The Diary of Dana Stowe" By: Dr.StoweWannabe27
Chapter Ten- The Reunion
"Where is she? I want to see her!" Lu jumped feeling as if the knot in her stomach had untied. "She is on the fifth floor, room 527. We admitted her to get some nutrients back in her system. She hadn't eaten for the past two days....." The detective was cut off by Lu rushing out the door. "Lana! They found her! She's upstairs room 527. Tell Nick when he gets back." Lu said rushing past Lana's desk toward the elevator. Lana jumped with excitement, everyone looked, and Peter laughed not knowing about anything that was happening.
Dana opened her eyes to find herself lying in a hospital bed at Rittenhouse Hospital. She felt around her bed to see if she had anything with her. When she got to her neck she felt the gold locket she had. She smiled with content knowing that the picture of Annie and Louise were there. Annie and Louise had been on her thoughts the whole time. She was scared and lonely where the woman had hid her. She thought she would never see them again. She lifted her head to see that she had about three IVs on her left hand. She sat up and reached for the charts hanging off the end of her bed. Being a doctor she would understand them. She read that she came in starving and unconscious. Her BP was 105/55 and she was doing okay with everything else.
She relaxed, but not completely. Who were Louise and Annie with? Were they alone? Hungry? Sleepy? Dead? The thought terrified her. A nurse walked in the room and saw she had regained consciousness and went to call for Bob Jackson. Right after the nurse left she heard someone running down the hall. She thought it could be Bob, but then she saw Lu show up in the doorway.
Lu filled up with emotion at seeing her best friend safe and sound after two days of imagining the worse. Crying, she walked over to Dana, who also started crying, and without any words they hugged. They stood there for a while before Lu pulled away. "Dana, I'm so glad you're safe. I thought you were dead." Lu said pulling up a chair. "I didn't know what was happening, Lu. I was so scared that the woman would kill me." Dana said wiping her tears with a tissue that was on the nightstand next to her bed. Lu looked at Dana with confusion, she could tell that Dana was worried about the girls, but she didn't know that the 'woman' was Clementine? She thought. "Dana, you don't know who the woman that attacked you was?" "No, Lu, I asked but she said that she was a casual acquaintance. And besides, she was wearing a disguise that I could swear looked like me. Why do you ask?" "Dana, she was an acquaintance, she was someone very close actually." "What are you getting to, I don't understand, Lu." Dana had a worried look on her face. "Dana I know who it was." "Who?" Dana asked wearily, with some fright in her voice. "Dana, who have your girls been staying with?" "Clementine I guess, but that doesn't have anything to do with this, who is it?" "Dana, rephrase that last sentence. It does have everything to do with this. Your girls aren't with Clementine, they're with me and Nick at your house. And the woman who attacked you was Clementine. I identified her in the morgue when her plan failed."
Dana sat with her mouth gaping open. A fly could have come in unnoticed. "You're kidding, right? What plan? You don't have a key to my house and Clementine won't kidnap me and leave me in a room by myself locked up. She's my friend. You know that. I want to see my girls." Dana said her thoughts racing through her head. Now she felt sick. Lu put a hand on Dana's shoulder and nodded. Dana saw this, "Oh, God, you're serious, aren't you?" Lu could just nod. Dana broke into tears. "I don't understand, I don't understand any of this Lu." Lu stayed with Dana explaining the events of the past days, till she got called to the ER.
When she was done she went back to the clinic to see if Nick had come back. "Lana," "Is Dana okay, Lu?" Lana asked Lu walking around the corner. "Yeah, she's resting, two days without food. Well has Nick arrived?" "Yeah, he's in your office." "Thanks Lana." Lu walked over to her office.
"Hey Nick." Lu sat down on her desk and poked Nick which had fallen asleep waiting for her. "Huh, huh, what?" Nick jerked awake. "Oh, sorry Lu didn't get much sleep last night. Have they updated you on any information regarding Dana?" "Nope, but I do want to show you a patient I have up in room 527. They said some guardian of hers starved her for two days. She seems bored maybe you could go talk with her." "Sure Lu, what's this patient's name?" "Dana" "Okay, I'll go talk with Dana then. Sounds weird to say that when she is missing. God I miss her. Oh, and I left the kids at home with Marc and brought the diary so they couldn't get to it." Nick stood and started walking down the hallway. Lu smiled, she would surprise Nick. He had been so bummed the past days. She picked up the diary and went to catch up with Nick before he got on the elevator. Together they climbed to the fifth floor. Walking down the hallway, Lu couldn't help but smile, making Nick suspicious. They reached the room 527 and walked in. "Dana!" "Nick!" They screamed seeing each other. Nick ran to her and hugged her. She pulled away and kissed him. Lu standing in the doorway decided he better leave them alone for a while. She walked out to the waiting area and sat. She waited and waited.
