To Breathe Again: A Second Wind

by LM

(Chapter Two)

After filling Rick in on the details of the accident, Mark sat in silence, trying to take in all that's happened.

"She just went limp. What's going on?" Rick questioned aloud while pacing the waiting room floor. "What in the world is happening? Why Dee Dee? What kind of sense are we to make of this?"

Mark, with his head bowed down, heaved a sigh. "None that I know of. I can't understand any of it."

"Mr. Hunter? Mr. Atkins?" A nurse called to the men. "You can see Mrs. Turnan."

"She's okay?" Rick asked anxiously.

"She's awake, but very tired and weak. She hasn't had any sustenance in more than twenty-six hours, she's dehydrated and exhausted. She'll be in bed for a day or two."

Mark and Rick both sighed with a little relief and then followed the nurse to Dee Dee's room. Rick was the first to enter with Mark close behind.

"Dee Dee?" Rick stood beside her bed and gently took her hand. "Honey, can you hear me? It's me, Rick. Mark's here, too."

Mark moved a little closer to the bed. "Dee Dee?"

Dee Dee's eyes opened slowly and she tried to focus. "Rick? Mark? I feel so tired." She reached up to feel the oxygen tubes in her nose. "What happened?" She looked at both men and then at the hanging bag of saline drip. "I'm in the hospital? Why?"

Rick hesitated to bring up all that's happened. "You've been through a lot. You passed out from the stress and exhaustion."

Dee Dee had a sudden flash of the accident. "Oh, no." A tear trailed her cheek. "Mark, you were there."

"Yes. I was there." Mark replied solemnly.

"AJ. They didn't…?" She looked to both men in fear. "Is he…?"

"No, they didn't." Rick answered. "He's still in his room."

"Thank God." Dee Dee sighed with relief. "You have to help me up. I have to see my baby."

"We can't." Rick replied. "You're too sick. You have to stay in bed for a while."

"No, I don't." Dee Dee replied a little louder than before. "I need to be with AJ." She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness hit her. Rick placed his hand on the back of her neck and slowly helped to lower her back down. "Please, Rick. "Let me go to him." She pulled the oxygen tube from her nose. "Take me to my baby. If you won't take me, then Mark…" She looked to him with pleading eyes. "You take me."

"I'm sorry, Dee Dee, but I can't." Mark replied. "You're not well enough."

"Fine." Dee Dee huffed. "I'll go by myself." She started her second attempt to rise from bed. "Let go of my hand, Rick." When he didn't abide, she became more agitated and reached for the I.V tube to remove it from her arm.

"Dee Dee, stop it." Rick commanded. "You're not going anywhere. You have to get yourself well."

Mark pressed the call button and a nurse came in right away. "She's trying to fight her way out of bed." He told her.

"I was afraid of that." The nurse said. "I came prepared." She placed a sealed syringe and a bottle on the table. "Mrs. Turnan, I'm going to give you a sedative. The doctor ordered it for you in case you refused to stay in bed."

"But I have to see my son." Dee Dee tried to put even more force behind her shaky voice. "I can't stay here. My baby is alone. He needs me."

"I'm sorry, but the doctor said you need your rest and some nourishment." The nurse reminded her. "You can see your baby tomorrow." She then removed the syringe from its package and filled it with the medication to be injected into the IV drip.

"Please don't do this to me." Dee Dee's eyes were filled with tears. "Rick, stop her. Please help me."

Rick's heart ached for her, but he knew the doctor was doing the right thing. "Sweetheart, it's for your own good. You'll rest up and be strong enough to spend time with AJ, soon."

Dee Dee looked to Mark. "He won't help me. Why won't you?"

"Because he's right. You need to rest. You've been up for an entire day."

Disappointed in both men, Dee Dee sighed with tears in her eyes and turned away from them in anger.

"I'll go sit with AJ if you'd like." Rick suggested. "Mark can stay here with you, if that's okay."

Dee Dee, with her head still turned, answered barely in a whisper. "Okay. Kiss him for me and tell him I'll see…" Her words were cut short by a yawn. "…him…soon. She continued sleepily as the sedative was working very quickly. "Tell him not to be…afraid, and that I love him."

After the nurse checked Dee Dee's vitals, she told both men that she'd been sleeping for several hours; gaining the much needed rest she's gone without.

Rick waited until she was in a deep sleep and then had a brief conversation to get to know a little more about Mark and the accident.

"I'm so glad you were here for her. God knows she didn't need to be alone." Rick shook his head at the thought. "I can't imagine what it was like to for her to see the accident."

"Neither can I." Mark replied. "I mean, I was there and I saw it, but it didn't happen to my family."

Rick thanked him for all he's done for Dee Dee, and excused himself to be with his Godson as Mark sat beside Dee Dee.

"AJ? Hey, little guy. It's your Uncle Rick. I…" Before he could continue, his words suddenly caught in his throat and tears ran down his cheeks. He lowered his head in his hands and cried.

Three hours later, Dee Dee's mother, Anna Kimball entered AJ's room. "Rick?"

Rick turned to see her standing a few feet away from him. "Anna." He stood to greet her with a hug.

When the two pulled apart, Anna looked to her left to see the tiny little boy in the hospital bed. "My little grandson. My AJ. My poor little angel." She began to cry. "Can he hear me, Rick?"

"The doctors say no, that he can't."

"He's that heavily sedated?"

"No." Rick sighed deeply. "It's that he's hurt so badly that he…"

"Oh, no. He's…oh, God. No. Dee Dee must be devastated. How can this be happening?"

"I don't understand any of it, either." Rick added.

