Wow, long time since an update, and I GREATLY apologize! Things have been INSANE. Moving out in 2 weeks up north, and I never knew how much crap that needed to be done to move across country!
But here is an update. I don't know if the medical stuff can really happen, but it's just a story anyway.
Please review! I love to hear what you have to say! :)
Edgar walked into Joelle's new hospital room in Seattle, and saw Norman, Crosby, and Sig were all sitting around Joelle's bed quietly, not saying a word.
"Hey, you're back." Norman said to Edgar when he walked in the room.
"Any change?" He asked.
Edgar knew the answer just by looking at Crosby's face. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days, and Edgar's heart went out to him.
"How's the boat?" Sig asked, changing the subject. Edgar found himself grateful at that moment to talk about something other than his niece. The room was somber, and they needed to talk about something other than Joelle.
"It's alright. Hired one spitfire of a chick."
"More than Joelle? Don't even say that Jonathan dumped his chick on our boat."
"Hey, I left it to the guys, and they agreed. I think the deckhands that were around were slim pickings at that point. They were desperate."
"Makes me wonder how things are going right now. They are probably used to a chick working like Joelle. Nobody is like this girl here." Sig commented.
"She's a freak of nature." Norman joked.
"Yeah, well, I'll be surprised if Kat makes it back to shore. If we were on that boat with her, I could guarantee she wouldn't."
"Why do you say that?" Crosby asked, curious at that point.
"Hates your fiancé for some damn reason. Almost popped her in the head myself."
Crosby made a face, turning back to Joelle.
Joelle's new doctor walked in at that point, which made the guys sit up in their seats, wondering what the new tests results said about Joelle.
"Please give us good news. We need it right now." Sig said, almost pleading at that point.
"I wish I had good news guys, I really do." He said, taking a seat himself.
"Is there any news?" Edgar asked.
"She isn't showing any improvement anymore." Dr. Watson said, shaking his head. "There is next to no brain activity anymore."
"But she is regulating her own body temperature. It is something that her last doctor told us she would never be able to do. She is still doing that." Crosby said, trying to grasp onto anything to keep Joelle around.
"And I have no explanation for that, other than that it is a miracle from God. You guys prayed for a miracle, and maybe that was what he gave us."
"No, I refuse to believe that." Edgar said, shaking his head. He yearned for a cigarette at that point, but took out a piece of gum instead. "Our miracle is still coming."
Dr. Watson took a deep breath.
"We can give it another 24 hours. If there is no improvement again, we have to declare her brain dead. I don't want to do that, but I legally have too by that point."
"And then what?" Sig asked, knowing the answer.
"How about we have that conversation when it comes to that point. No need to have it now."
Crosby felt like he was going to be sick at that point. He turned back to Joelle, tears burning in his eyes, as he grabbed her hand. He laid his forehead on her hand, taking a deep breath as he fought the tears back.
"Cros, I need fresh air. Why don't you come out with me." Edgar suggested.
Crosby nodded, standing up. He gave Joelle a kiss on the forehead, whispering 'I love you' to her. He then followed Edgar downstairs. As they walked outside, June and Linda passed by then. Linda was about to ask how Joelle was, but opted against it when she saw their faces, knowing they didn't get good news.
"I'm not ready to give her up." Crosby said after lighting a cigarette. "I never will be."
"None of us ever will be." Edgar said, shaking his head.
The two of them sat in silence, both praying to themselves that the nightmare would end, and Joelle would wake up.
After a long silence, Crosby's phone signaled that it had received a text message. He ignored it, not wanting to talk to anybody at that point. Crosby dug out his cigarettes, wanting to have another, when he heard his phone start to ring. He signed, groaning, reaching in his pocket to hit ignore. Almost immediately, Edgar's phone started to ring as well. Just when Edgar was about to hit ignore on his phone, Crosby's phone started to ring again.
"What the hell?" Crosby said, pulling his phone out. He saw Sig was calling him.
"Linda's calling me." Edgar said, making a weird face.
"What?" Crosby asked, answering Sig.
"Hurry up here!" Sig yelled over the phone.
