A/N: Hey! Welcome back! This chapter takes place right after 23, and it's
in a few different places...so here we go!
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Chapter 24
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Boston University Medical Center. 3:41 pm
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~~Jordan~~ I nearly passed out when Eddie's radio confirmed that Nigel was indeed the one who had been shot. After some quick phone calls to figure out what ambulance was dispatched, and where he was going to be taken, I dragged Garret out to my Explorer. "We're going, now." I stated as if it wasn't an obvious fact.
"Yes, we are. But you're not driving." He held out his hands for my keys.
"You don't know how to drive an Explorer."
"I'll learn. Besides, you're shaking."
I extended my hand and realized that yes, indeed, I was shaking. I was just so nervous about everything I had blocked the outside world out. Nodding, I handed my keys to him.
He unlocked my door and opened it for me, then quickly ran around and climbed into the driver's seat.
We drove in near silence, each not wanting to say what was on our hearts and minds.
I'm not ready to lose another friend...I'm not ready to lose another friend. I'm not ready to lose...anyone. I silently thought to myself. If Nigel...dies...then I'll be without one less person in my life...everyone around me dies...
~~Garret~~ I stole the occasional glance at Jordan whenever traffic was a bit backed up. She was obviously lost in thought...but it was thoughts that I knew she shouldn't be thinking. Come on Sweetheart...you've gotta relax. Just think positive...you know he's gonna be fine. The ambulance was right there and he's going to Boston U... I was about to think more, but she interrupted me.
"You need to get away from me Garret."
"Jordan? What are you talking about?"
"Anyone who gets close to me get's hurt..."
I stopped at the red light and waited...thinking about what I could say to her.
"You know that's not true." Damn. That was the best you could come up with?
She sniffled back a tear. "But look at Woody...and my mom...and now Nigel..."
"You're not responsible for that."
"But it's too damn conicidental!" She let out a weak sob as she nearly burst into tears.
Taking the steering wheel with my left hand, I reached over with my right hand and placed it on the center console.
She took it willingly, and I held it as we drove to the hospital. I was hoping the calm side of Jordan we were seeing now would stay the same once we got there.
I hoped for too much.
Before we had even entered the doors, she was scheming a way to get up into the back...even trying to get into surgery with him. It took all I had in me just to tell her to stop.
"They're going to throw us out if you run around demanding that you see him right away. He's been shot. He's going to need extensive surgery...probably a blood tranfusion or two. You're going to need to wait it out."
"But what if he doesn't make it?!"
I stopped cold in my tracks. "He's going to make it. And you had better start praying that he does because he's going to need all the help he can get."
"But...Garret...you know about me and religion...we just don't mesh together."
"Then start."
With that, I crossed into the hospital lobby and headed straight for the front desk. After properly identifying myself as the Chief Medical Examiner for the Boston area, and Jordan as one of my employees, I was quickly permissioned to head up to the surgery waiting room. I scribbled a list of people who were also allowed to be in there with us. Lily, Bug, Peter, Eddie, Emmy...and Max. Nearly leaving Renee off, (I figured she could bitch her way in if she had to) I added her at the last moment.
Grabbing Jordan off her cell phone and dragging her into the hallway, we quickly walked towards the elevators which I knew led to the surgery floor.
That's the problem with having a knowledge of medicine. It's too hard to be hopeful if you know the circumstances.
~~Jordan~~ I had just gotten off the phone with Lily, and I'd already called my dad and told him, when Garret nearly pulled me along to follow him.
"What's going on?" I whispered at him.
"We've been giving permission to go up to the surgery waiting room. Just come."
We walked quickly, and we staked out an area with a large cluster of couches and I got to work rearranging them while Garret went and requested that a doctor come and speak to us once everyone got here.
But that was the thing--we had to wait for everyone to get here. I was already positioned on the couch nearest the wall when he walked over and sank down on the couch across from me. Giving him the puppy dog eyes, I motioned for him to come sit near me.
~~Garret~~ The look in her eyes was too tempting. I stood and slowly stepped over to the other couch. I sat down next to her, and I quickly leaned my head back to stare at the ceiling. I had no idea how long it was going to take for information...and no idea how long it would take everybody to get here. I felt her shift her body closer to mine and she leaned her head on my shoulder. Sitting up and wrapping an arm around her, we just sat in silence.
