The next morning, Lindsay awoke with a start, her world slightly spinning. For a moment, she thought the last twenty-four hours had been an awful nightmare she'd finally woken up from, but opening her eyes and glancing around the stark white hospital room to see Danny laying there in the bed, she knew it had been all too real. The urge to cry quickly came and went when she remembered the promise she'd made to Mac about not breaking down again. Lindsay Monroe would get through this, just like she had with every other netative thing in her life.
It was the start of another long, tiresome day full of apprehensive anticipation and uncertainty. Lindsay anxiously paced the hallway while the doctors did more tests to see if Danny was responsive. She didn't get a clear cut answer out of any of them, only, "We'll know more in a few hours." After those few hours, she'd ask what was going on, but still got the same response. It wasn't until about noon that the last doctor came in. Lindsay faintly remembered him from the night before as Dr. Doug Stewart, but kept mum as he took a seat beside her.
"How are you holding up?" he asked out of the blue. There was genuine concern for her wellbeing present in his emerald eyes, something Lindsay hadn't seen with any of the other doctors that had come and gone that morning.
"I'm alright," she tepidly answered, still not certain whether he was for real or just trying to get her to go away.
"You scared us last night," Dr. Stewart continued. "It's been a while since I've had to sedate someone who wasn't a patient."
Lindsay tightly wrapped her arms around her upper body and folded her knees up so she was curled into a little ball. Last night was a point in her life that she really could go without remembering. Just the fact that he'd brought it up made her feel awkward.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Dr. Stewart quickly apologized when he saw her fold up and become defensive. "If it'll make you feel any better, I've got some good news about your friend." That quickly caught Lindsay's attention, her head snapping up so fast it looked like she might get whiplash.
"Is Danny gonna be alright?" she tentatively asked.
Dr. Stewart smiled at her as he replied, "Well, from the preliminary tests and CT scans we did this morning, it looks like he's coming around. The swelling in his brain has diminished significantly, so we might be able to see him wake up by this evening. He probably won't be coherent, but he'll be awake."
Several tears of joy dripped down Lindsay's cheeks as she gave the doctor a genuine smile full of appreciation and gratitude. "Thank you," she was barely able to whisper as she threw her arms around him for a big bear hug.
"You're welcome," Dr. Stewart chuckled as she let go.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to go make a few phone calls," Lindsay replied as she got to her feet and dashed out into the hall towards the elevators. Screaming for joy right now would only get her into trouble, which is why she waited until she was out of the building before letting out cry of joy and relief. Lindsay pulled out her phone and hit the first speed dial.
"Bonasera."
"Stella!" Lindsay practically shouted into her friend's ear, the tone of her voice remarkably happy. "Oh my God, I have the most incredible news!"
"Is Danny awake?" Stella immediately replied, her spirits skyrocketing.
"No, but he should be by tonight! I just talked to the doctor and he said Danny was slowly beginning to come around. He also said that the swelling in his brain had gone down, so chances are he might wake up soon!" Lindsay clarified, still beyond excited.
"That's… that's…" Stella was at a loss for words to describe how she felt right now. The deep relief that her friend would be alright was only the half of it.
"Incredible? Amazing? Wonderful?" Lindsay suggested as she laughed out loud.
"Yeah!" Stella answered, still unsure of what to say. "Wow… I'm so relieved! Hold on just a second. Let me get everyone so they can hear too." There was a pause on the other end as Lindsay heard the rustling of cloth against the phone's receiver. "Guys, its Lindsay. She has some news," she heard Stella yell. There was more rustling before the phone was finally put down.
"What's going on?" Mac was the first person she heard speak out of the group aside from Stella.
"Am I on speaker?" Lindsay asked.
"Yeah, go ahead," Stella answered.
"Hi everyone!" Lindsay nearly sang out.
"Someone's in a good mood," Flack tease in the background.
Lindsay chose to ignore him and instead announced, "I have incredible news! I just talked to Dr. Stewart and he told me that Danny's preliminary tests are showing he's making progress. The swelling in his brain has gone down a lot, so hopefully by tonight, he'll be awake!" Cheers erupted from the other end of the line as Lindsay pulled the phone away from her ear before she went deaf. It didn't take a genius to sense the relief emanating from her colleagues. It made her own body feel a little more relaxed now that there wasn't such a weigh pressed upon it.
"I'll keep you guys posted if anything else happens, and I'll definitely call you the moment Danny wakes up," Lindsay said amid the myriad of voices trying to speak their gratitude at once.
"Alright, we'll talk to you soon," Stella shouted above the rest before the line went dead.
