Disclaimer: I do not own Strong Medicine or the characters. They belong to Whoopi Goldberg, and Tammy Ader, and Lifetime TV. Special thanks to my good friends SallyJo and Jason for help in brainstorming this chapter... proofreading and editing! Happy New Year's!
I know that the end of this chapter is gonna sound strange... but it is medically possible. It happened to one of my friends.
A Little Over An Hour Later
"Peter..." Andy spoke quietly.
Peter looked up from where he sat on the gurney, holding his wife's head in his lap, gently stroking her hair.
"Why don't you go get the car or something, and let me help Lu change?" Andy suggested as she walked across the ER bay and pulled a pair of clean scrubs out of the cabinet.
Peter looked down at Lu, "Is that ok with you"
Lu nodded silently and slowly sat up.
He kissed her cheek and stood up, "I'll be back in a minute." he promised as he parted the curtain and stepped out of the bay.
Andy pulled the curtain closed behind Peter and walked over to the gurney.
Lu quietly cried as Andy slowly helped her change into the clean scrubs, then sitting on the gurney again, she stared down at her feet in silence.
Andy sat down in the chair facing the gurney and took both of Lu's hands in her own, "Lu... say something"
"There's nothing to say... the baby's gone and that's all there is to it." Lu responded in a husky whisper, without looking up.
"You've got to talk honey. I know you're hurting... don't keep this bottled up." Andy gently encouraged.
"There's nothing to say." Lu repeated as she pulled her hands away from Andy and slowly slid off of the gurney. She walked over and opened the curtain.
"Lu..." Andy called in an attempt to stop her friend.
"I'm fine Andy." Lu's voice was flat, barely above a whisper as she walked out of the bay. "I'll see you tomorrow"
Andy stood and hurried after her partner, "Take the day off. You and Peter should both stay home"
"I'll see you tomorrow." Lu repeated without turning around.
Andy sighed as Lu walked out of the ER with no further comment.
Peter rushed to meet his wife and ushered her safely into the car. Turning back to the ER doors, he waved to Andy before getting in the car and driving away.
A Few Evenings Later
Peter moved about the kitchen, preparing a tray. Soup, a sandwich, a bottle of water... then suddenly remembering, he added a book by Lu's favorite author and a vase containing one long stem, red rose. He walked to their bedroom and slowly entered. "Hi sweetheart," he spoke quietly as he placed the tray on the bedside table.
Lu looked up from where she laid. Following Peter's every move with her eyes, she quietly sighed.
Peter sat on the edge of the bed and gently ran his hand across her cheek, wiping away her tears. "Come on, sit up baby, you need to eat"
"I just wanna sleep." Lu rolled over, turning her back to Peter and buried her face in the pillow.
"It's only six o'clock." he tried to reason with her.
"I don't care." she mumbled into her pillow.
"Honey..." Peter was cut off by a knock on the front door. "I'll be back." He rose to his feet and walked out of the bedroom, pulling the door closed behind him. Peter quickly crossed the living room and opened the front door.
"Hey kid." Lana greeted him with a small smile, "How's Lu"
"Lana... Come on in," Peter stepped back and held the door open, "I'm glad you came by"
Lana walked in and dropped her purse on the couch, "Why? What's wrong"
Peter leaned against the wall and sighed, "I haven't been able to get Lu to talk to me in days. She's already in bed"
Lana frowned in concern, "Already? She's barely had time to get home from work"
"I know," Peter nodded, "And all she'll say is that she just wants to sleep"
"Ok," Lana sighed, "Let Lana give it a try"
Peter nodded again and slowly exhaled, grateful for the help.
Lana walked across the living room and quietly knocked on the bedroom door. Receiving no answer, she opened the door and stepped in. "Lu, baby..." Lana's heart seemed to break when she saw her friend. As she walked over and sat down on the bed, Lana's motherly instincts took over. She gently rubbed Lu's back and quietly soothed, "Come on baby girl, talk to Lana"
Lu rolled over, her eyes bloodshot from crying. She looked up at Lana and repeated the phrase that she had used so often in the past few days, "There's nothing to say"
"Sure there is," Lana insisted, "You're hurting and you need to get it out. Bottling it up only hurts you worse. Tell me what you're thinking"
"Fine, fine," Lu sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed, "You want to know what I'm thinking?" her eyes flashed with anger.
