Author note:
I think this arc might take another couple chapters to wrap up. There's too much I want to cover to shove it into one chapter. I hope you all are staying healthy and that this distracts you for a time and brings you some joy.
I am NOT a medical professional, so if my details are a bit sketchy, I apologize.
CH 74-The Long Road
Emma laid with Clay quietly, focusing on the soft rise and fall of his chest and the steady thump of his heart. Just the assurance the he was home and whole, even if he had been injured, calmed some of her jumbled nerves. She thought that he was asleep, but he swallowed, licked his lips, and started to speak.
"Em, how is he? How's Jace?"
Emma did her best to stay calm and not worry him. Blinking back tears, she answered softly.
"I don't really know. No one has told us anything yet. We were just waiting, so I came to see you."
Clay fought hard to stay awake, "Honey…'m sorry…tried to…"
"Shhhh. You don't need to apologize about anything. Just rest."
She carefully pushed his hair back off his forehead and kissed his cheek.
"My fault. He…pushed me away…shoulda…"
He wasn't making much sense and she was worried that his mind was muddled. He was getting agitated trying to talk to her. Emma did her best to calm him down. He needed to rest and heal. And she didn't want the nurse to come kick her out for getting him worked up.
"Babe, shhhh. Everything's fine. You can tell me after you rest."
"But you have to...have to understann…."
The drugs and his exhaustion finally got the best of him and he dozed off. Emma moved to the chair beside the bed and kept watch, holding his hand. She was resting her head on the mattress at his side, trying not to worry about her dad. The door opened and she looked up, hoping to see one of the team coming to tell her that they knew more on her Dad's condition. But a kind looking nurse spoke up quietly.
"Hi honey. Not to worry. I'm just here to check on him. Happy you finally got him to rest. That must mean you're Emma."
"Yea, I'm…how did you know?"
"I guessed. When we brought him in, he wouldn't lay still and kept asking for 'my Emma'."
"How's he doing, really?"
"He's young and strong. We have to keep him for a couple days because of his head injury. It's protocol. But barring any complications and any infection in his lacerations, he should be just fine."
"Oh, thank God."
The door opened again, just a crack and Naima spoke to Emma.
"Honey they have your dad settled and the doctor is ready to talk about his condition. I asked them to wait until I could come and get you."
"Thank you, Naima."
She stood up, and gently laid Clay's hand down at his side and leaned over to kiss him softly. His nurse winked at her.
"We'll take good care of him until you get back sweetie."
Emma smiled her thanks and followed Naima back to the waiting area outside the ICU. When they arrived back, she led Emma over to the doctor who was treating Jason.
"Dr. Anderson, this is Emma Hayes, Jason's daughter."
"Hello miss. Let's have a seat."
He sat down next to Linda and Mikey and waited for Emma to join them.
"Master Chief Hayes is stable. We've been able to run some tests and better assess his situation. He sustained a concussion from the blast and has four broken ribs and a fractured ulna. In addition, he had a collapsed lung. I have to say that whoever cared for him in the field did an excellent job."
All eyes swung to Trent and as usual, he shrugged off the attention in favor of focusing back on his boss' prognosis.
"Is he awake," Linda asked.
"Not yet. That is our main concern. We can't completely understand the extent of the head injury until he wakes up."
"When will that be?"
"I…I don't know ma'am. Right now, we just have to wait and see."
Seeing her Grandmother's distress and watching Mikey silently crying, Emma knew she couldn't break down. She dug her nails into her palms and fought to keep her face impassive. All the panic and anxiety she felt was pushed down deep inside.
"When can we see him," she asked.
"He is allowed one visitor at a time, and only for 10 minutes." They all nodded in understanding. "I know this is tough, but he's getting the best care. We will keep you updated if anything changes."
They thanked the doctor and then turned to Trent and Naima for some assurance. They both kept things positive, reminding everyone of how tough and stubborn Jason was. Then, the family began discussions on who should see Jason first. Mikey was distraught and Linda was in shock. Naima watched as Emma took charge, marveling at her inner strength. She was definitely her mother's daughter.
"Grandma, why don't you go on in and see him. I'll stay out here with Mikey and try to get him calmed down, okay?"
Linda nodded and headed toward Jason's room. Naima looked on as Emma gathered her little brother in her arms and held him, letting him cry. No one could make out the words, but whatever she was saying to him must have re-assured Mikey. He began to calm, and the tears tapered off. The teen sat back and wiped his face, waiting his turn to go and see their dad.
As soon as she saw that Mikey was okay, she stood up and addressed the rest of them.
"I want to thank all of you for what you've done to take care of Dad and Clay, and for getting them back here. I know you're all tired and need to get home."
Ray cut in. "Em, honey, you don't have to thank us, they're our brothers. We need to know how they are. And you and Linda and Mikey are family. We are here to take care of you too."
