The car door swung open and the chaotic noise outside combined with the sudden gust of fresh air had Kelly coming back to life. Sabrina sighed in dismay and quickly reached inside the backseat to keep her from sitting up. Getting an unconscious Jill loaded onto a gurney and taken inside had been relatively easy for the hospital staff to deal with and with Kelly now conscious, their job should have made been even easier. But after her fit in the car earlier it really would have been better for both Kelly and the baby if she'd stayed unconscious until she was safely inside. Unfortunately, Kelly rarely made things easy.
"Easy, Kell." Sabrina called to her, keeping her voice low. "These guys are gonna help you."
She watched Kelly blink rapidly in confusion, her unfocused eyes searching for her friends and the source of all the racket coming from outside. "What?" She muttered drowsily. "Where's Jill? What guys? Where are we?"
"Jill's inside. She's okay. Just relax and do what these guys tell you to do, okay?"
"What guys?"
Kelly looked baffled and, deciding that was all the prepping she had time for, Sabrina smiled and moved back to allow the two paramedics, both dressed in matching white uniforms, access to their patient. A wheeled gurney rattled along behind them and Sabrina took a few more steps out of the way.
"Don't worry, Ms., they'll be fine." One of the men reassured her with a pat on the arm as he passed.
Sabrina could only offer him a tight lipped smile. Did she look as nervous as she felt? She shoved her hands in her pockets and watched the paramedics work. The taller of the two men reached inside with a friendly greeting and just as Sabrina suspected, Kelly wasn't having any of it. Luckily for them, she didn't have the strength to do much more than make a slight nuisance of herself. Without incident, the paramedics pulled her out of the car and onto a gurney, where to Sabrina's relief, Kelly finally relaxed and laid down.
"It's okay, Kell!" Sabrina called to her. "This is a normal hospital. You've been here before. No crazy people here."
"Sure about that?" One of the paramedics quipped. He began rolling Kelly inside and Sabrina jogged alongside them.
"How you doing, Kell?" She asked.
Kelly turned her head. "No cops?" She whispered.
"No cops." Sabrina answered back with a smile. "Just get some rest."
"Hey!"
A hand clapped on her shoulder and Sabrina whirled around in surprise to see Kris keeping stride with them. The sight of her in uniform still seemed so unnatural. "Where's Jill?" Sabrina asked quickly.
"They took her somewhere. They said her vitals were fine. They need to run some tests or something to see what was in that injection." The young blonde said in one rushed breath. "How's Kelly?"
"She has a headache." Kelly muttered up at them in response. Her closed eyes suddenly popped open wide. "Wait.. what hospital are we at?"
Sabrina made a face. This was another reason she'd hoped Kelly had stayed unconscious. "Honest, I was gonna tell you later, but since we want this to be..." She paused and shared a guilty look with Kris. "...hush hush, I called Alan. Now don't get upset! He said he'd help!"
Had Kelly not been secured onto the gurney, her attempt to sit up would have been much more successful.
"What?!" She cried. "Alan? You called Alan?!"
"Dr. Samuelson?" The steering paramedic interrupted. "Hey, he's a nice guy. Couldn't ask for a better doctor."
Sabrina grinned at her friend. "There, see? He comes highly recommended."
Kelly looked horrified. "Bri!" She hissed between her teeth.
At that point, the men pushed open a set of wide swinging doors. "Can't let you through here, ladies." The paramedic ordered gently. "The waiting room is straight down this hallway. Don't worry, you can see your friends soon."
Sabrina and Kris obligingly stopped and watched the gurney as it was pushed through.
"See you soon, Kell." Sabrina called helplessly and got no response. The double doors swung back and forth before settling shut and separating Kelly from them for the time being.
Just as well.
The two women stood in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to do with themselves in the first peaceful quiet they'd experienced since yesterday.
"Ugh, I need a drink." Sabrina groaned.
Kris didn't reply, but fell silently into stride as the pair trudged slowly back towards the waiting area. Her injured leg, previously numb, was now starting to burn mercilessly. Still though, there were more important things.
