Hello again! Thank you all for your reviews. I really appreciate them. Since this is my first fan fiction, I am a little surprised by the reaction.
Catlin714 - Thank you for your latest review. I am really glad you are enjoying the story as much as I am enjoying writing it.
Lady Arwen Greenleaf - Your enthusiastic review makes me want to jump right on my word processor and start typing away. I appreciate your kindness and am honored that you put my story under your favorite stories category.
Wolf33 - Wow. You yourself are a very talented writer. Never give that up. Keep typing away. Thank you so much for your reviews. I appreciate it so much. I am humbled to be in your Favorite story and author category. Thank you so much.
Nerk-00 - Thank you again for keeping up with my story. I appreciate all your kindness. I am honored that you have chosen my story to place in your favorite story and author categories. You are very kind.
Angelgirl - Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it.
Xtremefaller8705 - Thank you also for your review. I appreciate it.
You guys are the best. Thank you for taking time to read and review my story. Sorry it has been a few days since I have updated, but with the holiday, I had other things going on. Now... without further ado.
Chapter 6
The ride to the hospital was long and quiet. James, Gordo and Miranda were all lost in thought. Gordo couldn't get the grieving screams of Lizzie's mom out of his mind. 'How could I be so stupid?' he thought. 'I knew better than to take my friends into a situation like that. Now look at what has happened. Lizzie may die, and it is all my fault.'
"Hey kid?" James pulling Gordo from his reverie, "You know this is nobody's fault right? This was just a freak accident."
Gordo, almost laughing at this, looked over at James and just shook his head. "It was not just a freak accident. Lizzie told me she didn't feel right going into that canyon and what did I do, I goaded her into it. I may have gotten my best friend killed."
"Gordo." Miranda said. "You were not the only one goading her. As I remember it, I too kept pushing until she gave in."
"It doesn't matter." Gordo replied, "I was driving. I had control of the vehicle. I had control of the situation. I knew better than to go camping in the canyons without getting permits and letting rangers know our plans. I let everyone down. Mrs. McGuire will never forgive me. All she kept saying was, 'my baby, my baby.' She knew, Miranda, she knew that something was going to happen on this trip and not a one of us listened."
"Gordo..." Miranda wanted to express that she understood. That no matter what, they were friends and would always be friends, but she never got the chance.
"Please Miranda." Gordo said cutting her off, "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to get to the hospital and find out how Lizzie is. I'm sure we will have a lot of time to talk about this later." Gordo, feeling as if the blackness of the situation was consuming him, stared out into the darkness with his thoughts turned once again to Lizzie.
She had said it 'I love you'. Those three little words burned deep within his soul. He would make sure she always had whatever she needed. He would make this up to her. "Please let me be able to make this up to her." He prayed.
The rest of the ride was in total silence, no one wanting to invade the other's thoughts. As they pulled up to the emergency room entrance, Gordo jumped out of the car and ran inside.
After parking the car, James and Miranda found Gordo standing at the emergency room desk yelling at a nurse. "What do you mean you don't have a McGuire? We were told she was coming to this hospital"
"I'm sorry sir," The nurse replied, "but we don't have a Lizzie McGuire listed as being a patient here."
Gordo looked as if he were going to fly across the desk and strangle her. James, placing his hand on Gordo's shoulder, slid him out of the way. "I'm sorry ma'am. If you could help me, we would greatly appreciate it. My name is Officer James Mallery and their friend was in a terrible accident. They life flighted her here." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "If you could please check again, her name may have been put under Elizabeth Brooke McGuire."
The nurse's annoyance showed on her face, but as she looked at Gordo, Miranda and Officer Mallery, she could see their stress and understood the seriousness of the situation. After typing Lizzie's name one more time on her computer, her annoyance transformed into compassion as the information filled her screen. "What?" Gordo and Miranda asked at the same time.
"She was brought in about an hour ago." The nurse said.
"Is that all?" Gordo asked, "Can't you tell us anything else?"
