Thank-you guys, for your awesome, kind reviews. I didn't really expect that reaction at all. It's quite the pleasant surprise. Here's the second chapter. That's right, you convinced me! I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think. Tell me if you think I should continue or not.
Thanks,
Joey
Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing.
-The Hours After-
Chapter Two
I can hear voices but they sound more like echoes. It's like they're in a quiet, empty hallway, very far away. I struggle to comprehend what they are saying, but I can only make out fragments of the conversation. I definitely recognize one of the voices.
"God, when it rains it pours. He makes it five on the day."
Swersky. That's definitely Swersky. What the hell is Swersky doing in my apartment? I attempt to open my eyes. I can't remember ever feeling this tired. My body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds and my eye lids feel like they're glued shut. I attempt to roll onto my side but I am stopped by a cold metal bar. As a high pitched, piercing sound fills the air, it hits me. I suddenly remember where I am. I open my eyes a little bit, letting in some of the blinding bright light that surrounds me.
"Megan, fix the officer's IV please. It appears he has dislodged it."
A young nurse enters my line of vision, a sad expression on her face, "Officer, I'm just going to roll you over on your back, okay?"
I attempt to find my voice, "Can you please stop that noise?" It comes out raspy because my mouth is so dry. I close my eyes and swallow.
The nurse flips a switch, seizing the shrill screeching and proceeds to reattach my IV that I must have ripped out when I attempted to roll over.
Faith. I wonder how Faith is. How long have I been out of it? I open my eyes again and lift my head up slightly to scan the room for Lieutenant Swersky. I make it halfway across the room before my head begins to throb. Wincing, I drop back down onto the pillow. I groan and raise my free arm up over my forehead.
"Take it easy Officer, you had quite a little fall out there."
I turn towards the perky nurse, and again, pry my weary eyes open, "How long?"
"How long what, Sir? How long were you unconscious?"
I nod and close my eyes again. The throbbing is continually building. I figure it won't be long until my head implodes.
"You've only been out for about twenty-five minutes. I'll get a doctor to come talk to you."
"Swersky." For some reason, full sentences aren't an option right now.
"Swersky?" the nurse asks confused. "Is he the Officer that was just in here?"
I slowly nod again.
"Did you want to talk to him? I can see if I can find him if you'd like."
"Thanks, " I reply again dryly. The pressure in my head is building Just when I think it can't get any worse, it gets stronger and stronger, like when someone is blowing up a balloon. I feel my stomach turning and wonder if I'll be able to fight off the sudden nausea that is ripping through my shaky body.
"Bosco?" I don't even open my eyes to acknowledge him. I don't want to move. If it were any other time, under any other circumstance, I don't think I would have found the strength to talk in my condition, but right now, I need to know. I need to know about Faith.
"Lieu, how's Faith?"
"I don't know Bosco, she's still in surgery. I'm about to head up there myself," he sighs, obviously distraught over the day's events. "If I hear anything, I'll be sure to let you know."
He pauses and for a second I think that he's either left, or I've passed out. I can't be bothered to open my eyes to check. I can feel the thin film of sweat forming on my face and neck.
"You don't look so good Bosco. Do you want me to get a doctor?"
"No…. No Lieu," I swallow again and manage to open my eyes a crack. "I want to come upstairs with you."
"I don't think that's the best idea right now, Bosco. You stay here, let the doctors take a look at you and I promise, the second I hear anything, you'll be the first to know."
I'm disappointed, but I can't say that I disagree with him too much. The thought of keeping my eyes open is exhausting , let alone getting up. I nod my agreement to Swersky, and I feel him pat my arm before he leaves the room. How can he be this nice to me? I might have gotten one of his finest officers killed. If my head wasn't so sore, I'd want him to yell at me, tell me what a failure I am, say what everyone else is thinking. This cannot be the day we lose Faith. The mere thought of her not making it sends a sharp pain through my chest. It can't happen. It's as simple as that. I can't let it happen. Not to me, not to her family, not even to Fred. We all need her. God, I need her now.
"Officer?"
I'm separated from my thoughts at the sound of a man's voice. I turn slightly towards him and try once again to open my eyes.
"I'm Doctor Reves. How are you feeling?"
How am I feeling? Is he for real? This has just been the worst day of my life. I feel great Doc, thanks for asking. As much as I would like to shoot my mouth off to this guy, all I can manage is a quiet, "Super."
The doctor tilts his head and continues, ignoring my sarcastic remark, "You did quite the number on your head. Now that you're awake, I'd like to send you off to get a CT scan so we can rule out any bleeding."