"Why'd she get so upset? Who's Alan?" Kris asked as they walked.
Sabrina ignored her, choosing instead to make a detour to a row of three payphones that lined the far side of the lobby wall. Her change of direction caught Kris off guard and the young officer nearly tripped over her own two feet to keep up. Her limp was getting more pronounced and Sabrina looked down to see the khaki pants of Kris's uniform torn and dark with fresh blood.
"You're gonna have to get that looked at." She said flatly, digging in her pocket for change.
Kris only sighed. "Later. Who's Alan?"
"Jill told me once that you hated doctors." Sabrina answered, ignoring her question. She snatched the closest phone out of its cradle, but her search for loose change continued until, out of frustration, Kris reached into her own pocket and handed her two nickels.
"Thanks. Why do you hate doctors so much?"
Kris rolled her eyes as she watched Sabrina dial. "I don't. Just needles. Who are you calling?"
"Just ask one of those nurses over there and they'll get you signed in. You're walking on it. I doubt you'll even need stitches."
"Fine. But after you answer my question."
But her questions would remain unanswered. To Kris's extreme frustration, Sabrina's eyes snapped forward and she lowered her head, giving all of her attention to whoever had just picked up on the other line.
"Bosley." She greeted. "Yeah, fine. We're here at Memorial West." She paused for a moment. "I don't know. Kelly's okay, probably a concussion. Jill… I don't know. She's a mess. They took her back to run tests on whatever was in some injection Kelly said they gave her. We'll know more later."
Kris eased her head forward, hoping to hear more of whoever was on the other line, but a firm nudge of Sabrina's elbow sent her limping backwards. The young blonde sent an indignant scowl Sabrina's way.
"I can arrest you, you know." She grumbled irritably.
"I know." Sabrina answered, though not to Kris. "Yeah, as soon as I find out anything. No, you can call Charlie if you don't mind. Yeah, yeah, I'll call him when they get to a room. If he wants answers sooner than that, he can come down here and get them himself." Another brief pause. "I hope you're taking something, Bos, you sound like shit. Uh huh, you're welcome. Bye."
Kris watched as Sabrina hung up the phone. With an exhausted sigh, the older woman slumped forward onto the privacy barrier beside it and let her head thump against her arms in defeat.
"Well?" Kris asked.
"Well, what?" Came Sabrina's muffled reply.
"Who's Alan?"
Beside her, she could feel Sabrina tense. "Kelly's ex-boyfriend."
Kris raised an eyebrow curiously. Was that really it? Something told her to keep pressing. "Ex? How do you know he'll keep all this a secret then?"
Sabrina let out a deep breath and cast a glance heavenward. Here we go.
"Because he's the father."
The buzzing in Kelly's ears had gradually melded into two separate male voices before she became aware enough of the sound to open her eyes. She did so slowly, blinking in confusion as she did. Where was she? What happened? Who the hell was in here with her?
"Please don't touch her, sir." The deeper of the males' voices demanded, influencing an annoyed response from the other.
"She's coming around though, isn't she?"
"She will, but I usually advise against forcing it." He paused. "I am... advising."
"But look, her eyes are opening." She felt a gentle prodding on her shoulder. "Kelly? Can you hear me?"
The unexpected touch would have made Kelly pull away had she had the energy. Instead, she turned her head in the direction of the poking and attempted to blink away the haze clouding her vision. It took several tries, but finally her vision cleared enough to reveal two anxious looking and familiar male faces hovering above her.
Kelly's eyes flew open with a start.
Alan and Max.
Oh, God. This dream again.
Max's face lit up with a wide grin, while Alan held in the urge to breathe in relief. Instead he flicked on his small penlight and snapped it across each of her blurred eyes. "Kelly? Can you speak?" Alan asked gently.
"Why isn't she talking?"
Alan shot Max a weary look. "She's just dazed," The doctor in him tried to calm the overly anxious man. "It happens with a concussion. Just let her get her bearings."
Max, however, did not accept this answer and cupped both of Kelly's shoulders, looking intently into her eyes. "Hey!" He gave her a small shake, hoping his slow speech might encourage her to answer. "Are you feeling okay? Can you talk to me?"
