“Oh, thank God,” Aidan finally exhaled.
“Vicky lists you as her healthcare proxy, Ms. Cassidy…,”
She was surprised by that. She had made Vicky her proxy, as part of the undercover mission, though she hadn’t planned on changing it afterward. They had never talked about it, but then, they hadn’t had the chance to talk about much of anything. She guessed that Vicky must have done it, very recently.
“So, I think it’s okay to tell you that she lost the baby.”
Aidan’s eyes grew large with shock, “Baby? She… she lost the baby?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. She miscarried on the table. We tried, but we couldn’t save it. Victoria looked to be about six weeks along.”
A baby? She was pregnant? “Oh Jesus,” she exclaimed out loud.
“I am really sorry for your loss,” he said sympathetically, and left Aidan grappling with the news.
She lost the baby…? “I have to go to her,” she jumped up too fast, and almost collapsed.
“Doctor!” Paul called after Peterson, “Doctor, the ER has been closed down, and everyone in there has left. Could you take a look at Aidan. She was injured in the blast.” Paul had the type of commanding voice that compelled people to do what he asked, but the surgeon looked at him with uncertainty. Reading his body language, Paul added, “We are safe, the immediate crisis is over.”
“Oh, very good,” Peterson relaxed, and turned to Aidan, “Let me take a look at you, Ms. Cassidy.” He took his stethoscope out of his scrub pocket and listened to her heart, then took her pulse, and finally asked, “Any specific pain?” she reluctantly pointed to her head. Peterson felt the lump on the back of Aidan’s head and frowned, “That’s a nasty bump. I’d really prefer you get a cat scan. I can call and get you in at‒‒”
“No, no way, Doc, I don’t have time for that right now. I’ve really got to go.” She was not about to go to another hospital for treatment, while Vicky was still in recovery.
Peterson looked at Paul, and then back at Aidan, “You may have a concussion so‒‒”
She interrupted him again, “No worries, doc, I’ve had a concussion before, I know the drill.”
But the doctor wouldn’t take her word for it, “Any memory loss, headaches, vomiting?”
She rubbed the back of her neck, “Nope, just the headaches, my memory is coming back, or at least it was, before these damn headaches started.”
“Okay, I’ll give you a prescription for an antidepressant, it’s standard in these cases.” It was then that Peterson realized he was still in scrubs, “Oh wait, I have to find a prescription pad, first.”
“Tell you what, Dr. Peterson,” Paul interjected, “Let’s go find you a prescription pad, while Aidan checks on Ms. Montgomery,” he handed Aidan the Aspirin and winked at her.
Aidan smiled wide, thank you, she silently mouthed, and hurried down the hallway, thinking there was no way she was going to take that drug. She made it through the first concussion without drugs, she could make it through this one. She made her way to the post-anesthesia care unit, just as they wheeled Vicky in. Standing beside her bed, she grimaced, as the nurse pulled the tube out of Vicky’s throat. Aidan waited impatiently, until they finished taking her blood pressure, before she spoke.
“Hey sleepy head, wanna go outside and play?”
Vicky stirred at the sound of Aidan’s voice, “Maybe later, Aid, I’ve got a tummy ache.” Her eyelids fluttered open and Aidan was relieved to see those clear blue eyes, she feared would never look at her again.
“Do you still remember me?”
Aidan laughed, “I remember you. I remember I love you. Are you okay, baby?”
“What happened?”
“You were shot, Vicky,” she choked back the anxiety, before she continued, “You were shot, trying to protect me.”
Vicky looked up at her and muttered, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Rubbing the back of her head again, she replied, “I’m fine, baby, right as rain.”
“Oh, thank God.” She was so relieved a tear of joy dropped from her eye, but she was too groggy from the anesthesia, to bother with it.
Becky Phillips, the charge nurse in the PACU, came over and checked Vicky’s vitals, “Ms. Montgomery, we’re going to move you to a room, in a few minutes, okay?”
She woozily replied, “Thank you. Can Aidan come too?”
