Challenged, but still Unbroken
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to NBC, Michael Crichton, and etc.- except the ones I made up!
Author's note: Ok, Major angst in this chapter. It was so emotionally draining to write, and this is why it took a while. Chronologically, this takes place immediately following Chapter 6 (Happiness). I hope you enjoy this! Oh, yeah. Thanks to aroseisarose for being a faithful reader! Even if only one person is still reading this, then that makes it worth it to me! Read and Review and let me know if anyone is out there!
****
Luka and Abby stood silently in the ambulance bay, waiting for the third ambulance to come in. The sirens were blaring from a distance. The husband and wife team glanced at each other with sadness.
"Abby-" Luka said, breaking the silence.
"Luka, don't. It was my fault. I'm sorry. I should have known you had a good excuse for being late. I flipped out."
A moment was spent in a loving embrace. With her head in her husband's chest, she quietly began to whisper.
"How is he going to survive if one of them doesn't make it? It'll kill him. Luka, don't let anything like this happen to us, please."
"It won't. I promise." He spoke into her soft brown hair.
The quietness of the moment was interrupted when Abby realized that the ambulance was not there, but the sirens had been shut off.
"Oh, God, no."
Luka realized the same thing at the exact same moment.
A minute and a half later, the silent ambulance pulled up to the hospital. The paramedics seemed to be in no rush. It was very clear to Abby and Luka what had happened.
****
"Pulse ox is back up to 92. She's improving, Carter. She's going to be fine."
"How did this happen, Susan? When I left the house this morning, everything was right, perfect. Now I'm this close to losing all of them."
Susan pulled up a stool identical to the one John was sitting on. It hurt her to see her friend and colleague in such anguish. He had been sitting there and holding his wife's hand for the last twenty minutes. He was afraid to let go, as if the moment he did she would be gone forever. He never took his eyes off of her.
"John, did you hear me? She is going to be fine. We got the carbon dioxide out of her lungs, and her vitals are coming up." Susan decided that he knew that, and just wanted to be alone. She stood quietly and exited the room, running directly into a tearful Abby. Abby looked at Susan, and said all that she could.
"The baby."
"No. Oh, man. Abby, tell me this is some kind of terrible nightmare."
"Luka is with her now, but she's already gone. Third degree burns over 90% of her body, not a touch of oxygen anywhere in her system. I-I couldn't stay in there. It was too much to handle."
"Do we tell him?"
The two women stood there, contemplating how they were supposed to tell their friend that his two-month-old daughter was gone. That he would never see her walk for the first time. That he would never hear her call him "daddy". That she would never have her first day of kindergarten, and would never sleep in a big girl bed. She would never know the love that her parents shared: that love that brought her into the world.
Luka soon joined them, and they both looked up at him hopefully. He simply shook his head.
Susan took a deep breath.
"I'll do it. Luka come with me, since you saw her. Abby, go let Chen know what happened. She's with Georgia." Susan caught a glimpse of Chuny walking down the hall. "Chuny, I need you to come with us."
****
"John? We need to talk to you."
"Ok." He continued to grip Randi's hand. The medication they had given her caused her to sleep peacefully. His tear stained eyes did not even look up at the two doctors and a nurse.
"Not here. Let's go to the lounge."
When he heard this, his head jolted to face them, and his heart sank. He couldn't bear to think of what they were going to tell him.
"What happened?"
"Come on."
"I can't leave her."
"I'll stay with her." Chuny had realized her part in breaking this news to John.
John nodded silently, kissed her forehead, and followed Susan and Luka. They got to the lounge and Susan was thankful that the room was dark and abandoned. John could not face them. He walked over to the window, and stared out at the rain that had begun to fall. His tears mimicked the rain.
"John. They-" she paused, realizing how this was going to be the most difficult thing she had ever had to do. She thought back over the many times she had told total strangers this same news. This was completely different. "They found Belle, but, um, it was too late. They tried everything they could in the field, but nothing was enough to bring her back."