A good hour passed before anybody showed up. Peter was the first one to enter the room, followed by Bug and Lily. With a quick glance, they spotted us and shuffled over. Nods and looks were enough to let them know that we didn't have anymore information yet. We sat in silence...Bug and Lily on one couch, Peter in a chair, and me and Jordan on the other couch.
Another hour.
By now, Max and Renee had arrived. Not together, but close in time. Max went straight for Jordan, and Renee motioned for me to come away from the group to talk.
"Garret. We need Nigel to make an id on the people who did this to him."
"Renee...not now..."
"Yes now. If he can't do it then the police have no substance to hold them on."
"You're the evil DA you think of something." I was about to saw something else when the doors to the hall opened. Yeah, so they'd opened about fifty times since we'd been there, but this time I knew.
Crossing the room back to the group, I sat next to Jordan again and waited for the doctor to speak.
"I take it you're all here to hear about our...Nigel Townsend. Correct?"
"Yeah." A chorus of positive answers went up from the whole group.
"Well, I have some basic information on him. This is all just preliminary stuff. We won't know details until after he comes out of surgery." He paused. "Good news or bad news first?"
I glanced around the group. "Good." I frankly was surprised that there was any good news at all.
"Well, he's alive."
Jordan glanced up at him. "And?"
"There is no 'and'. The rest is bad news."
"So? Tell us..." I was nearly pleading with the man.
"He's pretty messed up. Aside from the bruising and broken ribs he recieved from fighting...he was shot three times in the abdomen, with two of the bullets passing straight through the cavity, missing all vital organs and coming out through his back."
Jordan put two and two together. "What about the third bullet?"
"It entered at such an angle...that after passing through the body cavity it did not pass through the other side of the body."
"Where did it land?" Lily quietly spoke up, for the first time that evening.
"It struck one of his lower vertabra and got lodged near his spinal cord."
I heard Jordan gasp, and I myself stiffened when he said it.
"Is he...gonna be paralysed?" Max stepped towards Jordan as he heard her gasp.
"With the severe amount of swelling right now, we can't be sure. We're giving him a constant flow of an anti-inflammitory to try to keep the tissues and cords alive, but there is a good chance he'll never walk again."
I felt all the blood drain out of my body when he mentioned those words.
"Do you have any questions?"
"Can we see him yet?" Jordan, who was snuggled into her dad's arms, managed to speak a few words.
"He's still in surgery to remove the final bullet. After he gets out...you should be able to visit him, one at a time, for a few minutes each. He'll probably be asleep--he needs to stay that way." With that said, and no more questions to be asked, he turned and went back through the swinging doors.
I stood silently and walked away from the group. I needed to be on my own for a little while, just so I could collect my thoughts and calm my nerves.
I found myself standing outside the door to the hospital's chapel. I stayed still for a moment, then I slowly pushed the door open.
Entering the darkened room, I walked to a pew in the back and sat. I stared straight ahead at a small cluster of candles burning in the front, and then I looked around and noticed there were only a few other people in the room. Bowing my head, I silently spoke a multitude of prayers. Not quite knowing what to say, I just spoke whatever popped into my head.
After about ten minutes, I stood and walked out of the room. I was surprised to see Renee standing in the hall outside the door, waiting for me.
"I figured you want to talk outside, after you were done in there."
In fact, that had been just what I was thinking, so I nodded. "Yeah...that would be nice."
Once we outside, we walked in the courtyard, but didn't talk. The sun was beginning to set, and there were only a few small children and their parents on the other end of the grass. I turned and looked at Renee.
I don't know what she sensed, but she immediately hugged me, wrapping her arms around my back.
I sank into her grasp, so emotionally drained that I didn't care if anyone happened to see the DA and the CME in a hug.
~~Nigel~~ So...bright...damn lights.... I groggily opened my eyes to see several figures crowded around me. I had no clue where I was, how I got there, or why I was in so much pain. I couldn't speak due to the various tubes running down my throat...but my eyes could tell about my pain.
I heard voices talking to me, but I don't remember what they were saying. I felt liquid being shot into my veins, and I felt myself falling asleep again. At least the pain is gone...
