Disclaimer: not mine
Crash Part 2/4
With a quick scan of the small room, Mac took in the forms of her three sleeping children. Closer to Ella's bed it was her first stop, she wanted to hold her tightly but as it was she didn't know where or how to touch her and so her trembling hand remained hovering above the covers.
"You won't hurt her," Harm whispered, rubbing her back. "She's medicated."
Slowly, Mac's hand caressed her daughter's face and was rewarded with a murmured "Mommy."
"Hey, baby," Mac cooed, kissing the child's forehead. "Are you okay?"
"Mommy," Ella said again.
"I'm right here, baby," she said, caressing her face.
"It hurts," she mumbled in her sleep-filled haze.
"We know but the doctor said you'll be as good as new in no time," Harm said, rubbing Ella's uninjured leg as she drifted off to sleep once more.
With one last kiss, Mac turned her attention to Ruby and fought her instincts to scoop her up and take her home. It took several kisses from mommy before Ruby opened her eyes and smiled sadly.
"Mommy," she said with a yawn. "My sweater's broken. It was my favourite."
"That's okay, baby girl," she said, kissing her again. "We'll get you another one."
"I'm thirsty," she whimpered and Mac went to reach for her bottle of water before Harm shook his head.
"Let me check with the nurse first," he whispered, knowing the child was headed for surgery.
Upon his return, Harm shook his head. "Sorry, Ruby, you can't have a drink."
"But, daddy, I'm thirsty," she said tearfully.
"I know, baby," he said leaning down and kissing her head. "But the nurse says not yet."
It was then their beloved youngest child began to sob; quiet, pitiful sobs a testament to a very emotional and stressful day.
"It's okay, Ruby," Mac said caressing her face, fighting her own tears. "You're okay."
"I wanna go home," she cried, reaching out for her mother with her good arm.
"I know, baby, I know," she soothed, holding and kissing her the best she could. "But the doctor has to fix your boo-boos first."
Too tired to argue, Ruby just settled for quiet sobbing and it didn't take Harm to realise his wife was crying too. Once the child had cried herself to sleep, Harm gently pulled Mac away and dried her tears before caressing her face and holding her tightly.
"It's going to be alright," he soothed, kissing her forehead. "They'll both be as good as new in no time."
"I know," she said resting her head on his shoulder. "I just hate this. I'd rather it be me in the bed."
"I know," Harm agreed. He would take the place of his children in a heartbeat.
"Mr Rabb...and Mrs Rabb?" Adrian said as he pulled back the curtain.
"Mac, this is the girls' doctor, Adrian Frawley. He's been taking good care of them," Harm said, keeping hold of her as she turned in his arms.
"Doctor," she said with a nod. "How are they really doing?" she asked, wanting to make sure Harm had told her everything, absolutely everything.
"They're doing well considering the day they've had," he said looking from one girl to the other. "Now, Ruby will be going up to the OR in about ten minutes and the orderly will be by in a few minutes to take Ella to the procedure room. Afterwards, both girls will be admitted to the orthopaedic ward and I've arranged for them to be together."
"Okay," Harm said, holding his wife a little tighter. "Can we go in with Ella?"
"No," Adrian replied. "We find it best not to have parents there for the reduction but you can wait outside and go in for the plastering."
"Okay," he said again. Now, all that needed to be decided was who was going with which child and what they'd do with David.
It only took a two minute discussion to establish that Harm would go with Ella; Mac would go with Ruby and take David with her. Harm had suggested calling Sam's mom to come and pickup the boy up but Mac was adamant, she wasn't letting a child of hers go anywhere with anyone.
As tough as they come, Harm couldn't hide the tears which fell at the sound of his daughter's pain as Ella yelled from within the procedure room; the pain medication not strong enough as they tried to reduce the dislocation. It took all his might not to barge in and stop them from doing whatever it was that was hurting his girl. When the door finally opened, the nurse told him he could come in and Harm had to take a moment to brush away his tears and get himself back under control.
"Daddy," Ella cried. "Please don't let them hurt me anymore."
"It's all over, baby, it's all over," he whispered, kissing her head and caressing her face before glancing up to the doctor and seeing him nod his confirmation that the most painful aspect of the procedure was done.
"So can we go home?" she questioned, clasping his shirt.
"Not yet, El," he said, his fingers raking through her hair. "They will set your arm in a cast now and then you'll be moved upstairs into a ward."
"But I wanna go home," she protested weakly.
"Me too," he agreed, wanting nothing more than to take his family home and cocoon them in the safety of their house. "But Ruby is having surgery so we can't go anywhere tonight, okay?"
"Is she alright?" Ella asked tearfully. She had been so caught up with her own issues she hadn't thought about the others.
"She will be, just like you will be," Harm confirmed, kissing her forehead.
"What about grandpa and Davy?" she asked, oblivious to the cast being applied to her right arm.
"Davy is fine," Harm said, leaning down and kissing her head again. "He's got some bruises and he's with mommy at the moment. Grandpa has to have surgery and he's quite upset that he hurt you guys."
"Tell him it's okay," she said her tears springing forth once more. "It wasn't his fault; he couldn't help it."
"I know, honey, and I told him that," he confirmed, stroking her face. "He's just having a hard time accepting it."
"You just tell him that he still owes us the ice cream he said we could have," she said with a small laugh. "He can't get out of it just because of the accident."
"I'll let him know, El," Harm said kissing her once more. "I'll let him know."
When Ella was settled into the ward and sleeping soundly Harm stopped at the cafeteria on his way to the OR waiting room. Purchasing a range of food and drinks he thought his wife and son would enjoy he made his way to them and found them cuddled together in an armchair chatting away.
"Anyone interested in food?" he asked dropping the bag of supplies on the table next to them.