"W-was it smoke inhalation?"
Luka spoke up with a shaky voice.
"Partially. She also sustained burns over 90% percent of her body."
All John could think of was the pain that his youngest daughter had suffered in her last moments. He ran his fingers through his hair, leaned against the wall, sliding down it due to the weakness in his knees.
"How do I tell Randi? How do tell the woman who gave birth to Belle that she is gone? And Georgia? How do I tell her that her sister isn't coming home?"
Susan didn't have the answers. All she could do was sit down on the cold floor and hold him. He needed a shoulder, and she was there. Luka silently exited the room.
****
"Jing-Mei? I, uh, need to talk to you for a minute."
"Sure, Abby. Georgia, I'm going to step outside for a second, but Lily is going to stay with you, all right?"
"Aunt Deb, is mommy all right?"
The doctor stopped in her tracks on her way out the door to speak with Abby.
"Um, I'm going to go see her now, so I'll let you know when I get back, ok?
The child nodded, and the woman feared what she might be told on the other side of the door. As she exited, she saw John following Luka and Susan into the lounge. She felt a lump form in her throat.
"Abby, what happened?"
"It's Belle. She didn't make it."
Dr. Chen could say nothing. Tears formed in her eyes, and she thought of the pain that her two best friends had ahead of them.
****
A simple groan escaped from Randi's mouth, causing John to convert his full attention to his wife. It had been two hours since he had been dealt the devastating blow that he knew would change the entire landscape of the rest of his life.
"Hey, you're awake."
He rubbed her hair away from her face, and kissed her cheek softly.
"What's wrong? I see it in your eyes. Tell me."
He had been dreading this moment for the past two hours, and now that it was here, he was unable to come up with the words. He was about to break his wife's heart like his had already been broken.
"Randi, it's, um, they-"
John's pause left an eerie silence in the room. Randi was not deceived. As a mother, she knew when something was not right with her children, and something was definitely wrong now.
"She's gone isn't she?" Tears welled up in the woman's eyes, as the realization of their loss hit her. John couldn't look her in the eye. She forced her weak hand to his chin, and turned his head towards her. His eyes could avoid hers no longer. "Yes."
"Oh, God. No."
The couple embraced one another to try and provide some comfort. They cried together for what seemed like seconds, but was in reality, nearly a half an hour. Then their minds turned to their remaining child, who knew nothing of the devastating news.
"John, have you - have you told, Georgia?"
"No."
"Please. She needs to know. I, I don't want her seeing me like this. Please, John. I can't."
He nodded, kissed her hand, and headed to where their daughter had been waiting for the past several hours.
As he walked out the door, Randi watched him. But in her mind, she could only think of Belle. She had had such high hopes for both of her children. So many nights, while putting them in bed, she had imagined their high school graduations and their college graduations. She looked forward to the talks that could only be had between mother and daughter, the discussions the first time they fell in love or got a broken heart. She had envisioned John walking both of them down the aisle towards the man of each of their dreams on their wedding day, and being there when they had children of their own. She was so thankful that Georgia was going to make it, but something was missing, a piece of her own heart that Randi knew could never be replaced.
****
Jing Mei's shift had ended two hours earlier, but she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Georgia alone. She had stayed, knowing the news that the child would soon be given. They were sitting on the bed, putting a puzzle together, when the doctor looked up and saw John at the door. He was just standing there on the other side of the windowed door, looking at his daughter.
She gave him a sympathetic and encouraging smile, and watched as he inhaled deeply and pushed the door open. Georgia heard the door open, and looked up to see her father walking toward her.
"Daddy! Can we go home now?"
Deb got up to leave, but John stopped her.
"Deb. Stay, please."
She knew John well enough to know that this was his way of saying that he couldn't do this alone. He needed her help. She still saw that same pain in his eyes that she had seen earlier, but it had morphed into a look of sorrow and anguish. She stopped on the other side of the bed, and put her hand on Georgia's shoulders.
