The sight was almost heartbreaking. Carol had seen Susan's name on
the board when she came in earlier. Immediately, she had run to Susan's
room, nervous that her friend may be seriously injured. She hadn't bothered
to check with Mark about Susan's status. "Hey, Suz." She spoke quietly, not
wanting to startle the brunette looking forlornly at the window.
Still, she jumped. "Hi.. uh. hey, Carol."
"How are you feeling?" the curly haired nurse asked as she sat down next to her friend.
"I don't know. My head is pounding and I feel like I'm lost," Susan admitted.
"How come, Susan?" Carol asked, confused at the sad tone in her friend and colleague's voice.
"Didn't Mark tell you?" Susan asked, confused.
"No, I just got here. When I saw your name on the board I came to see if you were okay," Carol said. Worriedly, she reached out and grasped Susan's hand. "What's wrong, honey?"
Carol's worried tone and caring matter was all it took for Susan to begin crying. She did it softly at first, somewhat ashamed to be so emotional in front of Carol. Still, the nurse didn't react in a scornful matter; instead, she leaned forward and enveloped Susan in a hug. "Shh, it's okay, sweetie," Carol soothed, stroking her hair, careful to avoid the white bandage above her left temple. "Tell me what's wrong, Suz."
"Carol, for some reason and I don't know why or how, I imagined the next nine years of my life," Susan hiccupped.
"What do you mean?" Carol asked softly, pulling away from Susan but still keeping her hands on her shoulders as a method of comfort.
"It was all so real, Carol," Susan said. She looked at her friend with tear filled eyes and continued, "I moved away in November of 1996 to Phoenix to be with my sister and little Susie. I moved back in 2001 because I was tired of following Chloe around plus I had a major breakup with this guy. You and Doug were long gone by that time. Apparently you had twins together. Mark was married to a surgeon, Elizabeth Corday, and they had a baby girl, Ella, together and there was a whole different group in the ER. The only people I knew were Kerry, Peter, Mark, Malik, Haleh, Lydia, and John. Everyone else was gone. I dated and broke up with Carter. I married a friend of mine on an impulsive night in Vegas, Chuck. We annulled it and were very close before. uh, well, before all this happened. or I. imagined it. oh, Carol, I'm so lost," Susan said softly, the tears overflowing. "You must think I am crazy."
"Of course not, Suz," Carol said gently. "It's okay. We'll be here for you. I'm not sure what happened, but your friends and husband will be helping you."
"That's another thing, Carol. I had no clue I was. well, am, married to Mark," Susan said miserably. Seeing the confused and surprised look on Carol's face, she added, "He must be so hurt. I don't remember dating or the wedding or anything."
"You may have some sort of amnesia, Susan," Carol replied soothingly. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"Hitting my head in the year 2004," Susan replied, frustrated. She closed her eyes, wiping angrily at the tears that were drying on her pale cheeks.
"Oh, Susan," Carol said with a sigh. "It's going to be okay?"
"Can you guarantee that?" Susan asked, not opening her eyes.
"No, I can't, Susan. But I know that Mark loves you. You have a great circle of friends and colleagues. We're going to help you through this."
Susan nodded, opening her eyes as Carol wrapped her arms around her body again. "You're great, Abby. You always know the right thing to say," she said without thinking.
"Thanks, Suz, but who is Abby?" Carol asked.
"I'm sorry," Susan said. "Abby is a friend of mine. uh, in the year 2004 if you want to say."
"Oh," Carol said, patting Susan gently on the back. "Are you okay?" she asked, dark eyes boring into Susan's green eyes.
"I guess so," Susan said with a sigh, surprised when she felt a small tap against her stomach. Looking at her belly, she asked, "What the hell was that?"
"What?" Carol asked, her gaze following Susan's path to her stomach.
"I felt a tap in my stomach," Susan said, confused. Seeing the panicked look on Carol's face, she asked, "What? What is it, Carol?"
"I think I should get Mark," Carol said, moving to stand up.
"Mark's here," his voice piped up from the doorway. "Susan? What's wrong?"
The concern in his voice was obvious. She kind of liked the way he cared about her. that voice nagged. Noticing that she was silent for a few moments, she said, "I felt a weird sensation in my stomach. Sort of like a kicking," Susan said.
Mark looked back at Doug, who had entered the room as well and had moved to stand next to Carol. The pediatrician nodded his head in encouragement and Mark moved to sit next to Susan, occupying the seat that Carol had abandoned just seconds ago.
"Susan, honey, there's something I need to tell you," Mark said slowly, resting his hand against her stomach.
"What?" Susan asked, her eyes darting from his face to his hand on her stomach. It was only then that she noticed the rounding of her belly. She looked again at Mark, and asked, "Am I?"
"Yes, you are," Mark said. "You're six months pregnant."
Susan nodded, then asked, "Is it a boy or girl?"
"It's a little girl," Mark said carefully. Susan smiled, the first real smile since she had woken up. "Our little girl," Mark added happily.
