"Does anyone know where Simon is?" Eric asked walking into the waiting room
a few hours later.
Both Kevin and Ben shook their heads, "he didn't go home with Roxanne and the twins did he?"
"I don't think so."
Before anyone could say anything more, Doctor McCarther entered the room, "Annie just got out of surgery, so far she's doing well, Lucy is still in a coma but you can see her now, Mary is still very delusional, but she too can be visited."
"Can I see Annie?" Eric asked.
"Right now she's in recovery, but tomorrow when we move her out of the ICU you will be able to see her."
"Where's Lucy?" Kevin asked, already standing up.
Dr. McCarther pointed to a nearby corridor, she's in room 304, it's the last one on the left.
Kevin immediately left the room.
"Where's Mary?" Ben asked, mimicking his brother.
"311, down the same hallway on the right."
Ben and Eric quickly walked to Mary's room, knowing that Kevin would want to be alone with Lucy for a little while.
^^^
"Mary?" Ben asked, gently taking Mary's hand in his own.
Mary's eyes fluttered softly as she turned to look at her fiancé, "what happened?" she asked.
Eric sat down on the opposite side of his daughter, "you were in a car accident."
Mary closed her eyes trying to recall the accident, suddenly a look of horror came over her face, "is everyone else okay?" she whispered.
Ben and Eric glanced nervously at one another, wondering how they were going to tell Mary 'the news'.
Mary looked back and forth between them, noticing the anxiety in their eyes, "what happened?" she whispered.
Ben glanced at Eric then began, "Mare, your mom just got out of surgery, but she should be okay, and Lucy, well, Lucy's in a coma."
"And Ruthie?" Mary whispered trying to keep the tears from her eyes.
Ben glanced at Eric, not knowing what to say.
"What happened to Ruthie?" Mary asked, almost screaming.
"Ruthie., well she's."
"She's what?" Mary demanded.
"Dead," Ben whispered.
^^^
Kevin placed his hand on the sheet covering Lucy's stomach, "I wonder if she knew," he whispered, "I wonder if she'll ever know." Silently he lay his head on the bed, as sobs overtook him.
Twenty minutes later, Ben and Eric stood in the doorway, neither of them had ever expected to see Kevin cry, that he was capable of crying. Eric stepped into the room, and gently placed a hand on Kevin's shoulder.
Kevin turned slowly to look up at his father in law, "I'm scared," he whispered, "I'm really really scared."
Eric nodded, showing that he was feeling the same way, gently he took his daughter's hand in his, "Lucy's a fighter, she'll be okay."
Kevin shook his head, "you don't know that."
^^^
"Thanks for talking to me."
John Levine smiled, "your welcome Simon, now go find your family."
Simon nodded and quickly left the room, when he arrived in the waiting room he was surprised to see that no one was there, just as he was about to find a nurses station he saw Eric and Ben exit Lucy's room.
"Dad?" he called, quickly walking toward his father.
"Where were you?" Eric asked immediately.
"I needed to talk to someone. Can we see them now?"
"You can see Mary, but I think Kevin wants some time alone with Lucy."
"What about mom?..wait, is Lucy awake?" Simon asked, a tinge of hope in his voice.
Eric shook his head sadly, "your mom just got out of surgery, and Lucy is still in a coma."
^^^
Kevin gently squeezed Lucy's hand, with all his heart he wished she would squeeze back, but of course she didn't.
"Lucy, please," he pleaded, "I need you, our baby needs you, we all need you."
Despite his pleas, however, Lucy's body remained motionless.
Kevin stared at his wife's bruised face as he began to pray.
^^^
Three weeks later, Annie, Eric, Matt, Sarah, Kevin, Ben, Mary, Simon, Sam and David, stood (or sat, in Mary's case) in the funeral home, half- heartedly greeting the flood of people that came to consol them.
The family was given an hour lunch break, during which visitors were asked to leave. As everyone walked into the kitchen, Simon pulled a chair near Ruthie's closed casket, "Ruthie I'm so sorry, so very very sorry," Simon cried, thinking of all the things Ruthie had wanted to do with her life.
Simon looked toward the ceiling, envisioning Ruthie sitting upon a cloud looking down on him, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you how much you meant to me, how much I loved you. I'm sorry you didn't get to live out your dreams, I'm sorry Lucy and our grandparents couldn't be here to bid you goodbye, I'm sorry we waited so long to have your funeral, I'm sorry I ever yelled at you, and I'm sorry for not always being there for you . . ." Simon's voice trailed off as tears poured from his eyes, "I'm so very sorry," he whispered.
^^^
"Kevin what kind of sandwich would you like?" Annie asked.
Kevin shrugged, "I don't care."
Annie sighed, despite their sorrow they were all trying to move on, all except Kevin, who had been in a state of depression since the accident, and though she understood his pain she wished he would make an effort to at least appear cheerful.
"Snap out of it bro." Ben said sitting down next to his brother.
Kevin turned to stare at his brother, anger shining in his eyes, "I'd like to see you snap out of it when the person you love more than anything is a vegetable," Kevin screamed, his voice rising with every word, "she's a vegetable! How would you feel if Mary was a carrot, a piece of celery, a . . . zucchini." Kevin replied, recalling Lucy's favorite vegetable.
Everyone turned to stare at him as tears poured from his eyes.
Annie too began to cry, she had held herself together since she received the news about her daughters, but seeing Kevin sob, was like putting saline on her still open wounds.
Seeing her brother in law, and mother sob, Mary and Sarah too began to weep, the twins quickly followed suite, and as they tried to comfort the family, Matt, Eric and Ben's eyes also became moist. The Camdens had faced many tragedies before, but this would prove to be one of the most difficult, not one of them knew how or if they would survive it.