The Nurse looked up at James. Her eyes spoke volumes. He realized the situation was worse than imagined and that she was unwilling to dispense the grave information. "Are any of you family?" she asked.
"We might as well be." Gordo yelled. "We have known each other since grade school. Please tell me!"
"I'm sorry." She began.
James touched Gordo's arm to stop him from flying into a tirade. "Ma'am, these young people have had a very bad day. As you can see by this young man's clothes, he has had to watch his friend suffer greatly. Now, I know all about rules and regulations, but I think under these circumstances, and seeing that her family is flying in from California, you could at least give them a little information."
The nurse looked from Miranda to James, and then settled on Gordo. Her heart went out to him the moment she saw the unshed tears in his eyes. Sighing deeply, she said, " They brought her in. They worked with her in the trauma and then moved her to surgery. She has been in there ever since. There is nothing more I can tell you." She stood up and walked over to Miranda and Gordo, "I did overhear them say they had a fighter on their hands. If you would like, I can take you to the waiting room the doctor will come to once the surgery is over?"
Miranda and Gordo both nodded in agreement. The situation was beginning to hit both of them. They had not had time to really think about anything up to this point, but now, all they could do was sit and wait.
They had been sitting in the waiting area for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them speaking. James went down to the vending machines to get them some coffee and cokes. Gordo, noticing Miranda's fragile state, walked over and wrapped his arms around her as tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
"She's going to be fine Miranda. You have to believe that." He said.
They were still wrapped in each other's arms when Sam and Jo McGuire, Lizzie's parents, came through the emergency room doors. Gordo looked up and saw the tear-streaked face of Mrs. McGuire and all the feelings of guilt returned in full force. 'How am I ever going to face her', he wondered.
"Miranda?" he said, "Mr. and Mrs. McGuire are here."
Miranda pulled away from Gordo and wiped her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she walked out into the lobby with Gordo in tow.
They could hear the panicked questions from Lizzie's parents before they got out of the waiting area. "We are her parents. Why can't you tell us anything? I want to see the doctor now."
As Gordo and Miranda came closer they could hear the nurse trying to calm them down. "Ma'am, you daughter is in surgery. The doctor will come see you as soon as he can. If you would like, you could go into the waiting area with..."
Jo and Sam turned around to follow the nurse when they both saw Miranda and Gordo. Miranda burst into tears and Jo ran over to her and wrapped her in a hug. Gordo backed away a little, but Sam wouldn't let him go anywhere. "It's okay Gordo." He said, "We don't blame either of you. It's not your fault. Do you understand me?"
Gordo looked up into the worried expression of Sam McGuire. He knew they would never blame him, but he could not help but blame himself.
"Let's go into the waiting room where we can talk." Jo said.
As they sat down, Miranda and Gordo introduced them to James. They explained everything that happened in as much detail as they could. Jo shook her head and cried as Sam held her close. Gordo wanted desperately to leave out some of the more gruesome details, but Lizzie's mom and dad wouldn't have that. They wanted to know everything.
When Gordo told them about Lizzie bleeding out, they looked at his shirt, saw the blood, and Jo ran for the bathroom before she threw up all over the waiting room. Sam sat in silence while Gordo continued to recap all the events. "Son?" Sam asked, "Would you like to go and get cleaned up?"
Gordo had forgotten about the bloodstains on his shirt. "Yeah." He said weakly, "I guess I should."
James smiled and took his elbow to guide him away. "Come on Gordo," he said, "I'll help you get cleaned up."
"Thank you." He muttered.
He and James were about to leave the waiting area when the doctor arrived. Jo also had just come back into the waiting room looking very pale.
She walked over to Sam and took his hand in hers. Taking a deep breath they asked, "How is she doctor?"
"My name is Doctor Cain. I assume you are Ms. McGuire's parents?" he asked.
"Yes we are." They replied. Gordo, James and Miranda all walked up to hear what the doctor had to say. He looked around at them.
"Would you like to go somewhere a little more private or is it okay to talk around non-family members?" Dr. Cain asked.
