the hospital?"
Paige's father started crying softly. "She was... she was involved in a car accident..."
"What happened? Where is she?" Paige started to feel like something was wrong. Really wrong.
"She's... she came in the ER, and I had to do surgery to... try and save her life. But she was so... I just..."
"Is she..." Paige looked her father straight in the eyes.
William nodded. Paige stood still for a moment, and then she fell in her father's arms, crying out loud.
"It's OK... you can cry..." William cried with her.
Paige remembered that day so well. And 3 months after her mother's death, Paige's father ended up in the hospital too. He had been drinking, and that night, he almost killed himself.
Paige turned around, and looked through the library. She remembered the little bookcase that stood in the corner accross from her. The little telephone toy was still on top of it.
"He offered me a ride home. At first, I wouldn't accept it, but I had to be home before my son."
"You have a son? You're a mother? He actually raped a..."
"When Marc found out..."
"He found out? You didn't tell him? Why? I mean... I know it's hard to tell someone, but he's your son."
"I was afraid I would hurt him. But I wanted to tell him... he just found out before I got the chance."
Paige wondered what Marc was like. Probably a lot like Lu, she thought. During the phone call, Paige had discovered more about Lu. She thought Lu was caring, and very nice. The call lasted over 30 minutes. It had helped both Paige and Lu.
Someone entered the library. For a second, she thought it was her dad, but he wasn't. He grabbed two books, and went down the stairs again.
Paige shook her head, and looked out the library window. It was still raining.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"He needs surgery right NOW!!" dr. Nick Biancavilla yelled. Lu came running down the hall.
"It's bad Lu, he's really close to death. Without surgery, he won't live long. I know you're about to go home, but I really need your help."
"Yeah, but Marc's waiting at home. I can't just..."
"Lu..." Nick interrupted. "I'll ask Lana to call Marc..." He looked at her. She was worried, he could see easily.
"OK, let's get him into the O.R." Lu looked at the patient. Nick gave her a file.
"Oh man, it's bad for sure. I hope he'll make it. What... happened?" Lu asked.
"He was hit by a car, and flung to the ground. I don't really know the rest... the driver of the car is waiting. Maybe we could talk to him after this."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lu sat in the dark at her desk. Sounds and images swirled in her head. The desperate look in the bloody mans eyes as they tried to save him. The slurred sound of his speech as she leaned closer to hear...
The medics and E.R. doctors rushed around the man on the stretcher, taking vital signs and checking things. Lu took his pulse.
"Get this man to surgery, NOW!" Lu yelled. The man was talking but she could barely make out what he was saying.
"...I didn't mean it...didn't mean to hit her..." he mumbled disjointedly as he faded in and out of consciousness.
Lu leaned closer to hear what he was saying, but the E.R. staff moved around, preparing him for surgery. Lu assessed his condition. Punctured lung, broken ribs, internal bleeding. This man wouldn't live through surgery, he'd never get to tell whoever it was he was sorry.
Suddenly, the line on the monitor went flat and a long beep filled the room.
Lu closed her eyes and wished she were dreaming. If she could just wake up from this nightmare...
"The patient died on the operating table. He was too far gone to save."
Lu stood with one of the surgeons. There was blood on his scrubs. The surgeon asked on of the paramedics who'd brought him in for the belongings.
"His ID says William Carmichael. I remember him, we graduated together. He used to be a surgeon until his wife died. She was in a car accident on the way to pick up their little girl. He was the one who operated and when she died it devastated him. He quit his job, sent his kid of to his sisters house and no one heard from him afterwards. Shame, damn good doctor," the paramedic said.
She looked up at the sound of a knock at the door. It was Dr. Stowe.
"Hi. I got the results back. That was Paige's father. Does she know?"
"I don't know, I tried to call her home but no one was there. I'd better go look for her." Lu stood up and walked to the door, gathering her coat as she went.
"Well, it's raining to be careful." Dana said after her, but Lu didn't hear.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As Lu drove around the block for the third time, she remembered something Paige had said during the phone call.
"I'm sorry I left so quickly. I went to the South Philly Library. It's a good place to think. My mom used to take me there when I was a kid."
Lu had asked about her use of the past tense but she'd changed the subject. Now she knew why. She turned on the corner of Amerise Avenue and Hollanet Drive, and headed for the library.
She wondered what she would say to her. How could she tell her that now she was an orphan? She pulled up to the library and ran to the front desk.
"Have you seen a girl, brown hair, about 16? Her name is Paige..." Lu asked, and was relieved to see that the librarian seemed to know her.
"Why yes, Paige Carmichael. Her family used to come her often, until her mothers death. Then she moved to New York with her aunt. Is she in some sort of trouble?"
"No, I'm a friend and a doctor. Could you tell me where she went?"
"She went to the back where the reading center is. I usually don't allow people to use it after 5:00 but she's a nice kid so I let her. Is she sick?"
Lu didn't hear the last question, she had already hurried back to the reading center. She'd been there before with Marc.
Lu stood and watched Paige. She sat with her back to the rest of the library, looking out of a window. There was a book lying next to her on the couch. She picked up and orange pillow and held it. Lu walked over and sat down next to her. Paige looked at her and then out of the window.
"Paige, is your dad's name William?" Lu hoped she'd say no.
"Yeah, why?"
Lu laid her hand on Paige's and tried to think of a way to tell her. "A man was brought into the E.R. He had been hit by a car and...he was so far gone that... I'm just gonna give this to you straight Paige. I'm so sorry, your father died... We did everything we could but, it was too late." Tears came to Lu's eyes.
Paige stood up and walked to the window.
"My mom died exactly ten years ago, and he was drunk today, he always is but this time he hit me and said it was my fault she died." She turned and looked at Lu and broke down.
"I told him it was his fault and I didn't mean it." Paige slid to the floor and started to sob.
Lu sat next to her and held her, crying. They didn't say anything for a long time.
After a while, Paige stood up.
"I'd better go, I've got to find somewhere to stay tonight and then call Abbie."
Lu stood up next to her. "You can stay with me." She put an arm around Paige.
"Won't your son mind?"
"I'm sure Marc won't mind."
"Okay, well, I'll need to go to my house and get a few things... Lu?" Paige stopped and turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks." She hugged Lu, who was now the only person she knew in Philadelphia.