Smiling down at her patient, the nurse replied, “Of course,” then she turned to Aidan and motioned for her to step closer. Whispering so Vicky wouldn’t hear them, Becky asked, “Can I be blunt, Ms. Cassidy?”
“Sure,” Aidan replied, worried that the nurse was going to tell her something was wrong with Vicky.
“I love Ms. Montgomery, we all do. Not only is she the best CEO we’ve ever had, but she genuinely cares for this hospital, her patients, and her employees. In fact, she’s the one who saved this hospital from foreclosure, a few years ago. Now, I’m glad you’re alive again and all, but whatever game it is you’re trying to play on her, needs to stop. We don’t want to see her hurt by you again.” She crossed her arms, and waited for Aidan’s reply.
Aidan was confused at first, until she realized, she thinks I dumped Vicky on purpose. Now she found herself facing the consequences of their pretense. It made her feel uncomfortable, and a bit defensive, Should I try to explain it to her, or plead the fifth? Aw, the hell with it. “I promise, I will never hurt her again.”
Vicky was the last patient discharged from PACU, and Becky was the last nurse left on that unit. So, when Becky couldn’t get through to patient transport, she rolled Vicky, still in her bed, to the elevator herself. Mary Wedding, a third floor nurse, was on the elevator when it stopped at the second floor. She helped Becky wheel Vicky into the elevator car, while Aidan held the doors open.
“Oh my God, Becky, what happened to her?” Mary asked, recognizing their CEO, immediately.
“I heard she was shot, trying to protect the patients.” Becky explained, glancing down at her patient.
“Can I interrupt?”
Both women looked at Aidan, who was wedged in the back, beside the bed. Mary squinted, trying to remember where she had seen her before.
“With everyone gone from the hospital, who will take care of Vicky?”
“You mean there’s no one left on the second floor?” Mary asked incredulously.
“I’m not sure. When I couldn’t get an answer on the phone, I decided to bring her up myself, and see if I could find someone. I just assumed they were busy evacuating… oh.” Becky realized the conundrum she was in.
“Listen, I’ll stay, and take care of her.” Mary offered.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, besides, you have a baby, you should go.”
“Thanks Mary. I’ll just go home for a few hours, to take care of my baby, then I’ll come back and relieve you.”
“No, don’t worry Becky, I can take care of her.”
“And I’ll be here to help, if you need a break.” Aidan volunteered, knowing that she wasn’t going to leave, as long as Vicky was here.
Once Vicky was made comfortable, and her vitals checked, Becky handed her patient off to Mary and left. Aidan pulled up the blanket under Vicky’s chin, and kissed her sleeping forehead.
With Mary stationed just outside Vicky’s room, Aidan went down to the lobby, and out the front door, for some much needed fresh air. She inhaled deeply, trying to clear her lungs of the smoke, and her nose of the smell of death. She had imprisoned her emotions, until she knew that Vicky was out of danger. Now, Aidan couldn’t hold back any longer, and allowed the tears to flow. But only for a few moments. Once the emotional pressure had been eased, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and pulled out her cell phone.
“Uh, hello. You probably don’t remember me, but this is Aidan Cassidy. I use to live next door to you.” She let it sink in, then went on to tell Alice about the explosion, and that Vicky was going to be all right. It was very hard for her t
o listen to Vicky’s mother cry, but she knew Vicky would want them to know, before someone else told them. “No, ma’am, don’t come up yet, they’re not letting anyone inside right now. Vicky is safe and well cared for. She’ll be all right, I’ll see to that. Yes ma’am, I promise, I’ll keep you informed.”
Finishing the call, Aidan walked down by the education department, looking up at the gaping hole in the wall. A crowd had converged outside the building, that still had smoke swirling in the air above it, wondering who could do such a terrible thing to a hospital. The local news trucks were beginning to arrive, and Aidan watched as security directed them to park in the back. I wonder where they’ll corral them this time, since they don’t have the education lobby to use anymore. She started to dial Vicky’s best friend, Joyce, when she was interrupted by a news reporter.
“Miss, miss, were you in the blast?” The reporter came running after Aidan, with a microphone in his hands.
