Hi guys, I'm back. I'm really sorry it took me so long, but I just had no clue what to write. Well, I knew what I wanted to write, I just couldn't write it down properly. I hope you all like this chapter, even though I'm not that happy with it myself.
Oh, by the way, I switched singers…
Chapter 4 – Love Like Oxygen
A soft knock is heard on the door of Stella's hospital room. So soft in fact, that I barely hear it.
'Come in,' I whisper and straighten up a bit from my position next to the bed.
Gently, my mother opens the door and leads Reed inside. He immediately rushes to my side to give me a big hug.
'Oh God, Reed. Are you alright?' I ask as I hug him back.
'Yeah,' he whispers, 'what's wrong with Stella? Is she sick?' he asks as he turns towards the bed.
'Yes, she's sick. But she's gonna be okay. Okay?'
'What's the thingy covering her mouth and nose?' he is curious.
'That's an oxygen mask. She needs it to breathe'
In the meantime, my mom has come to stand beside the bed. Gently she takes Stella's hand into her own and squeezes it. I hear her softly praying and decide to let her be for the time being. I turn my attention back to Reed and see that his gaze is still fixated on Stella and the machines surrounding her.
'Is she sleeping?' he asks.
I nod.
'When will she wake up?'
'I don't know Reed,' I feel a tear leaving my eye and hope my son doesn't notice, 'I don't know'
Reed slowly walks towards the bed and takes a hold of Stella's other hand. Then he bends over slightly to whisper something in her ear.
'You have to wake up now, mommy'
Then he rests his head next to her hand.
X
I can feel someone taking my hand and whispering some words. The words however are not reaching my ears. Then, moments later I feel someone else take my other hand. A softer hand. A smaller hand. And a child's voice reaches my ear.
You have to wake up now, mommy
Mommy?
Someone is calling me mommy. Me. Is this just my imagination playing with my mind or is this really happening? I want to talk back. I need to respond. Why can't I move? My body doesn't react to my mind. What's happening?
Now I feel something soft lying next to my arm. It feels like hair. Then I hear another voice. The first voice. Slowly it begins to dawn on me that this is the voice of Millie, Mac's mother. But why is she here? And where is here anyway?
The soft thing next to my arm is gone. Am I alone?
No. I hear a man speaking this time. I don't recognize the voice however. I'm trying really hard to listen and understand what is being said. Something about insulin, underweight and a stopped bleeding. Figure that's probably about me.
Then it all comes back to me. Wayne, the elevator, Adam and Kendall… Oh my God! What have I done? I've probably killed Kendall and her baby.
My mind goes into panic mode and I feel myself drifting into unconsciousness just before another male voice speaks up. This one I do recognize. Mac.
X
When my mother noticed that Reed was laying his head down next to Stella, she figured he was probably very tired. So she stood up and gently grabbed his hand and led him towards the door. With a nod I let her know that I was gonna stay a bit longer with Stell, but that I had no objection if she wanted to take Reed home.
Five minutes after my mom and Reed left, a doctor came in.
'Ah, you must be detective Taylor, I heard you were the one who brought Miss Bonasera in? I have some good news for you sir. Detective Bonasera will be perfectly fine eventually. We were told that she probably had some sort of overdose of insulin, which was correct, but we treated her for that, and after a couple of hours that should be okay. On the other hand, because of this insulin problem, she also underweight. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my guess is that the insulin made her lose her appetite?'
I nod, unable to speak as of yet.
'Well, this should be a bit harder to solve. Especially for Miss Bonasera. She will have to work hard to reach the minimum weight again, and she will always remain somewhat thin. She will need all the support she can get, but from what I saw of the people who brought her in with you, I would say that she's got it. Now, the last thing was the bleeding. Dr. Hawkes told me that she thought that she was pregnant, but wasn't sure. Do you know something about that?'
'Yeah … right before she lost consciousness, she told me that the man who held her hostage had also raped her a couple of times. But thanks to the insulin her periods were not as regular as they had been, so when she skipped a couple she wasn't sure if it was because of the shots, or a possible pregnancy. When she started bleeding she immediately thought that she was indeed pregnant, but was now losing her baby.'
'All right, thank you. We weren't sure if detective Bonasera knew she was pregnant. I don't think it will be wise to tell her that she lost her baby. For now, at least. She has to deal with enough traumas already, so it will be better if she doesn't know yet. I doubt she will remember it when she wakes up. However, if she asks about the bleeding, I advise you to tell her the truth. I don't want her questioning our lies, when we can also tell the truth. If she asks, she obviously wants to know.'
'All right. Do you have any idea when she will wake up again?'
'At least a couple of hours. We gave her a sedative, so she should be asleep 'till somewhere around 2 a.m. I'll be back to check on her when she wakes up. Are you going to stay with her?'
'If it's okay I would really like to stay with her.' I tell the doctor, and I'm sure he can see on my face that I'm desperate enough to do anything to make sure that happens.
'I'm okay with it. I want to monitor her anyway, and I'm sure you'll contact me as soon as she wakes up.'
