By Your Side
Chapter 8
One year later...
" Good morning, Tim," Debbie greeted as she was preparing to leave. " Did you have a good night last night?"
Tim shrugged his shoulders , " Same as always, Debbie. How's she doing this morning?"
" Same as always, Tim. No change. What's all this for?" Debbie asked as she pointed to a box filled with party things.
" It's her birthday, she's fourteen today," Tim replied softly. She had been in the coma for a year and it seemed like nothing had changed. For the first few days, Tim refused to leave her side , hoping that she would come out of it. But as days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, he decided that he would go back to work. He would work his shift then spend the night at her side. Then he would wake up and do it allover again. Lately, he had been venturing home after spending a couple of hours with her, hoping that he could get some sleep, but it was futile .This had taken a toll on him, he took less care of himself, and his relationship with Sam had stalled out for the moment. They talked on a regular basis, and even went out. But he couldn't give himself to any one but Sascha right now.
" I was hoping that she would wake up and see it."
" That's right Tim, keep the faith. I'm sorry I can't stay, but I got to take Tim to the doctor this morning. Save me some cake?" Debbie asked before letting him in.
" Sure. I'm going to leave it with Marsha, but don't get mad at me if it's not there tonight," Tim said as he gave her a slight smile.
Debbie pushed the buzzer and let him in. He waved to her as he walked to Sascha's room.
Opening the door, he saw Sascha as he had left her the night before. She still had the tube running from her mouth and the EKG and pulse monitors were still in place. The only thing that had changed was the number of intravenous fluids that were being pumped into her; instead of two bags , one now hung beside her. He sat the box down and moved to sit next to her. He took her hand into his and squeezed it.
" Mornin' Sash. How are you doing? I brought you some things for your birthday. Happy birthday by the way," Tim said as he smiled through the tears that were now present in his eyes. In seconds he had began to cry all out. " C'mon, Sash. I need you to come back. You've been gone for too long."
He reached up to smooth her hair as he sighed out loud. He then returned his hand to her arm and began to talk again.
" I talked to Sam last night. She says that when you wake up, maybe she can take you out shopping. I know you're going to be kinda ticked off that we are not married yet, but I couldn't move forward without you."
He sat back and gazed at her peaceful features that remained still, wondering when she would wake. After a moment, he got up and started about his daily routine which would be to water the plants that she received from the nursing staff, open the shades and then worked her leg muscles. He took his time as he first pushed her leg in and out to make sure that her muscles wouldn't atrophy. As he continued with the next leg , he thought about all the times he ran with her in Central Park. Those memories felt like a lifetime ago.
The phone rang , jarring him out of his daydream. He stopped what he was doing then reached over to the phone.
" Hello?"
"Tim, it's me..."
" Calleigh? What can I do for you?" Tim said gently. Time had calmed his ire towards her.
" I just wanted to call and see if there's any change. It's her birthday today." Calleigh said quietly. In the background he could hear the high pitch shrill of the twins playing. " Lizzy don't do that to her. Tim?"
" I'm here, Cal. There's no change, but some good news. They took her of the anticoagulant . They must feel like she's doing better."Tim said with optimism in his voice. " How are the twins doing?"
" Oh they're okay. I swear I think I lost my mind on their birthday. The both of them runnin' allover the place," Calleigh intoned in her thick southern accent. " Horatio thinks that I give them pure glucose when he's at work."
" How is he doing?" Tim asked, a twinge of pain resurfacing. In the year he had spent in this room with Sascha , he was forced to confront the anger that he had kept pent up. Even though he had squared with the situation a long time ago, he still felt Horatio's betrayal.
" Oh, he's fine. Working hard as always. How are you holding up?"Calleigh asked.
Tim took a moment before he answered the question. How was he doing? He wasn't sleeping, he hadn't eaten well in months , and he had no desire to socialize. His life had again been turned upside down. And again the cause was the woman on the other end of the phone. "I just want her to wake up , Calleigh."