Edgar and Crosby both look at each other, and then ran back inside the hospital. They both bypassed the elevators, opting to take the stairs, and flew up them faster than they knew they could take the stairs, and ran into Joelle's room. They saw her having what looked like to be a seizure.
"What's going on?" Crosby yelled when he saw Dr. Watson and a few nurses around her, attending to what was going on.
"I don't know! They won't answer me." June said, in tears.
"Is she seizuring again?" Doesn't that mean there is brain activity?" Crosby asked, never realizing that he would be happy to see a seizure.
Everyone watched as the doctor remove Joelle's breathing tube, and as soon as he did, Joelle calmed down, and Crosby saw something that he thought he would never see again.
"She's breathing on her own." June said softly to herself.
"What's going on?" Sig finally demanded after Joelle seemed comfortable and the doctor was done with Joelle.
"I don't know. I know that's not what you want to hear, but all of a sudden, she decided to breathe on her own. I'm going to run another series of tests to find out what is going on, but this is a huge step right now."
"That's Joelle for you. You tell her that it's the end, and she fights back with vengeance." Edgar said with a smile.
"Is she awake?" Crosby asked, when he saw what looked like to be Joelle's eyes slightly open. He rushed to her side, grabbing her hand, as he sat on her bed. "Joelle, it's me."
She didn't respond. Her eyes were cracked open, but she wasn't responding to anything going on in the room.
"I will have someone come soon for her to take her for more testing. Once I know what is going on, you will definitely know." Dr. Watson said, then left the room quickly.
"Joelle, you are doing great. Keep fighting. Come back to me, please." Crosby said quietly, his forehead resting against hers.
It wasn't long before one of the interns had arrived to take Joelle away. Everyone stood out of the way while they wheeled Joelle's bed out of the room.
Everyone at that point sat around the room with a new found hope of recovery. There were smiles on everyone's face, something that hadn't been seen in weeks. Joelle was gone for a couple hours before she was brought back.
"Once we have the results, the doctor will be right in with you." The intern said to them before leaving the room.
"Doesn't she look better?" Edgar asked, smiling as he watched his niece. "She has color in her face.
"We need to not rush things here. She's still not awake. Yes, if it is possible, she looks a lot better than she has been looking, but she isn't out of the woods by any means." Linda said, bringing everyone back to reality.
"But there is hope now. A few hours ago, we were thinking about pulling the plug on her. Now look at her. She is breathing on her own." Edgar said, a big smile on his face.
Crosby smiled, holding Joelle's hand as he watched her face. He was ignoring what everyone was saying, and kept to himself. He was in his own world as he studied her face. He thought he saw her eyes flicker, but ignored it, thinking it was his imagination again. He gently squeezed her hand, taking a deep breath. He then felt Joelle's finger move. He knew what he felt wasn't his imagination.
"Joelle?" He asked quietly, moving closer to her. "You awake?"
He almost screamed out in joy when he saw her eyes open slowly. He jumped, sitting up straight in his seat, and everyone at that point noticed what was going on, and all surrounded the bed, wanting Joelle to know they were there for her, and it was okay.
"Joelle, baby, how are you feeling?"
Joelle glanced at Crosby, then moved her eyes to the rest of her family, and fear was in her eyes. She didn't know what was going on, and why her whole body hurt, or why she was in the hospital.
"We've missed you so much." Sig said, relief filling his body, as he grabbed Joelle's other hand. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes, no energy to move her head at all. She then turned back to Crosby, then tried to talk.
"Don't talk. You just rest. There will be plenty of time for that later." Crosby said, kissing the back of Joelle's hand.
She tried to talk again, the words not coming out very well.
"Try wetting her lips. They look extremely dry." June said.
Linda grabbed some ice and wetted her lips with it. Joelle pursed her lips together, the liquid soothing her dry lips immediately.
"How's that?" Crosby asked.
Joelle took a deep breath, looking back at him.
"Now what were you trying to say?"
"Who…" She said, but ran out of breath. Her voice was very dry and gravely, sore from the tube that was providing her life support for the past few weeks.
"Who's what baby?" He asked.
"Who are you?" She whispered to him, looking very confused.
The room fell silent.
There you have it! PLEASE review! I would GREATLY appreciate it! :)