Five Years Running: Chapter 5: Crying Sky
Emily sat on a bench in Terry's hospital room. He had taken in great amounts of poison gas. Too much. Emily, who had breathed very little of the stuff, had made it out alright. The poison killed a lot of the cells Terry needed to help him breath, so a machine was what kept his lungs pumping. It was like and acid, burning the throat, eyes, nose, and lungs as Emily remembered. It burned like a dragon was breathing down your throat. "Terry...." she'd whisper now and again. She had a few cuts and burns but wouldn't get them treated. She was staying by Terry's side.....
"Well?" cried a distressed mother's voice Emily recognized as her aunt. "Where is he? Is he alright? What happened?!" Emily could hear the occasional sniff and sob coming from Matt who was clinging to his mother. Dana stood a few feet behind, shedding silent tears.
"Please Ma'am. Calm down. He was driving in his car and a bomb exploded in the building next store." That's what Emily had told them happened. The nurses assumed she was telling the truth. A well trained doctor, that's what Emily was worried about. What else could she tell them? That she and Terry got caught in one of Blight's little traps and were lucky to be alive? Of corse not....
Mary, Matt, and Dana burst through the door. Dana bit her lower lip to keep from sobbing, but silent tears creased her face. Matt ran right up to his brothers bed and shook his shoulder.
"Please! Terry! Wake up! I'm sorry for every mean thing I ever said and did! I promise I'll be a better brother if you just wake up! Please! Terry!" Mary grabbed her young son's shoulder and pulled him close. He threw his arms around her and just sobbed whimpering Terry.....
"It's not going to help now Matt...." she said, stroking his head. "Don't you worry, Terry is going to be alright." She looked at Emily and went to talk to her when a nurse came in and asked her to step out side and discuss things with them. Dana looked at Emily, then at Terry, and with a large sob, went back out into the waiting room.
The sound of heavy feet and a cane echoed through the hall. It stopped and nodded it's head in recognition at Mary.
"Bruce...."whispered Emily....
"I'm sorry Mr. Wayne but it's immediate family only. You'll-" said a nurse trying to keep him from entering Terry's room. He blazed past her as if she weren't there and walked into Terry's room. Emily bit her lower lip and rubbed her red eyes. He sat in a large chair next to Terry's bed and looked at him.
"If Terry dies," he thought. "I swear I'll kill Blight myself...." "How bad is he?" he asked aloud of Emily.
"He lost nearly a third of the cells in his lunges and is in a coma. The coma isn't the worst of his problems though. He got so little oxygen until the doctors hooked him up that their worried about brain trauma." whispered Emily. Bruce glanced at the clock. It was 5:30 a.m.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked.
"No," she said. Suddenly Mary came in as Matt waited with Dana outside. The doctors scurried like lab mice around Terry and began taking off the machine. "What's going on? Aunt Mary what are they doing?"
"Sweety I'm sorry, but even if Terry does survive the chances of him leading a normal life again are slim. It's better if we just put him out of his mise-"
"No!" shouted Emily, interrupting her. "You can't do that! Terry's gonna live, I know it! Please Aunt Mary!"
"Emily I-"
"If he's exactly the same by night fall or worse, by all means kill him, but he's still got a chance! Please!" she begged.
"Emily...."
"Please Aunt Mary....Please...." Mary bit her lip not knowing what to do anymore.
"Alright," she said. "Until tonight," and she smiled. She went out and Bruce followed her, offering to pay for Terry's bill.
"Worker's comp...." as he called it. Emily kneeled next to Terry's bed and held his hand.
"Please Terry....You can't die....I can't lose you again....Not now....Not ever," and tears slipped down her cheeks. She wrung her hands and bowed her head. "God? If there is a God....Please, please, you've got to help Terry. I....I know his record isn't exactly clean, mine isn't either, but the pastor said....he said if I just had faith, then everything would be ok.....Well, I"m here to tell you, I'll live up to that if it will save Terry. I put his life, I put my life in your hands....Please God....Can you hear a poor sinner girl like me? If it's the only thing I ever ask from you then please let it be.....Just save Terry....." and she cried and sobbed. Bruce came back in and she rubbed her puffy red eyes. "I....I think I'm going to take a walk Bruce....." she said. "I need some air, and some time away from this awful place....." and she walked out the door and didn't even stop to talk with her aunt, cousin or Dana. She just walked right out of that hospital into the still cool air of Gotham City. There was a breeze that blew at her face and began to cool her hot, teary face. Light grey clouds covered the sky and the breeze became a strong wind, and then a gust. Emily still didn't mind, she didn't even notice....She just thought about Terry....
It started to rain, and then pour, but Emily didn't care. She had always liked rain....It seemed to sympathize with her....
She rubbed the water out of her face and licked it away around her mouth. But then it started to taste salty and her face felt hot, despite the cold, pouring rain, and strong wind. Then she knew why.....She was crying....
She leaned against a brick building and cried and cried. "God save Terry!" she shouted in the empty streets. "God save Terry...."she whispered.....
To Be Continued....