Two on a Train- chapter 2
Tony finished up his chores around the kitchen and headed up to take a shower. He kept ruminating over his conversation with Angela this morning and couldn't get the hurt look she gave him when he mentioned his plans with Kathleen out of his head." As he stepped into the shower, he let the water run down his face as he tried to get his mind to focus on his date with Kathleen.
Kathleen. If someone had told him a year ago, heck even a few months ago, he'd be in a relationship with anyone other than Angela, he would have laughed in their face. For as long as he cared to remember or admit, it was Angela he saw himself with, no one else. He pictured them together, getting married, maybe even having a baby together if he ever got his act together. Now all that has changed. He's with Kathleen now- someone more… in his league. He had things in common with her- his background, his profession, his… socioeconomic status. It made sense for him to be with someone like Kathleen. He could give her things, take her places that she deserved, that a washed out, has been ex-baseball player from Brooklyn could afford. He could never be enough for Angela and it broke his heart.
He shook his head and finished up his shower. He stepped out, finished getting dressed and headed back downstairs. He still had a few more hours until his class and then until he had to pick up Kathleen. He flipped on the television and opened up one of his books. Just then, Samantha walked through the front door.
"Samantha! How are you? How's dorm life treating ya?" he asked.
"Hey Dad. It's good, noisy but good. I actually came by to grab some stuff for a mixer we are having tonight. I'm making a punch I found a recipe for in a magazine and I'm going to raid the kitchen!" said Samantha.
"Samantha! You can't just come into the house and take things! You've got your own life and more importantly your own money! Take a hike!" he said as he tried to get back to his work. Samantha rolled her eyes and was about to make a sarcastic comment when they were both distracted by a breaking news bulletin that interrupted the television program.
"Breaking news! This just in- a train crash derailment at Grand Central Station this morning is causing havoc in midtown Manhattan. Police, EMTs and firefighters are on the scene as they are trying to get to the passengers effected by the crash. The train was due into Grand Central at 8:45am, coming from Connecticut. The cause of the crash is unknown but it appears from eye witnesses that the train was pulling into the station at a higher than normal rate of speed before crashing into the barrier at the end of the track. Speculation is that the conductor may have fallen asleep…" said the newscaster. Tony and Samantha just sat their speechless, both with deep pits of despair forming in their stomachs.
"Dad? Is that… is that their train?" Samantha asked in no more than a whisper, tears in her eyes threatening to fall.
"I… I don't know…" he said as he got up and ran to the phone. He picked up the receiver and dialed a number he memorized many years ago.
"Please pick up, please pick up…" he whispered as the phone continued to ring. "Angela?" he nearly screamed when the phone was answered.
"Oh no sorry Jack. Is… is Angela there? Or Mona?" he practically pleaded. Samantha watched as his whole body just deflated as he continued to listen to Jack on the other line.
"Okay Jack. Please call me if you hear from either one of the them. I'm… I'm not sure what I'm going to do but I'll try and keep you posted as well. Thank you" he said as he hung up.
"They didn't make it into work. Maybe they are on the train behind that one. They were running late this morning so maybe they are stuck there and can't get to a phone. Yes that's it. They are just waiting to get off the train behind them" he said out loud, but more to himself than to Samantha.
"Dad- what should we do? Should we call the hospitals, try and go down there, get Jonathan from school? We have to do something! I can't lose another mother!" she shouted as she could no longer contain her emotions and started to cry. This snapped Tony out of his head and he came running over to Samantha, wrapping his arms around her, slowly rubbing her back to try and provide her comfort.
"Hey hey! No one is losing anyone! They are going to be okay! They have to be…" he said as his own tears started to fall. Just then, the phone rang, causing them both to jump. They momentarily looked at each other until Tony jumped up and answered the phone.
"Bower residence Tony speaking" he said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yes this is he… yes she does… oh my god… what hospital… are they both… okay, okay yes I will be there as soon as possible… yes thank you" he said as he hung up the phone.
"It was their train. Both Angela and Mona were hurt, I don't know how badly, but they are alive. They are at NYU Hospital but I don't know any more information. I need to call Jonathan's school and let them know you will be picking him up and what's going on. Then I need you to call Mrs. Rossini and let her know as well as Jack at the agency. Then go and get Jonathan and bring him home. Im going to head over to the hospital. When I have an update, I will call you" said Tony as he walked back to the phone. Samantha just sat frozen on the sofa.
"Hello, this is Tony Micelli. I need to speak to Jonathan Bower's guidance counselor. It's an emergency. Thank you" said Tony. He informed the counselor of the situation and that Samantha was coming to pick him up.
"Okay Samantha. Please call Mrs. Rossini and go pick up Jonathan. I'll call as soon as I know something" he said as he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out the door. Samantha could barely process his words. By the time she snapped out of it, Tony was gone.
