A new face after the race
Chapter 25
Lucky reluctantly opened his eyes to the ringing of his cell phone. He thought he had turned it off to get some sleep. If it was ringing and wouldn't go off it was obvious he hadn't. He wanted to get a good night's sleep. He considered ignoring it, but something pulled him toward the phone and before he knew it he was saying hello in his tired voice that said he was sleeping before they called. But whoever was on the line should know that, it was eleven o'clock anyway, well make that midnight Lucky realized when he looked at the clock on his bedside night table.
"Lucky!" The feminine voiced screeched.
It hurt Lucky's ears for a second and he rubbed them and got the sound out before answering. "Yeah, it's Lucky, who else would it be?" He said, checking who was calling. Elizabeth, at this time of night, he wondered.
"I don't know it just came out that way." Elizabeth confessed, pacing a hall nearby the ICU section of the hospital, where Emily was at this moment.
"Not to be rude Liz, but it's late and I'm tired and want to go to sleep." Lucky insisted, without really knowing what Liz was going to tell him, and the sleep part of him didn't care.
"Then wake up! This is serious!" Liz realized that she was stalling in telling Lucky the news and he needed to be here, no matter how hurt he'd be. She knew she was in shock still, but she had to get out of it and tell Lucky that Emily might be close to death.
"Better spill it now or I'm hanging up." Lucky threatened, setting himself back into his pillow comfortably.
"You jackass! Emily might be near death and all you can think of is threatening to go back to bed!" Elizabeth commented, growing angry at his carelessness.
"Emily might be near death? What happened? Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Lucky said as the message got through to him. Emily was hurt, he could feel it now. He quickly got up and put on his shirt, grabbing his keys from his coat pocket.
"I'm sorry; I'm just kind of in shock myself!" Elizabeth explained, stealing a look at Jason when his eyes lifted at her exclamation.
"Yeah, tell that to Emily!" Lucky argued, angry she blamed shock on her greetings.
Elizabeth fell silent as Lucky made his way to his truck, climbed in and started it up. He leaned his against the steering wheel. "I talk to you when I get to the hospital." He replied and shut his cell off, speeding for the hospital.
Elizabeth sat on the chair next to Jason and laid her head on his shoulder. Jason pulled her close for support, for whom he didn't know. "Lucky didn't mean it; it's just Emily means a lot to him. He doesn't want to lose her, though he could have done that on his own long ago." He said, comforting her. Elizabeth nodded into his shoulder and stayed there until the doctor came out.
He looked down at them. "Are you here for Emily?" He asked, following the routine he played constantly; the bearer of bad news.
Jason spoke up. "Yeah, we are. Is she going to be okay?" He looked up at the doctor with hope. Elizabeth followed, wiping some tears away.
"Hard to say at the moment, hits and runs are unpredictable." Jason and Elizabeth frowned. "But what I can tell you is that she is stable and is going to be sent to room 330 after we run some tests. When those come in, we will be able to tell you exactly what is going on. But until then, you need to keep hope and call for anymore support you need."
Elizabeth nodded at his instructions. Jason pulled her close. "Can I ask who found Emily and if they witnessed it?" Jason asked, hoping they can get some further information from them.
"Sarah Webber, and I don't know if she witnessed it or not. I'm just the doctor. She's probably talking to the police as we speak." The doctor responded and his beeper went off. He gave a small sigh, things never change. "If you need me, tell one of the nurses to beep Dr. Quartermaine." He slipped away unnoticed as Elizabeth pulled away. He followed her as she walked a small distance.
"Liz, do you have any idea where your sister is? Maybe she can tell us more. Offer comfort, the whole story." Jason asked, as Elizabeth was thinking the same thing.
"I don't know, we could check the police station, but I can't leave. I can call my grandmother, maybe Sarah went to her for support. The baby she carries isn't the major issue anymore." Elizabeth replied, unsure of herself.
"That's a good guess. Do you know if she is working or not?"
"I think so; she's probably at the maternity ward helping out there. She's been there for a few days to my knowledge." Elizabeth answered, walking to the elevator doors.
Jason didn't follow her. She turned to see Jason frowning. She raised her brows. "I'm going to stick around here, wait for news on the tests." He explained and she nodded, climbing into the elevator. "I'll see you in a bit." She called as the doors closed.
The door opened again to the second level where the maternity ward was in General Hospital. She quickly found what she wanted. Audrey was there, sitting by Sarah, at a nearby couch that was close to where the newborn babies were stored.
"Sarah!" Elizabeth called out. Sarah and Audrey looked up. Sarah for once, had evidence of past tears and Audrey wiped her eyes after a few tears fell freely.
"Do you know how Emily is?" Sarah asked, standing up to face Elizabeth as she came.
Elizabeth hugged Sarah. "Not yet, the doctors are running tests for the final diagnosis." She replied.
"I was so mean and cold to her. For a while I didn't like her, more like hated her, but I never wished she'd get seriously hurt. I don't wish death on anyone, especially her." Sarah confessed into Liz's shoulder.