TBC......
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Chapter 24
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Boston University Medical Center. 3:41 pm
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~~Jordan~~ I nearly passed out when Eddie's radio confirmed that Nigel was indeed the one who had been shot. After some quick phone calls to figure out what ambulance was dispatched, and where he was going to be taken, I dragged Garret out to my Explorer. "We're going, now." I stated as if it wasn't an obvious fact.
"Yes, we are. But you're not driving." He held out his hands for my keys.
"You don't know how to drive an Explorer."
"I'll learn. Besides, you're shaking."
I extended my hand and realized that yes, indeed, I was shaking. I was just so nervous about everything I had blocked the outside world out. Nodding, I handed my keys to him.
He unlocked my door and opened it for me, then quickly ran around and climbed into the driver's seat.
We drove in near silence, each not wanting to say what was on our hearts and minds.
I'm not ready to lose another friend...I'm not ready to lose another friend. I'm not ready to lose...anyone. I silently thought to myself. If Nigel...dies...then I'll be without one less person in my life...everyone around me dies...
~~Garret~~ I stole the occasional glance at Jordan whenever traffic was a bit backed up. She was obviously lost in thought...but it was thoughts that I knew she shouldn't be thinking. Come on Sweetheart...you've gotta relax. Just think positive...you know he's gonna be fine. The ambulance was right there and he's going to Boston U... I was about to think more, but she interrupted me.
"You need to get away from me Garret."
"Jordan? What are you talking about?"
"Anyone who gets close to me get's hurt..."
I stopped at the red light and waited...thinking about what I could say to her.
"You know that's not true." Damn. That was the best you could come up with?
She sniffled back a tear. "But look at Woody...and my mom...and now Nigel..."
"You're not responsible for that."
"But it's too damn conicidental!" She let out a weak sob as she nearly burst into tears.
Taking the steering wheel with my left hand, I reached over with my right hand and placed it on the center console.
She took it willingly, and I held it as we drove to the hospital. I was hoping the calm side of Jordan we were seeing now would stay the same once we got there.
I hoped for too much.
Before we had even entered the doors, she was scheming a way to get up into the back...even trying to get into surgery with him. It took all I had in me just to tell her to stop.
"They're going to throw us out if you run around demanding that you see him right away. He's been shot. He's going to need extensive surgery...probably a blood tranfusion or two. You're going to need to wait it out."
"But what if he doesn't make it?!"
I stopped cold in my tracks. "He's going to make it. And you had better start praying that he does because he's going to need all the help he can get."
"But...Garret...you know about me and religion...we just don't mesh together."
"Then start."
With that, I crossed into the hospital lobby and headed straight for the front desk. After properly identifying myself as the Chief Medical Examiner for the Boston area, and Jordan as one of my employees, I was quickly permissioned to head up to the surgery waiting room. I scribbled a list of people who were also allowed to be in there with us. Lily, Bug, Peter, Eddie, Emmy...and Max. Nearly leaving Renee off, (I figured she could bitch her way in if she had to) I added her at the last moment.
Grabbing Jordan off her cell phone and dragging her into the hallway, we quickly walked towards the elevators which I knew led to the surgery floor.
That's the problem with having a knowledge of medicine. It's too hard to be hopeful if you know the circumstances.
~~Jordan~~ I had just gotten off the phone with Lily, and I'd already called my dad and told him, when Garret nearly pulled me along to follow him.
"What's going on?" I whispered at him.
"We've been giving permission to go up to the surgery waiting room. Just come."
We walked quickly, and we staked out an area with a large cluster of couches and I got to work rearranging them while Garret went and requested that a doctor come and speak to us once everyone got here.
But that was the thing--we had to wait for everyone to get here. I was already positioned on the couch nearest the wall when he walked over and sank down on the couch across from me. Giving him the puppy dog eyes, I motioned for him to come sit near me.
~~Garret~~ The look in her eyes was too tempting. I stood and slowly stepped over to the other couch. I sat down next to her, and I quickly leaned my head back to stare at the ceiling. I had no idea how long it was going to take for information...and no idea how long it would take everybody to get here. I felt her shift her body closer to mine and she leaned her head on my shoulder. Sitting up and wrapping an arm around her, we just sat in silence.