Jo and Sam looked around trying to figure out whom he was speaking of. The only stranger in the room was James, and he had done everything within his power to save their daughter, so in their minds, he was also family. "No," Jo said, "Whatever you have to say, you can say with everyone present."
Dr. Cain looked at all the worried faces. Nodding his agreement, he said. "Okay. Could we all have a seat?"
Taking their seats, everyone looked expectantly at the doctor. "First, you daughter is a fighter." He began. "Let me begin by telling you the extent of her injuries. She has several broken ribs on the left side of her body. She also sustained some liver and kidney damage, but we don't foresee that being a major issue, just mainly bruising, a broken pelvis and a concussion from a blow to the head."
Dr Cain stopped and looked over at Lizzie's parents. Oh how he hated these moments. "What are you not telling us?" Jo asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Dr. Cain asked.
Gordo's heart was racing. He was going all through his mind, but he could not think of what it could be. He had already said that she was still alive. "Please." He heard Sam say, "Just tell us."
Dr. Cain took a deep breath and stood up. Walking over to the glass door, he looked out into the hallway. "You have to first understand that we did everything we could possibly do."
"What? What are you saying?" Jo asked in a panic. "Just tell us."
Dr. Cain turned toward them and sat back down. "There was extensive damage. Once we got her in surgery, there was so much blood, and we could not even find out where it was coming from. Her abdominal cavity was full. That was the reason she was bleeding out vaginaly." He looked over at Gordo. He wished the McGuire's would send Gordo and Miranda out of the room. Taking a deep breath he continued, "We almost lost Lizzie several times, but like I said before, she is a fighter."
Sam was more than a little irritated that the doctor was giving them the run around. "Doctor Cain, we have established that our daughter is a fighter, now, could you please tell us what is wrong?"
Dr. Cain bowed his head. "The main injuries were to her uterus and ovaries. Her uterus was ruptured and the ovaries...well, they burst upon impact." Walking over to Jo, he looked at her and said, "We had to do a complete emergency hysterectomy. Your daughter will never be able to have children."
Catlin714 - Thank you for your latest review. I am really glad you are enjoying the story as much as I am enjoying writing it.
Lady Arwen Greenleaf - Your enthusiastic review makes me want to jump right on my word processor and start typing away. I appreciate your kindness and am honored that you put my story under your favorite stories category.
Wolf33 - Wow. You yourself are a very talented writer. Never give that up. Keep typing away. Thank you so much for your reviews. I appreciate it so much. I am humbled to be in your Favorite story and author category. Thank you so much.
Nerk-00 - Thank you again for keeping up with my story. I appreciate all your kindness. I am honored that you have chosen my story to place in your favorite story and author categories. You are very kind.
Angelgirl - Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it.
Xtremefaller8705 - Thank you also for your review. I appreciate it.
You guys are the best. Thank you for taking time to read and review my story. Sorry it has been a few days since I have updated, but with the holiday, I had other things going on. Now... without further ado.
Chapter 6
The ride to the hospital was long and quiet. James, Gordo and Miranda were all lost in thought. Gordo couldn't get the grieving screams of Lizzie's mom out of his mind. 'How could I be so stupid?' he thought. 'I knew better than to take my friends into a situation like that. Now look at what has happened. Lizzie may die, and it is all my fault.'
"Hey kid?" James pulling Gordo from his reverie, "You know this is nobody's fault right? This was just a freak accident."
Gordo, almost laughing at this, looked over at James and just shook his head. "It was not just a freak accident. Lizzie told me she didn't feel right going into that canyon and what did I do, I goaded her into it. I may have gotten my best friend killed."
"Gordo." Miranda said. "You were not the only one goading her. As I remember it, I too kept pushing until she gave in."
"It doesn't matter." Gordo replied, "I was driving. I had control of the vehicle. I had control of the situation. I knew better than to go camping in the canyons without getting permits and letting rangers know our plans. I let everyone down. Mrs. McGuire will never forgive me. All she kept saying was, 'my baby, my baby.' She knew, Miranda, she knew that something was going to happen on this trip and not a one of us listened."