“Huh?”
“You’re covered in blood. Can you give me a statement?”
Aidan looked down at the security guard uniform she still wore, and then looked at the reporter. “Nah, just a rough day at the office,” she replied, and walked quickly back into the hospital. The police stop the reporter from entering the building. Aidan made her way down to the laundry department, and helped herself to some scrubs. She carried them up to Vicky’s room, where she checked on her lover, and seeing that she was still asleep, she changed her clothes.
She sat down on Vicky’s hospital bed, and held her hand. Damn… you were pregnant… why didn’t you tell me, Vick? She thought about it for a moment. They had been concentrating so hard on getting her memory back, Vicky probably didn’t want to distract her from that. Yeah, that sounds like you, kid.
A soft tap on Vicky’s door interrupted her thoughts.
Yvonne peeked in, “May I come in?”
“Sure,” Aidan got up, and opened the door for her.
Yvonne gasped when she saw Aidan, “You’re…, you’re supposed to be dead. I saw you myself, lying in the morgue. Aidan, what is going on here?”
“It’s a long, complicated story, Yvonne.” Yvonne looked like she was ready to cry, so Aidan explained, “We, Vicky and I, were working with Homeland Security, to catch the terrorists who had infiltrated the hospital. They said we should breakup to draw them out, but it was hurting Vicky too much‒‒”
Yvonne interrupted, “Oh, I could tell that it was, Aidan.”
“That’s why I came up with the idea of killing me off, and becoming a security guard. That worked…, sort of.” Her eyes misted over as she stared at Vicky, lying there with tubes hanging out of her.
Yvonne squeezed Aidan’s arm. She knew instinctively, what Aidan must be going through, and she hurt for her.
Aidan asked, “How’d you get in here, anyway? I thought they were stopping everyone at the front door?”
“They are, but I’m the President and CEO’s Executive Assistant. That supersedes everything else,” Yvonne said with a grin. Though she rarely used her position as Vicky’s assistant to get what she wanted, she had no qualms about doing it, if the situation warranted it. In any establishment, it was a known fact that you don’t mess with the Executive Assistant to the CEO.
“Damn straight it does,” Aidan responded, fighting the tears that stung her fatigued eyes.
Yvonne knew Aidan was worried to the point of exhaustion, so she added, “And don’t forget that Vicky is the youngest President and CEO to ever run a health system. That makes her a fighter, a strong fighter, who doesn’t give up.”
Aidan nodded, and in almost a whisper, repeated, “Damn straight.”
“Well, I’d better go see what I can do to help. I’ll check in on Vicky a little later. You get some rest too, okay?”
“Thanks Yvonne, for everything.” She sat back down by Vicky’s bedside, just as her nurse, Mary, came in. She looked at Aidan, who smiled at her, then looked at Vicky, then back at Aidan again.
“Didn’t I just have you as my patient?”
Aidan grinned and replied, “Yes ma’am, that was me.”
“I thought so.” Mary checked Vicky’s vitals, adjusted her IV drip, and left.
Alone at last, Aidan thought, as she held her lovers hand, and rested her head on the bed rail. She let her mind wander again, thinking about how close she had come to losing the love of her life. “It seems like the fates are working overtime to keep us apart, kid. But we love each other too damn much to let that happen…, right baby?”
Fifteen minutes later, just as Aidan was falling asleep again, Mary rolled a bed into the room. Aidan jumped up out of the way, as Mary arranged it beside Vicky’s bed, taking the rails down in the middle and the right side, and locking the wheels. She then added a pillow and extra blanket.
Aidan grinned at her, “You remembered, thank you.”
Mary smiled, she had indeed remembered how Vicky asked that a bed be brought in, when Aidan had been the patient. She sensed that Vicky would want the same thing now. Mary left the room, and Aidan wasted no time crawling into bed next to Vicky. She kissed her forehead gently, thinking, I love you, kid, and fell asleep instantly.
An hour later, she woke to find Vicky holding her hand, and smiling over at her.
“Hey honey,” Vicky croaked hoarsely, “How are you?”