"Me!" squealed David. He had just finished telling his mother he was hungry.
"Well, I have lots of different things," he said pulling out a range of items as David climbed off his mother's lap. "Including a hot dog and fries," he said taking out two of his son's favourite foods.
"Thanks, dad, they're my favourite," he said with a grin.
"I know," Harm said tousling his hair and that was exactly why he had bought them.
With David sitting on the floor beside the table to have his supper, Harm leant down and kissed his wife. "Ella's fine," he said before she asked. "All settled in the ward and sleeping soundly."
"Did it hurt her much?" she asked tearfully.
"A little," he whispered leaning in to her. "But she's tough, she could handle it." Mac nodded and drew a deep breath. "Now, what are you going to eat, gorgeous?" he said, kissing her forehead as he stood once more.
"Nothing," was Mac's reply before she settled for the ham and cheese toastie he had gotten her and several of David's fries.
It was an hour before Ruby's surgery was over and another hour before she was settled in with her sister. By which time it was nearing 10:00 PM and David was beyond exhausted.
"There are mattresses in the closet for you to use," said a nurse as she did a set of observations on both girls. "Blankets and pillows are at the top."
Mac thanked her as Harm set about retrieving the items. Usually only one parent was permitted to stay but two children meant two parents and while they did not allow other siblings to stay, given the circumstances and the fact there were only the two Rabb girls in the room, the duty nurse had given permission for David to stay the night.
It wasn't long before the mattresses were set out next to each other, between the girls' beds. When he was assured everything was right and everyone was fine, Harm decided it was time to head over to Scripps.
"You call me if anything changes with the girls or if you need me to come back, okay?" he said, as he stood at the foot of Ella's bed.
"I will," Mac promised. "You drive safely, you're exhausted."
"So are you," he said pulling her closer.
"I know but I'm not going anywhere," she said, kissing him briefly. "You give your mom and Frank all my love."
"I will," he said, letting her go but realising she wasn't doing the same. "You okay?"
"Aha," she replied. "Just a little anxious about letting you go anywhere."
"I know, I'm a little anxious about leaving you and the kids but I really need to go see mom and Frank," he said kissing her forehead.
"Yeah, I know," she said, sighing as she let him go.
With a final kiss for all of his loved ones, Harm walked out the door grateful his wife couldn't see his tears trickling down his cheeks. The day had been a huge rollercoaster and he knew how lucky he was and just how badly the day could have gone. Losing Callum, a child they had never known, had completely devastated him and nearly destroyed his relationship with Mac. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what losing another child, one of his beloved, precious children, would have done to him, to them.
Rather than heading straight for the car, Harm went into the chapel needing to give thanks for the protection his darling children were given. After lighting four candles, Harm dropped to his knees and prayed for his children and father before wiping his face and making the trek to Scripps.
"Hey, mom," he whispered sliding into the chair beside her in the Cardiac Care Unit waiting room.
"Harm," she said turning to look at him. "How are the children?"
"Sleeping peacefully," he said, leaning forward and kissing her head. "How's Frank?"
"Doing okay," she said trying to stifle a yawn. "He's surgery went well, he's been in recovery about an hour and they're due to bring him back here anytime now."
"Did you get something to eat and drink?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer.
"No, not yet," she said with a shake of the head.
"Well, I'll..." He went to move but Trish grabbed his hand.
"No, not yet," she said just wanting a few more precious minutes with her son.
Ten more minutes had passed before a nurse came out to the waiting room and Trish was on her feet.
"Is he okay, Irene?" she asked the nurse who she knew from earlier in the night.
"He's doing very well, Mrs Burnett," Irene replied. "Now, we can let you see him for just a few minutes but then you'll need to go home. You can come back in after lunch."
Trish nodded. "May my son come in too?"
Irene looked at Harm and nodded. "Of course. How are your children?" she asked.
"They're doing okay," he replied, "Sleeping peacefully when I left."
"That will be of great relief to Mr Burnett, it's all he's been asking about," she replied, ushering them into the small single room at the end of the corridor.
Once inside the darkened room, Harm scanned the machinery by his stepfather's bedside. There were four different machines all registering something or delivering meds to him.
"Hey, Frank," he said taking the older man's hand. "How are you doing?"
"Been better," he said with a moan, everything ached.
"Well, you're doing well," he said squeezing his hand.
"And the kids? I'm so sorry about the kids," he whispered tearfully.
"The kids are good," he replied. "The girls have broken arms and are staying in hospital tonight but they'll be up and around before you know it."
"I'm sorry," he repeated, his face registering the heartbreak he felt.
"It's okay, dad," Harm said, leaning down and kissing his head. "It's okay, dad."
"You've not called me dad before," Frank said, as Harm stood up.
"I know," he said quietly. "But you are my dad, I love you very much and I figured it was about time you knew it."
"Love you too, son," he whispered before the nurse came in to tell them there time was up.
Harm kissed him once more before waiting outside for his mother.
When she came out a few minutes later, her eyes were watery and red rimmed.
"Are you okay, mom?" he asked embracing her.
"I am," she said with a nod. "Thank you for saying what you did. You have no idea how much it meant to Frank."
"I should have done it years ago," he said. "I guess today just gave me the wakeup call that you just don't know what's going to happen and shouldn't wait."
"True," she said, pulling away. "Now, tell me the truth about my grandchildren," she said as they walked to the elevator. "And this time, I want the truth, the whole truth. None of this glossing over, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," Harm replied before giving his mother the full, unabridged version of the children and what their afternoon had entailed. Then, when she had stopped crying, he walked her to her car, hugged and kissed her once more, told her just how much he loved her and, against her wishes, followed her home to ensure her safety before heading back to Rady Children's Hospital.