"Gordo..." Miranda wanted to express that she understood. That no matter what, they were friends and would always be friends, but she never got the chance.
"Please Miranda." Gordo said cutting her off, "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to get to the hospital and find out how Lizzie is. I'm sure we will have a lot of time to talk about this later." Gordo, feeling as if the blackness of the situation was consuming him, stared out into the darkness with his thoughts turned once again to Lizzie.
She had said it 'I love you'. Those three little words burned deep within his soul. He would make sure she always had whatever she needed. He would make this up to her. "Please let me be able to make this up to her." He prayed.
The rest of the ride was in total silence, no one wanting to invade the other's thoughts. As they pulled up to the emergency room entrance, Gordo jumped out of the car and ran inside.
After parking the car, James and Miranda found Gordo standing at the emergency room desk yelling at a nurse. "What do you mean you don't have a McGuire? We were told she was coming to this hospital"
"I'm sorry sir," The nurse replied, "but we don't have a Lizzie McGuire listed as being a patient here."
Gordo looked as if he were going to fly across the desk and strangle her. James, placing his hand on Gordo's shoulder, slid him out of the way. "I'm sorry ma'am. If you could help me, we would greatly appreciate it. My name is Officer James Mallery and their friend was in a terrible accident. They life flighted her here." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "If you could please check again, her name may have been put under Elizabeth Brooke McGuire."
The nurse's annoyance showed on her face, but as she looked at Gordo, Miranda and Officer Mallery, she could see their stress and understood the seriousness of the situation. After typing Lizzie's name one more time on her computer, her annoyance transformed into compassion as the information filled her screen. "What?" Gordo and Miranda asked at the same time.
"She was brought in about an hour ago." The nurse said.
"Is that all?" Gordo asked, "Can't you tell us anything else?"
The Nurse looked up at James. Her eyes spoke volumes. He realized the situation was worse than imagined and that she was unwilling to dispense the grave information. "Are any of you family?" she asked.
"We might as well be." Gordo yelled. "We have known each other since grade school. Please tell me!"
"I'm sorry." She began.
James touched Gordo's arm to stop him from flying into a tirade. "Ma'am, these young people have had a very bad day. As you can see by this young man's clothes, he has had to watch his friend suffer greatly. Now, I know all about rules and regulations, but I think under these circumstances, and seeing that her family is flying in from California, you could at least give them a little information."
The nurse looked from Miranda to James, and then settled on Gordo. Her heart went out to him the moment she saw the unshed tears in his eyes. Sighing deeply, she said, " They brought her in. They worked with her in the trauma and then moved her to surgery. She has been in there ever since. There is nothing more I can tell you." She stood up and walked over to Miranda and Gordo, "I did overhear them say they had a fighter on their hands. If you would like, I can take you to the waiting room the doctor will come to once the surgery is over?"
Miranda and Gordo both nodded in agreement. The situation was beginning to hit both of them. They had not had time to really think about anything up to this point, but now, all they could do was sit and wait.
They had been sitting in the waiting area for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them speaking. James went down to the vending machines to get them some coffee and cokes. Gordo, noticing Miranda's fragile state, walked over and wrapped his arms around her as tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
"She's going to be fine Miranda. You have to believe that." He said.
They were still wrapped in each other's arms when Sam and Jo McGuire, Lizzie's parents, came through the emergency room doors. Gordo looked up and saw the tear-streaked face of Mrs. McGuire and all the feelings of guilt returned in full force. 'How am I ever going to face her', he wondered.
"Miranda?" he said, "Mr. and Mrs. McGuire are here."
Miranda pulled away from Gordo and wiped her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she walked out into the lobby with Gordo in tow.
They could hear the panicked questions from Lizzie's parents before they got out of the waiting area. "We are her parents. Why can't you tell us anything? I want to see the doctor now."