He places the chart back on the table and lowers his voice slightly, "Have you been eating regularly or had any illness lately?"
The question baffles me somewhat, "What?"
"I'm just trying to figure out what caused you to collapse like that. You were dehydrated, and we've been pumping fluids into you, but that shouldn't have caused you to lose consciousness like that. If you haven't been eating like you would normally, or your sleeping habits have changed, or you've been sick, combined with the stress of the day, it might explain what happened out there. I'm just trying to rule out anything more serious, that's all."
"I…. I don't know Doc…. It's just…," I'm not sure exactly what to tell him. My life has completely fallen apart, could that explain it, Doc?
"It's just what, officer?"
"It's been a long week." There, that should satisfy him. I close my eyes again as another wave of pain shoots through my skull. I wish he'd just give me something for the pain and let me go up to the OR to wait with the others.
"I'd like to draw some blood before we send you to get that scan, just to be on the safe side. How's your head? It took a good 12 stitches to close that wound."
Well that explains a lot. I can feel the bandage above my left temple. I've been whacked over the head a few times in my day, but it's never hurt like this.
"Hurts."
"We'll see if we can get you something for that to make you a little more comfortable and I'll send a nurse in to draw some blood." With that, he walks out, but is quickly replaced by Proctor, vials in hand. "Great," I think to myself. This just keeps getting better and better.
She's surprisingly gentle as she administers more drugs through my IV and begins to draw blood from my arm. I continue to keep my eyes closed and try to ignore her presence. It's bad enough that Proctor's poking and prodding at me, but now I have to get stuck with needles. All I want to do is get out of this room and be there for Faith.
"I'll send these to the lab and then take you to get that CT."
*******
I hear Kim's voice as I am being wheeled through the hall on the way to have my head scanned , "I can't believe it," her voice is muffled by sobs. "How could all of this have happened? I can't believe she's gone…"
I think my heart has stopped.…. My eyes shoot open and I use my elbows to prop myself up. Carlos is standing beside her, looking awkward and uncomfortable.
Proctor stops suddenly, "Bosco, you should really lie down."
I feel the blood draining from my face. I didn't want to find out this way. Why didn't Swersky come tell me, that bastard promised. I can't breathe and my arms start to tremble beneath the weight of my upper body.
"Kim," I gasp. She spins around to face me, her face red from crying. She sniffles before she replies.
"Bosco," she sounds slightly surprised to see me. "I didn't get to tell you last time. I mean, I didn't know Bosco. I'm sorry, I didn't know….. He was so nice to me, I didn't know…" she barely gets the last words out before she bursts into tears again. What was she talking about? Who is 'he'? I must look extremely lost because she proceeds to explain.
"Aaron Noble," she says shakily, raising her voice slightly at the end making it sound more like a question, "I just found out that what happened to Faith…. I mean, how it all happened in his hotel room."
II lower myself back onto the gurney before my arms give out. My head is starting to swim but I need to know what is going on before I pass out.
"What about him?" I ask, still facing in her direction.
"I… I thought you knew? We were… seeing each other," her voice is hushed as she tries to read the expression on my face.
"You?" I ask incredulously. "You and Noble? You kidding me?"
Things are going spotty again. Oh God, this is not good. I think I'm going to throw up. I grip onto the railing tightly as I try to fight the overwhelming pain and nausea.
"I thought you knew, " she says again, as she wipes her cheeks with her sleeve.
I lick my lips and try to suppress the horrible waves of nausea, "You're crying over Noble?" My voice is low and the surprise is evident.
"No… well, no, not really," she sniffles again. "I guess I'm crying about everything. Alex, what happened to Faith, everything…." the tears continue to stream down her face.
Alex? What about Alex? No one ever said anything to me about Alex.
"Taylor?" I whisper.
Kim nods.
I'm fading quickly, and I don't know if I will be able to get all my questions answered before I'm out again, so I ask the really important one. The one I need to know.
"So Faith's not…." I can't even say the word, everything's aching so badly now, I'm rapidly losing focus.
Kim shakes her head. "She's still in surgery. I mean… I don't know, I haven't heard."
At those words, my heart starts beating again and I am able to take somewhat of a deep breath. Things are going blurry, and all I can feel now is the beating in my head. As much as it hurts, in a strange way, it's comforting. She's okay, she's going to make it, I'm sure of it. That's just the way it has to be. There are a thousand other questions I'd like to ask, but I can feel myself fading out again. I guess Lieu was right, when it rains it pours.
The gurney is moving again and I can hear Proctor calling for someone. Everything's starting to slip away, and again, I see Faith.