" She will Tim. Just give her time." Calleigh replied with sincerity in her voice. She had called often in the year since the shooting, and every time she had told him to give it time. It broke her heart to hear the sadness in Tim's voice and she could imagine that he had disregarded himself in his vigil for Sascha. " Have you done anything good for yourself since last year?"
" How can I think about enjoying myself when my little girl is lying unconscious in this bed? What kind of father would I be?" Tim asked as he glanced at Sascha. He thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. " When she wakes up, that will be reward enough."
Calleigh knew when to back off and she sensed that she shouldn't go on further, but she was concerned. They might not be together, but she still loved him. She sighed audibly on the other end of the phone and Tim rolled his eyes.
" Cal, I'm going to be fine. Really."
" I just don't want you to lose out on life. You can't waste your life hoping for a miracle. What happens if she doesn't wake up?" Calleigh asked. She closed her eyes , knowing that she spoke before she thought.
" Calleigh, I'm getting off the phone now, because I am not going to get into it with you today. Not today." Tim replied trying to keep his temper down.
" Tim, I-..."
" Bye , Calleigh," he stated as he hung up the phone. He then went back to working with Sascha. The mere thought of her not coming out of this was too much to bear.
The afternoon passed slowly and Tim had sat in the chair and dozed off. It came as a surprise when the nurse gently shoved him, causing him to open his eyes. He groggily wipe them trying to focus on her.
" Tim, I didn't want to wake you, but I thought that you should see this," the nurse said as she gestured to the bed.
Tim stood up to see Sascha and tears immediately dropped from his eyes. Sascha was awake.
" When did she wake up?" Tim asked as he moved to her. Sascha looked at him and tried to smile. Tim took her hand in his and smiled back at her.
" I came in here to check up on her and she was just looking up at the ceiling. I called the doctor and he said he will be here in a minute." the nurse said as she smiled at the both of them. If any body deserved to be happy , it was the Speedles. " I'll let you two get reacquainted."
Tim nodded at the nurse and then returned his attention to Sascha. He was bursting at the seams with joy and he could barely contain himself. He saw as she picked up her hand to take the tube out of her mouth and he put his hand over it.
" Gotta wait til the doctor says it's okay," he said gently. Sascha smiled and let her hand drop down to her side. Tears were noticeable in her brown eyes and Tim reached over to wipe the tears, " There's no need for you to cry Sascha. Everything is ok."
Moments later, Dr. West opened the door and peeked in, " So I hear some one's awake now." He walked in and stood next to Tim with a big smile on his face. " Sascha, I'm Dr. West. We have been waiting to see those beautiful brown eyes for a long time. I'm going to get the nurse to take out the tube so you can talk. At first , your throat is going to hurt, but don't worry it won't last. Okay?"
Sascha nodded her head and smiled. The nurse moved in and worked quickly. She then gave Sascha a swallow of water.
" Daddy," Sascha said raspily.
" Oh, Sash," Tim said as a fresh round of tears started up. Her voice was like beautiful music to his ears.
" What happened?" she asked as she put a hand up to her throat.
" What do you remember?" Dr. West asked.
" I was walking down the street, I had just had a fight with dad. Sam came to get me and talked me into going back. From there it gets foggy."
" You were shot in the back. We had to do surgery to remove the one of the bullets. The other bullet is still lodged in your spine..."
" Lodged in my spine? What are you talking about? I can..." Sascha said as she tried to move her legs. " Daddy, I can't feel my legs!"
Tim put a comforting hand on her shoulder and spoke softly, " They had to wait until you woke up, Sash. Now they are going to see if they can get the bullet out. Then we will have to see where it goes from there."
" Daddy, I can't walk! What am I going to do..." Sascha replied as the tears cut her off.
" Sascha, it's important that you don't get yourself upset. We are going to try to get it out. Mean while I want both you and your father to think about rehabilitation. There are several facilities in the greater New York area , but the best in the country is in Florida."