As Gordo and Miranda came closer they could hear the nurse trying to calm them down. "Ma'am, you daughter is in surgery. The doctor will come see you as soon as he can. If you would like, you could go into the waiting area with..."
Jo and Sam turned around to follow the nurse when they both saw Miranda and Gordo. Miranda burst into tears and Jo ran over to her and wrapped her in a hug. Gordo backed away a little, but Sam wouldn't let him go anywhere. "It's okay Gordo." He said, "We don't blame either of you. It's not your fault. Do you understand me?"
Gordo looked up into the worried expression of Sam McGuire. He knew they would never blame him, but he could not help but blame himself.
"Let's go into the waiting room where we can talk." Jo said.
As they sat down, Miranda and Gordo introduced them to James. They explained everything that happened in as much detail as they could. Jo shook her head and cried as Sam held her close. Gordo wanted desperately to leave out some of the more gruesome details, but Lizzie's mom and dad wouldn't have that. They wanted to know everything.
When Gordo told them about Lizzie bleeding out, they looked at his shirt, saw the blood, and Jo ran for the bathroom before she threw up all over the waiting room. Sam sat in silence while Gordo continued to recap all the events. "Son?" Sam asked, "Would you like to go and get cleaned up?"
Gordo had forgotten about the bloodstains on his shirt. "Yeah." He said weakly, "I guess I should."
James smiled and took his elbow to guide him away. "Come on Gordo," he said, "I'll help you get cleaned up."
"Thank you." He muttered.
He and James were about to leave the waiting area when the doctor arrived. Jo also had just come back into the waiting room looking very pale.
She walked over to Sam and took his hand in hers. Taking a deep breath they asked, "How is she doctor?"
"My name is Doctor Cain. I assume you are Ms. McGuire's parents?" he asked.
"Yes we are." They replied. Gordo, James and Miranda all walked up to hear what the doctor had to say. He looked around at them.
"Would you like to go somewhere a little more private or is it okay to talk around non-family members?" Dr. Cain asked.
Jo and Sam looked around trying to figure out whom he was speaking of. The only stranger in the room was James, and he had done everything within his power to save their daughter, so in their minds, he was also family. "No," Jo said, "Whatever you have to say, you can say with everyone present."
Dr. Cain looked at all the worried faces. Nodding his agreement, he said. "Okay. Could we all have a seat?"
Taking their seats, everyone looked expectantly at the doctor. "First, you daughter is a fighter." He began. "Let me begin by telling you the extent of her injuries. She has several broken ribs on the left side of her body. She also sustained some liver and kidney damage, but we don't foresee that being a major issue, just mainly bruising, a broken pelvis and a concussion from a blow to the head."
Dr Cain stopped and looked over at Lizzie's parents. Oh how he hated these moments. "What are you not telling us?" Jo asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Dr. Cain asked.
Gordo's heart was racing. He was going all through his mind, but he could not think of what it could be. He had already said that she was still alive. "Please." He heard Sam say, "Just tell us."
Dr. Cain took a deep breath and stood up. Walking over to the glass door, he looked out into the hallway. "You have to first understand that we did everything we could possibly do."
"What? What are you saying?" Jo asked in a panic. "Just tell us."
Dr. Cain turned toward them and sat back down. "There was extensive damage. Once we got her in surgery, there was so much blood, and we could not even find out where it was coming from. Her abdominal cavity was full. That was the reason she was bleeding out vaginaly." He looked over at Gordo. He wished the McGuire's would send Gordo and Miranda out of the room. Taking a deep breath he continued, "We almost lost Lizzie several times, but like I said before, she is a fighter."
Sam was more than a little irritated that the doctor was giving them the run around. "Doctor Cain, we have established that our daughter is a fighter, now, could you please tell us what is wrong?"
Dr. Cain bowed his head. "The main injuries were to her uterus and ovaries. Her uterus was ruptured and the ovaries...well, they burst upon impact." Walking over to Jo, he looked at her and said, "We had to do a complete emergency hysterectomy. Your daughter will never be able to have children."