Chapter Two
Starting when the ambulance pulled into the ambulance bay at Mercy General Hospital, Elliot felt like he was in a horrible episode of ER. The two paramedics quickly but carefully transferred Olivia into the waiting hands of two doctors. They handed a chart to one of the nurses. Olivia was then rushed into the closest trauma room. Other doctors swarmed into the room. One of them immediately started giving Olivia a transfusion. After Olivia coughed up blood (for the third time since she was injured), a doctor and a nurse began suctioning her blood away from her neck in order to secure an airway.
Elliot stood in the entrance to the trauma room, paralyzed with fear. How could this be happening? He wanted desperately to go be with her. He wanted to hold her hand, kiss her forehead, and tell her that everything would be alright.
He couldn't. First off, he did not know for certain that everything would be fine. How could he know that? He was a detective, not a doctor. The only things he knew about Olivia's condition was that she was unconscious and she had lost a lot of blood. He counted the number of medical personnel surrounding Olivia. He was unsure of which people were doctors verses nurses, but there were eight in total. This was too serious for him. For the first time in his years as a police officer, he had a personal hatred for a perp. He wanted- he needed to see Gitano go down. Casey better show no mercy to him.
"Hang in there, Olivia," he whispered.
He was not even aware that he was crying. He was not making any noise, but the tears were there. He feared that Olivia would not make it out of this trauma room. Everything was happening too quickly.
Another doctor entered the room. His scrubs were a different color than those of the doctors and nurses already inside. Elliot swallowed. This was a surgeon. One of the nurses approached Elliot.
"What's going on?" Elliot demanded. Olivia was being transported out of the trauma room.
The nurse eyed Elliot curiously. "Who are you, exactly?" she asked.
"Her partner," Elliot spat angrily. His eyes were focused on Olivia. She was barely in sight. The gurney had wheeled around the corner. All he could see was the last of the doctors. He frowned as he turned back to the nurse. "Now answer my question. What's going on?" He shook his head. That would only get him a medical answer. He could not decode that. "What are her chances?"
The nurse sighed. "She's going up to surgery right now. As soon as she's on the surgical floor, a team of highly trained surgeons will be there waiting for her." She attempted to leave and head back into the trauma room to prepare it for the next patient.
Elliot frowned. "No, you didn't answer my other question. What are her chances?"
"It's hard to tell right now," the nurse said. "If she survives the surgery, she'll be fine," she admitted. "However, with her blood loss and going to surgery, it's hard to predict if she'll make it out of surgery." She noticed the tears on Elliot's face. "I'm sorry," she said as she gently extended her hand to his arm. "I know this is hard to take in. Is there anyone I can call?"
Elliot shook his head. "She doesn't have any family. I'm all she has." He exhaled as he wiped his eyes. "Can you take me to her?"
