Chapter 15
"Guys!" Jane didn't remember dismounting this time but before he knew it, he was running through knee-deep water towards the log.
"Emma!" Jane half choked, half screamed as he reached for the waterlogged pink winter jacket, the same one Emma had warn mere weeks ago as they skated around the ice rink at Rockefeller Center.
The girl was face-down in the water, one arm loosely draped around the large log when Jane pulled her up and out.
"Help," he murmured. "Please, someone."
The paramedic reached Jane's location. "We need to get her to the shore." She said, pushing the shocked consultant holding the unmoving child toward the water's edge.
The officer had found Jane's radio by his horse in order to notify the rest of the team and to radio for an ambulance to be waiting for them.
Jane laid Emma on the cold ground and the paramedic immediately got to work, starting CPR. The consultant looked on with wild eyes. Though he couldn't remember it, he had nearly drowned himself not all that long ago. He had survived. Lisbon had said he was in that lake for a maximum of eight minutes, without a pulse and yet she had pulled him out and they had been able to restart his heart. Surely, they could save Emma as well but how long had she been in the water? Surely, she had been under longer than Jane.
The girl's face was deathly pale and her delicate lips were a frightening shade of blue. There was a nasty gash on the right hand side of Emma's head though the water had washed most of the blood away.
Jane reached out to touch one of Emma's cold outstretched hands. He grasped it within his own larger ones as the paramedic began her second round of compressions. Jane never noticed how small her hands were. Then again, he hadn't really taken the time to appreciate the small details that made up this child that had come to warm his cold heart. If only he could give her back some of that warmth.
"Please sweetheart." Jane hadn't realized he had spoke aloud until he felt Sara's hand on his shoulder. He glanced up at her momentarily. She had tears streaming down her face and he was surprised to feel the tickle of wet rivulets on his own face.
He turned back to Emma. "Don't leave me," he whispered inaudibly. "Not you too. Us lonely caterpillars have to stick together."
He let out a sob when the sound of a child choking filled his starved ears. Emma was turned on her side so she could expel any of the remaining water from her lungs.
"Alright, we have to move her and get her back as quickly as possible." The paramedic instructed.
"Is it safe to move her?" Jane asked, relieved that she was breathing but still obviously concerned.
"We don't' really have a choice."
Without stopping to think, Jane peeled off his mostly dry suit jacket and wrapped the still too cold Emma in the material. When she was properly cocooned, he lifted her in his arms.
"It'll be fastest if we ride." Sara followed Jane over to his horse.
"Here, give her to me and I'll hand her to you once you're up."
Jane was reluctant to hand Emma over for even a moment but then relented. He mounted as fast as an inexperienced consultant could and took Emma from Sara's arms.
They backtracked down the trail at a walk but faster than before since they didn't have to stop as often. The base had reported back that an ambulance was waiting for them when they were about halfway back. Jane couldn't keep his eyes off the fragile bundle in his arms. In the cold, Emma's small breaths were visible and somewhat reassuring. He shivered when they finally broke the tree line. It was snowing much harder out in the open. Jane clutched Emma tighter, unconsciously trying to shield her from the onslaught of falling ice crystals.
A medical team came running in their direction equipped with thermal blankets and other medical supplies. Jane was forced to hand over his cargo yet again if he wanted to ever get off his horse. Deep down, he knew Emma was better off in the knowledgeable hands of the paramedics.
When he was off the horse, someone tried to hand him a blanket but he refused, telling them to use it on Emma. She was the one who was ice cold, and still unhealthily pale. Jane tried to follow the paramedics as they loaded Emma on to an ambulance.
"Are you family?" One of the attendants asked.
Jane hesitated, and they had the door closed before he could come up with the appropriate lie.
"Wait!" He croaked but his strangled plea was cut off but the howling siren of the ambulance as it pulled out of the lot.
"Come on, you can ride with me."