Lindsay slipped her phone into her pocket and ran back to the hospital, her hope that this would be the one time that life would give her a break renewed. Her heart leapt with joy as she boarded the elevator that took her up the three floors to her friend's room. But Lindsay stayed back a moment before entering, trying to catch her breath and regain some composure. She knew the rest of the day would go agonizingly slow after such an adrenaline rush, but she'd make it through without going crazy, or at least she hoped.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Sorry that took so long to post. Life got in the way. Damn all that snow! I had to dig myself out of nearly a foot the other day. And it wasn't fun that I was one of the few people that absolutely HAD to go to work. BAH! At least I finally managed to finish this tastey little tidbit of a chapter. :) Next chapter: You'll all finally get your wish. ;) No need for further explanation there! Hehe. And now, the thank yous:
PrettyEyes72: Lindsay definitely appears to be finding her strength, doesn't she? Too bad looks can be deceiving. (slaps hand over mouth) Okay, that was a bit spoilerish! Hehe. As for last weeks ep... OMG!! I was on the edge of my seat! That had to be one of the most dramatic one's I've EVER seen! It was EPIC! Hot damn! What an emotional rollercoaster! But the end... now that was friggin' awesome! WOOHOO! Way to go Danny! Hehehehe, I think I just got a little carried away! LOL! Thanks again for the review!
Leanne: So glad to see you're doing better! I know how much colds suck. I rarely get them, but when I do, it's hell on earth! I'm honored that the first thing you did was read my fic:D I love Stella and Lindsay's relationship! It's something they really need to pick up on in the show if you asked me. And I'm so glad you enjoyed Lindsay's little convo with Danny. That was the most touching scene I've written in a while. I miss writing the mushy stuff. I've gotta write more of that. Maybe in my next fic... We'll see. And O...M...G!!!!!! You were so right!! We were destined to meet!! I will definitely have to send you a few of my Alias and Roswell fics! You'll enjoy them!! I'll have to email you soon with those. I do have one up here, a Maz/Liz fic that I wrote a looooong time ago, if you wanna check that out. It's called "I Don't Know You Anymore." It's a little angsty tho. As for my Alias fic... That's too NC-17 to post here, so I'll have to send you a link to that one. ;) Michael Vartan and Jason Behr... Soooooo hot! Hehe. As for my fave Roswell ep... Man, if I can remember that far back! I'd have to say... definitely gotta agree with you on that one! Totally amazing ep! LOVED it! Thanks for adding me as your myspace buddy! I'll chat with you soon! Thanks for the amazing review!
dantevergil: Well, hello there! I don't think I've seen you before. :D Aww! You're the third person who's admitted to actually crying while reading this story. I feel so... I dunno! I'm honored, I guess! LoL! It's been a while since I've written this kind of emotion into a story. I didn't think I had it in me anymore! Thank you for reaffirming my abilitly to write yet again! I appreciate it! Oh, lord, do I know how weird it is when someone catches you crying in front of the computer after reading something like this, LOL! Been there, done that soooo many times! So glad you stopped by! Thanks for your wonderful review!
peanut2lb: Stella and Lindsay really do need more girl time. I hope they play it up on the show. That would be really cool. And thank you for noticing that wise ass remark from Mac! It was definitely one of those mood lightening moments that everyone needed. As for Lindsay pulling it together... This is only the calm before the storm. I'm getting a little spoilerish here because I'm not done with her yet! She's got plenty of unresolved insecurities and they'll play out soon enough! Hehe. It's fun messing with Lindsay, albeit a little mean. But it'll pan out. :) Thanks for the awesome review! I really appreciated it!
chili-peppers: So glad you're enjoying Lindsay's plight in this story! She's got so many issues, some of which I'm have yet to uncover. You might think that it's going to get easier for her when Danny wakes up, but I can't let her off the hook that quick! But don't worry, it's all gonna come together at the end. :) You were in tears too? Wow... I've made four people cry with this story. I'm so proud! I feel like I can actually write! LOL! Thank you so much for your review! I really really appreciate it!
Melting: Another newbie!! Hello! Nice to meet you! I'm so honored you're reading and enjoying my fic! Thank you! And you'll get your wish soon enough! ;) Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!
Liffey: Awwww!!!! Thank you! And I know what you mean about crying at movies. I do that too! But when it comes to fics... I've only done it once or twice. It's gotta be one hell of a good fic in order for me to cry. The fic has to send me on an emotional rollercoaster, lol. Thanks again for your awesome awesome AWESOME comments! They have definitely made my week, if not month! Take care!
simbagirl: Hi hon! So glad you got my email and replied. I'll respond to yours as soon as I get the chance. Thanks again for the review. I'll talk to you soon.
I Can Hear the Sea: No he's not! Mac may choose to ignore things, but he's not completely oblivious to what's going on in the lab! That's been my rational for the longest time! Someone who's been in love obviously knows the signs. Hehe. Next chapter, you'll get your wish:D Thank you so much for the review! I was wondering where you'd gone off to! ;) Take care!
And, of course, the lurkers: You guys deserve every bit of thanks as those above. :D Just the fact that you're reading and hitting up my story is proof that I'm doing a good job and I'm actually engaging people enough to wanna read. I feel so loved! Thank you guys! You're all wonderful people!
Thanks again for sticking with me! More story coming soon!
-DK