A short time later, Alex was back in the Swordfish II racing towards the hospital. She took just enough time to drop Ed off, change her clothes, and get back out the door. She couldn't win though; she got blood all over her again since the cockpit of the ship was full of it. She hadn't taken notice of it before, but she found a small picture of her and Spike together stuck to a gauge on the dashboard. She remembered that day clearly. It was warm and the whole crew went for a picnic. Ed took the picture when she was giving Spike a brief kiss. How she hoped that Spike was alright so that they could go out and have another picnic like they did that day. The fast red ship pierced the low clouds as it raced time itself to get to the hospital.
When she arrived at the large building, she parked the ship on the roof near Jet's Hammerhead and took the elevator down to the lobby.
"Can you tell me where the waiting room for the ER is please?" she asked the nurse at the circulation desk. The older woman looked up at her.
"May I ask for who you're here with whom is in the ER?" she asked. That's right! There were a couple different ones.
"Uh, I don't know if his paperwork has been filled out, but his name is Spike Spiegel. He came in by ambulance badly beaten and almost dead." She explained. As Alex explained who she was looking for, the nurse's face became more and more upset.
"My dear, I am so sorry. I saw that young man come in. Are you his sister?" she asked sympathetically. Alex shook her head.
"No, I'm his girlfriend. I really need to know where he is, a man by the name of Jet Black came in with him if not right behind him." She said trying to smile to lighten the situation.
"You poor dear. Give me a moment and I'll tell you where he is." She said as she began to type away at the computer. A short list of names popped up and she looked it over. "Ah yes, Mr. Spike Spiegel, 28 years old, correct?" Alex nodded. "If you go through these doors, and walk straight, you'll be in the ER lobby after about 50 feet. Jet Black is in Waiting Area #5, just look for room number five when you get there." She said.
"Thank you ma'am." She smiled as she headed for the door.
"Oh and miss? If there's anything you need, have a staff member page Clara Sokerd and I'll be right there." The woman said cheerfully. Alex nodded and passed through the doors. There was a huge lobby there with a door about 50 feet away like Clara said marked 'ER Waiting Area' over them. She walked through the waiting room and through those doors. When she entered, there was another circulation desk and a man sitting with a doctors white coat on.
"Can I help you ma'am?" he asked her. She nodded.
"Yes, I'm here with my boyfriend who is in the ER right now, his name is Spike Spiegel." She said. As Alex said Spike's name, the doctor cringed.
"The man who came in a little while ago that was beat up real bad with all the gunshot wounds and the big one through his chest?" he asked her. She nodded. "Sweetheart, I'm just telling you now that patients that come in that look that bad, they don't live through the night." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. Alex went wide-eyed with fear, but looked away before she could cry.
"Could you just tell me what room to go into?" she asked distraught.
"I'm sorry, room number five is right over there. I believe that a Mr. Jet Black is in there already." He said pointing to a wooden door a few feet away. She looked over to see the lights on and a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the handle.
"Thank you sir." She said as she walked over to the door. She twisted the handle and pushed the door open to receive quite the warm welcome from Jet.
"I THOUGHT I SAID…oh, its you Alex."
"Is that how you greet a friend, let alone Spike's girlfriend?" Alex said as tears found their way to her eyes. Jet ran over to her and hugged her, holding her close.
"I'm sorry Alex." He apologized. "I talked to the doctor when Spike first went in. He said it didn't look good at all. They said he might not make it to tomorrow." He said to the sobbing girl.
"I can't believe this time he's really going to die. After all he's been through, you'd think this was nothing for him." She cried. He helped her to a couch that was set against a wall. He let her cry into his shoulder while they both reminisced back upon the good days and near death experiences that he lived through. About 20 minutes passed before the door opened and a doctor stepped inside with a folder and a clipboard. Jet and Alex stood as she entered.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Giasoda. You must be Spike's crewmates and you must be the lucky girlfriend he was ranting about before we sedated him." She smiled at Alex.
"Yes." She nodded.
"I'm afraid the news is far from good. There's the major bullet-hole clear through his chest, but the only good part about it is that it missed his heart by a hair; he's very lucky for that. Otherwise, there's the major concussion, punctured lung, cracked and broken ribs and bones, and internal bleeding everywhere. He's a real mess, but if you have the patience to let us work with him, we'll do everything possible to keep him alive." She informed.
"Doctor, I've hear that patients that are in the condition Spike is in don't usually make it to the morning. Do you think he has the chance?" Alex asked. Giasoda adjusted her glasses.
"To tell you the truth, the odds are against him at this point. However, I have been proven wrong several times when saying that people will die before the next morning." She said trying not to sway too much in one direction to give too much hope. "At this point, I'd be ready for anything. You can stay here if you wish, but you also have the option of going back home and getting some rest and clean clothes."
