Anonymous asked: A prompt idea. Have you seen the promo of 6x06? Imagine Gail getting shot in the process and Traci, who is slightly in contact with Holly, calls her to let her know, because the last thing Gail said before going is unconscious is saying Holly's name. Of course she comes (what else?) and she sits with Gail, holding her hand for days, until she wakes up, to tell her that she comes back for good.
Dear Sunglasses - I've always wondered why people never gave me prompts like this. Figured out why. It's because I write them like this.
Assume all assumptions. ALL. Assumptions. Don't underestimate my ability to write around the adoption storyline because I WILL.
Is all this medically feasible?
What a nice day to waste on baseball. You huff to yourself, rather pissed that you were forced to this ordeal. Sports were fine as long they were on a screen and controller playable. You're standing quite far from the cheering going on, absent-mindedly tossing and toying with a spare baseball, hoping to get away without playing. Not that anyone was going to force you to play - but you would prefer it if no one asked you to at all. Surprisingly thus far, you haven't thought of your last encounter with baseball at all. Holly was out of sight and out of mind. You just want this to get over with already so you're leaning against the chain fence, staring at anything but the kids playing their game.
The second you see the car start rolling down its window and poke out a muzzle of a gun you sprint forward yelling at everyone to get down. In that split second you can make out where the gun's pointed at and you pounce at the kid to get him down, but not before you feel something tear into your side.
The surge of adrenaline that comes makes your pain feel quite lesser than it actually is. You can make out everyone still cowered in their places, save Dov who's running to the car, hoping to catch whoever it was. It's all eerily silent for some reason. The minute the car vanishes from sight - you try and sit up, but to your surprise you can't. Your brain is in overdrive, willing your body to get up and get help but your body seems helpless now. You can feel the slick blood on your left arm and hand, and you realize that you're wheezing. It feels like forever before someone gets to you - looks like either Chris or Nick you can't tell it's all too blurry.
Why is everyone so slow? I'm bleeding here!
The next thing you can make out is lying on a gurney in what seems an ambulance, the pain slowly seeping into your consciousness. You slightly manage to sit up ignoring the pain and the sight of your left abdomen is sickening. Paramedics were pressing down on your side in a bid to reduce your bleeding, but your blood-soaked shirt is nauseating. The pain is getting intense now, and you desperately want to scream but you seem to have no energy for it. You can make out Chris making you lie back down, urging you to calm down. He's a blur and the only reason you can make out it is Chris is because of his voice. It doesn't make sense at all - your brain is in overdrive, taking in pointless details of your surroundings - every sound is so vivid, the blood still on your hands so sticky - but you have no energy to do anything but just be.
Am I dying? Is this it?
Your brain seems to think so, because it starts playing back memories of your life, so crisp and clear. The first thing that you remember brings with it this pained guilt you can't bear right now.
"Hey Lunchbox, you're not allowed down there."
"Thanks - appreciate it."
There are very few things you can discern now - and the rest is so black. The first thing was opening your eyes, trying to see what was happening - but you can't make out much. Your eyes seem to be covered with some cloth for some reason, and you're trying to move your arm to tear it away but you can't feel it. This gets you panicking, you can't make out anything through the thick fiber of the cloth and it's terrifying. You're about to jolt and try to break free from whatever you think is holding you down - till you hear a calming voice.
"Gail, relax - it's just your pain meds wearing off. You'll be fine." you can make out someone telling you.
Holly?
You can feel her hands pushing your hair back and holding you down, her cool fingers on your forehead and her breath in your hair. You know you have something to say but by the time you do that the meds are coursing through your veins again - lulling you back the blackness.
You're sitting up against something, in an abandoned machinery shop of-sorts, pressing something against your bleeding side, while Holly's banging at the shut door, trying to get it to open.
Wasn't this with Chris? Why are my memories -
The throbbing pain in your side cuts that thought off, leaving you feeling slightly lightheaded. The taste of bile on your tongue is horrendous, your whole body is so cold but you're feebly holding on.
"Holly." you choke out, hoping she'd just come here and sit next to you. She does that, checking on your wound and making sure you're going to make it.
"I miss you." you breathe out, finally voicing those words you've felt for so long. Holly just crumbles into tears and after making sure that the pressure is hard enough against your wound, melts into your arms and sobs quietly. You can feel her weight on your shoulders, her wet tears on your skin - and you feel your body getting colder and colder.
