Author's note: Sorry I haven't updated as quickly as I wanted to. I'm getting back into the swing of work after taking an extended period off due to health issues. The upside? I have almost two additional chapters ready to go after this one so the wait won't be long! I appreciate all of the love in the reviews! I changed my pen name for clandestine reasons...that will probably never happen, but one can dream! (Plus the old one was almost 15 years old!) It's also been a challenge between a friend and I to see how many jabs/jokes/puns we can make out of the fact that Marcel's first name is Crockett. Still trying to wrap our heads around that poor name choice! Anyways, enough rambling. Read, enjoy, and show me some love by clicking that cute little review button!
Did you say everything you could?
Do the things that you thought you would?
Did it ever occur to you that this could be your final day?
~Hoobastank~ Did You?
" Let's get back to Will," suggested Jay.
" Just one more thing," replied Natalie out of nowhere. She turned to face Ruzek and a smug looking Phillip. Without warning, she pulled back her arm, punching Phillip square in the jaw.
" Damn that felt good," she replied, exiting the stairwell.
" Where the hell did you learn how to toss a punch like that" questioned an awestruck Jay.
" Wouldn't you like to know?" she challenged.
" Remind me never to piss you off."
Natalie and Jay found the waiting area slightly more crowded than when they had left it. Dr. Charles, Maggie, and Sharon Goodwin were all sitting, waiting on baited breath for any news.
" Are you okay Jay?" Maggie asked, watching as he limped over to an open chair.
" Don't ask." She stood up and pushed her chair under Jay's leg to elevate it.
" I'll go get you some ice."
" Thanks Mags," Jay replied, knowing better than to argue with the nurse.
" Could you grab me some also?" Natalie asked coyly, holding her hand out for Maggie to see.
" What in the hell were you two doing when you disappeared?"
" I jumped over the first floor landing of the stairs behind us and tackled a guy," Jay replied casually.
Any news on Will yet?"
" Dr. Marcel opened him shortly after you two left. From what I can gather, the injury to his spleen is much more severe than what he initially thought," volunteered Sharon.
" What happened to your hand?" asked Maggie, giving Natalie a small icepack before placing a larger one on Jay's knee.
" Rocky here socked Phillip Davis in the face."
" I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that," Sharon.
" I would have aimed lower," muttered Maggie, sitting back down.
" What happens now?" Jay questioned.
" Now we wait," answered a nervous Natalie.
" Marcel. His vitals are dropping. You need to find the source of the bleeding before he goes into cardiac arrest," warned the anesthesiologist.
" I'm well aware of that," Crockett replied snidely. Beside him April was sunctioning the excessive amount of blood that was filling Will's abdomen in attempts to give the surgeon more visibility.
" Crockett!" The anesthesiologist said sharply as alarms began to sound.
" Give me just a few more seconds," he answered, feeling aggravated. He knew Will was within minutes, if not seconds of coding on the table. The damage to his spleen had created a poor visual field as Crockett fought to find the source of the excessive bleeding.
" Dr. Marcel! Now!"
" I've got it!" Crockett sighed, glancing up at the monitors as Will's vitals began climbing. He briefly paused, taking a deep breath as relief washed over him. With the bleeder now tied off, Crockett was able to easily remove the heavily damaged spleen
" All right. Let's close this incision then prepare to reposition his body so I can repair his ribs."
Jay glanced anxiously at his watch. Will had been in the OR for almost five hours. What was taking so long? Beside him Natalie sat just as anxious, her mind wandering to all of the possible medical emergencies that Will could be facing. Thankfully just a few moments later, a tired, yet relieved looking Marcel exited the OR.
" How is he?" the group asked.
" The injury to Will's spleen was much more severe than what showed on the ultrasound and CT. By the time I opened him up it had caused a significant amount of internal bleeding. Thankfully I was able to locate the source of the bleeding and remove the spleen before he went into cardiac arrest from the blood loss. Once that was taken care of, I was able to successfully plate all three of his broken ribs. He'll be in the ICU overnight due to the blood loss and barring any complications, will be moved to a regular room some time tomorrow. Will is going to be fine. Sore for awhile, but fine." A collective sigh could be heard coming from everyone.
" Can we see him?" asked Natalie.
" I'll take you two up with me, but he need rest. He'll be out for awhile due to the anesthesia anyways," replied Crockett. Jay stood, limping towards the elevators with Natalie close behind.
