Ruth walked into the Resuscitation Room knowing that she didn't have much time before Harry was taken away to have the Cardiac Stents fitted. She felt sick seeing him, remembering how scared he had looked when he had practically collapsed in her arms over an hour earlier. She smiled slightly as he looked up at her.
"Anything to get out of a meeting with the JIC." She smiled slightly, shaking her head as he rolled his eyes.
"Ruth." His voice was muffled by the oxygen mask over his face. "I."
"You ever scare me like that again." She took his hand, avoiding his gaze as she noted the IV cannula in his hand. Two IV drips snaked into it from the lines hanging beside the trolley he was sat on.
"GTN and saline." He paused. "I am going to be ok. Thanks to you and Beth." He squeezed her hand. Ruth sighed. She had no idea how she felt. Raising an eyebrow she looked him in the eye.
"Don't give the nurses a hard time."
"At least this time you don't have to sneak in, pretending to be my secret pregnant lover." He waggled his eyebrows as she blushed at the memory.
"Why did I ever tell you that?" She shook her head. "Its up there with the tree branch debacle. I will never live it down."
"Just two of the times that you saved the Section." He held her gaze. "And me."
"You have to start looking after yourself more. Actually listening to the doctors."
"You tell him, Ruth." She turned to see Mike stood in the doorway. "I've been telling him for years that he has to watch his cholesterol, his blood pressure and about a million other things."
Harry shot him a filthy look, he barely had to the strength to swear at him.
"Oh I will." She looked at Harry. "I'm not ready to be a widow, Harry. Not yet." She brought his hand to her lips as Mike slipped away. Harry frowned slightly as she looked him in the eye. "I mean it, Harry. I need you. The kids are all in the waiting room. Gracie has been giving orders, Nick is practically silent while Catherine organises us all. I think Graham is in shock."
"Send them home. You should go too." He watched the defiance in her eyes. "Rest. I need you to be well too, you know. Ruth, I am old. This has just reinforced that."
"No." She paused. "No, I wont have you giving up." She blinked. "I."
"I'm not going anywhere." She sighed as he raised his hand to brush a strand of brown hair away from her face. "But if I am going to take care of myself you." He paused as he began to feel out of breath once more. "Need to do the same." Ruth nodded., aware that the nurse was back in the room carrying a handful of paper work with two porters in tow.
"Looks like they are ready for you." Ruth blinked, not wanting to cry. Harry nodded, his nerves showing in his eyes as Ruth squeezed his hand. "Behave yourself."
"I love you." He whispered as she kissed his cheek. Ruth smiled.
"I know." She kissed him again, repeating his words back to him before the porters wheeled him away.
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Graham walked out of the hospital, intent on phoning his wife. He knew Terri was looking after their daughter as well as Catherine's two children but she would want an update. He felt slightly guilty for leaving Catherine with their younger siblings but he needed the fresh air.
"Graham." He turned to see Ruth watching him.
"Ok?"
"They've taken your Dad to the Cardiac Catheter Lab. Not sure how long the procedure will be. He wanted to see you all before they took him but there wasn't time." He nodded as he put his phone back in his jacket pocket.
"Its ok. We can see him when he's on the mend. Probably better that Gracie doesn't see him looking so unwell. To her he is indestructible."
"I think he was in his own eyes, until today." Ruth sighed as Graham smirked. "How are you, Gray? How are you coping with all this?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He sat on the bench just outside the hospital entrance as Ruth sat beside him.
"Harry is your dad."
"He's your husband." Graham looked at her and sighed. Ruth held his gaze. She knew the younger man well enough to know when he was beating himself up about something. He was like his father in so many ways it was unnerving at times. "Just worried."
"Yeah." Ruth agreed.
"I caused him so much stress. I caused everyone so much stress." He shook his head. "I was a right little prick growing up as I'm sure Catherine told you. She was the good girl. The one who put her head down and got on with things. Me? I caused as much mayhem and damage as I could. Alcohol, drugs, stealing cars. I bullied Will too, until Catherine found out and threatened me."
"You were a kid."
"All that stress though." He looked at his feet. "Must have done some damage. I was acting out. I know that now. Now that I'm clean and sober." He shook his head. "I thought he hated me. I thought Mum and Catherine hated me. Truth was, I hated myself."
"This is not your fault." Ruth stated firmly. "He loves all his kids and grandchildren. He loves you, Gray."
Graham looked at his stepmother. "I know, I know that now. I."
"And him having a heart attack is not your fault." She squeezed his arm. "Come on, lets get back to Nick and the girls." Ruth got to her feet, knowing that it was not her time to fall apart, however much she wanted to. She had to keep herself together, had to be strong for the rest of the family but what she really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sob. She ushered Graham back into the hospital knowing that she had to keep a facade up, at least until the younger members of the family were home. There was no way she could lose her composure in front of Nick and Gracie. She was determined she would not frighten them any more than they already were.
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Ros paced the office, she knew Harry was relying on her to manage Section D when he was away. It was the job of the Section Chief to act up when the Section Head was not available, but knowing why she was acting up made it worse. She had no idea what was going on at the hospital but knew she would have to wait for Catherine or Ruth to call them. There was no way she was intruding on a family moment despite how worried she was.
"Ros?"
She looked up to see Malcolm in the doorway of the office. She watched him for a moment as he stepped into the office as she glanced over his shoulder at the main Grid.
"Malcolm."
"You can do this." He stated. "Harry trusts you and so do I."
She smiled slightly, the smile not making her eyes. Malcolm sighed. "Ros, you are more than capable of running this op. Harry would never have kept you as his second in command if he didn't think you could do it. He trusts you, we all do. The juniors are looking to you to hold this together."
"I know." Her face hardened. "I know."
"Right then, well. I just wanted to say that. And that Zoe has pulled all the records we have on these people. I emailed you the file." He turned, leaving the room as Ros swore under her breath, knowing she had a job to do. She just hoped she would be able to hand the reigns back to Harry as soon as possible.
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