Alan sighed, shooing him away from Kelly "Would you please not do that to her? She doesn't have brain damage, she will respond when she's fully aware."
Max relented and shuffled backward a few steps, crossing his arms in an impatient manner.
"Just give her some space, Max. She just woke up, she doesn't want anyone in her face."
Kelly's eyes flitted toward the direction of yet another voice. Female this time. Sabrina? Her brows furrowed in confusion. That had never been part of the dream before. She watched as her friend approached and leaned over her.
"Hey, Kell. How you feeling?" She heard Sabrina ask in the saccharine sweet tone she usually reserved for children or small animals. Kelly could only stare vacantly and try not to panic. Dreaming or awake, this situation could only be bad or worse. A hand resting over hers finally convinced her of the latter.
"Oh, God." Kelly groaned weakly.
Her voice brought a grin to Sabrina's face. "Hey, there she is!" She said, looking up at the two men. "I guess I've got the best bedside manner in this room, huh?"
Finally come to terms with the fact that she was actually awake, Kelly glanced around the room. The scenery around her blurred together like she was looking through a fogged up window. The bed she rested in was warm but she knew it was not her own. But, after nearly all night on her feet, anything she could lie down on could be considered comfortable. Pressure from Sabrina's hand felt a little too real, making her attempt to adjust her eyesight.
Was she really awake?
"Bri?" She whispered, ignoring Max and Alan.
"Yeah, it's me." Sabrina smiled down at her, taking notice to how confused she looked. "Just relax. Everything's okay now."
Before Alan could interject and begin questioning her, Kelly's thoughts bolted to that of her other friend. "Jill... where's Jill? Is she okay?"
"Yeah, Kell." Sabrina answered, rubbing her shoulder. "Alan pulled a few strings and got you two to share a room together. She's sleeping right over there."
Following the nod of the brunette's head, Kelly shifted her neck towards the other side of the room, and found a similar bed with a covered up form sprawled out in it. A distinct mess of blonde hair laying on a pillow was enough proof for her.
They were both safe.
Relieved beyond measure, Kelly let herself drop back onto her own pillow. It was a challenge to keep her eyes open and her vision far too blurry to make it worthwhile, so she closed them. Around her, she could sense someone beside Sabrina draw closer. The familiar scent of his cologne drifted through her haze, bringing with it memories both good and bad. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she was glad they were covered by the thin hospital blanket.
"Kelly, can you hear me?" Alan's voice asked. He wasn't using the normal business-like tone she'd often heard him use with colleagues and patients so many times on the phone and that fact unnerved her.
"What's wrong with Jill?" She asked by way of an answer.
She hoped Alan couldn't feel her muscles tense when he laid a hand on her arm.
"We don't know yet." He answered, quickly withdrawing his hand. "My specialty isn't really in date rape drugs, but from what I can tell, it looks like she's been given a heavy sedative. We're running blood work right now."
Kelly opened her eyes and was startled to see Sabrina's face much closer than she'd expected.
"What happened in there, Kelly?" She pressed.
Not that question again. She attempted to flex her hand and grab the sheets to pull them over her head, but a thick wrapping around her knuckles and wrist surprised her. The memory flashed back to her of breaking Jill's wrist watch into another woman's face. "Is it broken?" Kelly looked up at Alan, pressing right through Sabrina's question.
"It's a hairline fracture in your middle knuckle," He smiled warmly. "Nothing a few weeks of being kept still won't heal."
"Is that all?" She replied crankily, causing his smile to diminish. She could feel Sabrina's intense eyes beating down on her, and it made her all the more uncomfortable.
Sabrina made a second attempt to urge information out of Kelly, but it was Max who slipped a hand on her shoulder and made her look at him. "Maybe talking can wait?" He offered, knowing all Kelly wanted to do was escape back into slumber.
For the first time that day, Kelly found herself glad of Max's presence. Eager to take advantage of the excuse she'd been given, she closed her eyes again and went still, hoping her groggy speech earlier would lend to the belief that she'd fallen back asleep.