"She knows that. She maybe bitter toward you, but she knows that, besides you don't know that she's going to die." Audrey replied from behind Sarah. She gave a small smile to Elizabeth.
"You don't understand! I saw it all and in the end she was just laying on the cold road, not moving. I couldn't even tell she was breathing." Sarah insisted her head up from Liz's shoulder and walked away from the hug they shared.
"You never can. What happened to Emily was tragic, no one can deny that, but you have to have hope. She's a very strong person from the looks of it. She's been through a lot, and she's survived all everyone has thrown at her." Audrey comforted Sarah and Elizabeth's worries.
Both nodded and Sarah excused herself. When she left, Audrey and Elizabeth sat where Audrey and Sarah was sitting before she came.
"Poor Sarah, she's holding so much guilt." Elizabeth commented.
"She is, but she's trying to make up for it all." Audrey responded.
Silence ensued between them. The only sound that came was from some babies crying and making noises.
"Grandmother, I know this is a bad time to mention it, but do you know what happened to Emily in her past. The big secret she won't reveal?" Elizabeth asked, curiosity not wanting to go away.
"I suppose its time you knew. This is only from hearsay though. I know nothing of it or even if it is true." Audrey answered, pointing out she could be wrong. Elizabeth nodded her consent. "I overheard talk saying that she was abused as a child."
Elizabeth looked at Audrey in shock. She couldn't help when a small gasp came out. It made sense though. Emily didn't like being touched and hid her emotions a lot. When you live that kind of life, you create a good mask to hide all. It also makes you stronger and more aware in some ways. That must be the case with Emily.
Meanwhile, at the ICU where Jason sat waiting, Lucky arrived, obviously distraught. He looked around uncertainly, looking for someone to talk to. He saw Jason and stalked over there.
"What happened?" He asked, looking for answers to why his girlfriend is in the hospital, seriously hurt from the sound of it.
Jason took a minute to realize that Lucky was there and wanted answers. "Emily was hit by a car from the sounds of it." He answered, unsure of the details.
"Hit by a car?" It took a few seconds for Lucky to absorb the information.
"Yeah, apparently Sarah was the witness to it all." Jason informed him.
"Sarah? Seriously?" Lucky asked, in shock. Sarah was the last witness he would expect when it came to Emily, given her current stunt.
"Yeah, shocking, isn't it?" Jason made conversation, seeing that it gave him comfort in this time of need.
"Yeah, did you speak to the doctor yet?" Lucky asked, determined to ask Sarah later, when he knew how Emily was going to be.
"Briefly, he said that he doesn't know how Emily is until they do some tests, which is what he is doing now." Jason explained.
"So, she's still alive?" asked a hopeful Lucky.
"Yeah, but for how long is the question?" Jason commented, unsure if Emily had it in one last time. Sure she was strong, but strength doesn't always save you. That could be now.
"She'll hang on, she has to." Lucky replied, knowing he wouldn't find life worth it without her.
A sympathetic silence fell. Jason and Lucky hoped for the best, praying once or twice.
Luckily, pun intended, the doctor came with the results faster than normal.
Both Lucky and Jason sat there looking at the doctor as he approached, hopefully carrying good news.
Dr. Quartermaine sighed, looking over the folders he held, making sure his diagnosis is correct. "I assume you're the boyfriend." HE asked Lucky seeing he wasn't there before.
"Yeah, is Emily going to be alright?" Lucky asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Well, there is good news and bad news." The doctor stalled, trying to figure out how to explain this.
"That's expected, now can you answer the question?" Lucky asked impatiently.
"Emily will be fine given time. Her head should be fine, the force was concentrated on her right shoulder and wrist when she fell, but we don't know that for sure until she wakes up, which is indefinite. She sprained her right wrist and her right shoulder isn't broken nor sprained, but extremely tender. Other than that she was lucky. She will be in some major pain for a couple weeks, and the bruises will heal." The doctor reported.
Jason gave a sign of relief as did Lucky. "Can we see her?" Jason asked, speaking up.
"Yes, but only briefly, she needs her rest and no distractions. She is in room 330, but I repeat brief visits only." The doctor warned, going to talk to a nurse.
Jason said he would go after Lucky, knowing that he needed some time alone with the unconscious Emily. Lucky stopped at the door, pausing to gain some strength to see Emily pale and not good. Taking a deep breath, Lucky entered, closing the door behind him.
Jason watched Lucky go into the room, staying outside. Emily was fine, so why wasn't he as relieved as he should be? Why did he feel like this wasn't over and that someone was after Emily? These questions would come to attention soon; Jason knew it in his heart.
Author's note: Sorry, I thought this would be up sooner, but I lent the disk that held this chapter to a friend. But it's done now! That's the important thing.
I considered stopping at Emily's condition, but knew I couldn't be that evil, seeing I kept you in suspense long enough. The next chapter should be up soon, Christmas break! Yeah! No more Spanish and physics! Hallelujah! Reviews appreciated. And if it don't get time to say this, Happy holidays!