Pulling Away
Chapter 7
Author's Note: Reviews are greatly appreciated. Please review and let me know what you think, and so I know if people are reading. Thank you.
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights associated with 24. Don't own characters, plots, beautiful actors etc. etc. but if I did that would be just swell.
Hour's later, Michelle had fallen asleep on the couch. Tony came downstairs with his jacket on, and ready to go out. He looked at his wife asleep on the couch, and his heart hurt, but he found the strength to walk past her, and out the door. Once outside, he slid into his car that hadn't been driven in about 2 years. Michelle started it occasionally, so it wouldn't stop working all together, but it hadn't really been driven.
Tony started it up, and paused before putting the car into reverse and backing out the driveway. His mind was swerving all over the place, just bouncing from one thought to another. He couldn't focus. He was heading to the bar, when he stopped at a yellow light. He decided not to speed through it, and play it safe. He wasn't in any frame of mind to be doing anything risky, and he wanted to be sure, so he stopped at the yellow. Soon it was red, but he didn't even notice.
Eventually, the light turned green, and he began to pull out onto the road he needed to be on, when a car ran right through the other light, hitting Tony going about 75 miles per hour. Tony's body was tossed from side to side of the car, because he forgot to buckle up. His head smashed against the passenger side window, and it broke. Tony's arm was thrust upon the shards of glass still sticking up from the window, and they were instantly embedded into his arm. He cried out in pain before blacking out completely when his head smashed against the dash. The car had overturned three times before finally stopping upside down.
Twenty minutes later, the place was swarming with EMS, Police, and Fire response. The other man was safely out of his car and had been taken to the hospital. Tony's situation proved a little different. He was jammed between the passenger seat, and the dash. His leg was stuck under the seat, and he was still unconscience. The Fire department was desperately trying to get Tony out, but they needed to bring in the Jaws of Life to get him out. After an hour ordeal, Tony was out of the car and rushed to the hospital.
On the way, Tony was losing a lot of blood. His head had a huge gash in it, and the EMS were trying to stop it the best they could. One man was wrapping his arm in gauze, and the other was applying pressure to Tony's head wound. They arrived at the ER 15 minutes later, and Tony was in very critical condition. They immediately brought him back into surgery, and began cutting his cloths off his body. One nurse put his neck in a brace, trying not to disturb his head injury. Another nurse removed his wallet, and looked at his licence.
"His name is Tony Almeida." The nurse told the doctor from across the room. The doctor nodded, and began lifting Tony's eyelids and flashing a light in them.
"Mr. Almeida can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." The doctor said grabbing onto his hand. Tony lightly squeezed the doctor's hand. He could hear the doctor and respond, but he wasn't really conscience.
"Mr. Almeida, listen to me, you need to have surgery done now, or you will die. You're bleeding internally. Squeeze my hand if you understand me." The doctor said again. Tony squeezed. They began surgery, and soon Tony lost whatever conscienceness he was able to savor.
Back at the house, Michelle was woken up by the phone ringing. She sleepily got up and began walking towards it. Her vision was slightly blurry, but every second it became more and more clear. When she reached the phone, she answered very softly.
"Hello." She sad barley in a whisper.
"Mrs. Almeida?" A female voice came from the other end of the line.
"Yes, who's this?" Michelle asked skeptically.
"Mrs. Almeida, this is Flo Baker from the Mercy state hospital." Michelle's stomach fell into her feet. She took a hard painful breath in awaiting the woman's next words. "You're husband was in a car accident, and he's in surgery right now. Could you please come down to the hospital and fill out some papers." Flo asked. Michelle gasped. Her worst nightmare was coming true. She knew she had to be strong for him now though, so she regained her composure, and hung up the phone, no 'ok' or 'goodbye', nothing. She grabbed her purse, and her keys, and she ran to her car, not bothering to lock the door behind her. She had almost lost him when he was shot in the neck, she refused to lose him over this.
She spead all the way to Mercy, running freshly turned red lights, if only she knew that's how Tony was injured. She pulled into a parking spot, and ran from her car to the hospital. When she reached the desk, she was all out of breath. Panting heavily, she asked the receptionist where her husband was.
"Excuse me. My husband Tony Almeida was brought here, he was in a car accident." She said trying to catch her breath.
"Tony Almeida, let me check." The woman said.
"Could you please hurry." Michelle pressed her. The woman ignored her and proceeded looking at the computer.
"Mr. Almeida is still in surgery. He's on the 4th floor, and is expected to be out in 20 minutes, but it might be longer than that." The receptionist said. Michelle bolted without even uttering a thank you. She reached the elevators and pushed every up button so she could see what one was going to open first. Once one was open, she ran in and pushed the button to the fourth floor. She reached the floor in under a minute, but it felt like hours. She regretted the day and she wished that she had just told him she was pregnant, and none of this would be happening. This was all her fault, she thought. She reached the end of the hall and another reception desk. She asked the nurse the same thing she asked the other lady.
"You're husband should be out of surgery in a few minutes. You can have a seat and wait if you'd like." The nurse told Michelle. Michelle nodded, and took a seat in one of the chairs. She took a few deeps breaths, and retreated into her thoughts. She remembered the day at CTU when she had finally asked him out. George Mason had really given her the courage to do it, and she silently thanked him for it every day. Then she remembered their first kiss, in a corner of CTU, which Carrie had interrupted. She remembered the feeling that went though her body the moment their lips met. How did she get so lucky? And then she came back to reality, and realized that she was probably pushing him away and it wasn't just him. Tears began to slide gently down her face, and she vowed to herself to make her marriage work.
By the time he was out of surgery, she had stopped crying, and a nurse had come up to her and told her that he was now resting in the ICU. Michelle was escorted to his room, and when she entered it, her heart shattered into a million pieces. He was hooked up to so many machines. She could see where they operated, on his arm, on his leg, and she could see a bandage with blood stains through the stomach of his gown. He was barely conscience, but Michelle pushed chair next to his bed anyway. She sat down, and rested her hand on his.
"Tony, can you hear me?" Michelle asked. Tony nodded his head and opened his eye more, so he could see his wife.
"Michelle." He said very softly. Michelle leaned closer to him so she could hear him better.
"I'm here honey. How are you feeling?" She asked. Even though he was still half sedated, he gave her one of his famous stares.
"Michelle, I was thinking before the accident, and now, just the sight of you makes me sick. I can't believe I once loved you, and you would do that to me." Tony began. Michelle's jaw dropped open.
"Once loved?" She asked exasperated.
"Michelle, I want a divorce." Tony said. Michelle was in too much shock to even cry. The words were bitter and they stung her into paralysis. She couldn't move, or breath. She looked into his eyes, and they were cold, and there was no love in them. She just got up from the chair, and walked out of the room. She was halfway down the hallway when all of a sudden, her eyes snapped open fiercely. She was panting heavily, and there was sweat glistening all over her body. She was still on her couch. She got up and ran to the window, and Tony's car was still in the same spot.