TBC?
Please let me know what you think. I really appreciate feedback!
Thanks,
Joey
Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing.
-The Hours After-
Chapter Two
I can hear voices but they sound more like echoes. It's like they're in a quiet, empty hallway, very far away. I struggle to comprehend what they are saying, but I can only make out fragments of the conversation. I definitely recognize one of the voices.
"God, when it rains it pours. He makes it five on the day."
Swersky. That's definitely Swersky. What the hell is Swersky doing in my apartment? I attempt to open my eyes. I can't remember ever feeling this tired. My body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds and my eye lids feel like they're glued shut. I attempt to roll onto my side but I am stopped by a cold metal bar. As a high pitched, piercing sound fills the air, it hits me. I suddenly remember where I am. I open my eyes a little bit, letting in some of the blinding bright light that surrounds me.
"Megan, fix the officer's IV please. It appears he has dislodged it."
A young nurse enters my line of vision, a sad expression on her face, "Officer, I'm just going to roll you over on your back, okay?"
I attempt to find my voice, "Can you please stop that noise?" It comes out raspy because my mouth is so dry. I close my eyes and swallow.
The nurse flips a switch, seizing the shrill screeching and proceeds to reattach my IV that I must have ripped out when I attempted to roll over.
Faith. I wonder how Faith is. How long have I been out of it? I open my eyes again and lift my head up slightly to scan the room for Lieutenant Swersky. I make it halfway across the room before my head begins to throb. Wincing, I drop back down onto the pillow. I groan and raise my free arm up over my forehead.
"Take it easy Officer, you had quite a little fall out there."
I turn towards the perky nurse, and again, pry my weary eyes open, "How long?"
"How long what, Sir? How long were you unconscious?"
I nod and close my eyes again. The throbbing is continually building. I figure it won't be long until my head implodes.
"You've only been out for about twenty-five minutes. I'll get a doctor to come talk to you."
"Swersky." For some reason, full sentences aren't an option right now.
"Swersky?" the nurse asks confused. "Is he the Officer that was just in here?"
I slowly nod again.
"Did you want to talk to him? I can see if I can find him if you'd like."
"Thanks, " I reply again dryly. The pressure in my head is building Just when I think it can't get any worse, it gets stronger and stronger, like when someone is blowing up a balloon. I feel my stomach turning and wonder if I'll be able to fight off the sudden nausea that is ripping through my shaky body.
"Bosco?" I don't even open my eyes to acknowledge him. I don't want to move. If it were any other time, under any other circumstance, I don't think I would have found the strength to talk in my condition, but right now, I need to know. I need to know about Faith.
"Lieu, how's Faith?"
"I don't know Bosco, she's still in surgery. I'm about to head up there myself," he sighs, obviously distraught over the day's events. "If I hear anything, I'll be sure to let you know."
He pauses and for a second I think that he's either left, or I've passed out. I can't be bothered to open my eyes to check. I can feel the thin film of sweat forming on my face and neck.
"You don't look so good Bosco. Do you want me to get a doctor?"
"No…. No Lieu," I swallow again and manage to open my eyes a crack. "I want to come upstairs with you."
"I don't think that's the best idea right now, Bosco. You stay here, let the doctors take a look at you and I promise, the second I hear anything, you'll be the first to know."
I'm disappointed, but I can't say that I disagree with him too much. The thought of keeping my eyes open is exhausting , let alone getting up. I nod my agreement to Swersky, and I feel him pat my arm before he leaves the room. How can he be this nice to me? I might have gotten one of his finest officers killed. If my head wasn't so sore, I'd want him to yell at me, tell me what a failure I am, say what everyone else is thinking. This cannot be the day we lose Faith. The mere thought of her not making it sends a sharp pain through my chest. It can't happen. It's as simple as that. I can't let it happen. Not to me, not to her family, not even to Fred. We all need her. God, I need her now.
"Officer?"
I'm separated from my thoughts at the sound of a man's voice. I turn slightly towards him and try once again to open my eyes.
"I'm Doctor Reves. How are you feeling?"
How am I feeling? Is he for real? This has just been the worst day of my life. I feel great Doc, thanks for asking. As much as I would like to shoot my mouth off to this guy, all I can manage is a quiet, "Super."
The doctor tilts his head and continues, ignoring my sarcastic remark, "You did quite the number on your head. Now that you're awake, I'd like to send you off to get a CT scan so we can rule out any bleeding."
He places the chart back on the table and lowers his voice slightly, "Have you been eating regularly or had any illness lately?"