The consultant barely registered Sara's approach from behind, draping one of the rescue blankets over his shoulders.
"You shouldn't be driving. You could be in shock."
She led him over to her truck and he climbed in.
"They've taken her to St. Mary's in Waterbury."
Jane didn't really care where they were headed as long as they got there as soon as possible.
"An officer contacted Emma's grandparents. They're going to meet us at there."
When her passenger made no effort to communicate, Sara fiddled with the heating buttons on the dash, hoping to thaw the chill that seemed to seep all the way to her bones. She assumed Jane was worse off with him being mostly drenched though he probably couldn't register cold at the moment.
They managed to find a parking space relatively close to the emergency room entrance. Jane followed Sara inside.
"You sit here." She said pointing to a row of chairs, "And I'll go see what I can find out."
He should have protested, insisting on getting the information since he was quite good at that kind of thing but he simply wasn't feeling like making an effort. His joints felt stiff and his muscles weak.
Sara came back ten minutes later reporting that they had taken Emma into surgery but she didn't have any information on what the extent of her injuries were or how long they were expected to wait.
Jane didn't say a word as Sara plopped down on a chair of her own, giving him some space. He sighed and combed his fingers through his hair, something he did when he was nervous.
That's how Lisbon found him nearly an hour later when she strolled through the double doors of the ER. She spotted Jane right away and made a beeline towards the blond slumped over in his chair. She sat down next to him and pulled him towards her. Jane's still taught muscles resisted her efforts at first but he eventually relaxed, curling into her lap like a small child.
Lisbon was shocked by how cold he was and she wondered how long he had been in those wet clothes. Thankfully, she remembered to bring some extras.
"She's going to be okay Jane. You found her in time."
She felt him take a deep shaky breath.
"She was supposed to be safe here." He said, his voice sounding far off. "That was the whole point. It hurts, you know, that's she's so far away all the time but I just thought…"
"Shh…" Lisbon cut him off. "Children do crazy things sometimes. You of all people should know that. You have to stop blaming yourself for everything."
"But she needed me and I wasn't here. I wasn't here for Emma and I wasn't there for my own family."
If he wasn't so vulnerable at the moment, she would have slugged him in the arm for his constant self-flagellation. "Jane, I know you care about Emma but she's not your daughter. You are not responsible for what happens to her."
He was silent for a moment before he asked. "If I'm not there for her than who will be?"
Lisbon wanted to say her grandparents but she was tired of arguing with Jane. He had a point anyway. There were just some things that Emma's grandparents couldn't provide for her. They couldn't force her to socialize with kids in her new school. They couldn't always keep up with a hyperactive 6-year old and though they loved her as much as possible, they couldn't give Emma her parents back.
They remained like that with Jane using Lisbon's lap as a pillow until the doctor strolled through the double doors of the ER. Lisbon was surprised to see Mr. and Mrs. Brooks stand to her left. When had they arrived?
"How is she doctor?" George asked.
"Well, our main concern was a tib fib fracture on her left leg from the fall off the horse. Thankfully, the break was clean so we were able to secure it with a plate and a few screws. Your granddaughter is young so the leg should heal quicker than normal but it'll still take some time and probably physical therapy."
The doctor paused to look at his chart. "Our other concerns are hypothermia and probable concussion though the cold most likely saved her life."
"When can we see her?" Abigail wanted to know.
"She's resting at the moment but I've ordered the nurses to wake her up briefly every half hour due to the concussion. You can see her then but not for too long. I'll have the nurse come for you. It should be in another 20 minutes or so."
Jane and Lisbon watched the doctor retreat back through the door he had entered.
"Come on Jane, we won't get to go in for another twenty minutes or so. You need to get out of those wet clothes."
She dragged him down the hallway, grabbing their overnight bags off of the chair along the way. She pushed him into a bathroom with his bag and then closed the door. With a moment to herself, Lisbon slid down the wall in front of the Men's bathroom, taking a few calming breaths.