Through the darkness, she heard Sabrina's huff of exasperation. "Well, it can't wait long. Bill called in some favors to handle this personally. He's bringing some men over to talk to her soon. Whatever happened, they're gonna have to know."
Maxl stood firm. "Yeah, but look at her. She can't really say much anyway."
"She can say enough to get them out there." Sabrina shot back heatedly. "Just look at Jill! She was half dead when we got her here, you really want the son of a bitch who did this on the streets?"
As much as it pained him to see his long-time friend and Kelly in their current state, there was a feeling in his gut not to push Kelly. But there was little he could do to calm a livid Sabrina.
He reluctantly looked to Alan, who, to his relief, shared his opinion.
"As her physician, I have to agree with… this guy." Alan's voice cut in, all business now. "They aren't here yet. Let her rest, get herself together. Until then, I'm afraid I can't allow anyone else in her room."
Kelly lay still, wishing the earth would swallow her up as Alan, Maxl, and Sabrina argued about her and hoped to God she didn't look as mortified as she felt. It was impossible to tell which was worse, them arguing about her as if she wasn't in the room or the fact that now Sabrina's ex-husband, whom she'd never liked, was on his way to question her. She hoped to God she looked asleep.
"But - "
Alan hated to sound strict, though he had little choice. "It's an order, Sabrina."
Throwing her head back in irritation, Sabrina sighed and crossed her arms. Who was he telling her what to do?! Was she the only one who cared enough about justice being done for her best friends? Kelly was stubborn as a mule and there simply was no alternative with her. She'd have to be prodded for information. But because the two men might have had a slight point, she plopped down on the side of Kelly's bed, giving her a once over. "Okay, okay. I get it, you just don't -"
A loud noise cut her words off mid-sentence and she whirled her head toward the sound of the heavy wooden door squeaking open. A short blonde skipped her way inside and latched on to the first thing she saw. In this case, the thing happened to be a person, and the person happened to be Max. He held her arms while she huffed in displeasure and side eyed Sabrina, betrayal in her glare.
"You told me I wouldn't need stitches!" the little blonde accused Sabrina. She looked up at Max, dragging him with her like a human crutch as she favored one foot to help her down to Jill's bed. "She said they wouldn't give me stitches." Kris reaffirmed to Max, before peering over at her sister. Much improved already. If she didn't know any better, she'd say it was a typical sleep for Jill, with her jaw slacked open and hair draped over her face.
"I said they would treat you!" Sabrina sighed. "You can't blame me 'cause you're afraid of needles."
"Gone my whole life without any til this morning," Kris continued to mutter. "And why in God's name did I need a tetanus shot?"
"When you sustain a deep laceration and haven't had a tetanus shot in over seven years, you are usually required to get one." Alan piped in, hoping the young lady's dirty glances towards Sabrina would cease. His advice had both women staring at him blankly like a couple of confused owls and despite everything happening, it was amusing. "Just a doctor's professional opinion." He smiled boldly, and something in Kris clicked.
She batted her eyes at him, then proceeded to hobble over to Sabrina and lean down to her ear.
"Is that Alan?"
"It is."
Kris looked puzzled for a moment. "Kelly broke up with him?"
"Yes."
Kris glanced at Alan one more time, then again lowered her head to whisper in Sabrina's ear. "Are we sure Kelly doesn't have brain damage?"
Sabrina rolled her eyes and shrugged Kris off of her to cross the room. "I've never been entirely convinced." She muttered just loud enough for Alan and Max to hear. "About her or anyone in this room."
If the crass comment affected her, Kris didn't show it. She grinned widely and gestured toward the sleeping Jill. "Well, Dr. Alan, what's the matter with my sister?"
The withering glare Alan was fixing on Sabrina's back turned to Kris and the doctor found it harder than usual to regain his normally cheerful bedside manner. "I was just explaining to your… friends here, that we don't know yet. The blood work might tell us, but again, we don't have the results yet. For now, she seems to be just sleeping."
Kris slowly nodded her understanding.
