Ch 13
"Bobby."
Bobby stopped pacing when he heard someone say his name. "Hey Mel." Bobby accepted a hug from her and then one from Catherine while Melanie hugged Joey.
"Has there been any word?" Catherine asked quietly.
"The doctors want to go in and get the baby. I told them that you'd have to make that decision."
Catherine nodded. "Can I see her?"
"Yeah, go ahead. The doctor said he'd be back in a few minutes. He had to check on another patient."
"Melanie?" Catherine motioned to her daughter.
"I'm coming." She turned to Joey. "Be right back, okay?"
Joey nodded quietly.
Melanie got up and Bobby took her seat. Joey climbed into his lap and settled close.
Catherine took her daughter's hand and the two went inside Kim's room. They separated as they went to opposite sides of her bed.
It was quiet except for the monitors. Melanie carefully wrapped her hand around one of Kim's and squeezed it a little.
Catherine brushed some hair away from Kim's face. She took a deep breath and let it out.
"Mom?" Melanie looked across the bed worriedly.
"When you were children, I used to watch you sleep. I used to wonder what was going on in your heads. What were you dreaming? Were you having a good dream? Would you wake up crying from a nightmare?" She sighed. "Now all I want is for Kim to wake up and tell me what she'd want me to do."
"She'll wake up Mom. She will. Kim's strong. She's not going anywhere." Melanie said with conviction.
Catherine nodded and then caught sight of the doctors over Melanie's shoulder. "I'll be right back."
"Okay." Melanie nodded. She looked back at her sister. "C'mon Kimmy, don't make a liar out of me. Wake up, okay? Joey is here. He is so scared and he is trying so hard not to show it. Not quite sure which one of his parents he got that from but I'm pretty sure it was you. I know that it will probably hurt when you wake up and maybe somewhere inside you, you know that and that's why you haven't woken up. You're scared of the pain. But Kimmy, you don't do just plain scared. That's me. I'm the fraidy-cat, remember? You do the running scared thing, which is probably what got you out of New York in the first place. But don't worry; we'll all be here when you wake up. Well except for Jimmy, but if you want us to when you wake up, we'll call him and it's a safe bet he'll be on the next plane." Melanie stopped. She took a breath and then she started again on the exhale. "He really misses you and Joey. Well to be honest, I think he's to mad at you to miss you, so right now he probably just misses Joey. But I'm sure he'll get over it and realize how much he missed you too. You just gotta wake up, okay? Just open your eyes and tell me to shut up cause I'm rambling again."
"Mel?"
Melanie turned her head. "What's Mom's decision?"
"The doctors say it's best for both Kim and the baby to go in." Bobby said quietly.
"When?"
"They're clearing an O.R. now."
"You're her coach. Will they-"
"No. I asked. She's unconscious so there's no need for a coach."
Melanie nodded. "Bobby, I think-"
"It's not our decision."
She turned to face him. "He'd wanna know."
"When Kim wakes up, she can make the call, until then we do nothing."
Melanie nodded. She turned back to her sister. She bent down close. "I love you Kimmy," she whispered. "Don't make a liar out of me, 'kay?" She kissed her sister's cheek and then straightened back up.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"You look like hell." Doc said bluntly to Jimmy when the firefighter appeared in the kitchen.
"Thanks Doc. It's good to see you too." Jimmy said passively.
"I mean it. When was the last time you got some serious sleep?"
"I don't know. When did Kim take my son?"
"Jimmy, you can't do this to yourself." Doc counseled. "You need sleep. You need to be alert. People's lives depend on it. Not to mention your own life."
"Doc-"
"I know. Butt out. Can't do it. I work with you every day. You saved my life once remember?"
"Yeah and you returned the favor."
"Well now I'm about to make it so you owe me one. Get some sleep. I know you miss Joey. I know your life is in the toilet. I also know that you can't do anything about Joey being gone. Kim's the one who took off. The ball is in her court on Joey. But you have a choice to make your life better. Do it. Do it now. Do it so that when Kim decides to let you know where she is, and she will, Joey still has a father on this earth and that Kim's not taking him to a headstone." Doc finished. Then he took a water bottle out of the fridge and left the room leaving Jimmy to process what he'd just said.