"Hey sweetie, I was just on my way to find some coffee. Would you like me to grab you some?" Sara asked, noticing the worn out woman on the floor.
Lisbon didn't know who Sara was but she had noticed her sitting by the Brooks and figured she was a friend.
"Sure. Thank you. Black is fine." But then she reconsidered. "Actually, make that black with three sugars. I could probably use the boost."
"You got it hun and how does Mr. Jane like his coffee?"
Lisbon briefly wondered how the woman knew Jane but then dismissed it. "Uh, he doesn't really like coffee but if they have tea, I'm sure he'd take one of those."
"I'll be back in a jiffy."
Jane had to admit he felt better once he was out of his drenched clothes. He definitely felt warmer. Plus, the bonus item he found inside of his clothes bag helped his insides feel a bit warmer. He walked out of the bathroom carrying the plush object.
Lisbon couldn't help but smirk at the sight of Jane carrying the stuffed dog Emma had given to him what seemed like forever ago. "I thought maybe Lucky should give us some luck?" She said hopefully.
"There's no such thing as luck Lisbon but the gesture is appreciated all the same."
She nodded, just as Sara returned with her hands full of steaming beverages.
"Black with sugar for the lady and a green tea for Mr. Jane. Sorry, that's all they had."
"Thank you." Jane took his cup. "Sara, this is my partner Teresa Lisbon. Lisbon this is Sara, Emma's riding instructor."
Lisbon nodded and took her coffee. "Nice to meet you. Sorry about the circumstances."
"Same." Sara smiled politely at Lisbon and then took the other two beverages over to the Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, handing one of the cups to Abigail and sipping the remaining one. Apparently George hadn't wanted one.
Lisbon's phone rang and she quickly picked it up knowing she wasn't really supposed to have a phone on in the ER.
"Lisbon."
"Boss, It's Rigsby. We're all settled in here and were about to head over. Any word on Emma?"
"She's got a fractured left leg, hypothermia and probably a concussion. They haven't let us in to see her yet but…"
As if on cue, a short woman dressed in teddy bear medical scrubs walked through the doors and over to the Emma's grandparents.
"Can I call you back in a minute with the room number? It looks like we're about to go in now." She said as she and Jane went to join up with the small group. She hung up her phone and found Jane staring at her as they followed the nurse down the labyrinth of hallways.
"The team is here?"
Apparently Lisbon had forgotten to mention that detail. When their last case had been handed over, they had insisted on coming along to help in the search for Emma not knowing she would be found so soon. After landing, Lisbon had instructed them to reserve a couple of rooms at a nearby hotel and then meet her at the hospital.
"They care about Emma too you know."
Jane nodded still surprised that the entire team had made the trek across the country. He could tell they were getting closer to where Emma must be as the walls changed from a dull bluish green to colorful murals of animals, trees, and wildlife. A sign above their heads marked the entrance to the pediatric wing. The last time he had been in this part of a hospital was when Charlotte was young and suffering from a bout of ear infections that they couldn't seem to get rid of. After, two trips to the ER and countless medications, not to mention a few sleepless nights in an uncomfortable hospital chair, they had finally found something that worked.
He remembered the décor the most though and how cheerful it was in contrast to the multitude of sick children that inhabited the hallways. He knew the bright colors and pictures were supposed to brighten the children's spirits but it all seemed like such a lie.
The nurse stopped outside a room at the end of the second hallway, right on the corner. The outside of the door had the number 516 written underneath a brightly-colored hot air balloon sticker.
"You won't all be able to stay for long." The nurse, Caroline from her name tag said to them before she opened the door. "She needs her rest though her grandparents to stay if they wish."
Abigail said she'd stay but like the rest of them, was simply anxious to see Emma. Finally, Caroline held open the door for them and they entered.
TBC
A/N How's everyone doing? Still hanging in there? There's three chapters plus an epilogue left. I'll post the next chapter before the end of the week.