A good hour passed before anybody showed up. Peter was the first one to enter the room, followed by Bug and Lily. With a quick glance, they spotted us and shuffled over. Nods and looks were enough to let them know that we didn't have anymore information yet. We sat in silence...Bug and Lily on one couch, Peter in a chair, and me and Jordan on the other couch.
Another hour.
By now, Max and Renee had arrived. Not together, but close in time. Max went straight for Jordan, and Renee motioned for me to come away from the group to talk.
"Garret. We need Nigel to make an id on the people who did this to him."
"Renee...not now..."
"Yes now. If he can't do it then the police have no substance to hold them on."
"You're the evil DA you think of something." I was about to saw something else when the doors to the hall opened. Yeah, so they'd opened about fifty times since we'd been there, but this time I knew.
Crossing the room back to the group, I sat next to Jordan again and waited for the doctor to speak.
"I take it you're all here to hear about our...Nigel Townsend. Correct?"
"Yeah." A chorus of positive answers went up from the whole group.
"Well, I have some basic information on him. This is all just preliminary stuff. We won't know details until after he comes out of surgery." He paused. "Good news or bad news first?"
I glanced around the group. "Good." I frankly was surprised that there was any good news at all.
"Well, he's alive."
Jordan glanced up at him. "And?"
"There is no 'and'. The rest is bad news."
"So? Tell us..." I was nearly pleading with the man.
"He's pretty messed up. Aside from the bruising and broken ribs he recieved from fighting...he was shot three times in the abdomen, with two of the bullets passing straight through the cavity, missing all vital organs and coming out through his back."
Jordan put two and two together. "What about the third bullet?"
"It entered at such an angle...that after passing through the body cavity it did not pass through the other side of the body."
"Where did it land?" Lily quietly spoke up, for the first time that evening.
"It struck one of his lower vertabra and got lodged near his spinal cord."
I heard Jordan gasp, and I myself stiffened when he said it.
"Is he...gonna be paralysed?" Max stepped towards Jordan as he heard her gasp.
"With the severe amount of swelling right now, we can't be sure. We're giving him a constant flow of an anti-inflammitory to try to keep the tissues and cords alive, but there is a good chance he'll never walk again."
I felt all the blood drain out of my body when he mentioned those words.
"Do you have any questions?"
"Can we see him yet?" Jordan, who was snuggled into her dad's arms, managed to speak a few words.
"He's still in surgery to remove the final bullet. After he gets out...you should be able to visit him, one at a time, for a few minutes each. He'll probably be asleep--he needs to stay that way." With that said, and no more questions to be asked, he turned and went back through the swinging doors.
I stood silently and walked away from the group. I needed to be on my own for a little while, just so I could collect my thoughts and calm my nerves.
I found myself standing outside the door to the hospital's chapel. I stayed still for a moment, then I slowly pushed the door open.
Entering the darkened room, I walked to a pew in the back and sat. I stared straight ahead at a small cluster of candles burning in the front, and then I looked around and noticed there were only a few other people in the room. Bowing my head, I silently spoke a multitude of prayers. Not quite knowing what to say, I just spoke whatever popped into my head.
After about ten minutes, I stood and walked out of the room. I was surprised to see Renee standing in the hall outside the door, waiting for me.
"I figured you want to talk outside, after you were done in there."
In fact, that had been just what I was thinking, so I nodded. "Yeah...that would be nice."
Once we outside, we walked in the courtyard, but didn't talk. The sun was beginning to set, and there were only a few small children and their parents on the other end of the grass. I turned and looked at Renee.
I don't know what she sensed, but she immediately hugged me, wrapping her arms around my back.
I sank into her grasp, so emotionally drained that I didn't care if anyone happened to see the DA and the CME in a hug.
~~Nigel~~ So...bright...damn lights.... I groggily opened my eyes to see several figures crowded around me. I had no clue where I was, how I got there, or why I was in so much pain. I couldn't speak due to the various tubes running down my throat...but my eyes could tell about my pain.
I heard voices talking to me, but I don't remember what they were saying. I felt liquid being shot into my veins, and I felt myself falling asleep again. At least the pain is gone...
TBC......