"Okay pull yourself together Samantha! What did he say to do? Oh okay call Mrs. Rossini and pick up the dweeb!" she said out loud. She quickly dialed Mrs. Rossini and filled her in. She insisted on meeting Tony at the hospital, despite Samantha's insistence she didn't have to go. She quickly called Jack at the agency and let him know what was going on. She got off the phone and headed to the school.
As she pulled up to the school, she had to take a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. She needed to head in there as calm as possible to try and keep Jonathan as calm as possible. She grabbed her purse and headed through the main school doors. As she entered the main office, she saw Jonathan pacing back and forth. She never really saw much resemblance between Jonathan and Angela, but as she saw him pacing and with a worried look on his face, all she could see was Angela standing there. It momentarily took her breath away.
"Samantha!" he yelled as he ran over to her and fell into her arms. He was annoying 95% of the time, but right now all she could do was hug him back.
"What happened? Is my mom okay? Is Grandma okay?" he pleaded with her as tears started falling down his face.
"Look Jonathan, we don't know much. It was their train and they are both hurt but we don't know how bad. Dad is on his way there now. He said for us to go home and he would call as soon as he had more information. Let me sign you out and then we go home" she said as she headed to the secretary's desk. She quickly gave them her information and signed him out. Jonathan was a good five steps ahead of her heading to the car. When she finally caught up with him, she unlocked the car and they both got in.
"Sam… I can't wait at home. We have to go there! I have to know if they are okay! I was mean to Grandma this morning. I yelled at her for stealing my breakfast. I stuck my tongue out at her like some bratty kid. I made fun of Mom's lack of cooking skills. I… didn't even tell them I loved them…" he said as the tears came back again.
"Hey now… I'm sure they know how much you love them. And you and I both know Mona deserved to be yelled at- she lives for the sarcasm! And so does Angela- she'd really be mad if we lied to her and told her how good she was in the kitchen! They… they are gonna be okay… but I agree with you. I can't stay home and wait. Let's head there now okay?" she asked him. All he could do was nod at her and looked out the window. She hoped they both could handle what was in store for the for the rest of the day because they both seemed to be holding on by the thinnest of strings.
Tony had to park five blocks away from the hospital. There were hundreds of police cars, ambulances and news trucks surrounding the hospital. Many of the passengers were sent to this hospital for treatment if their injuries were serious. Tony had the radio turned to a news channel covering the train derailment and was getting all the most recent updates and information on his drive. He pushed past what seemed like a sea of people surrounding the outside of the hospital. He found a security guard who directed him to a woman receptionist.
"Angela Bower please! I need to see her now! She was brought in this morning from the train crash. Where is she?" he pleaded to the woman.
"Slow down. What is your relationship to the patient? Family?" she asked him. He momentarily froze. He had to see her, had to know she was okay. He knew housekeeper, even best friend wouldn't allow him access and he needed to know now. He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
"I'm her husband Tony. Please, I need to see her! And her mother was brought here too. Mona Robinson. Please!" he shouted.
"Okay, one moment let me check" she said as she went back to her charts. "Okay a doctor will be out shortly to give you an update. Your wife is on the third floor. Once he comes out, you can head up to her room" she said. He wanted to protest further, but he decided it was best to wait. He didn't want to jeopardize his chances of seeing Angela. After what seemed like an eternity, two doctors, one a male and one a female, came out.
"Mr. Bower?" the female doctor called. Normally that would have bothered him, but he was beyond caring about being mistaken for Michael.
"Yes! Please tell me Angela and Mona are alright!" he shouted.
"Your wife sustained serious injuries in the crash. She has a badly broken leg and sprained arm. She hit her head on the seat in front of her and lost consciousness. She suffered a concussion but an MRI revealed no internal bleeding or damage. She's being prepped for surgery to repair the broken bones in her leg. She's going to need to be admitted for a few days and then strict bed rest for at least two weeks. She won't be able to put any weight on that leg and then she will need intense physical therapy. I expect her to make a full recovery thankfully" said the male doctor.
"Thank god! How about Mona? She in there flirting with all the male doctors?" he laughed, finally feeling like some of the dread in the pit of his stomach was lifted.
"Mr. Bower, why don't we sit down over here" said the male doctor. The dread came flooding back to him as well as flashbacks to the last few doctor's conversations right before Marie died. He felt the color drain from his face.
"Mrs. Robinson's injuries are very serious. She was standing during the time of impact and suffered an intracranial hematoma from hitting her head during the crash. There has been a significant amount of bleeding that we have been trying to get under control. She also has some internal injuries including a broken pelvis and ruptured spleen. We sent her up for surgery an hour ago and they have been able to remove the spleen and are working on the hematoma. She's made some progress but she's still in critical condition. If she makes it through the surgery, the next 24-48 hours are going to be critical" said the female doctor.
