Soul Mates United

PART 2

The smirk on Jac's face quickly turned to a genuine look of concern, as she stared at her future mother in law lying motionless on the wooden floor. She knelt down beside Anne-Marie and felt for a pulse, there was a very weak one. Jac checked Anne-Marie's airways were clear.

JAC: Anne-Marie can you hear me?

There was no response. Jac grabs the phone and calls 999. The operator says the abulance will be arriving very soon. Jac hangs up the phone. She looks down at the older woman, a sense of dread in the pit of of her stomach. Jac grips Anne-Marie's hand, which is pale and cold. Jac realises she needs to phone Joseph, she picks up her mobile and scrolls down to his number. She curses to herself as his phone is switched off. She decided not to leave a message.

Jac can see Anne-Marie's breathing becoming shallow. All Jac can do now is wait for the ambulance to arrive and hope it's not too late - as she watches Anne-Marie's life slowly ebb away...

As Joseph drives back from work, he realises how happy he feels now compared to just a few months ago. He taps the steering wheel to a song playing on the radio. As he turns the final corner he sees an abulance with its lights flashing, parked right outside the flat. His heart skips a beat. He stops the car and gets out. Paramedics emerge carrying a stretcher, Joseph's immediate thought was something must have happened to Jac. His relief as Jac follows the paramedics out of the door is palpable. But his heart sinks again - the frail figure being wheeled to the abulance is his mother. At last he finds his voice.

JOSEPH: W-what is going on? What's happened?

JAC: She collapsed, we were talking and she just fell..

Jac and Joseph climb into the abulance. Joseph's mind is whirling around with so many thoughts all jumbled up and fighting to come out. But he sits in silence and grips his ailing mother's hand. Jac puts an arm around him. The 15 minute drive to the hospital, which they are both so familiar with, seems never ending. Joseph just prays they get there before it's too late..

Elliot Hope is the surgeon on call, with Louise Carter assisting him in theatre. Anne-Marie is rushed into theatre. CT scans reveal a brain hemorrhage. They need to get her into resus as soon as possible.

Jac's feeling helpless which is tinged with guilt as she watches Joseph pace up and down the corridor like an animal in distress.

JOSEPH: I must phone Sophia, she needs to know what's happened.

JAC: I've already told her, she's coming up as soon as she can.

JOSEPH: Right thanks. They walk into the rest room.

Joseph takes a seat beside Jac. She holds his hand, her fingers interlocking with his. She can feel his hand trembling so she tightens her grip.

JOSEPH: What if she dies? How am I going cope? The last time I saw her we were tearing strips off each other. The same thing happened with my father. History is repeating itself.

JAC: You can't feel guiilty about any of this. I don't just mean your mother, but everything else. Please Joe don't burden yourself with anymore guilt. It'll weigh you down. Anne-Marie could survive this.

JOSEPH: (Sharply) Come on Jac, we both know the chances of her coming out of this alive are very slim. If by some miracle she does pull the through the surgery, in all probability she'll be in a coma, being kept alive only with a ventilator.

Joseph puts his head in his hands. Jac stares blankly at the wall opposite. All they can do is sit and wait..

In theatre Elliot and Louise are struggling to save Anne-Marie.

ELLIOT: She's in VF! Charging to 100. Clear!

LOUISE: No output.

ELLIOT: Charging to 200. Clear!

LOUISE: Still nothing. Louise gives an injection of Adrenaline into Anne-Marie's arm.

ELLIOT: Charging to 300. Clear!

LOUISE: Still nothing. Pupils are fixed and dilated. Elliot she's gone.

Elliot looks shaken as he realises there's nothing more they can do. He takes off the mask.

ELLIOT: Time of death 22:17. I'll er, go and tell Joseph.

LOUISE: Do you want me to tell him?

ELLIOT: It's alright I'll tell him. But thank you.

LOUISE: OK.

Elliot walks out of theatre. He walks to the rest room, He stops outside the door. He takes an intake of breath and braces himself to give the news that nobody wants to hear. He enters the room. Joseph stands up,Sophia is staring at the floor. Jac stays in her seat. From the look on Elliot's face she knows the news is grave.