"I'll stay." Alex insisted. "I'll stay by Spike no matter what." She said.
"Alex, I think…" Jet began.
"No, I'm staying and that's that." She said glaring at him angrily.
"Fine." Jet sighed. "I'm going to head back to the ship and get some things. I'll pick you up some fresh clothes and food, okay?"
"Thanks a lot Jet." She said with a hug.
"Yea, yea. Anything for the girl of my buddy's dreams." He said as he walked out of the room. A young man about Alex's age came into the room.
"Doctor, we need you in Mr. Spiegel's room immediately." He said with urgency. She nodded and followed him out but stopped to say something to Alex.
"Don't worry Alex, Spike will be fine." She said supportively just before she left the room leaving Alex alone. She flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV that was on a stand hanging from the ceiling. She got bored flipping channels, so she pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed up Pidge to let him know what was going on. As she started to dial the number, it rang.
"Hello?" she asked as she accepted the call.
"Did you want me to bring your guitar too? I figured that you'd want it with you there." Jet asked her. She smiled happily; she was going to say something to him about bringing it.
"Yes, can you? And be sure to grab my black hakamas, red kimono, and a white tank top." She said as she recalled her most comfortable, feel-good outfit.
"Alright, I'll be back in about an hour. I'm gonna make some food for us to eat later on since we'll both be spending the night."
"You want to stay? I'll stay by myself Jet, you don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"I want to, besides, if something happens to Spike, who's going to be there with you if the news is bad?" he insisted. He had a point.
"Okay, see you soon then Jet." She said as she hung up. She then dialed Pidge's number.
"Pidge Bordeaux, racer and restorer." He answered.
"Pidge? It's Alex." She said wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Alex! What's up? You sound upset, everything okay?"
"I'm in the hospital, Spike got messed up real bad and they don't think he'll make it through the night here. I just wanted to call and let you know what was going on since you're a close friend." She said sadly. A loud bang came from Pidge's side of the phone followed by a scraping sound.
"Alex, I'll be right there. What hospital are you guys at?" he said worriedly.
"No, Pidge I don't think it would be a good idea for anyone else to come down here. It's going to be Jet and I spending the night here, and Ed's back on the ship there. If anything, send Jordan over there to hang out with her until tomorrow morning." She asked. There was a brief pause and then the sound of Pidge moving the phone.
"JORDAN! GET DOWN HERE!" He screamed. "I'll send him over now, if you need anything Alex, don't hesitate to call, alright? I'm only a ring away." he reassured.
"Thanks Pidge, you're the greatest." She said as she started to cry some more.
"Ma and I'll be praying for him, okay? Just don't get too worried sweetheart." He said.
"Alright Pidge, I'll call you later, maybe not until tomorrow." She said as she bid farewell and hung up the phone. She sat there and flipped through the TV channels some more until she came to Big Shot on the bounty hunters' channel. All they were talking about was the killing of the giant bounty worth 80 million. They were looking for the person who killed him and offered a phone number for the person to call.
"It was a blond girl about 20 years old or so with blue eyes who was with a red-headed child." Judy was saying. Alex knew they could use the money, but she didn't feel like calling. Instead, she stored the number in her cell phone and turned the channel off. She came across the music video channel and started to sing along with the songs that came on. This passed about 45 minutes or so until Jet returned with a bunch of things. He had her guitar case in one hand and one of her bags under that arm, and two bags under the other.
"I brought your stuff. They questioned me about it at first, but then they let me through after I explained myself." He said as he set it all on the ground.
"I talked to Pidge, they'll be praying for him." She said as she opened her bag and pulled out the clothes she wanted to sleep in. "Right after you left, one of the assistants came in and requested the doctor in Spike's room immediately." Jet looked up at her, only to see her wrapped up in pulling out the right clothes. She sniffled and a tear fell onto the red silk kimono.
"Alex, I'm sure he's…" he began, but the door opened and the doctor once again entered. It was now coming around to dinnertime and the both of them were hungry. Alex looked up and stood to face the doctor as she wiped her tears away.
"How is he doctor?" she asked with a slight waver in her voice. She removed her glasses with a sigh and put them in the front pocket of her white coat. Alex could feel the news coming.
"There was more damage done than initially thought. It looks as if he'd been through several gunfights in the past." She said. Alex glared angrily at Jet.
"You didn't tell her what we do?" Jet was taken by surprise.
"I didn't think it was necessary!" he said. "I thought all the bullets were removed!"