Both Kevin and Ben shook their heads, "he didn't go home with Roxanne and the twins did he?"
"I don't think so."
Before anyone could say anything more, Doctor McCarther entered the room, "Annie just got out of surgery, so far she's doing well, Lucy is still in a coma but you can see her now, Mary is still very delusional, but she too can be visited."
"Can I see Annie?" Eric asked.
"Right now she's in recovery, but tomorrow when we move her out of the ICU you will be able to see her."
"Where's Lucy?" Kevin asked, already standing up.
Dr. McCarther pointed to a nearby corridor, she's in room 304, it's the last one on the left.
Kevin immediately left the room.
"Where's Mary?" Ben asked, mimicking his brother.
"311, down the same hallway on the right."
Ben and Eric quickly walked to Mary's room, knowing that Kevin would want to be alone with Lucy for a little while.
^^^
"Mary?" Ben asked, gently taking Mary's hand in his own.
Mary's eyes fluttered softly as she turned to look at her fiancé, "what happened?" she asked.
Eric sat down on the opposite side of his daughter, "you were in a car accident."
Mary closed her eyes trying to recall the accident, suddenly a look of horror came over her face, "is everyone else okay?" she whispered.
Ben and Eric glanced nervously at one another, wondering how they were going to tell Mary 'the news'.
Mary looked back and forth between them, noticing the anxiety in their eyes, "what happened?" she whispered.
Ben glanced at Eric then began, "Mare, your mom just got out of surgery, but she should be okay, and Lucy, well, Lucy's in a coma."
"And Ruthie?" Mary whispered trying to keep the tears from her eyes.
Ben glanced at Eric, not knowing what to say.
"What happened to Ruthie?" Mary asked, almost screaming.
"Ruthie., well she's."
"She's what?" Mary demanded.
"Dead," Ben whispered.
^^^
Kevin placed his hand on the sheet covering Lucy's stomach, "I wonder if she knew," he whispered, "I wonder if she'll ever know." Silently he lay his head on the bed, as sobs overtook him.
Twenty minutes later, Ben and Eric stood in the doorway, neither of them had ever expected to see Kevin cry, that he was capable of crying. Eric stepped into the room, and gently placed a hand on Kevin's shoulder.
Kevin turned slowly to look up at his father in law, "I'm scared," he whispered, "I'm really really scared."
Eric nodded, showing that he was feeling the same way, gently he took his daughter's hand in his, "Lucy's a fighter, she'll be okay."
Kevin shook his head, "you don't know that."
^^^
"Thanks for talking to me."
John Levine smiled, "your welcome Simon, now go find your family."
Simon nodded and quickly left the room, when he arrived in the waiting room he was surprised to see that no one was there, just as he was about to find a nurses station he saw Eric and Ben exit Lucy's room.
"Dad?" he called, quickly walking toward his father.
"Where were you?" Eric asked immediately.
"I needed to talk to someone. Can we see them now?"
"You can see Mary, but I think Kevin wants some time alone with Lucy."
"What about mom?..wait, is Lucy awake?" Simon asked, a tinge of hope in his voice.
Eric shook his head sadly, "your mom just got out of surgery, and Lucy is still in a coma."
^^^
Kevin gently squeezed Lucy's hand, with all his heart he wished she would squeeze back, but of course she didn't.
"Lucy, please," he pleaded, "I need you, our baby needs you, we all need you."
Despite his pleas, however, Lucy's body remained motionless.
Kevin stared at his wife's bruised face as he began to pray.
^^^
Three weeks later, Annie, Eric, Matt, Sarah, Kevin, Ben, Mary, Simon, Sam and David, stood (or sat, in Mary's case) in the funeral home, half- heartedly greeting the flood of people that came to consol them.
The family was given an hour lunch break, during which visitors were asked to leave. As everyone walked into the kitchen, Simon pulled a chair near Ruthie's closed casket, "Ruthie I'm so sorry, so very very sorry," Simon cried, thinking of all the things Ruthie had wanted to do with her life.
Simon looked toward the ceiling, envisioning Ruthie sitting upon a cloud looking down on him, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you how much you meant to me, how much I loved you. I'm sorry you didn't get to live out your dreams, I'm sorry Lucy and our grandparents couldn't be here to bid you goodbye, I'm sorry we waited so long to have your funeral, I'm sorry I ever yelled at you, and I'm sorry for not always being there for you . . ." Simon's voice trailed off as tears poured from his eyes, "I'm so very sorry," he whispered.
^^^
"Kevin what kind of sandwich would you like?" Annie asked.
Kevin shrugged, "I don't care."
Annie sighed, despite their sorrow they were all trying to move on, all except Kevin, who had been in a state of depression since the accident, and though she understood his pain she wished he would make an effort to at least appear cheerful.
"Snap out of it bro." Ben said sitting down next to his brother.
Kevin turned to stare at his brother, anger shining in his eyes, "I'd like to see you snap out of it when the person you love more than anything is a vegetable," Kevin screamed, his voice rising with every word, "she's a vegetable! How would you feel if Mary was a carrot, a piece of celery, a . . . zucchini." Kevin replied, recalling Lucy's favorite vegetable.
Everyone turned to stare at him as tears poured from his eyes.
Annie too began to cry, she had held herself together since she received the news about her daughters, but seeing Kevin sob, was like putting saline on her still open wounds.
Seeing her brother in law, and mother sob, Mary and Sarah too began to weep, the twins quickly followed suite, and as they tried to comfort the family, Matt, Eric and Ben's eyes also became moist. The Camdens had faced many tragedies before, but this would prove to be one of the most difficult, not one of them knew how or if they would survive it.