John had pulled up a stool, and sat down to face his first-born.
"What, Daddy?"
He took another deep breath, and briefly caught his best friend's stare.
"Angel, you remember what happened earlier this afternoon?"
"The smoke?"
"Yes. It was caused by a fire. It can be a dangerous thing. You were okay because Mommy got you out. She went to go look for Belle. The fire was really bad. The firemen got Mommy out, and she is going to be fine too."
"What about my sister?"
John swallowed hard, not knowing what her reaction would be. He felt the tears in his eyes begin to well up again. He fought them, unsuccessfully.
"They found her, and tried to help her, but she was hurt to badly. The fire had gotten to her room and-"
"But will she come home with us?" Georgia interrupted.
"No, Angel. She died. She's not going to go home with us again."
"Is that why you are sad?"
"Yes."
Georgia leaned over, and hugged her father, who pulled her into a vice-like hug. She ended the hug by moving to his lap. She sat down and put her head on her father's chest. He still had his arms around her.
"Daddy?"
"What is it?"
"Is she lonely? Who's going to take care of her? She's only a baby."
"Oh, there are lots of people who will look out for her."
"Like who?"
"Well, there's Gamma, who is my grandmother. She died before your mother and I got married. And there's Gramps, Gamma's husband. They were both very special people to your mother and I. Um, your mother's father. I never even met him. Maybe Mommy will tell you about him one day. There's Mark Greene. He is a doctor, so he'll make sure that Belle always feels good. Lucy Knight will be there, too. I'll tell you about her when you're older."
"Belle's going to be fine then?"
"Yeah. So are we."
"Can I see Mommy?"
"I'll take you to see her. Come on."
He stood up, and walked to the door, child in hand. He stopped and turned to Deb.
"Thank you for staying."
"Don't worry about it. Call me when, um, the arrangements are made or if you need anything."
He nodded, and they walked out the door.
****
Hope you enjoyed this installment, and I hope that it was not too overly melodramatic!
R & R!
Hugs!
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to NBC, Michael Crichton, and etc.- except the ones I made up!
Author's note: Ok, Major angst in this chapter. It was so emotionally draining to write, and this is why it took a while. Chronologically, this takes place immediately following Chapter 6 (Happiness). I hope you enjoy this! Oh, yeah. Thanks to aroseisarose for being a faithful reader! Even if only one person is still reading this, then that makes it worth it to me! Read and Review and let me know if anyone is out there!
****
Luka and Abby stood silently in the ambulance bay, waiting for the third ambulance to come in. The sirens were blaring from a distance. The husband and wife team glanced at each other with sadness.
"Abby-" Luka said, breaking the silence.
"Luka, don't. It was my fault. I'm sorry. I should have known you had a good excuse for being late. I flipped out."
A moment was spent in a loving embrace. With her head in her husband's chest, she quietly began to whisper.
"How is he going to survive if one of them doesn't make it? It'll kill him. Luka, don't let anything like this happen to us, please."
"It won't. I promise." He spoke into her soft brown hair.
The quietness of the moment was interrupted when Abby realized that the ambulance was not there, but the sirens had been shut off.
"Oh, God, no."
Luka realized the same thing at the exact same moment.
A minute and a half later, the silent ambulance pulled up to the hospital. The paramedics seemed to be in no rush. It was very clear to Abby and Luka what had happened.
****
"Pulse ox is back up to 92. She's improving, Carter. She's going to be fine."
"How did this happen, Susan? When I left the house this morning, everything was right, perfect. Now I'm this close to losing all of them."
Susan pulled up a stool identical to the one John was sitting on. It hurt her to see her friend and colleague in such anguish. He had been sitting there and holding his wife's hand for the last twenty minutes. He was afraid to let go, as if the moment he did she would be gone forever. He never took his eyes off of her.
"John, did you hear me? She is going to be fine. We got the carbon dioxide out of her lungs, and her vitals are coming up." Susan decided that he knew that, and just wanted to be alone. She stood quietly and exited the room, running directly into a tearful Abby. Abby looked at Susan, and said all that she could.