"It's not the bullets, there were none other than the ones from this fight, but all of the damage done has opened up old wounds and has made matters worse." Alex started to cry silently. "We're trying as hard as we can to stabilize him, but the harder we try, it seems the more damage we do. It's been estimated that he only has five to six hours left in him." Alex sank to the floor. She wasn't ready for that news, it hit her like a ton of bricks.
When she arrived at the large building, she parked the ship on the roof near Jet's Hammerhead and took the elevator down to the lobby.
"Can you tell me where the waiting room for the ER is please?" she asked the nurse at the circulation desk. The older woman looked up at her.
"May I ask for who you're here with whom is in the ER?" she asked. That's right! There were a couple different ones.
"Uh, I don't know if his paperwork has been filled out, but his name is Spike Spiegel. He came in by ambulance badly beaten and almost dead." She explained. As Alex explained who she was looking for, the nurse's face became more and more upset.
"My dear, I am so sorry. I saw that young man come in. Are you his sister?" she asked sympathetically. Alex shook her head.
"No, I'm his girlfriend. I really need to know where he is, a man by the name of Jet Black came in with him if not right behind him." She said trying to smile to lighten the situation.
"You poor dear. Give me a moment and I'll tell you where he is." She said as she began to type away at the computer. A short list of names popped up and she looked it over. "Ah yes, Mr. Spike Spiegel, 28 years old, correct?" Alex nodded. "If you go through these doors, and walk straight, you'll be in the ER lobby after about 50 feet. Jet Black is in Waiting Area #5, just look for room number five when you get there." She said.
"Thank you ma'am." She smiled as she headed for the door.
"Oh and miss? If there's anything you need, have a staff member page Clara Sokerd and I'll be right there." The woman said cheerfully. Alex nodded and passed through the doors. There was a huge lobby there with a door about 50 feet away like Clara said marked 'ER Waiting Area' over them. She walked through the waiting room and through those doors. When she entered, there was another circulation desk and a man sitting with a doctors white coat on.
"Can I help you ma'am?" he asked her. She nodded.
"Yes, I'm here with my boyfriend who is in the ER right now, his name is Spike Spiegel." She said. As Alex said Spike's name, the doctor cringed.
"The man who came in a little while ago that was beat up real bad with all the gunshot wounds and the big one through his chest?" he asked her. She nodded. "Sweetheart, I'm just telling you now that patients that come in that look that bad, they don't live through the night." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. Alex went wide-eyed with fear, but looked away before she could cry.
"Could you just tell me what room to go into?" she asked distraught.
"I'm sorry, room number five is right over there. I believe that a Mr. Jet Black is in there already." He said pointing to a wooden door a few feet away. She looked over to see the lights on and a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the handle.
"Thank you sir." She said as she walked over to the door. She twisted the handle and pushed the door open to receive quite the warm welcome from Jet.
"I THOUGHT I SAID…oh, its you Alex."
"Is that how you greet a friend, let alone Spike's girlfriend?" Alex said as tears found their way to her eyes. Jet ran over to her and hugged her, holding her close.
"I'm sorry Alex." He apologized. "I talked to the doctor when Spike first went in. He said it didn't look good at all. They said he might not make it to tomorrow." He said to the sobbing girl.
"I can't believe this time he's really going to die. After all he's been through, you'd think this was nothing for him." She cried. He helped her to a couch that was set against a wall. He let her cry into his shoulder while they both reminisced back upon the good days and near death experiences that he lived through. About 20 minutes passed before the door opened and a doctor stepped inside with a folder and a clipboard. Jet and Alex stood as she entered.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Giasoda. You must be Spike's crewmates and you must be the lucky girlfriend he was ranting about before we sedated him." She smiled at Alex.
"Yes." She nodded.
"I'm afraid the news is far from good. There's the major bullet-hole clear through his chest, but the only good part about it is that it missed his heart by a hair; he's very lucky for that. Otherwise, there's the major concussion, punctured lung, cracked and broken ribs and bones, and internal bleeding everywhere. He's a real mess, but if you have the patience to let us work with him, we'll do everything possible to keep him alive." She informed.
"Doctor, I've hear that patients that are in the condition Spike is in don't usually make it to the morning. Do you think he has the chance?" Alex asked. Giasoda adjusted her glasses.
"To tell you the truth, the odds are against him at this point. However, I have been proven wrong several times when saying that people will die before the next morning." She said trying not to sway too much in one direction to give too much hope. "At this point, I'd be ready for anything. You can stay here if you wish, but you also have the option of going back home and getting some rest and clean clothes."
"I'll stay." Alex insisted. "I'll stay by Spike no matter what." She said.
"Alex, I think…" Jet began.
"No, I'm staying and that's that." She said glaring at him angrily.