I nod and finally the doctor leaves the room, closing the door as he goes.
I turn to Stella again, and take her small hand into my larger one.
'Stella, Stell … I'm so glad you're going to be okay. You had us really scared in that elevator. I think you'll be happy to know that my mom and Reed are both fine. Jess got them out before seven, and started the elevator back up. Kendall and Amy are also okay. Can you believe it? Adam is a father. We got here just in time. I went with you to the ER, but Don and Danny went to Kendall. When they arrived at the room, it was swamped with doctors and nurses, so Danny figured that Seymour would probably wait 'till they were gone, so he could get away with it. We had no idea what he looked like, so Don and Danny just stopped everyone who came close to the room. Eventually they saw a figure lurking just around the corner. It looked like he was poking his head around every five minutes to see if they were gone already. Don said that he looked awfully suspicious, so he sought his way around the hallways and came up behind him. The guy, we think is Seymour, never saw him coming, so Don could take him by surprise. We have him in lock up now.'
Should I tell the rest of the story? I don't even know if she can hear me. I'll wait until she wakes up.
X
It's quiet again. What happened with the voices? Where did they go? How long was I out again? I can feel some pressure on my left arm. The last time it was something soft. This time it's also soft, but it does feel different. If someone lying half-beside me? And who?
Suddenly I have a strong urge to open my eyes and look who is lying on my arm. To my surprise it actually works when I try to open my eyes again. Through my lashes I can see a dark figure on my left. I try to move my hand. Make him notice that I'm awake.
X
Wow. I must have fallen asleep. It's already 2.30 a.m. Stella can wake up every minute now. When I open my eyes, I see that I'm using Stella's hand as my pillow. But what has woke me up? Then I notice Stella's hand is twitching. Oh my God. She's waking up. I have to get the doctor in here. Immediately I push the button on her nightstand and not five seconds later a nurse is rushing through the door. When she notices Stella's hand is moving she walks out again, only to return with the doctor a minute later.
'Ah, detective Taylor. Is our patient waking up?'
'I could feel her hand moving.' Is all I say, as my eyes are still fixed on Stella's form.
The doctor walks towards one of the monitors surrounding Stella's head. He studies a couple and gives me a small smile. 'Her vitals are looking good, detective. If her hand was moving a little it seems that she wants to wake up. I've given her some more painkillers, so she shouldn't be in pain and I'll leave you alone with her. I'm sure you're who she wants to see when she opens her eyes.'
Together with the nurse he leaves the room and I take Stella's hand in mine again.
'Come on, Stella. I know you want to wake up. Please come back to me.'
I wait a couple of minutes, but then I see Stella is trying to open her eyes.
X
One by one, I'm opening my eyes. Only to close them again, the moment they're open. The light is just too bright inside this room. But someone noticed my efforts and I can feel a hand on one side of my face. Behind my closed lids I can also see a person hovering over me. I dare to open my eyes again and this time I see a blurry face above me. I blink a few times to get a clear image and then I recognize the man.
'Mac,' I choke out and he quickly offers me a glass of water with a straw in it. Gently he leads the straw between my waiting lips and I take a careful sip.
When I'm done he sets the glass down on the nightstand and grabs my hand again.
'Is it true?' I whisper, not able to use my voice properly for the time being.
'Is what true?' Mac asks.
'Amy?'
'You heard everything I told you? That's incredible. Yes it's true. Kendall had her baby, Amy. Adam is with them and Don and Danny caught Seymour. At least we think it is him. Actually, we're quite sure, and he pretty much gave away his name when Danny dragged him out of the hospital and in to the waiting police car,' Mac explains.
'And Wayne?' I want to know.
'We have no idea where Wayne is at the moment. I'm sorry Stell. That's why I asked for an officer outside of rooms, 'till you can get out of here'
I nod, and I know that Mac knows that I'm only agreeing to this because I'm too tired to fight him on it, but he lets it slide for this time.
X
I notice Stella's eyes are closing again and tell her to get some more rest. When she is asleep once again, I gently let go of her hand and leave the room. I inform the officer outside that I'm only getting a cup of coffee around the corner and that he shouldn't let anyone inside, except Stella's doctor. I know he has met him, so I'm not worried about Wayne pretending to be a doctor to get inside.
When I return to Stella's room with my coffee I see that the officer is now trying to explain to my mother why she can't go inside. I quicken my pace and lead my mother and Reed inside, apologizing to the officer.
'Mom? Reed? What are you doing here?'
'Reed had a nightmare. He woke up screaming for his mommy, so I thought it would be best if I brought him here. I figured he would be more comfortable around his dad' my mom replied, 'But how is Stella? Are there any changes?'
'Yeah. A rather big one. She woke up around half an hour ago. She spoke to me, but she was still very tired, so she fell asleep again. Must be the pain medication.'
'She woke up! That's wonderful honey'
My mom puts Reed on the ground next to Stella's bed and moves to give me a hug.
Thanks for reading chapter 4. I'll try to upload the next chapter a bit faster.