"Thet's right Princess. Ain't nothin' more important than thet right now. One of us is gonna stay here at all times keepin' an eye on Jace and on Goldilocks and do whatever you need us to do."
"I appreciate…we appreciate that."
"What d'ya need? What can we do," Sonny asked.
Emma took a deep breath and thought for a moment. She was trying to take everything in and formulate a plan.
"I know Grandma and Mikey drove themselves here, but I think they might need some help getting home. Can someone make sure they get home okay?" The guys nodded as she continued. "I left my car at school. Someone will need to go get it, so I don't get towed."
"Trent an' me can take care of both of those. We'll drive home with Linda and Mikey and then swing by and get yer car."
"Oh! Koda! Brock, could you possibly go and get Koda for a couple days? Just until I can get Clay home and settled in?"
"Of course. He can stay with Cerb and me as long as you need."
"Thank you. And, Clay's going to need somethings. If I give you a list, can you pick those up?"
"Absolutely. But, what about you Em? How are you getting home?"
"I'm not leaving. I'm going to stay here with them."
Naima stepped in. "Em, honey, you are going to need your rest if you are going to take care of Clay and help Jason. Why don't you ride home with Brock? Someone can come get you later and bring you back."
"I'm not leaving," she stated firmly. She could see Naima open her mouth to speak, but Ray laid a hand on his wife's arm and shook his head. He had seen her expression before, many times. It was the same face Jason made once he had come to a decision. He could see that Emma had made up her mind and no amount of cajoling would sway her.
"Alright Em. How about Naima goes with Brock and she can pick up some things for you too? Would that be okay?"
"Thanks, Ray. I could use a change of clothes and my toothbrush."
Just then Linda came back to the waiting area and the nurse walked Mikey back to see his dad.
"How is he Grandma?"
"Resting quietly. They said his vitals are good. I, I really don't know."
"Once Mikey comes back, Sonny and Trent are going to see about getting you guys home, okay?"
The older woman nodded. "Thank you," she looked at both men.
"No thanks needed ma'am. Thet's why we're here. Everythin's gonna be okay. He's strong. I ain't seen the injury yet that could sideline Jason Hayes for long."
Vic had been sitting quietly off to the side. He had never had to deal with anything like this before and wasn't quite sure what role he was to play. He did realize that no one had volunteered to wait here with Emma. He had no family to go home to like Ray did. Here was something he could do.
Standing up, he addressed everyone. "Hey, if it's okay, I'll take the first shift here at the hospital with Emma."
Everyone nodded and Emma walked over and gave him hug. "Thanks, Vic."
Mikey returned from Jason's room. They could all tell he had been crying again. Emma reached for him and pulled him into an embrace.
"You okay bud?"
"Yea. It's just so hard to see him like that. Do you think he'll be okay?"
"I do. Sonny's right. This won't keep Dad down. I think his body just needs to rest and so it's keeping him asleep. He'll be up soon and annoying us all to let him get up and get going. You know what a bad patient Dad is."
This got a smile and a small laugh from her brother.
"Sonny and Trent are going to go with you and Grandma to get you home. Can you keep an eyes on Grandma for me? Call me if either of you need anything, okay? Maybe you can come back later and see Dad again."
Emma steadied herself and went to see Jason. She walked into his room quietly and tried to keep calm. He was hooked up to even more machines then Clay. His skin was pale, and he wasn't moving. She sat in the chair by his bed and began to talk softly to him.
"Daddy, it's me, Emma. I hope you can hear me. First, I want to let you know that Clay is going to be fine. I don't know exactly what happened, but I know that you always worry about your team and would want to know that he's fine." She paused and looked for any reaction from him. There was none, so she continued. "All the rest of the guys made it home safe too. Grandma and Mikey are on their way to the condo. They're going to go home and rest and then come back later to see you. I'm staying. I want to make sure that someone is always here for you and Clay until you both can come home. I'm…I'm fine, I guess. I'm trying to be strong, like you and Mom. Not sure I'm doing so great with that." In spite of her resolve, tears started down her cheeks and her voice began to quiver. "I'm trying to do what you and Mom would do. And I know that Grandma and Mikey and Clay need for me to be strong. You do too. I probably shouldn't even be worrying you about this. I'm not alone though. The team is pitching in and making sure everything is taken care of. We all need you to wake up and let us know that you're fine. Can you do that Daddy?" She held his hand and hoped for some movement, a squeeze, a twitch, anything. He remained still. "Well, whenever you're ready, we'll be here." She saw the nurse indicate through the window that she needed to be wrapping it up.
"My time's up Dad. I'm going to go check on Clay. I'll make sure that they know where I am all the time in case you need me. I love you Daddy."
She kissed his bruised cheek and then stood and squared her shoulders, trying to ready herself to face whatever was coming. There was a long road ahead for all of them, she prayed they would have the strength to see it through.