" What happened to you guys?"
" Phillip Davis isn't a problem anymore," Jay said casually.
" How so?"
" I tackled him from the first floor ledge in the stairwell near the OR before he was arrested."
" Well that explains the limp. What happened to your hand?" he asked Natalie.
" I may or may not have punched him in the face," she said innocently.
" I never pegged you for the violent type," Crockett commented as the elevator doors opened.
" He deserved it," Natalie replied, watching as Jay went into the ICU room first. He wasn't inside for more than a few minutes before exiting again.
" I'm going to go home and try to get some sleep. Call me if anything changes," he said tiredly, heading back for the elevator. Natalie made her way into Will's room, feeling instant relief as she realized he wasn't on a ventilator. A shiny silver chain was hanging around his neck. Jay had been holding onto his younger brother's Saint Christopher medallion during the surgery. Before she could stop herself, Natalie fell into a chair and began crying uncontrollably. Crockett entered the room, feeling somewhat awkward as he made his way to Natalie's side.
" I was such a bitch to him. The last thing I said to him was for him to stay out of my life."
" When we were on our way here... after I found him in the alley. I had Jay on the phone. Will's last words before he fell unconscious were that he was worried about you and for your safety."
" There's so much...our history is so complicated. A lot happened before you came to Gaffney."
" I've gotten the cliff notes version."
" I'm sure you have. I'm just worried that I messed everything up."
" You couldn't help that Phillip was taking advantage of you after the accident. You had a head injury. Your memory was compromised."
" It's so much more than that thought," she said, sighing.
" You're tired. Go home to your son. I'll stay with Will. I'm on call tomorrow anyways," offered Crockett.
" Are you sure?"
" Positive. Go home, take some Motrin for that hand, and get some good sleep. I'm comfortable right here," he said, arranging himself in the recliner at Will's bedside.
" Those chairs are horrid," Natalie commented, leaning in to kiss Will on the cheek as she stood.
" I've slept on much worse. See you in the morning."
He heard voices. Jay had been there. Someone was crying now, their words hard to make out. That's when he heard Crockett's voice, reassuring whomever it was. The person left a kiss on his cheek, That he was certain of. Will knew he recognized the voice, the faint scent of perfume. The feeling of the person's lips on his face. His brain felt so sluggish. So tired. He would have to figure it out later.
Hours later, Will found himself finally emerging from the deep state of unconsciousness he had been in. He opened his eyes just enough to appreciate the dimmed lights of the ICU. The sound of monitors beeping were drowned out by loud snoring. Will turned his head to discover Crockett sprawled out in the bedside recliner, his feet propped up on the bottom of the bed. Will mustered up his strength to kick them off, Marcel's sneakers smacking against the floor. That move had awoken a deep pain in Will's chest and stomach. Beside him, Crockett jolted awake.
" You're awake. What the hell did you do that for?"
" How am I supposed to sleep when you're snoring so damn loud?"
" Hey now. I saved your ass last night."
" Feels like you gutted me," groaned Will, wincing from the pain. Crockett stood, feeling slightly more awake.
" Theoretically I did," he commented, looking at Will's vitals from overnight.
" Don't tell me. Let's see if I can guess."
" Severely lacerated spleem that's now gone, a chest tube, and three plated ribs."
" You're no fun," argued Will, wincing yet again as he laughed.
" How's your pain?" Crockett asked, retrieving his stethoscope from the foot of the bed.
" I feel like I got my ass kicked in an alley."
" A number smart ass," retorted Marcel as he listened to Will's heart and lungs.
" 8? 9?"
" That's to be expected," Crockett reasoned, punching in his security code into a nearby drug dispense cart.
" How was the date?"
" Horrid. She walked out on me as I was trying to figure out where the hell you were so you could save me."
" I guess I owe you one?" commented Will as Marcel injected a dose of pain meds into one of his IVs.
" You owe me nothing. You're alive man. You nearly coded and bled out on my table."
" Guess I got lucky then."
" Luck doesn't even begin to cover it. The good news is your vitals have improved from last night."
" Last night. I remember Jay being here. And…"
" Natalie was here too." Natalie. She had been the one crying. She was the one who had kissed him.
" This is some great shit. Thanks Crockpot," mumbled Will, his eyes feeling heavy again.
" I'm going to chalk that one up to the pain meds. Get some rest. I'll be back later to check on you."