"I'm sorry, visiting time is over."
"Oh no. I've been waiting here for six hours and I am not leaving until I find news about my daughter!" Theresa raised her voice, struggling to hold back her tears.
"I'm sorry, but…"
"It's okay, Annie. This is Alexandra Russo's family. I've got it from here." Dr. Stevens appeared from the hallway, making her way over to them.
"Is Alex okay? Did…did she…make it?" Theresa asked the question that they all dreaded of hearing, but yet they were on pins and needles to find out.
"Well she's survived so far, but every second she's alive is a miracle."
"Oh." Theresa gasped, leaning against her husband as she sobbed.
"What they've gathered so far is two men were involved in the act and they tied her down on a bed in a bedroom and started the fire. Because her body is extremely weak, her lungs were unable to handle the smoke or pressure and she fell unconscious. One lung had actually collapsed, but we repaired it. She has amazingly not been burned badly. Her legs are slightly burned in spots, but nothing major. You're extremely lucky that they got her out in time. But the chemicals have affected her greatly. If this had happened to a regular person, there chance of surviving would be much greater, as well as their health status. But because of Alex's eating disorder, the chances are very…slim. I mean…her body is extremely weak as it is, but now this on top of it, it made it worse."
"So basically you're telling me she's not going to survive?" Jerry asked, tears continuously streaming down his face.
"Well, it'll be a miracle if she survives the night, but I do believe the miracle could happen. She's been through so much and I think she's too strong to give up now." Dr. Stevens slightly smiled, hoping to bring a smidgen of hope to the family. This was the hardest part of her career. To tell someone that their family member or friend or spouse/partner was dying or severely ill. Especially when the patient was young. Or when the patient had already survived so much trauma, like Alex.
"Oh god. My poor baby girl." Theresa sobbed into her husband's chest, terrified for her daughter's health. "How much pain is she in?"
"Well…right now she's unconscious, but if she wakes up, a lot. She's had numerous surgeries. But with antibiotics she should heal well. She's going to have much difficulty breathing and probably won't be able to breathe on her own from anywhere from a week to months. But the fire isn't the only thing that's caused her problems. I've also checked to see how much progress she's made since she's left and she hasn't made any."
"But we've been getting her to eat a little at dinner." Jerry wiped his tears, struggling to remain strong for his wife and sons.
"And I make sure she's eating lunch." Dean sobbed, wishing this was all a nightmare.
"Well it seems that she has a slight esophagus tear, which means she's forcing herself to throw up any food she's eaten."
"But we don't leave her alone. We usually watch to see if she goes to the bathroom after she eats." Theresa bawled, feeling the situation could not get any worse.
"Well let me rephrase that. She hasn't thrown up everything she's eaten, because she wouldn't have survived this far. It's impossible. But she's throwing up often. Her vitamin and sugar levels have decreased and her blood pressure is low and if decreases anymore will put her in a coma. And because her osteoporosis is becoming worse, her bones are becoming too weak that she will start having stress fractures often. She's at the point where if she falls, or even the just stumbles, she'll probably fracture a bone. And burn victims are supposed to intake twice as much nutrients."
"If…she does wake up, how does the treatment work and how long will it take?" Jerry spoke as his knees began to feel weak.
"It'll take about five months for her legs to fully heal, maybe less. But they should start healing in about a week. Well, that's when you'll notice they're starting to heal. Hospitalization is required for a week, but with her situation, most likely longer. It's critical that we stay on top of her, making sure her burns do not become infected. But then again, the burns aren't the only problem. She's still not eating the amount that she needs to. And I mean there's only so much we can do for her. After we get her to the point where we can release her, I suggest a mental hospital or rehab or somewhere to get her to eat again. Here are a few pamphlets, if you'd like to extend your search, I'd suggest the Internet and you can always talk to me. But let's not worry about this right now. Right now let's hope she'll wake up"
"Thanks." Jerry replied. "Can we visit her?"
"Yes." Dr. Stevens nodded. "I'll escort you there."
They all followed Dr. Stevens to the elevator where they rode in awkward silence. Nobody knew what to say or do. They were all mourning, each trying to comfort themselves and hope everything would be okay. But the thing was, they had already beat a lot of odds. Was it possible to receive another miracle? Was it even possible for Alex to survive? Or was Dr. Stevens just trying to hold off the news?
She led them to the room, opening the door and holding it open for each of them. There Alex was, lying lifelessly. She was as pale as a ghost, but was still beautiful. Her hair lay perfectly around her, outlining her heart shaped face. A tube was down her throat, giving her the support to breathe. A few scratches were left on her face, Mason's DNA left on them. Her legs were slightly burned, appearing sensitive. Various machines were attached to her and an oxygen mask was connected to her face. Her body was emaciated to the point where almost every bone was seen in her body.
Theresa turned away, unable to see her daughter like this. She leaned against her husband, burying her head into his chest, sobbing. Jerry began to sob with her, wondering how it had gotten this bad. Harper stared at her friend, traumatized by the sight of her dying. Justin and Juliet both turned away, Juliet pulling him into a comforting hug as he cried. Max ran to Harper, sobbing as she pulled him into a hug. Dean collapsed beside Alex's bed, drowning in his tears.
"I can't watch anymore. I can't. How could this happen? How could this happen to my baby?" Theresa broke down, unable to stay strong for her sons. Jerry pulled her out of the room, struggling to calm her down.
"Is she going to survive?" Max choked, looking up at Harper.
"If…if we hope." Harper attempted to hold back her tears, hoping to bring Max comfort.
"I'm going to find this guy. He's not getting away with this." Dean gritted his teeth, wiping the tears off of his face.
"Wait, I'm coming with you." Justin pulled out of Juliet's arms, following Dean out of the room, without giving anyone the chance to stop them.
Thanks for reading! I'm so, so, so sorry I took so long. My computer was broken! Again! But it's all better now and updates will be quicker. Thanks again! Review!