"We'll know soon enough though, officer." Alan continued. "I promise. Until then, just try to relax-" He shot Sabrina the same irritated look he'd been giving her earlier and couldn't help speaking a bit more deliberately. "- and be patient."
Whatever Sabrina muttered under her breath wasn't meant for anyone's ears but her own. Slightly cheered by his victory, Alan cleared his throat and flipped open the chart he'd been holding at his side. "And speaking of relaxing. I think it's about time that we left Kelly and Jill alone to rest. If you three will follow me to the waiting room, Dr. Lucas needs to..."
His brows suddenly furrowed in confusion. "Lucas? Hang on, why does Kelly need an obstetrician?" He spoke to himself, leafing through the medical file in front of him.
Sabrina couldn't help but scoff. "Most pregnant women do. I thought you were the one with the medical degree."
"Pregnant?" Alan echoed, bewildered. "What do you mean, pregnant?" He flipped through Kelly's folder, much more urgently before the color seemed to drain from his handsome face. "Pregnant? Kelly, you're pregnant?!"
All eyes turned to Kelly, whose own eyes remained shut in sleep.
"W-what?" Max stuttered, his blue eyes widening in confusion, looking to everyone for answers. Alan obviously looked as clueless as he, but Sabrina and Kris did not share a similar expression. They had known? They'd known and didn't think to tell him? All those hours in the car with Sabrina and she didn't mention once a baby to him? "Sabrina? Kris?" His voice was small and faltering. "Kelly's pregnant?"
"Wait... wait..." Sabrina shook her head and placed it in her hand. "Alan, you know about this!"
"What?! How could I have known!?" His business like exterior faded and suddenly he was no longer a doctor, but the man that was so deeply in love with Kelly and had been her former lover, the man who had his heart broken by the beautiful woman laying in the bed, and was now learning from a third party that she was carrying his child. "I haven't spoken to her in weeks!"
Kris made a whistling noise in the back of her throat as Sabrina's countenance darkened. "What do you mean? She said – but you... you left her when she told you!"
His eyes widened in shock. "Sabrina, you know I love her! If I had known she was pregnant why would I have left her!?"
Kris made another noise that sounded like a gurgle. Kelly's apparent lie was unraveling and in the moment, Kris felt planted in the middle of an episode of Another World. She glanced at Max, who had turned sleek white. Before she could ask if he was okay, Sabrina's voice boomed throughout the room.
"Wait, wait, wait! You mean... you didn't dump her?"
Hearing this made Alan nearly collapse against the door, his legs suddenly weak. "Dump her?" he choked in a strained voice. "I wanted to marry her! Sabrina, she left me." He drew shaking hands through his thick, dark hair and took in a deep breath, trying to gain composure. "I... I need to go. I have... I have a consult and – I'll be back in later." Alan swallowed hard and swept out the door, leaving Sabrina reeling.
The door swung shut and, as if it had flipped a switch in Sabrina, she suddenly shot up and began frantically pacing the room.
"Jesus Christ, does no one tell the truth around here!?" She called out shrilly to no one particular. "First I've got this one playing cop for the past six months and now suddenly I'm on a goddamn soap opera?! Kelly, I swear to God."
"Maybe," Kris suddenly spoke out. "-maybe we need to just all take a walk and calm down." She shot a look at Max and couldn't decide if he looked closer to throwing up or passing out. "I think we could all use a moment to… to absorb this."
Sabrina whirled on her. "Yeah, I can't wait till Jill absorbs the fact that you've been absorbing your college tuition to pay for the police academy. When were you planning on telling her that, huh? When you got your gold watch?"
Not wanting a livid Sabrina at her throat, Kris wisely pursed her lips and chose to postpone her own personal soap opera guest appearance for another time. She gave her sister's hand a squeeze and then slid off of the bed to her feet. "C'mon, Max." she said quietly, taking the shell shocked young man's arm. Numb, he followed her without protest, casting one last hurt glance at the woman who'd just broken his heart before letting Kris lead him to the door.
"Sabrina?" Kris called, hoping the angry detective would follow.