"Fine." Jet sighed. "I'm going to head back to the ship and get some things. I'll pick you up some fresh clothes and food, okay?"
"Thanks a lot Jet." She said with a hug.
"Yea, yea. Anything for the girl of my buddy's dreams." He said as he walked out of the room. A young man about Alex's age came into the room.
"Doctor, we need you in Mr. Spiegel's room immediately." He said with urgency. She nodded and followed him out but stopped to say something to Alex.
"Don't worry Alex, Spike will be fine." She said supportively just before she left the room leaving Alex alone. She flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV that was on a stand hanging from the ceiling. She got bored flipping channels, so she pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed up Pidge to let him know what was going on. As she started to dial the number, it rang.
"Hello?" she asked as she accepted the call.
"Did you want me to bring your guitar too? I figured that you'd want it with you there." Jet asked her. She smiled happily; she was going to say something to him about bringing it.
"Yes, can you? And be sure to grab my black hakamas, red kimono, and a white tank top." She said as she recalled her most comfortable, feel-good outfit.
"Alright, I'll be back in about an hour. I'm gonna make some food for us to eat later on since we'll both be spending the night."
"You want to stay? I'll stay by myself Jet, you don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"I want to, besides, if something happens to Spike, who's going to be there with you if the news is bad?" he insisted. He had a point.
"Okay, see you soon then Jet." She said as she hung up. She then dialed Pidge's number.
"Pidge Bordeaux, racer and restorer." He answered.
"Pidge? It's Alex." She said wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Alex! What's up? You sound upset, everything okay?"
"I'm in the hospital, Spike got messed up real bad and they don't think he'll make it through the night here. I just wanted to call and let you know what was going on since you're a close friend." She said sadly. A loud bang came from Pidge's side of the phone followed by a scraping sound.
"Alex, I'll be right there. What hospital are you guys at?" he said worriedly.
"No, Pidge I don't think it would be a good idea for anyone else to come down here. It's going to be Jet and I spending the night here, and Ed's back on the ship there. If anything, send Jordan over there to hang out with her until tomorrow morning." She asked. There was a brief pause and then the sound of Pidge moving the phone.
"JORDAN! GET DOWN HERE!" He screamed. "I'll send him over now, if you need anything Alex, don't hesitate to call, alright? I'm only a ring away." he reassured.
"Thanks Pidge, you're the greatest." She said as she started to cry some more.
"Ma and I'll be praying for him, okay? Just don't get too worried sweetheart." He said.
"Alright Pidge, I'll call you later, maybe not until tomorrow." She said as she bid farewell and hung up the phone. She sat there and flipped through the TV channels some more until she came to Big Shot on the bounty hunters' channel. All they were talking about was the killing of the giant bounty worth 80 million. They were looking for the person who killed him and offered a phone number for the person to call.
"It was a blond girl about 20 years old or so with blue eyes who was with a red-headed child." Judy was saying. Alex knew they could use the money, but she didn't feel like calling. Instead, she stored the number in her cell phone and turned the channel off. She came across the music video channel and started to sing along with the songs that came on. This passed about 45 minutes or so until Jet returned with a bunch of things. He had her guitar case in one hand and one of her bags under that arm, and two bags under the other.
"I brought your stuff. They questioned me about it at first, but then they let me through after I explained myself." He said as he set it all on the ground.
"I talked to Pidge, they'll be praying for him." She said as she opened her bag and pulled out the clothes she wanted to sleep in. "Right after you left, one of the assistants came in and requested the doctor in Spike's room immediately." Jet looked up at her, only to see her wrapped up in pulling out the right clothes. She sniffled and a tear fell onto the red silk kimono.
"Alex, I'm sure he's…" he began, but the door opened and the doctor once again entered. It was now coming around to dinnertime and the both of them were hungry. Alex looked up and stood to face the doctor as she wiped her tears away.
"How is he doctor?" she asked with a slight waver in her voice. She removed her glasses with a sigh and put them in the front pocket of her white coat. Alex could feel the news coming.
"There was more damage done than initially thought. It looks as if he'd been through several gunfights in the past." She said. Alex glared angrily at Jet.
"You didn't tell her what we do?" Jet was taken by surprise.
"I didn't think it was necessary!" he said. "I thought all the bullets were removed!"
"It's not the bullets, there were none other than the ones from this fight, but all of the damage done has opened up old wounds and has made matters worse." Alex started to cry silently. "We're trying as hard as we can to stabilize him, but the harder we try, it seems the more damage we do. It's been estimated that he only has five to six hours left in him." Alex sank to the floor. She wasn't ready for that news, it hit her like a ton of bricks.