Lana nodded, "Yes... anger, hurt, fear... I want to hear it all"
"Fine!" The words began to roll rapidly from Lu's lips, "I'm so angry, I could scream! It hurts so bad that it feels like my heart is literally breaking in two, like someone ripped my heart out and shattered it into tiny pieces that I'll never be able to put back together. I feel like I'm in a nightmare that I can't wake up from. I want another child so bad that I can literally feel the baby in my arms. I failed, I lost our baby and I wouldn't blame my husband for hating me! I... I..." practically in hysterics, Lu's voice broke as she sobbed.
"Shhh..." Lana soothed and wrapped her arms around her friend, "it's ok, Peter doesn't hate you"
"I would hate me!" Lu managed to choke out between sobs.
"No... no." Lana spoke quietly as she gently rocked Lu side to side in a smooth, calming manner.
"Lana's right," Peter spoke up from the door, "I could never hate you, I love you with all of my heart." He walked across the room and sat beside Lu on the bed. "You're my life... remember?" Gathering his heartbroken wife into his arms, he kissed the top of her head, "Do you remember what I told you when I asked you to marry me? Huh?"
Lu silently nodded.
Peter wiped away her tears, and quietly repeated what he said the night he proposed, "You are the most amazing woman I know and I can not tell you how much I love you. You're my life, my whole world." Leaning down, he gently kissed Lu, then whispered, "Nothing's changed, you'll always be my everything... no matter what"
Three Days Later
"Lu?" Nick frowned in surprise as his best friend's wife flew past him. He turned just in time to see her disappear into the RWHC women's restroom. He walked over and knocked on the door, "Lu? You ok?" He frowned in concern when he heard her throwing up. "Anyone else in there?" Hearing no response, Nick looked back at Lana, "You better go get Peter"
Lana quickly rose from her desk and hurried over to one of the exam rooms.
Nick slowly opened the women's restroom door and walked inside. He got a wet paper towel and walked down to the last stall. There, he found Lu, kneeling on the floor. "Are you ok?" Nick asked as he leaned over and wiped her face with the wet paper towel.
"Yeah." Lu sighed and slowly rose to her feet.
"You sure?" Nick steadied her as she took a couple of unsteady steps.
"Yeah, I'm just a little lightheaded." she put her hand on the wall.
"I've got you... Here..." Nick leaned over, slowly picked Lu up, and carried her out of the restroom just in time to see Peter rushing out of an exam room. Meeting Peter in the lobby, Nick gently transferred Lu into her husband's arms, "I think she needs to see Andy"
"No," Lu protested, "I'm fine"
Nick eyed Lu, "You're throwing up and you're lightheaded," he looked at Peter, "That's NOT fine"
"And that's not your first trip in there either." Lana spoke up.
On her way back to her office from the ER, Andy heard Nick and Lana's comments as she came around the corner. "You've been lightheaded and sick to your stomach a couple of times today?" she asked as she looked at her friend.
"I'm fine." Lu sighed.
"Not a couple... more like four or five times." Lana's forehead creased in concern.
"Put me down, Peter. I have patients waiting." Lu squirmed in his arms.
"No. Riggs, bring her to my office." Andy instructed as she suddenly remembered something.
"Andy!" Lu protested.
"I just want to check something, Lu." Andy spoke sternly.
Lu sighed and quieted down, knowing there was no use arguing once Andy slipped into Colonel mode.
Peter carried Lu into Andy's office and gently set her down on the exam table, "Andy? What are you thinking"
"This reminds me of a patient I saw a few years ago." Andy pulled the ultrasounds machine over and turned it on.
Lu watched Andy carefully, trying to figure out what was on her mind. "What in the world are you doing?" Lu shivered as Andy raised her shirt and squirted gel on her stomach.
"Just relax... and trust me." Andy moved the ultrasound probe around on Lu's stomach.
Peter squeezed Lu's hand reassuringly as he watched the other doctor.
Andy continued moving the probe across Lu's stomach, carefully watching the ultrasound machine screen. Stopping suddenly, she looked even closer.
"What is it?" Peter's voice was laced with worry.
"Ah ha!" Andy exclaimed as a smile spread across her face.
Lu frowned in confusion, "What"
"Lu..." Andy smiled at her best friend, "You're still pregnant..."