She got tired of waiting so she decided to read some more of the diary before she gave it back. "Let's see, how about three days ago." She opened the diary to the last page and read.
August 20, 2004
Dear Diary,
It was such an eventful day. Nick and I announced our engagement. I made dinner and invited everyone to dinner. We had so much fun. Lu stayed over night with Marc. Clementine was acting pretty weird so I told her to take some food home and relax that Nick and I had it under control.
I can't believe my life has become so perfect all of a sudden. I don't regret ever changing. I will marry my one and only true love and I have two beautiful daughters. I have friends who will back me up in any situation. Can life get any better? Yes, it can. If Kilner wasn't running the breast cancer research at MGH. I can only dream of the day when he gets fired, arrested, or killed for whatever purpose.
I'll write soon!
Yours Truly, Dana
Bob came walking down the hall way looking kind of nervous. "Hi Dr.Delgado. Is someone with Dana at the moment?" He asked approaching Lu. "Yes, Nick is with her and the last time I checked they were making out in there. I would wait here." "Sure." He took the seat next to Lu's and began to think.
Lu just stared at the door to room 527, waiting for it to open so she could see her best friend. A few minutes after Nick walked out of the room with a huge grin on his face. "Lu, I am going home to get the kids." He told Lu starting off down the hall.
Bob at that moment rushed into Dana's room and hugged her. After all, he missed her, she was his best friend. "Dana I'm so glad your back!" He pulled away. "Thanks Bob. If it wasn't for Lu and Nick calling a search team I'd still probably be lost." She said smiling at Lu. "Well I'm giving you a vacation of three weeks to recuperate and return to your daily schedule. I just came to tell you that and see if you were okay. I have to go, got a man up in ER complaining and causing a raucous." He then took off. Lu and Dana were left alone. Lu made a quick decision that she would give Dana her diary back.
She held the hand holding the diary out to Dana. "Lu what is...My Diary!" She yelled grabbing it out of Lu's hand like a little schoolgirl. She held it close to her chest and muttered a few words to herself. Lu had a weird look on her face like why did she have to snatch it so rudely. Dana noticed and apologized. Lu pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat facing her. "So, explain to me about your diary." "First, I am sorry for that rude act of mine. Second, did you read it?" Lu blushed and nodded. "Lu!" "Sorry I thought you were dead for the past few days." Dana calmed and kept explaining. "well, what can a say, it's my confidant. I write in it every day keeping my thoughts together and knowing I can go back and read about that day. And I don't know.....So, what did you read?" Lu now redder than before pointed out the specific dates. "Okay, but Nick didn't read it did he?" Lu didn't know. "Maybe. I don't recall seeing him near your diary at anytime." "Thank goodness!"
The door then burst open with a little five year old running towards her mommy. "Mommy! I missed you so much." Annie said climbing on top of her mom's bed to embrace her. "I missed you too, sweetie." Dana said hugging Annie tighter. She let go of Annie and looked at Louise being held up by Nick at the foot of her bed. "Maw ma, maw ma." Louise said as she took her very first step. "Oh my God! Louise come to mommy." Dana held out her arms and let a tear drop from her eye. "Maw ma" Louise continued inching towards her mom. She reached Dana knees and almost fell before Dana caught her. "Oh baby, I missed you so, so much. Now you know that I won't be carrying you as often." Dana told Louise, lightly poking her little nose. Louise sat on her mother's lap looking up at her with her big blue eyes and let out a smile. Dana giggled and Louise started to crawl towards Lu. Marc then approached Dana and gave her a hug. Lana and Peter walked into the room and greeted Dana with hellos, hugs, and welcome back cards from the patients down in the clinic and of course themselves.
All Dana could do was smile. She was surrounded by the people that she loved and cared about. Dana pushed the 'nurse' button on her remote and a little, brunette nurse walked in. "Is there anything you may need Dr. Stowe?" She asked politely, eyeing all the people in the room. "Yes, actually can you go down to the gift shop and buy a camera. Nick will give you some money. Please." She said pointing Nick out to the nurse. Nick took his wallet out and gave the nurse some money. Ten minutes past five and the little nurse came back with a disposable camera. "Thank you, but can you please take a picture of everyone." She nurse hesitated a bit but picked up the camera again. Annie ran up next to her mom, Nick and Louise also next to her. Lu, Lana, Peter, and Marc came up two on each side. "I'll label this photo as the happiest family reunion I've ever had." Dana said right before she smiled. "Cheese!" All the white teeth showing the camera flashed. Dana had her happy reunion.