"Bobby."
Bobby stopped pacing when he heard someone say his name. "Hey Mel." Bobby accepted a hug from her and then one from Catherine while Melanie hugged Joey.
"Has there been any word?" Catherine asked quietly.
"The doctors want to go in and get the baby. I told them that you'd have to make that decision."
Catherine nodded. "Can I see her?"
"Yeah, go ahead. The doctor said he'd be back in a few minutes. He had to check on another patient."
"Melanie?" Catherine motioned to her daughter.
"I'm coming." She turned to Joey. "Be right back, okay?"
Joey nodded quietly.
Melanie got up and Bobby took her seat. Joey climbed into his lap and settled close.
Catherine took her daughter's hand and the two went inside Kim's room. They separated as they went to opposite sides of her bed.
It was quiet except for the monitors. Melanie carefully wrapped her hand around one of Kim's and squeezed it a little.
Catherine brushed some hair away from Kim's face. She took a deep breath and let it out.
"Mom?" Melanie looked across the bed worriedly.
"When you were children, I used to watch you sleep. I used to wonder what was going on in your heads. What were you dreaming? Were you having a good dream? Would you wake up crying from a nightmare?" She sighed. "Now all I want is for Kim to wake up and tell me what she'd want me to do."
"She'll wake up Mom. She will. Kim's strong. She's not going anywhere." Melanie said with conviction.
Catherine nodded and then caught sight of the doctors over Melanie's shoulder. "I'll be right back."
"Okay." Melanie nodded. She looked back at her sister. "C'mon Kimmy, don't make a liar out of me. Wake up, okay? Joey is here. He is so scared and he is trying so hard not to show it. Not quite sure which one of his parents he got that from but I'm pretty sure it was you. I know that it will probably hurt when you wake up and maybe somewhere inside you, you know that and that's why you haven't woken up. You're scared of the pain. But Kimmy, you don't do just plain scared. That's me. I'm the fraidy-cat, remember? You do the running scared thing, which is probably what got you out of New York in the first place. But don't worry; we'll all be here when you wake up. Well except for Jimmy, but if you want us to when you wake up, we'll call him and it's a safe bet he'll be on the next plane." Melanie stopped. She took a breath and then she started again on the exhale. "He really misses you and Joey. Well to be honest, I think he's to mad at you to miss you, so right now he probably just misses Joey. But I'm sure he'll get over it and realize how much he missed you too. You just gotta wake up, okay? Just open your eyes and tell me to shut up cause I'm rambling again."
"Mel?"
Melanie turned her head. "What's Mom's decision?"
"The doctors say it's best for both Kim and the baby to go in." Bobby said quietly.
"When?"
"They're clearing an O.R. now."
"You're her coach. Will they-"
"No. I asked. She's unconscious so there's no need for a coach."
Melanie nodded. "Bobby, I think-"
"It's not our decision."
She turned to face him. "He'd wanna know."
"When Kim wakes up, she can make the call, until then we do nothing."
Melanie nodded. She turned back to her sister. She bent down close. "I love you Kimmy," she whispered. "Don't make a liar out of me, 'kay?" She kissed her sister's cheek and then straightened back up.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"You look like hell." Doc said bluntly to Jimmy when the firefighter appeared in the kitchen.
"Thanks Doc. It's good to see you too." Jimmy said passively.
"I mean it. When was the last time you got some serious sleep?"
"I don't know. When did Kim take my son?"
"Jimmy, you can't do this to yourself." Doc counseled. "You need sleep. You need to be alert. People's lives depend on it. Not to mention your own life."
"Doc-"
"I know. Butt out. Can't do it. I work with you every day. You saved my life once remember?"
"Yeah and you returned the favor."
"Well now I'm about to make it so you owe me one. Get some sleep. I know you miss Joey. I know your life is in the toilet. I also know that you can't do anything about Joey being gone. Kim's the one who took off. The ball is in her court on Joey. But you have a choice to make your life better. Do it. Do it now. Do it so that when Kim decides to let you know where she is, and she will, Joey still has a father on this earth and that Kim's not taking him to a headstone." Doc finished. Then he took a water bottle out of the fridge and left the room leaving Jimmy to process what he'd just said.