AN: Hi, thank you to the few of you who left me feedback, it is very much appreciated (means the world to me, also my only incentive to write). I loved reading your comments! I apologize in advance for the medical stuff, I have no background in that kind of stuff, so I'm just winging it based on Grey's and House, I tried to research stuff, but it was like Chinese for me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters I create.
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After each one of their children got their time with Callie, Stef asked the grandparents if they could take them home. After their initial refusal, Sharon and Dana persuaded the kids to leave the hospital, and seeing the stress on their Mom's face, they agreed. Mike had gone home to pick up AJ and later joined them.
Once Stef knew her kids were headed home with their grandparents, she went back to the ICU wing, to Lena. She updated her wife on their other kids as they waited for Callie to get better.
Time slowly went by. They were startled when, almost an hour later, a doctor entered the room, followed by a nurse, and introduced herself as one of the surgeons during Callie's surgery. She explained why she was here.
"We need to check Callie's breathing," she said checking the chart. She looked up at Stef, still in her uniform. "It says she wasn't conscious at the scene, and she hasn't come to yet." She stated, seeing the worry in the mothers' eyes, before quickly adding, "it is not uncommon for gunshot wounds victims to not wake up right after surgery. It'll only become worrisome if she's not awake after 48 hours."
Lena gasped.
"I know it is hard to take in, but your daughter is in good hands, and her odds are good. I am going to ask you to wait outside while we extubate," the doctor added. Stef opened her mouth to protest, but the doctor was quicker. "It's for the best of everyone involved, as much you as your daughter."
Stef wanted to argue, but Lena tugged her hand and lead her outside. The nurse closed the blinds of the room, and suddenly, they couldn't see anything anymore. They waited outside for duration of the procedure. When the doctor came out, wearing a forlorn look on her face, Stef started to get agitated. She peaked inside the room, and saw that her daughter was still hooked up to a respirator.
"Callie didn't respond well to the breathing test, so we had no choice but to leave her on assisted breathing." She paused, letting the moms take the information in. "We're going to take her up to imaging, to assess her respiratory system, and we'll see from there." She finished turning back to the door, where Callie was being wheeled out.
"I don't understand, you said the longer she stays on the ventilator the less chances there are of her breathing on her own again." Stef said, holding on to Lena's hand for strength. "That's what you said, right? So what does that mean now? Will she ever breathe on her own again?!"
"She's only been on a ventilator for less than 12 hours, her chances of breathing on her own are still very good. Sometimes, it happens that the first attempt at extubating is not successful. That's why we're going to image. Once we get a clearer picture, we'll know, and act accordingly." She replied, trying to calm the upset mother in front of her.
Lena put her hand on Stef's shoulder, "Thank you doctor."
As Stef tried, once again to protest, they were led to the waiting area of the ICU.
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The ride back from the hospital was silent. Stuart was driving Lena's car, with Dana, Jude and Brandon, and Sharon was driving the twins. All stared out the windows, thinking about the events that transpired earlier. They didn't even realised they were home when Stuart pulled in, followed by Sharon. They were brought back to reality by the sounds of car doors opening and shutting as the drivers exited each car.
The grandparents eventually led the kids home, and noticed the tension between Marianna and Jude, and how Jesus stuck close to his twin. They ultimately decided the kids needed to be fed and to rest, before talking. They didn't want to risk upsetting them more than they already were, but Sharon had other ideas in mind.
As Stuart and Dana prepared food, Sharon took Jude aside to talk.
"How are you doing kiddo, really?" She asked pointedly. Jude wanted to give a basic "I'm ok" but the look on Sharon face told him she wouldn't buy that.
"I'm afraid. Callie's always been there for me, she always put me first, and it's unfair what's happening, she's only just started to be carefree again. I am afraid she'll never be ok again." He whispered, tears shining in his eyes. "And I'm mad, I'm mad at her for what she did, and I miss her, and I want her to come home."
Sharon gathered the boy in her arms, whispering soothing words in his ear, before sending him to eat once he calmed down. She took a few minutes to collect her thoughts, neither grandparents could afford to fall apart now, their respective daughters and their grandchildren needed them. So she pushed back any upsetting thoughts away before joining the rest of her family. One look from Dana, and she knew she was thinking the same thing.
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Stef and Lena had just sat down in the waiting room when they saw Robert marching in. Stef got up and intercepted him, before leading him where Lena was still sat.