Anna moved closer to the bed and kissed the child in each cheek. "AJ? It's Mimi, sweetheart. I'm here, honey." She took his hand in hers and looked back to Rick as she wiped away a tear. "Where's Dee Dee?"

Rick cleared his throat. "She's uh…she's been admitted for exhaustion. She collapsed in my arms."

"What?" Anna asked in surprise and concern. "When? What did the doctor say? Will she be okay?"

"She needs plenty of rest and to be treated for dehydration, but she'll be fine."

"Oh, thank God." Anna sighed with relief. "Where is her room? I need to see her."

Remembering his promise to Dee Dee, Rick hesitated as he felt guilty about leaving AJ alone, but he knew Anna needed support from a friend as well. "I'll show you."

When they arrived at Dee Dee's room, Rick saw that Dee Dee was still asleep. He quickly introduced Anna to Mark and excused himself to return to AJ.

Mark stood and let Anna have his chair and left to sit in the waiting room to allow her some time with her daughter.

"Dee Dee? Sweetheart, it's Mom." Anna stroked her daughter's cheek with the back of her hand. "My poor baby girl. You've been through so much, haven't you? But you're a fighter. You'll make it." Anna moved her hand to place it on Dee Dee's. It had only been a little over two years since her husband, Dee Dee's father, Paul died. Dee Dee was one week into her eighth month of pregnancy with AJ, and Anna worried so much about her and the baby when she and Alex flew back to California for the funeral. She feared that such a long flight to and from the cities would be a danger to them, and the stress of her father's sudden death by way of a heart attack had taken a toll on Dee Dee. The two had grown a bit closer during the past few years; making up a little for the lack of a close bond before. He'd finally begun to realize that his daughter needed more than the material things he'd provided throughout her life…that she needed the affection and support of a loving father. He'd even planned on being at the hospital with Anna during the birth of their grandchild. Though Anna knew her child was strong, deep down she wondered if all of this would be the thing to break her.

"Hey, AJ." Rick sat beside the baby's bed. "It's your uncle Rick, again. Your Mommy sends a kiss and all her love to you." He leaned over and kissed AJ on the cheek. "She'll see you soon, okay? I want you to know how much I love you. You're like my own little boy, you know? I wish so much that I could take your place, sweetheart. You should be getting ready for your big birthday party tomorrow, instead of being here. I know it's not fair, is it? It's not fair at all." Rick lowered his head into his hands and sobbed even harder than before.

– - -

For the next several hours, Anna, Rick and Mark took turns of keeping watch over Dee Dee and AJ, as well as taking turns going to the cafeteria to bring food back for the three of them. They'd each checked themselves into the adjoined hotel, but rarely spent any time in their rooms; just long enough to freshen up and change clothes. Unlike Rick and Anna who brought clothes along, Mark had to make a quick run to the store for a change of clothes and toiletries. He and his companions got to know one another fairly well as the hours went on, and Mark was made to feel quite welcomed by them and they reminded him of their gratitude.

"Come in." Rick said at hearing a knock on the door.

Charles Devane stepped inside the room. "Hunter."

"Charlie. Come on in." Rick stood and greeted him with a handshake.

"Oh, my God." Charlie looked at the small, fragile child. "The poor baby. How is he?"

Rick sighed and looked down at his Godson. "He's leaving us, Charlie."

Charlie looked at Rick in shock. He had no idea of the severity of AJ's injuries. Rick asked Charlie to take a seat while he leaned against the wall to fill him in on all that he knew. When he'd finished, he stood with tears in his eyes as Charlie allowed several of his own to drop. "My God. How much does Dee Dee have to go through?" He said. "She's had so much death around her in such a short time. I didn't think she'd make it through losing Steve, but she did it. But this…this is too much."

Rick nodded in agreement. "It really is. All we can do is to support her, you know?"

"Yeah. I know." Charlie wiped his tears. "I'd like to go and see her, now."

Rick gave him Dee Dee's room number, and Charlie was on his way. When he arrived, he found Anna and Mark at her side. He'd only met Anna twice before; once at Steve's funeral and again at Dee Dee and Alex's wedding. Anna introduced him to Mark and then Charlie began to question Dee Dee's condition. When Anna clued him in, he began to speak gently with encouraging words to Dee Dee as he held her hand. He placed a kiss on her forehead and excused himself out of the room. Feeling overwhelmed, he decided not to return to AJ's room just yet, but instead to get himself checked into the same hotel as the others had done.

Later in the night, the group traded off in shifts to stay with AJ and Dee Dee.

Rick turned from the window when he heard Dee Dee mumble in her sleep. Before he could move to her side, Dee Dee inhaled sharply with her eyes still closed, and sat up with a cry. "AJ? Alex? Where are you? Where are you?" With a shiver, her eyes opened and she looked around the room and down at the guardrails on the bed. "Why am I…?" She threw back the covers and tried to release the guardrails. "Let me out of here!"

"Dee Dee, honey. Calm down." Rick raced to her side and embraced her. "You're in the hospital. AJ's in the hospital, too. He's in another room."

"Rick?" Dee Dee looked to him in confusion. "What's going on?"

Rick knew the medication combined with wrecked nerves and exhaustion, were toying with Dee Dee's mind. "Listen to me, sweetheart." Rick's words caught in his throat at the idea of reminding Dee Dee of what happened. "There was a car accident. Alex and AJ…"

"No, Rick. No." Scenes from the accident came flooding back into her mind. She looked up at him with hope. "Please let it be a nightmare. Please."

Rick slowly shook his head with tears burning his eyes. "No, honey. I'm sorry. It's not a nightmare. I'm so, so sorry."

(Continued...)