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
“Is it over? Is this nightmare finally over?”
“Yeah kid, it’s done. We’re free again.”
“Are you still a man?”
Aidan laughed, “No baby, I most definitely am not a man.”
“Good, I didn’t like the beard.” Vicky made a face, remembering how the fake beard had scratched her chin. Not that Aidan wasn’t good looking, as a man, but it was just not Vicky’s definition of handsome. Her definition was Aidan, and all female.
“Listen, I talked to your mom, and let her know what had happened. I told her not to come up yet, so when things settle down, you’d better call her, okay?”
“Oh, thank you for that, honey, I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you.”
“No worries kid. She was nice on the phone.” She rubbed the back of her head, hoping to massage the headache away, so she could think about how to approach her next subject.
“She has her moments,” Vicky was still a bit miffed at her mother for hiding Aidan’s letters from her, for all those years.
“By the way, I’ve got some great news.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ve got my memories back, baby, well, almost all of them‒‒”
“Oh, Aidan! That’s wonderful news!” Vicky tried to reach up and hug her, but Aidan stopped her from moving, and kissed her instead. When she released her from the kiss, she saw a twinkle in her lover’s eyes, and a smile, as wide as the ocean. As long as I live, I will never be as happy as I am, right now, to see her smiling face. But as much as she hated to upset Vicky, Aidan felt she should tell her about the miscarriage. Just one more look at the smiling face, she thought, and then I’ll tell her.
“Vicky‒‒” But before she could even begin, Vicky drowsily rolled her eyes, and fell asleep again. “That’s all right, baby, it can wait.” At first, Aidan was relieved that she could delay having this conversation. But putting it off, only increased her apprehensions about it.
*
Vicky felt something cold irritating her skin, and she opened her eyes, to find her nurse was listening to her heart with a stethoscope.
“It’s good to see you again, Ms. Montgomery.” Mary greeted her patient, as she continued to check her vital signs.
The residual pain from the incision was tolerable, until the nurse had her hold a pillow to her chest and cough. Aidan cringed at the pain on her lovers face, but it was necessary, to ensure the lungs were clear of fluids.
“Thank you again, so much for this,” Vicky rasped hoarsely, as she indicated the extra bed.
“No problem. Glad I could help.”
“Mary, how are the patients? Did we…, did we lose any in the evacuation?”
“No ma’am, I heard that all the patients made it to the other hospitals, just fine,” Vicky smiled, relieved of that burden. Mary continued, “Speaking of which, Ms. Montgomery, I’ve been informed that they’re going to be discharging you to the hospital down the street, in a few minutes, so I need to get you ready. You will be the last patient to leave the hospital.”
Vicky’s head seemed to clear instantly, “Absolutely not, Mary. This is my hospital, and I’m not abandoning her now. No, you get whoever made that decision in here, ASAP, please. I want a word with them.”
“Everyone is being evacuated, Vick, there’s not going to be anyone here to care for you. We were damn lucky there was even a surgeon available.” Aidan tried to explain, but Vicky’s mind was unchangeable. The look on her face reminded Aidan of when they were kids. Vicky would stand with her small hands on her small hips, trying to look tough. But the freckles on her face made her look so damn adorable, that it was hard to take her seriously. That is, until you saw the tenacious look in her eyes. Aidan had run into that look, more than once. She knew Vicky was not going to give up, until she got her way.
The way Vicky saw it, she had spent years of blood, sweat and a lot of tears, building this hospital into a thriving, state‒of‒the‒art healthcare facility, with a reputation to match. Well, at least it used to be thriving. But after this disaster, there was no telling what would happen now. She just couldn’t abandon the hospital now, especially, not now.
“I’m a nurse, I’ll care for myself, if I have to.” Vicky was defiant, trying to hide the sudden onslaught of fatigue.
Mary declared, “Well, I’m certainly not going to leave my patient behind, so I guess we’re both staying. I can run the EKG, and email it to the doctor, and we can stay on top of your recuperation via telemedicine.”
I Remember You Page 24