"I took the earliest flight possible, how, how is she?" He stuttered.
Stef cast a glance at her wife, looking upset. So Lena answered.
"She's still alive, she came out of surgery, and barring any complications, she is expected to make a full recovery."
"Where is she now, can I see her?" Robert asked, unwilling to believe until he saw with his own eyes.
"She, um, she was taken up to imaging, to figure out why she's not breathing on her own." Stef uttered.
"What?! She's not breathing?"
"She is breathing, but with the help of a machine." Lena cut him. "The doctor said it's not worrisome that she still needs help to breathe yet."
Robert ran his hand through his hair. "When, when will we worry?" He stuttered.
"We don't know, once they know more, we will too." Stef replied, putting her hand on Robert's shoulder, sharing the pain of the uncertainty of Callie's fate.
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About 45 minutes of pacing, the doctor treating Callie approached them. She was holding Callie's chart, and didn't look worried, Stef noticed.
"We found a small hematoma on Callie's diaphragm. When it is resorbed, we will try again weaning her off. We also imaged her bruised kidney to see if it was healing well, and I am glad to report the bruising is fading away." She looked at the parents, and assumed correctly the worried looking man was the father. "Those are very good news. Callie's improving."
Stef shook the doctor's hands. "Thank you, doctor!"
Robert nodded, and breathed out of relief.
"Can we go see her now?" Lena asked, anxious to get back to her daughter.
"Yes, you can, she was brought back in her room a few minutes ago." She spoke before taking her leave.
Robert followed the Moms out to Callie's room.
Not having been prepared, Robert was shocked to see the state of his daughter, and tears pooled in his eyes as he approached the bed slowly.
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Callie was in a place where time and space didn't seem to exist. She was floating around, and watching scenes involving her and her family unfold. She felt the ache in her heart as she watched Stef berate her for sleeping with Brandon, and the look of disappointment on both of her moms' faces. She saw herself reading the comments on Fost and Found. It was weighing her down. Dragging her away from the warmth.
Then she heard a soft voice speaking to her.
"We're here, Love. We're right here, please come back to us." The voice was so soothing and familiar, yet so far away.
Then she heard another voice, also familiar and soothing, but distorted.
"We love you, Callie, we love you so much, just come back to us. Everybody's downstairs waiting to see you well."
She recognised her moms' voices, and felt panic as she could not respond. Then she re-lived through what happened with Nick, except that she felt all of the pain. She wanted to yell, but no sound came out of her throat.
A new voice spoke. She heard the sobs.
"Callie, please, Callie, I am lost without you."
"Jude?" She heard her voice.
Jude faded away. Then it was Marianna and Jesus.
"You need to wake up Callie, you can't give up on us, you need to come back! I need my sister back now more than ever! You saved me! You have to be ok!"
"They said you're going to be fine, but Callie, let me tell you, you don't look so fine now. Do you remember what you told me after my accident? When I wasn't walking yet? You were my cheerleader! I honestly don't think I would've recovered that fast had it not been for you! When you wake up, I'll be your cheerleader!"
And then the voice she didn't really want to hear.
"I should've kept you from leaving, I am supposed to be the big brother and to protect you, but I failed you and I have been failing you. I am sorry I was so selfish, I should've never pursued you in the first place."
Suddenly, all the voices disappeared and she felt pressure, then pain, in her chest, trying to breathe, gasping for air. Abruptly, the sensations disappeared as fast as they appeared.
She tried to move up towards the light and warmth, but she seemed to be stuck, and the dark and cold engulfed her.
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The monitors hooked to Callie started going off. And Stef, panicked, rushed outside to call for help.
A team of nurses and doctors hurried inside, while an orderly led Stef, Lena and Robert out the door where they watched, powerless, Callie flatline and doctors shock her to revive her, then do chest compressions over and over.
Lena felt Stef go limp beside her.
Robert tried to tear his stare away from it, but couldn't.
They stood there as Callie was rushed into surgery once again. Knowing nothing about the situation, or why their daughter's heart had stopped.
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End of Chapter 4.
Now, what did you think of this chapter? I am looking forward to your feedback! Keep in mind that the rest is not written, so any input is really helpful.
I know it was short, but a lot happened.
There will be later on Callie and Marianna/Jesus/Jude. Well, if Callie does make it, that is. Do you think she is going to? Doesn't really seem that way right now!