Lona looked anxiously at her watch as she followed Hook down the
corridor. It had been almost an hour now. Where in the world was Elmer?
The feeling that he was in some sort of terrible danger was almost overpowering now and it was all that she could do to keep control and not run through the hospital corridors frantically screaming his name.
She felt tears starting to sting at her eyes. Okay, Elmer drove her nuts sometimes, well, almost all the time but he could do something so sweet when she least expected it like that dinner in the morgue. She had never told him that that had really meant something to her and now.... No,
she suddenly stopped when she realized what she was doing, thinking about Elmer like he was already dead. He couldn't be dead! "No!" she sobbed under her breath. He had to be okay!
Suddenly all of them looked up when the elevator door opened and they saw Blondi standing there. As soon as the dog spotted them, he started to bark like he wanted them to follow him.
"Blondi, what's going on?" Hook said softly as he approached the dog, motioning for him to quiet down before he woke up the entire floor.
'Well, besides the fact that Elmer just fell off the roof, not much.' The dog stood on his hind paws, batting at the elevator buttons until he hit the one for the 12th floor and the doors silently slipped shut. 'Might want to see about ordering a big spatula. You're going to need it probably to scrape him up off the pavement.'
"Oh, no." Lona whispered as soon as the elevator stopped and she saw where they were. She stepped off in a daze and headed for the door leading to the roof. "No, no, no." She shook her head slowly, mind going back to that terrible night when Elmer's brother had died after leaping from the hospital roof. Louis had tried to hard to remain in control when he had gotten the news, hadn't broken down when he had to go to the morgue to identify his son's broken body. Everyone could tell that something inside of him had broken that night though and had never healed quite right.
If something happened to Elmer.... Lona could dimly recall now that he had been there that night as well, silently following his father into the morgue and standing there with tears running down his face at the sight of his brother's body. Did Louis realize that, that Elmer had saw? Lona hadn't remembered it until now so....
"Oh, my..." Chris gasped, a hand going to her mouth when she caught sight of the broken fencing. "Hook?"
"No," Lona whispered as she snapped back from her memories. She stared in horror at the broken fence before starting to walk forward slowly, something inside her breaking slowly with each step. She suddenly felt herself slipping to her knees as tears started to pour from her eyes.
"No! Elmer!" She had been letting herself focus on how Louis would take it if anything happened to Elmer but on seeing that fence broken in, her reaction to losing Elmer suddenly hit her full force. "No," She she whispered softly. "Plase, no." Maybe he was alright, maybe he landed in tree or a bush or something? Please let him have.... Okay, she knew rationally that with a twelve story fall nothing would have been able to save Elmer but she still frantically clung to a tiny bit of hope. If he was dead....
"Hook?" Chris knelt by Lona, wrapping her arms around her sobbing friend and holding her close. She started to rock Lona slowly, gently rubbing her back to try and soothe her. Who would have expected her to take something happening to Elmer this badly?
"I'll go and look." Hook said softly as he headed from the broken section of fencing. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to have to see Elmer's shattered body on the pavement below but better for him to be the one than for Lona to have to see or Louis. He shook his head slowly at the thought of the young man. Okay, Elmer could be rather silly at times but there was something about the younger doctor, something that Hook had to admit that he found indearing and now the thought of looking down and seeing what remained of him splattered on the sidewalk....
"It's okay, Elmer," Mary said softly as she and Antubis started to move away as Hook approached. "Dr. Hook and Dr. Lona and Dr. Chris are here now. They'll get you off of there. Just hold on a few more minutes,
okay? You'll be fine."
"Elmer?" Hook called as he approached the broken fence. He knew it would do no good to call, knew that Elmer was beyond hearing but the action was automatic.
"Hook?" Hook's eyes widened when he suddenly heard a very familiar, very panic-stricken voice calling his name. "Help!"
"Elmer?" Hook raced the rest of the way to the ledge and peered down anxiously, relief washing over him when he spotted Elmer dangling there, his fingers somehow gripping the wires of the section of broken fencing, the hospital gown he was in caught up around his neck and head and tangled in the fence. He turned to Chris and Lona waving for them to get over there. "He's alive!"