ELLIOT: I am very sorry we couldn't save Anne-Marie, we tried everything we could. She suffered a massive brain hemorrahage. We tried resuscitating her, but the damage to the brain was exstensive.

SOPHIA: I-I don't understand. I saw her a few days ago, s-she seemed healthy. She didn't even say that she felt unwell.

ELLIOT: I can understand this must be hard to take in. She was on medication for high blood pressure.

SOPHIA: S-she told me they were helping, that as long as she took the tablets, and avoided stressful situations..

Sophia's voice trailed off, as she began to sob. Elliot put his arm around her. Joseph hadn't said a word or even moved since Elliot had come in. His face was drained of colour, his eyes had a vacant expression. His arms were locked straight down by his side. His fists were clenched so tightly he could feel his fingernails cut into his palms. He stepped forward and put his hand out to shake Elliot's hand. Elliot gives the younger surgeon a hug.

JOSEPH: Thank you Elliot, thank you for everything.

ELLIOT: I'm just so sorry it wasn't enough.

Elliot walks out of the room, leaving the three of them alone together.

JAC: I'm so sorry - for you both.

SOPHIA: I bet you're delighted, you knew our mother wasn't at all happy with the fact you and Joseph were getting married!

JAC: How could you even think I'd be happy? I actually wanted Anne-Marie to be at the wedding for Joseph's sake. I wanted to show her what he means to me.

SOPHIA: You just wanted to rub her nose in it. You took her husband, and now you're taking her son. I would watch her Joseph, she might want to sleep with someone else in our family!

JOSEPH: THAT'S ENOUGH! I will not not sit here and listen while you throw insults at the woman I am going to marry!

SOPHIA: If you had any respect for our mother, you would cancel this 'wedding', or at the very least delay it.

JAC: Maybe Sophia is right, Joseph?

JOSEPH: No, we will not be calling the wedding off. I believe that despite mother's diaspproval of it that she would want me to be happy.

SOPHIA: You keep telling yourself that Joseph!

Sophia walks out in disgust. Leaving Jac and Joseph alone. Jac gets up and looks outside. Joseph comes and put his hand on her shoulder.

JOSEPH: You said you were talking when she collasped?

Jac turns to look at him.

JAC: She said she wanted to talk. She had heard we were getting married. She told me that if I really loved you, that I should do the decent thing and walk away. when I told her that I wasn't going to because I loved you she...

JOSEPH: She what?

JAC: She said that I was too damaged to love someone, that you would see sense.

Jac pauses and tries to control the bitterness in her voice.

JAC: She gave me a cheque worth fifty grand. I ripped it up, I couldn't believe she would honestly try and buy me off. Her body was swaying, I could see she was livid. She then collapsed in front of me. At first I thought she had just fainted. When she didn't respond I phoned for help.

JOSEPH: I can't believe she tried to bribe you. One minute she tells me I'm no longer her son. The next...

JAC: She loved you, she thought she was losing her son.

JOSEPH: I never thought I'd hear you defending her.

JAC: Desperation can do funny things to people, I should know...

Joseph stands nervously at the alter fiddling with his tie. As he awaits the arrival of the bride. He can feel beads of sweat start to form on his brow. Michael nudges him in the ribs.

MICHAEL: Will you stop messing with the damn tie it's straight enough already.

JOSEPH: Where is Jac?

MICHAEL: Keep your hair on, remember it's the brides perogative to be late. You know Jac she always likes making you sweat right?

VICAR: Please stand.

In comes Jac looking stunning in an ivory coloured dress. Joseph swallows, as Jac her arm draped over Sacha's walks down towards him. Twenty minutes later the registry office erupts with applause, as the vicar annouces them husband and wife. At last they were together and happy.. In spite of everything, the tragedy of the last few days. Jac and Joseph were where they had always wanted to be. They were united forever as husband and wife.

I hope the final chapter is a fitting end to the story. I know the wedding may seem short. But I didn't want to make it too long. I have had a brilliant time writing this it's a nice ending, especially after last Tuesdays episode! Please review one last time. Thank you.

Holby City belongs to the BBC.