The question baffles me somewhat, "What?"
"I'm just trying to figure out what caused you to collapse like that. You were dehydrated, and we've been pumping fluids into you, but that shouldn't have caused you to lose consciousness like that. If you haven't been eating like you would normally, or your sleeping habits have changed, or you've been sick, combined with the stress of the day, it might explain what happened out there. I'm just trying to rule out anything more serious, that's all."
"I…. I don't know Doc…. It's just…," I'm not sure exactly what to tell him. My life has completely fallen apart, could that explain it, Doc?
"It's just what, officer?"
"It's been a long week." There, that should satisfy him. I close my eyes again as another wave of pain shoots through my skull. I wish he'd just give me something for the pain and let me go up to the OR to wait with the others.
"I'd like to draw some blood before we send you to get that scan, just to be on the safe side. How's your head? It took a good 12 stitches to close that wound."
Well that explains a lot. I can feel the bandage above my left temple. I've been whacked over the head a few times in my day, but it's never hurt like this.
"Hurts."
"We'll see if we can get you something for that to make you a little more comfortable and I'll send a nurse in to draw some blood." With that, he walks out, but is quickly replaced by Proctor, vials in hand. "Great," I think to myself. This just keeps getting better and better.
She's surprisingly gentle as she administers more drugs through my IV and begins to draw blood from my arm. I continue to keep my eyes closed and try to ignore her presence. It's bad enough that Proctor's poking and prodding at me, but now I have to get stuck with needles. All I want to do is get out of this room and be there for Faith.
"I'll send these to the lab and then take you to get that CT."
*******
I hear Kim's voice as I am being wheeled through the hall on the way to have my head scanned , "I can't believe it," her voice is muffled by sobs. "How could all of this have happened? I can't believe she's gone…"
I think my heart has stopped.…. My eyes shoot open and I use my elbows to prop myself up. Carlos is standing beside her, looking awkward and uncomfortable.
Proctor stops suddenly, "Bosco, you should really lie down."
I feel the blood draining from my face. I didn't want to find out this way. Why didn't Swersky come tell me, that bastard promised. I can't breathe and my arms start to tremble beneath the weight of my upper body.
"Kim," I gasp. She spins around to face me, her face red from crying. She sniffles before she replies.
"Bosco," she sounds slightly surprised to see me. "I didn't get to tell you last time. I mean, I didn't know Bosco. I'm sorry, I didn't know….. He was so nice to me, I didn't know…" she barely gets the last words out before she bursts into tears again. What was she talking about? Who is 'he'? I must look extremely lost because she proceeds to explain.
"Aaron Noble," she says shakily, raising her voice slightly at the end making it sound more like a question, "I just found out that what happened to Faith…. I mean, how it all happened in his hotel room."
II lower myself back onto the gurney before my arms give out. My head is starting to swim but I need to know what is going on before I pass out.
"What about him?" I ask, still facing in her direction.
"I… I thought you knew? We were… seeing each other," her voice is hushed as she tries to read the expression on my face.
"You?" I ask incredulously. "You and Noble? You kidding me?"
Things are going spotty again. Oh God, this is not good. I think I'm going to throw up. I grip onto the railing tightly as I try to fight the overwhelming pain and nausea.
"I thought you knew, " she says again, as she wipes her cheeks with her sleeve.
I lick my lips and try to suppress the horrible waves of nausea, "You're crying over Noble?" My voice is low and the surprise is evident.
"No… well, no, not really," she sniffles again. "I guess I'm crying about everything. Alex, what happened to Faith, everything…." the tears continue to stream down her face.
Alex? What about Alex? No one ever said anything to me about Alex.
"Taylor?" I whisper.
Kim nods.
I'm fading quickly, and I don't know if I will be able to get all my questions answered before I'm out again, so I ask the really important one. The one I need to know.
"So Faith's not…." I can't even say the word, everything's aching so badly now, I'm rapidly losing focus.
Kim shakes her head. "She's still in surgery. I mean… I don't know, I haven't heard."
At those words, my heart starts beating again and I am able to take somewhat of a deep breath. Things are going blurry, and all I can feel now is the beating in my head. As much as it hurts, in a strange way, it's comforting. She's okay, she's going to make it, I'm sure of it. That's just the way it has to be. There are a thousand other questions I'd like to ask, but I can feel myself fading out again. I guess Lieu was right, when it rains it pours.
The gurney is moving again and I can hear Proctor calling for someone. Everything's starting to slip away, and again, I see Faith.
TBC?
Please let me know what you think. I really appreciate feedback!