Title – Cold Outside
Rating – PG
Spoliers - Some for 'Freefall' but only slight ones in future chapters for UK viewers.
Summary - My version of 'Freefall', Cordano stylee! Elizabeth is asleep in the Surgical Lounge when the Chopper comes down. Can she come to terms with her own experience while trying to save the life of a loved one?
Authors Note - After watching 'Freefall' again last night I was struck by an idea for Elizabeth's last goodbye to Romano and started writing it. Halfway through however, I changed my mind and began writing something slightly different. It's the same concept, I just added this chapter at the beginning of the story! Enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As the darkness surrounding her grew thicker and denser Elizabeth finally succumbed to it and breathed her last. But before her mouth could close around the smoke she felt the arms around her. Lifting her up, away from the hard floor that she suddenly realised she had been sitting on. Taking her away from Dorsett. Realising then that she was doing exactly what she'd stayed not to do, she was leaving him to die. She tried to fight against the strong arms carrying her away but she couldn't. Her strength had been drained minutes before that. She couldn't cope anymore. As she let the men take over the responsibility she closed her eyes and finally relaxed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Elizabeth sat up in her bed, her breathing shallow and ragged. She looked around her, expecting to see the same smoke and desperation that she had witnessed upstairs. But down here, wherever she was, there was nothing. The small room she was in was silent. The air she was breathing as fresh as you could get in Chicago. Elizabeth was inclined to simply sit back down and sleep, ignoring everything that had happened upstairs. Suddenly it hit her. Whatever had happened had happened upstairs. For all she knew the entire building could be on fire. And even if it wasn't she needed to know what was going on. Despite her better judgement she needed to know. Just as she was about to leap from her bed the door sprung open and Susan walked in, clipboard in hand.
"OK, Dr Corday, how're we doing?" Normally Elizabeth would have expected the sentence to be delivered as a joke. As a colleague and friend who was clearly enjoying seeing her in a hospital bed. Today, however, that tone was absent. The line was delivered the same as it would be to any other patient. And Elizabeth needed to know why.
"Susan, what's going on?"
Susan paused then, not expecting the direct question. She had assumed Elizabeth would have known. She was found upstairs, she must surely have heard the crash, felt the heat of the fire, the noise as everyone ran to escape? One look at the surgeons face and Susan knew she honestly didn't know.
"There was a crash. A chopper lost control and crashed into the side of the building before hitting the ground."
Elizabeth paused before asking her next question, knowing she already knew the answer, "Where ... where did it hit?"
"The 5th floor, right above the Surgical Lounge"
Elizabeth didn't want to know any more about that. Not right now. At this present moment she needed to help. She'd already failed one person today, possibly even fatally. She needed to help the others. Without even looking at Susan she stood up and grabbed her charred trousers from next to her bed.
"Elizabeth what are you doing?" Susan asked as Elizabeth pulled her oxygen mask off and yanked her trousers up around her.
"How many casualty's are there?"
"Elizabeth, I don't think you need to ..."
"How many?"
Susan sighed before relenting, "4 in the Chopper, all presumed dead. 20 plus on the ground. At least 12 serious. 16 from within. Mostly minor burns; they're being moved to other wards now."
"OK, so where do you want me?"
Susan contemplated arguing with her, but eventually decided against it. "Admit. You see anything requiring a consult, take it"
Elizabeth didn't answer. She raced out of her room as soon as the words left Susan's mouth. She didn't know why she cared so much. She just knew that she did. She needed to feel useful right now, if only to take her mind off Dorsett's face, bleeding and alone. Abandoned. A face left alone to die by everybody else, a face that she couldn't save. No matter how hard she had tried to. Shaking off the feeling Elizabeth walked out towards the desk. The image that greeted her was one that would stay imprinted on her mind forever.
Rating – PG
Spoliers - Some for 'Freefall' but only slight ones in future chapters for UK viewers.
Summary - My version of 'Freefall', Cordano stylee! Elizabeth is asleep in the Surgical Lounge when the Chopper comes down. Can she come to terms with her own experience while trying to save the life of a loved one?
Authors Note - After watching 'Freefall' again last night I was struck by an idea for Elizabeth's last goodbye to Romano and started writing it. Halfway through however, I changed my mind and began writing something slightly different. It's the same concept, I just added this chapter at the beginning of the story! Enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As the darkness surrounding her grew thicker and denser Elizabeth finally succumbed to it and breathed her last. But before her mouth could close around the smoke she felt the arms around her. Lifting her up, away from the hard floor that she suddenly realised she had been sitting on. Taking her away from Dorsett. Realising then that she was doing exactly what she'd stayed not to do, she was leaving him to die. She tried to fight against the strong arms carrying her away but she couldn't. Her strength had been drained minutes before that. She couldn't cope anymore. As she let the men take over the responsibility she closed her eyes and finally relaxed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Elizabeth sat up in her bed, her breathing shallow and ragged. She looked around her, expecting to see the same smoke and desperation that she had witnessed upstairs. But down here, wherever she was, there was nothing. The small room she was in was silent. The air she was breathing as fresh as you could get in Chicago. Elizabeth was inclined to simply sit back down and sleep, ignoring everything that had happened upstairs. Suddenly it hit her. Whatever had happened had happened upstairs. For all she knew the entire building could be on fire. And even if it wasn't she needed to know what was going on. Despite her better judgement she needed to know. Just as she was about to leap from her bed the door sprung open and Susan walked in, clipboard in hand.
"OK, Dr Corday, how're we doing?" Normally Elizabeth would have expected the sentence to be delivered as a joke. As a colleague and friend who was clearly enjoying seeing her in a hospital bed. Today, however, that tone was absent. The line was delivered the same as it would be to any other patient. And Elizabeth needed to know why.
"Susan, what's going on?"
Susan paused then, not expecting the direct question. She had assumed Elizabeth would have known. She was found upstairs, she must surely have heard the crash, felt the heat of the fire, the noise as everyone ran to escape? One look at the surgeons face and Susan knew she honestly didn't know.
"There was a crash. A chopper lost control and crashed into the side of the building before hitting the ground."
Elizabeth paused before asking her next question, knowing she already knew the answer, "Where ... where did it hit?"
"The 5th floor, right above the Surgical Lounge"
Elizabeth didn't want to know any more about that. Not right now. At this present moment she needed to help. She'd already failed one person today, possibly even fatally. She needed to help the others. Without even looking at Susan she stood up and grabbed her charred trousers from next to her bed.
"Elizabeth what are you doing?" Susan asked as Elizabeth pulled her oxygen mask off and yanked her trousers up around her.
"How many casualty's are there?"
"Elizabeth, I don't think you need to ..."
"How many?"
Susan sighed before relenting, "4 in the Chopper, all presumed dead. 20 plus on the ground. At least 12 serious. 16 from within. Mostly minor burns; they're being moved to other wards now."
"OK, so where do you want me?"
Susan contemplated arguing with her, but eventually decided against it. "Admit. You see anything requiring a consult, take it"
Elizabeth didn't answer. She raced out of her room as soon as the words left Susan's mouth. She didn't know why she cared so much. She just knew that she did. She needed to feel useful right now, if only to take her mind off Dorsett's face, bleeding and alone. Abandoned. A face left alone to die by everybody else, a face that she couldn't save. No matter how hard she had tried to. Shaking off the feeling Elizabeth walked out towards the desk. The image that greeted her was one that would stay imprinted on her mind forever.