Tim's face dropped at the mention of Florida. Anywhere but...
" Miami to be exact," Dr. West finished. " They have got a 95 success rate with their program. I highly suggest it."
" There's noone else with that kind of success?" Tim asked. He didn't want to go back there, but if there was no choice then he had to.
" No. I want Sascha to have the greatest chance of walking again, and I think this facility will get her there. But I don't want to put the cart before the horse, so let's get through this first obstacle then we can start talking about the re Hab. I just wanted you to think about it, Tim."
Tim nodded and sighed deeply. He was disappointed at the fact that there was only one place for her to go, and it was the one place he wanted to avoid.
Two weeks later
" Daddy, how are we going to get the wheelchair on the plane?" Sascha had asked as they were packing her things. She had come through the surgery with flying colors and now they were preparing to go to Miami for her Re-Hab.
" They are going to put it with the baggage. Can you hand me that bag over there?" Tim asked smirking, as he pointed to a bag sitting on the floor. He watched her as she wheeled herself over and bend to pick it up. He smiled proudly at her for her strength. Any other kid would've thrown a pity party, but not Sascha. She woke up from the surgery with a tenacity to get better. Her outlook on life had changed and she was no longer mad at Calleigh for what happened in the past.
" Daddy! I'm serious! Will you have to carry me?", Sascha said as she threw the bag at her father. " Hey have you talked to Sam? I thought that she said today was her last day ?"
" She called and said that she would be a little late, but don't worry, Sash, she's going to be on time. She had to finish some reports. And no, I won't have to carry you. I think the plane is wheelchair accessible," Tim said as he heard the door bell ring. He thought about the past two weeks and how Sam had reacted to his proposal. He was glad that she accepted, even after their time away from each other. He got up and went to the door. Sascha heard the voices of her father's colleagues.
" Danny, Stella, what are you guys doing here?" Tim asked as he motioned them into the foyer.
" We just came by to see you before you left. And we wanted to see Sascha," Stella said as she walked past Tim.
" Stella!" Sascha said as she wheeled over to her. Stella kneeled down to give her a hug.
" Sash, how are you doing?"
" I'm okay. I finally got used to the wheelchair. I'm not used to having to wait for daddy to help me though, that kinda bites." Sascha said as she smiled at Stella.
Tim watched them as they continued to talk. He then noticed as Danny had a devilish grin on his face.
" Okay, what are you thinking , Danny?"
"What? I 'm not thinking anything."Danny replied.
" Yes, you are."
" You didn't tell your ex-wife that you were coming did you?"
" No, I didn't see the need. She's got her life, I got mine." Tim retorted.
" Right, and you figure that if you don't run in the same circles, she'll never know you're there ?"
" Danny, what's with your obsession with me and Calleigh? I am taking Sam down there with me. You remember Sam, my fiance?" Tim replied sarcastically.
" I know how much you really love Calleigh, Tim. Just don't let the obvious pass you by, is all I am saying," Danny said as he put his hands up. He then walked into the living room where Stella had sat down on the couch near Sascha. She had continued packing.
" You excited, Sascha?" Danny asked as he gave her a hug and a kiss.
" Kind of. I don't really remember much about Miami, but it was where I was born. And I talked to my mom, and she says that I have some sisters. Lizzy and Liv , I think are there names."
" You talked to your mother?" Tim asked , surprised. " When?"
" Yesterday. I decided to call her. You know she's not too happy with what you did, dad. You could've told her. I don't mind. If I have learned anything from this," Sascha said as she patted her wheelchair, " is that life is just too short. I'm not going to live in the past."
" Well said, Sascha," Stella said smiling.
Tim smiled at Sascha but in his mind he was thinking of the changes this move would bring.
A/N: I know, it's a crappy ending. But I am gearing up for another story. We gotta know if Sascha walks again. Or if Tim and Sam will finally make it to the alter... Tune in and see :).
A/N: Thanks guys for all the support. You all are the greatest!