"The baby."
"No. Oh, man. Abby, tell me this is some kind of terrible nightmare."
"Luka is with her now, but she's already gone. Third degree burns over 90% of her body, not a touch of oxygen anywhere in her system. I-I couldn't stay in there. It was too much to handle."
"Do we tell him?"
The two women stood there, contemplating how they were supposed to tell their friend that his two-month-old daughter was gone. That he would never see her walk for the first time. That he would never hear her call him "daddy". That she would never have her first day of kindergarten, and would never sleep in a big girl bed. She would never know the love that her parents shared: that love that brought her into the world.
Luka soon joined them, and they both looked up at him hopefully. He simply shook his head.
Susan took a deep breath.
"I'll do it. Luka come with me, since you saw her. Abby, go let Chen know what happened. She's with Georgia." Susan caught a glimpse of Chuny walking down the hall. "Chuny, I need you to come with us."
****
"John? We need to talk to you."
"Ok." He continued to grip Randi's hand. The medication they had given her caused her to sleep peacefully. His tear stained eyes did not even look up at the two doctors and a nurse.
"Not here. Let's go to the lounge."
When he heard this, his head jolted to face them, and his heart sank. He couldn't bear to think of what they were going to tell him.
"What happened?"
"Come on."
"I can't leave her."
"I'll stay with her." Chuny had realized her part in breaking this news to John.
John nodded silently, kissed her forehead, and followed Susan and Luka. They got to the lounge and Susan was thankful that the room was dark and abandoned. John could not face them. He walked over to the window, and stared out at the rain that had begun to fall. His tears mimicked the rain.
"John. They-" she paused, realizing how this was going to be the most difficult thing she had ever had to do. She thought back over the many times she had told total strangers this same news. This was completely different. "They found Belle, but, um, it was too late. They tried everything they could in the field, but nothing was enough to bring her back."
"W-was it smoke inhalation?"
Luka spoke up with a shaky voice.
"Partially. She also sustained burns over 90% percent of her body."
All John could think of was the pain that his youngest daughter had suffered in her last moments. He ran his fingers through his hair, leaned against the wall, sliding down it due to the weakness in his knees.
"How do I tell Randi? How do tell the woman who gave birth to Belle that she is gone? And Georgia? How do I tell her that her sister isn't coming home?"
Susan didn't have the answers. All she could do was sit down on the cold floor and hold him. He needed a shoulder, and she was there. Luka silently exited the room.
****
"Jing-Mei? I, uh, need to talk to you for a minute."
"Sure, Abby. Georgia, I'm going to step outside for a second, but Lily is going to stay with you, all right?"
"Aunt Deb, is mommy all right?"
The doctor stopped in her tracks on her way out the door to speak with Abby.
"Um, I'm going to go see her now, so I'll let you know when I get back, ok?
The child nodded, and the woman feared what she might be told on the other side of the door. As she exited, she saw John following Luka and Susan into the lounge. She felt a lump form in her throat.
"Abby, what happened?"
"It's Belle. She didn't make it."
Dr. Chen could say nothing. Tears formed in her eyes, and she thought of the pain that her two best friends had ahead of them.
****
A simple groan escaped from Randi's mouth, causing John to convert his full attention to his wife. It had been two hours since he had been dealt the devastating blow that he knew would change the entire landscape of the rest of his life.
"Hey, you're awake."
He rubbed her hair away from her face, and kissed her cheek softly.
"What's wrong? I see it in your eyes. Tell me."
He had been dreading this moment for the past two hours, and now that it was here, he was unable to come up with the words. He was about to break his wife's heart like his had already been broken.
"Randi, it's, um, they-"
John's pause left an eerie silence in the room. Randi was not deceived. As a mother, she knew when something was not right with her children, and something was definitely wrong now.