Sabrina was glaring at Kelly in her bed and the dark look made Kris glad that she wasn't on the receiving end of it. "I'll catch up with you."
Kris shared a helpless look with Max. She sure didn't envy Kelly right now. Powerless to do anything, she slipped out of the room, letting the door close silently behind her.
"I really like the way you handled that." Sabrina whispered harshly after a few moments. "Just like an adult."
Kelly continued to lie in peaceful silence and suddenly the sight of her sent Sabrina into a rage.
"You're not asleep! I know you're not asleep!" She hissed, snatching up a pillow and giving her friend a hard swat across the leg with it. "Stop it right now!"
"Ow!" Kelly groaned, suddenly back to life. "Okay, okay!"
Sabrina sent the pillow thumping into her friend's legs twice more. "I cannot believe you, Kelly!" She cried in a high pitched voice. "You told me he knew! What the hell is wrong with you?"
Kelly drew in her legs in a failed attempt to keep Sabrina from hitting her again. "Stop hitting me!" She hissed back, making a desperate but feeble grab for the pillow that ended with a hard swat to the shoulder. "I can explain!"
"Explain what, Kelly?!" Sabrina exploded. "Explain that you lied to all of us and made us think you'd been abandoned? That you lied to your child's father and made us all hate him!? I actually felt sorry for you! And now I find out that you've been-" She smacked Kelly again for emphasis. "-lying to all of us this entire time! Please explain that I'd love to hear you explain that!"
"I'm trying to!" Kelly shot back, her hands at her face to ward off another pillow attack. "Just… just give me a second!"
Sabrina let out a loud cry of frustration and slung the pillow into the chair Maxwell had been sitting in. The flimsy plastic chair skidded into the wall before teetering over.
Kelly was just glad it wasn't her.
A foot tapped against the floor rapidly, Sabrina's hard breathing adding to Kelly's anxiety. "I'm waiting, and oh, this better be one helluva explanation."
Drooping her head to the side, Kelly touched the bandage nicely wrapped around her head and tucked underneath her hair. She half hoped her pitiful appearance would spark an ounce of sympathy from Sabrina, but her best friend's hardened face showed little mercy. "Listen, you… you should know me by now. Alan is a great guy and he has a great career and I'm... I'm not going to ruin that for him."
If she wasn't confused enough before, Kelly's words only added to it. "You think having his kid is going to screw up his life? He's a grown man, a goddamn doctor!"
"Okay, maybe it's not just him! Maybe it's me. I don't... I didn't plan this. He asked me to marry him and I said no. I didn't want to complicate things so I broke up with him. And then a few weeks later… look, having a baby is enough on my mind, but then having to deal with a guy wanting in on everything I do, all my plans, all the decisions I make. I don't want that."
Sabrina only scoffed. "It's too late to think about what you want. Your baby is what matters now. When were you gonna tell him, Kell? When the kid needed money for college?" Anger simmered deep in her voice, and Kelly couldn't bear to look at her.
"I wanted to do it on my own."
"On your own? Kelly, you can't even remember to water your fucking Christmas tree! You killed something that was already dead and you wanna raise a living being on your own!?"
Kelly stayed quiet with her eyes closed. All she could hear was Sabrina's panting.
"Alan has an artificial tree so you don't know if he-"
Sabrina wildly waved her arms in front of Kelly and managed to stop herself short from throttling her. "Just stop. Stop it. You... are a liar, and I don't really like you right now. So I have to go before I hurt you. Two liars and two heartbroken guys, that's what I have to deal with." She whirled away on her heels, but instead of grabbing the door, grabbed up another pillow instead and gave Kelly one last whack on the legs.
Kelly took it wordlessly and didn't bother to even watch her friend storm out of the room. She heard Sabrina's voice, still angry as she barked at someone standing just beyond the door before it closed, muffling her voice and leaving her alone with a sleeping Jill.
A guilty moan escaped Kelly's lips and she closed her eyes, halfway wishing one of those nurses had just killed her.
She'd survived the night, but this was truly a different nightmare altogether.