"We'll be fine Gail." she whispers back, clinging on to you.
Maybe she's here and I'm messing up my memories to match with her presence now. You think to yourself, slowly slipping back to unconsciousness.
The next thing you can make out is you lying naked in Holly's tub, Holly lying in the tub behind you - urging you to lean back and enjoy the moment. The first thing you can see is that your left hand isn't bloody anymore.
Am I dead? Am I dying?
Holly's wrapped her arm around your neck, and you can feel her chest rising on your back.
It's all so vivid, I can't be dead.
It's true - everything felt so real - the water in the tub, Holly skin against yours, your wet hair on your head - it's real. It couldn't be a memory. Holly isn't saying anything but the soft sound of her breathing is reassuring that you're alive and you still could get her back.
Holly gently moves her left hand over to just below your breast and the shock of pain jolts you.
Is that where I was -
You're panting and Holly doesn't seem to notice. You feel your chest for yourself and you can make out blood slowly seeping out of what seems to be a bullet wound.
"Holly?"
She doesn't seem to hear you, she's just running her fingers along the bare skin of your stomach and it's painful.
"Holly!"
You're losing consciousness now, trying to cling on to something but all you can find is the water, but it's all fading again.
You slowly wake up and find yourself in a hospital bed, with all these doctors looking over you - and you can make out Traci and Steve too.
I'm alive?
The doctors inform you that you were unconscious for 2 days after losing too much blood and a ton of medical jargon later - that you were going to be fine now that you woke up. Steve's so happy he can barely keep it in, he comes over and engulfs you in this bear hug.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again." he chokes out and you manage a weak smile at your annoying brother being nice for once. Traci's happy too - clutching your hand and telling you to rest and recuperate for now.
Where's Holly?
You're rather confused about that - but thinking that she had probably stepped out for a minute, you decide to not jump and ask straight away.
But after five minutes of the doctors still checking up on vitals and still no sign of her, you're getting worried.
"Where's Holly?" you ask Traci, who's busying herself making sure you got to some sort of comfortable position.
"Holly's not here Gail - she's in San Francisco, remember?" she replies - surprised at that question.
"She didn't come?" you ask her again. Did Holly leave before I could wake up?
"No Gail, she didn't come." Traci shakes her head, stepping out of the room as the doctors asked her to leave for a while.
But she was here - I could feel her.
It's been a day of bed-rest in this dull hospital - and you're losing your mind. You would love to walk around, do something but lying in that hospital bed all day. You're staring outside the window, too sick of the TV already.
"I came as soon as I heard." you hear Holly's voice from the door, and you whip your head to see if it's her - if it's actually her and it is. You're so happy you would have got up from the bed to hug her but you have absolutely no energy to do that.
But you've got the biggest grin ever on your face - and you can remember those words of hers as if it was yesterday.
"I'm really glad you came." you smile, so unbelievably happy. Holly's still trembling by the door, taking in your bandaged abdomen and bed-ridden self and gathering up the nerves to walk into the room.
"How are you feeling?" she gingerly asks, too terrified to even come near you - but at the same time trying to piece together what you must have gone through in the past few days. You know it's her being terrified of coming near you after she left you for a job in another land, but you don't care about that now.
"Like someone shot me." you huff, but Holly hasn't heard that at all. She's still examining you from far.
"If you want to know - you could just read my chart there." you point to the end of the bed and Holly swallows a breath and darts to pick up your chart.
Still the same Lunchbox.
"You should be recovering fine I see." she rambles, pushing her glasses onto her face and still slightly nervous. You're just so glad that she's here and seeing her pour over your chart is so incredibly endearing.
"So you came all the way from San Francisco to look at my chart?" you joke, hoping that would get her to calm down, but she's just as nervous as ever.
"I had to make sure you were okay." she explains, setting the chart back and sitting on this empty chair. You desperately want to reach out and grab her hand and pull her over to you. But baby steps for now, you suppose.
She's silent, and quite terrified of saying the wrong thing. As are you. But the silence is killing you.
"Did you know this happened during a baseball game?" you start, and Holly's surprised at that.
"A baseball game?"
"Yep. And you said that it wouldn't kill me." you smile, and Holly laughs at that. Seeing her laugh, you can't help but chuckle a little too.
You stretch your hand to her and she takes it, still laughing - probably remembering the time the two of you played baseball.
"We'll be fine Gail." she sighs happily, and you it was so soothing to actually hear those words.