"She's gone isn't she?" Tears welled up in the woman's eyes, as the realization of their loss hit her. John couldn't look her in the eye. She forced her weak hand to his chin, and turned his head towards her. His eyes could avoid hers no longer. "Yes."
"Oh, God. No."
The couple embraced one another to try and provide some comfort. They cried together for what seemed like seconds, but was in reality, nearly a half an hour. Then their minds turned to their remaining child, who knew nothing of the devastating news.
"John, have you - have you told, Georgia?"
"No."
"Please. She needs to know. I, I don't want her seeing me like this. Please, John. I can't."
He nodded, kissed her hand, and headed to where their daughter had been waiting for the past several hours.
As he walked out the door, Randi watched him. But in her mind, she could only think of Belle. She had had such high hopes for both of her children. So many nights, while putting them in bed, she had imagined their high school graduations and their college graduations. She looked forward to the talks that could only be had between mother and daughter, the discussions the first time they fell in love or got a broken heart. She had envisioned John walking both of them down the aisle towards the man of each of their dreams on their wedding day, and being there when they had children of their own. She was so thankful that Georgia was going to make it, but something was missing, a piece of her own heart that Randi knew could never be replaced.
****
Jing Mei's shift had ended two hours earlier, but she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Georgia alone. She had stayed, knowing the news that the child would soon be given. They were sitting on the bed, putting a puzzle together, when the doctor looked up and saw John at the door. He was just standing there on the other side of the windowed door, looking at his daughter.
She gave him a sympathetic and encouraging smile, and watched as he inhaled deeply and pushed the door open. Georgia heard the door open, and looked up to see her father walking toward her.
"Daddy! Can we go home now?"
Deb got up to leave, but John stopped her.
"Deb. Stay, please."
She knew John well enough to know that this was his way of saying that he couldn't do this alone. He needed her help. She still saw that same pain in his eyes that she had seen earlier, but it had morphed into a look of sorrow and anguish. She stopped on the other side of the bed, and put her hand on Georgia's shoulders.
John had pulled up a stool, and sat down to face his first-born.
"What, Daddy?"
He took another deep breath, and briefly caught his best friend's stare.
"Angel, you remember what happened earlier this afternoon?"
"The smoke?"
"Yes. It was caused by a fire. It can be a dangerous thing. You were okay because Mommy got you out. She went to go look for Belle. The fire was really bad. The firemen got Mommy out, and she is going to be fine too."
"What about my sister?"
John swallowed hard, not knowing what her reaction would be. He felt the tears in his eyes begin to well up again. He fought them, unsuccessfully.
"They found her, and tried to help her, but she was hurt to badly. The fire had gotten to her room and-"
"But will she come home with us?" Georgia interrupted.
"No, Angel. She died. She's not going to go home with us again."
"Is that why you are sad?"
"Yes."
Georgia leaned over, and hugged her father, who pulled her into a vice-like hug. She ended the hug by moving to his lap. She sat down and put her head on her father's chest. He still had his arms around her.
"Daddy?"
"What is it?"
"Is she lonely? Who's going to take care of her? She's only a baby."
"Oh, there are lots of people who will look out for her."
"Like who?"
"Well, there's Gamma, who is my grandmother. She died before your mother and I got married. And there's Gramps, Gamma's husband. They were both very special people to your mother and I. Um, your mother's father. I never even met him. Maybe Mommy will tell you about him one day. There's Mark Greene. He is a doctor, so he'll make sure that Belle always feels good. Lucy Knight will be there, too. I'll tell you about her when you're older."
"Belle's going to be fine then?"
"Yeah. So are we."
"Can I see Mommy?"
"I'll take you to see her. Come on."
He stood up, and walked to the door, child in hand. He stopped and turned to Deb.
"Thank you for staying."
"Don't worry about it. Call me when, um, the arrangements are made or if you need anything."
He nodded, and they walked out the door.
****
Hope you enjoyed this installment, and I hope that it was not too overly melodramatic!
R & R!
Hugs!