"If?" he said with tears running down his face. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt. He couldn't process losing Mona. She was like a big sister, like a mother to him. He had to push those thoughts out of his mind and focus on what he had control over now, which was seeing Angela.
"Please I need to see my… wife before she's taken up for surgery. Does she know about her mother?" he asked.
"Your wife has been asking about her mother but we haven't given her much information since her own condition is still serious. You can go see her now for a few minutes before they wheel her into surgery. Follow me and I will take you" said the female doctor.
She led him to the elevators, pushing past other family members searching for their loved ones, past police officers and newscasters trying to get the latest information. Finally they were on the third floor and in front of Angela's room. He opened the door and pulled back the curtain. Two nurses were prepping Angela for surgery as he slowly walked over to her bedside. Her leg was splinted on either side with bandages and metal plates. Her arm was wrapped tightly in tan colored bandages and she had a large bruise over her left eye and down the side of her face. Flashes of Marie kept pulsating through his mind, making it very hard to concentrate in the moment.
"Tony! Thank god!" she said as she reached out her arm towards him. He walked over and grabbed her hand, putting a gentle kiss on her hand.
"Oh Angela I was so worried! I've never been so happy to see you in my entire life. How are you doing? How are you feeling?" he asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.
"I really don't remember much until I got to the hospital. The last thing I remember is thinking the train was moving too fast as it approached the station. Then I woke up here. They gave me something for the pain so now it's not so bad. I'm nervous about the surgery" she said as she tightened her grip on his hand.
"Eh oh, oh eh! You're gonna be fine! I'm gonna be right here waiting for you when you get out. Oh and by the way" he started in a whisper as he leaned over to her get as close to her as possible. "I… I told them I was your husband. It's the only way I could see you and find out how you both were doing. I hope you don't mind. I just… I just couldn't stand not knowing if you were okay Angela. The past hour or so has been the worst of my life" he said as he tried to hold back his tears.
"Oh Tony… I'm okay! I'm going to be fine! Did they tell you anything about Mother? I've asked but no one has been able to answer me. I'm starting to get worried. Unless she's flirting with a doctor somewhere!" she chuckled. Tony laughed too, still amazed at after all this, they were still on the same wavelength.
"Uh.. yeah they gave me a quick update on Mona. She's ummm she's in surgery. The crash caused some injuries but you know Mona, she's a fighter! I'm sure she will be up and running, making dates with all the male staff in no time!" he said with a forced laugh.
"Surgery? What happened? What are her injuries? Is she going to be okay?" she said with increasing panic in her voice.
"Okay Mrs. Bower, we need to take you into surgery. Your husband can wait here or in the waiting room. We will keep him updated, I promise" said the orderly as he began wheeling her her out into the hallway.
"Angela, I don't know much about Mona, but by the time you are out I'll make sure I have an update. Angela, don't you worry about it. You just focus on getting better. Angela, I… care so much about you. You're my best friend" he said.
Just then, Samantha, Jonathan and Mrs. Rossini came running down the hallway.
"Mom!" shouted Jonathan as they arrived at her gurney.
"Oh sweethearts! You didn't need to come! I'm going to be fine! I just need a quick surgery to fix my leg and then I'll be good as new!" she said with a forced positivity seasoned parents perfected when they don't want their kids to worry.
"Are you sure Mom? How about your arm and your face is all bruised. Tony, is she really okay?" asked Jonathan, the nervousness evident in his voice.
"Yes she's going to be fine. C'mon she has to go into surgery now" he said as he gave Angela a quick kiss on her hand. Jonathan gave his mom a very tentative hug and wished her luck. Mrs. Rossini also wished her luck. Samantha just stood frozen. She couldn't move, flashbacks of her own tumultuous childhood in and out of hospitals, watching her mother die coming back in strong waves. Angela could sense something was wrong and asked the orderly to stop wheeling her for a moment.
"Tony, take Mrs. Rossini and Jonathan to the waiting room. See if you can get an update on Mother. Samantha will join you in a minute okay?" she said, giving him one of their parenting looks they perfected over the years. Tony took them down the hallway while Angela motioned for Samantha to come closer. She slowly walked over to Angela's good side.
"Hey sweetheart it's okay! I promise you I'm going to be fine!" she said as she took hold of Samantha's hand.
"We have to go now Mrs. Bower, we can't wait anymore" said the orderly.
"Yes we can wait. I'm the damn patient here and my daughter is scared! Just give me a second okay!" she shouted. Samantha came out of her daze at the mention of she being Angela's daughter.