Hesitantly, Susan moved her hand to her stomach, gently caressing the area before settling her hand on top of Mark's. "Our little girl," she whispered.
Doug and Carol glanced at each other, smiling. Things were going to be okay.
Still, she jumped. "Hi.. uh. hey, Carol."
"How are you feeling?" the curly haired nurse asked as she sat down next to her friend.
"I don't know. My head is pounding and I feel like I'm lost," Susan admitted.
"How come, Susan?" Carol asked, confused at the sad tone in her friend and colleague's voice.
"Didn't Mark tell you?" Susan asked, confused.
"No, I just got here. When I saw your name on the board I came to see if you were okay," Carol said. Worriedly, she reached out and grasped Susan's hand. "What's wrong, honey?"
Carol's worried tone and caring matter was all it took for Susan to begin crying. She did it softly at first, somewhat ashamed to be so emotional in front of Carol. Still, the nurse didn't react in a scornful matter; instead, she leaned forward and enveloped Susan in a hug. "Shh, it's okay, sweetie," Carol soothed, stroking her hair, careful to avoid the white bandage above her left temple. "Tell me what's wrong, Suz."
"Carol, for some reason and I don't know why or how, I imagined the next nine years of my life," Susan hiccupped.
"What do you mean?" Carol asked softly, pulling away from Susan but still keeping her hands on her shoulders as a method of comfort.
"It was all so real, Carol," Susan said. She looked at her friend with tear filled eyes and continued, "I moved away in November of 1996 to Phoenix to be with my sister and little Susie. I moved back in 2001 because I was tired of following Chloe around plus I had a major breakup with this guy. You and Doug were long gone by that time. Apparently you had twins together. Mark was married to a surgeon, Elizabeth Corday, and they had a baby girl, Ella, together and there was a whole different group in the ER. The only people I knew were Kerry, Peter, Mark, Malik, Haleh, Lydia, and John. Everyone else was gone. I dated and broke up with Carter. I married a friend of mine on an impulsive night in Vegas, Chuck. We annulled it and were very close before. uh, well, before all this happened. or I. imagined it. oh, Carol, I'm so lost," Susan said softly, the tears overflowing. "You must think I am crazy."
"Of course not, Suz," Carol said gently. "It's okay. We'll be here for you. I'm not sure what happened, but your friends and husband will be helping you."
"That's another thing, Carol. I had no clue I was. well, am, married to Mark," Susan said miserably. Seeing the confused and surprised look on Carol's face, she added, "He must be so hurt. I don't remember dating or the wedding or anything."
"You may have some sort of amnesia, Susan," Carol replied soothingly. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"Hitting my head in the year 2004," Susan replied, frustrated. She closed her eyes, wiping angrily at the tears that were drying on her pale cheeks.
"Oh, Susan," Carol said with a sigh. "It's going to be okay?"
"Can you guarantee that?" Susan asked, not opening her eyes.
"No, I can't, Susan. But I know that Mark loves you. You have a great circle of friends and colleagues. We're going to help you through this."
Susan nodded, opening her eyes as Carol wrapped her arms around her body again. "You're great, Abby. You always know the right thing to say," she said without thinking.
"Thanks, Suz, but who is Abby?" Carol asked.
"I'm sorry," Susan said. "Abby is a friend of mine. uh, in the year 2004 if you want to say."
"Oh," Carol said, patting Susan gently on the back. "Are you okay?" she asked, dark eyes boring into Susan's green eyes.
"I guess so," Susan said with a sigh, surprised when she felt a small tap against her stomach. Looking at her belly, she asked, "What the hell was that?"
"What?" Carol asked, her gaze following Susan's path to her stomach.
"I felt a tap in my stomach," Susan said, confused. Seeing the panicked look on Carol's face, she asked, "What? What is it, Carol?"
"I think I should get Mark," Carol said, moving to stand up.
"Mark's here," his voice piped up from the doorway. "Susan? What's wrong?"
The concern in his voice was obvious. She kind of liked the way he cared about her. that voice nagged. Noticing that she was silent for a few moments, she said, "I felt a weird sensation in my stomach. Sort of like a kicking," Susan said.
Mark looked back at Doug, who had entered the room as well and had moved to stand next to Carol. The pediatrician nodded his head in encouragement and Mark moved to sit next to Susan, occupying the seat that Carol had abandoned just seconds ago.
"Susan, honey, there's something I need to tell you," Mark said slowly, resting his hand against her stomach.
"What?" Susan asked, her eyes darting from his face to his hand on her stomach. It was only then that she noticed the rounding of her belly. She looked again at Mark, and asked, "Am I?"
"Yes, you are," Mark said. "You're six months pregnant."
Susan nodded, then asked, "Is it a boy or girl?"
"It's a little girl," Mark said carefully. Susan smiled, the first real smile since she had woken up. "Our little girl," Mark added happily.
Hesitantly, Susan moved her hand to her stomach, gently caressing the area before settling her hand on top of Mark's. "Our little girl," she whispered.
Doug and Carol glanced at each other, smiling. Things were going to be okay.