Chapter 3 of "The Call"

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own these characters, just the stories that I write, and I own a 940 lb steer, but that's another story.

This is from Garret's POV first, but it switches to Nigel occasionally. Garret's still in the hospital, with Maggie and Abby. Nigel's wherever I say he is ok?

("She's looks so peaceful...it would be perfect if she didn't have all those bandages covering her...all those wires...") I rested my chin on the guardrail on the edge of her bed. Maggie was asleep in a chair in the corner. It was 3:30 in the morning now...I hadn't slept since yesterday. But, I had no urge to sleep. I just wanted Abby to stop sleeping, to wake up. I mean, I know it takes time, but it would make my life a hell of a lot easier if she would. But, such is life.

~~Nigel~~

Driving back to the office, all I could think about what the look on Maggie's face. ("You understand...don't you?") That was a load of bullshit. I mean, come on! (I'll understand....sure I will. I'll understand that you're just an overprotective mom who can't trust anyone with your child...) What did she want me to do? Thank her? Be happy? Never. I couldn't be. I pulled into my parking spot, and glanced up at our floor. The light in Garret's office was still on...we had just left without doing anything. ("Oh well...no use in it anyways...) I pulled myself out of the truck and walked in the doors half asleep.

~~Garret~~

A nurse just came in and took Abby's vitals for the seventh or eighth time in the last three hours. She won't tell me why she keeps taking all this blood, and running all these tests. No one will tell me anything. Maggie's been running around bugging the crap out of all the doctors, begging them to make her wake up. Of course, I get stuck here with this nurse who keeps poking at her, this nurse who won't tell me anything! All I want to do is sleep...I haven't even felt alive...like I'm in a dream. Maybe that's all that this is...a very very bad dream.

"Excuse me, Dr. Macy." Dr. Weston was in the room all of a sudden. "Your wife wanted me to tell you that she left to run home for a moment."

Wife. Geez, that was ironic. "She's actually my ex-wife Dr. Weston." I couldn't believe she had actually left without telling me. Probably that jerk Walter getting bored and making her leave. No matter. If Abby wakes up then it'll be me here and not her mother...or Walter.

"I'm sorry. And please, Dr. Macy, call me Henry." He sat in the chair next to me. "As you know, Abby still hasn't woken up yet." I nodded. "We've been running several tests on her to accurately asses her current condition and her prognosis on recovery."

As he talked, I began to get a sick feeling inside. I was afraid of what he was going to tell me. "What does all that mean....why would you need to do tests?"

"We've been monitoring her brain activity, and right now it isn't looking too good. On the scale of brain activity, she's registering as a three." He looked down for a moment at his charts. "A three, out of twelve...with a ten being normal reading."

I honestly felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest, thrown on the ground, and stepped on. By someone wearing combat boots. Big combat boots. He next said the words I hoped I would never have to hear in my life.

"Dr. Macy...I need to talk to you about taking your daughter off the life support systems." His voice was so calm, so generic.

"Dr. Weston....do you have children?" He shook his head. "No, my wife and I have been trying to...."

"Then you have no idea what you just asked me. You just asked me to watch my only child die. I'm a medical examiner. I see death everyday. So why can't I accept this you say? This is personal. I will not see her die. Parents don't bury their children Dr. Weston. I will not be responsible for Abby's death." I was appalled that he had even suggested it.

"Dr. Macy, I know that these things can be hard to accept some times, but you need to think about the pain your daughter is going through....but right now she isn't registering pain...she isn't registering anything. I'm sorry Dr. Macy but there isn't much hope of her recovering...."

"I need to talk to you later. I'm not talking to you about this now. Or later." I stood up and left the room. I walked out of the hospital's front door, ignoring Dr. Weston's arguments.

I walked along the sidewalk, trudging through the thick snow. I had a million things running through my head...anger, pain, frustration. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the sky was full of swirled colors overhead. I heard a sudden burst of laughter, and saw a group of schoolchildren waiting for the bus on the corner. They were throwing snowballs at each other, and chasing each other in circles. I saw a couple sitting on the porch, drinking coffee, watching them play...a look a joy in their eyes. I realized that I had to choose...I had to make that decision...