"I'm okay Angela really. I'll make sure I take care of Dad and Jonathan until you come out. I love you Angela" she said as the tears formed in her eyes.
"Yes you are okay. We both are- when this is all said and done, I think we both deserve an all expenses paid shopping trip! Just us girls okay? Maybe even drag Mother with us! How does that sound?" she asked.
"It sounds wonderful Angela" she said as she leaned over and gave her a gentle hug.
"I love you too sweetheart. I'll see you in a little while" she said as they wheeled her down the hallway and out of sight. Samantha walked back over to the waiting area and sat down next to the family.
"So any updates on Mona? asked Mrs. Rossini. Tony took a few moments and a couple of deep breaths before answering.
"Yes. I didn't want to tell Angela before she went into surgery but Mona's injuries are pretty bad. She was standing when the crash happened, apparently Angela was sitting, which helped lessened her injuries. She broke her pelvis and ruptured her spleen. They were able to remove the spleen. The major issue still is that she hit her head pretty badly and there's been bleeding that they are working on trying to control. It's very serious but they are hopeful she's going to pull through. The surgery and then the next two days are going to be very critical" he said to three very scared faces looking back at him. He purposely omitted the if she makes it out of surgery part of the doctor's speech. They didn't need to know that right now.
"Dad… could Mona die?" whispered Samantha. Despite being in college, she looked more like a scared little girl than a young woman at the moment.
"Of course not Samantha! Mona is tough as nails! She's a fighter! She will be up and around before we know it, giving me grief over my cooking or my hair style or how I look or anything else that woman can find fault it! She's too stubborn for anything less!" said Mrs. Rossini.
Tony silently thanked her for voicing the optimism he couldn't muster any longer. He knew he had to make some phone calls, namely to Angela's office, her friend Wendy who could let the rest of Angela's friends know, and his college to let them know he won't be in for the rest of the week. Oh god… Kathleen. He'd have to call her and cancel. He hoped she wouldn't find out he'd lied and pretended to be Angela's husband. If he called her, he should probably call Andy too- he'd have to get his number from Angela.
"Alright, I need to make some phone calls. You guys wait here until I can find a pay phone. I'll be back as soon as I can" he said as he got up and walked away.
"How about I go and get us some food? It won't be as good as mine, but once Tony gets back, I'll run home and whip up a batch of veal parmesan and bring it back for dinner. Maybe I'll see if they have some flowers for Angela and Mona. I think Angela likes pink flowers if I remember right" said Mrs. Rossini.
"Roses. My mom likes pink roses. I'm not… I'm not sure what my grandma likes. I've never paid that much attention" he said with a pained look on his face.
"Whatever you find will be perfect I'm sure. Thanks Mrs. R" Samantha said as Mrs. Rossini got up and walked out the door. After about fifteen minutes, Tony came back and sat down. None of them could sit still for very long, each taking turns pacing in the small waiting room. Angela wasn't expected out of surgery for another couple of hours but they were hoping for an update on Mona. Mrs. Rossini came back with food and flowers, enough food to feed a small army. She hugged each of them as she left to cook the family dinner, despite Tony's protests. Finally, after what seemed like another eternity, the same set of doctors came into the waiting room.
"Mr. Bower?" said the female doctor. Samantha and Jonathan looked at one another with a confused look but decided now was not the time to ask questions.
"Yes! Do you have an update on Mona or Angela?" he asked.
"Your wife is still in surgery. The damage in the leg is more extensive than they anticipated but she's still looking at a full recovery, although it might be a more prolonged recovery period than what we had initially expected. She should be out of surgery within the next hour or two and then you can see her shortly afterwards" said the male doctor.
"Your mother-in-law has just come out of surgery. They were able to repair the broken hip for now. If and when she becomes stronger, she will need a further surgery to permanently replace the hip. She lost a lot of blood so we gave her two transfusions. Her blood pressure was quite erratic throughout the surgery but it is currently stable. Her head injury is what is causing us the most concern. There was a lot of cranial pressure and bleeding from the injury. It's too soon to know how much long term damage has been done. We've placed her in a medically induced coma to allow her brain to start to heal. She's currently in the ICU, intubated to allow her vitals to stabilize. Unfortunately, there can only be one visitor at a time. We are still getting her situated so once she's ready, we can allow you to come visit. The next 24-48 hours are going to be very critical. She's a fighter though and lucky too. The gentleman she was apparently talking to when the crash happened didn't make it. Please don't hesitate to reach out to staff if you have any questions" said the female doctor.
Tony and the kids just nodded at the doctors as they turned and left. Tony looked to Samantha on his right and Jonathan on his left and pulled them closer. It was all they needed for all three to release the flood of tears they had all been holding back.