The feeling that he was in some sort of terrible danger was almost overpowering now and it was all that she could do to keep control and not run through the hospital corridors frantically screaming his name.
She felt tears starting to sting at her eyes. Okay, Elmer drove her nuts sometimes, well, almost all the time but he could do something so sweet when she least expected it like that dinner in the morgue. She had never told him that that had really meant something to her and now.... No,
she suddenly stopped when she realized what she was doing, thinking about Elmer like he was already dead. He couldn't be dead! "No!" she sobbed under her breath. He had to be okay!
Suddenly all of them looked up when the elevator door opened and they saw Blondi standing there. As soon as the dog spotted them, he started to bark like he wanted them to follow him.
"Blondi, what's going on?" Hook said softly as he approached the dog, motioning for him to quiet down before he woke up the entire floor.
'Well, besides the fact that Elmer just fell off the roof, not much.' The dog stood on his hind paws, batting at the elevator buttons until he hit the one for the 12th floor and the doors silently slipped shut. 'Might want to see about ordering a big spatula. You're going to need it probably to scrape him up off the pavement.'
"Oh, no." Lona whispered as soon as the elevator stopped and she saw where they were. She stepped off in a daze and headed for the door leading to the roof. "No, no, no." She shook her head slowly, mind going back to that terrible night when Elmer's brother had died after leaping from the hospital roof. Louis had tried to hard to remain in control when he had gotten the news, hadn't broken down when he had to go to the morgue to identify his son's broken body. Everyone could tell that something inside of him had broken that night though and had never healed quite right.
If something happened to Elmer.... Lona could dimly recall now that he had been there that night as well, silently following his father into the morgue and standing there with tears running down his face at the sight of his brother's body. Did Louis realize that, that Elmer had saw? Lona hadn't remembered it until now so....
"Oh, my..." Chris gasped, a hand going to her mouth when she caught sight of the broken fencing. "Hook?"
"No," Lona whispered as she snapped back from her memories. She stared in horror at the broken fence before starting to walk forward slowly, something inside her breaking slowly with each step. She suddenly felt herself slipping to her knees as tears started to pour from her eyes.
"No! Elmer!" She had been letting herself focus on how Louis would take it if anything happened to Elmer but on seeing that fence broken in, her reaction to losing Elmer suddenly hit her full force. "No," She she whispered softly. "Plase, no." Maybe he was alright, maybe he landed in tree or a bush or something? Please let him have.... Okay, she knew rationally that with a twelve story fall nothing would have been able to save Elmer but she still frantically clung to a tiny bit of hope. If he was dead....
"Hook?" Chris knelt by Lona, wrapping her arms around her sobbing friend and holding her close. She started to rock Lona slowly, gently rubbing her back to try and soothe her. Who would have expected her to take something happening to Elmer this badly?
"I'll go and look." Hook said softly as he headed from the broken section of fencing. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to have to see Elmer's shattered body on the pavement below but better for him to be the one than for Lona to have to see or Louis. He shook his head slowly at the thought of the young man. Okay, Elmer could be rather silly at times but there was something about the younger doctor, something that Hook had to admit that he found indearing and now the thought of looking down and seeing what remained of him splattered on the sidewalk....
"It's okay, Elmer," Mary said softly as she and Antubis started to move away as Hook approached. "Dr. Hook and Dr. Lona and Dr. Chris are here now. They'll get you off of there. Just hold on a few more minutes,
okay? You'll be fine."
"Elmer?" Hook called as he approached the broken fence. He knew it would do no good to call, knew that Elmer was beyond hearing but the action was automatic.
"Hook?" Hook's eyes widened when he suddenly heard a very familiar, very panic-stricken voice calling his name. "Help!"
"Elmer?" Hook raced the rest of the way to the ledge and peered down anxiously, relief washing over him when he spotted Elmer dangling there, his fingers somehow gripping the wires of the section of broken fencing, the hospital gown he was in caught up around his neck and head and tangled in the fence. He turned to Chris and Lona waving for them to get over there. "He's alive!"