TITLE:
Picking Up The Pieces-Chapter Seven
AUTHOR:
Cindy (RkieFan1960@AOL.com)
SUMMARY:
Decisions are about to be made by several different people.
Los Angeles-Monday,
September 17, 2001
It was
the morning before Shelby was due to be admitted to the hospital. In the
past several days Jill had spoken to both her supervisor in San Antonio
and her housekeeper, keeping them abreast of what was going on. She was
sitting in the living room watching Shelby at play after putting Michael
on the school bus and wondering what to do with her son the next day. She'd
spoken to Mike the night before and he wasn't sure when they'd be wrapping
things up in New Orleans. Trap was working on a cheating spouse case of
his own, so he was also gone a great deal of the time. Jill knew she'd
be spending a good part of Tuesday and Wednesday at the hospital with Shelby.
The surgery being performed Wednesday would take a minimum of five hours
and probably longer than that.
She decided
to take a chance and call someone she'd once considered a good friend.
The phone was answered on the third ring. "Jennifer, it's Jill Danko. I
was wondering if I could come over and talk to you about something," Jill
implored in a desperate voice, praying that Jennifer wouldn't hang up on
her.
On the
other end of the phone, Jennifer was surprised to be hearing from Jill.
She knew from Willie that Jill was in town with the children, but she also
knew how her husband now felt about his former friend. "Yeah, come on over.
I'll put some coffee on," Jennifer replied.
Jill dressed
Shelby and drove over to the once familiar house in Burbank. She didn't
recognize the neighborhood anymore. Even Willie and Jen's house was different.
It took Jill a few minutes to realize that they'd extended the front porch
and added a swing and some potted plants. Jennifer answered the door before
Jill even had a chance to ring the doorbell. Jill tentatively smiled as
Jennifer reached out and embraced her.
"I was
afraid you were going to hang up on me," Jill admitted in a relieved voice
as she put Shelby on the floor.
"Willie
might have, but not me. Come in here. What's going on?" Jennifer asked
over her shoulder as Jill took Shelby's hand and followed her to the kitchen.
"I was
hoping that the guys would be back from New Orleans by now. I have to admit
Shelby to the hospital tomorrow and I really need someone to meet Michael
when he gets off the school bus tomorrow and Wednesday. Michelle works
such crazy hours that I knew I couldn't call her. I was wondering if you
could help me out," Jill almost begged as Jennifer took coffee cups from
the cupboard.
"Sure,
I'd be happy to. In fact, if you think it would make it easier, he could
just stay over here and stay in Thomas' old room," Jennifer offered.
"I'm not
sure Willie would like that," Jill pointed out as Jennifer handed her a
cup.
"Jill,
Willie's problem has never been the children. You know, sometimes I have
a hard time remembering just why he's so angry. Thomas and I never wanted
to chose sides. You were my friend and so was Mike. I didn't feel like
I should have to choose. I told him a long time ago that I wouldn't. I
think that's one reason Natalie moved to North Carolina. She didn't want
to choose sides, either," Jennifer admitted sadly.
"Sometimes
I think that's why Mary Kathryn stays in New York. If none of us are there,
then she doesn't have to deal with the yelling and screaming. I miss her,
but I think she's happy," Jill smiled.
"She's
definitely successful," Jen agreed. "I was reading something in The Times
about her about a month ago. They said she was playing Albert Hall. I'd
love to go to Europe," she ended wistfully.
"I think
she was more excited about getting to actually use her passport than she
was about playing in London. I've talked to her every day since 9/11 and
she really wants to come home. But she said that Patrick's threatening
to sue her if she breaks her contract. He's upset because he's had to cancel
several weeks worth of concerts because of what happened last week. So,
how is Natalie?" Jill asked abruptly, changing the subject to her goddaughter.
"Busy.
She's doing her residency in pediatric medicine, and that's one of the
busier specialties. She was thinking about working in the emergency room.
I can give you her email address. She keeps asking me about Shelby," Jennifer
told Jill.
It was
so relaxing sitting and talking to Jen like they'd often done in the past.
Before Willie had married Jennifer, Jill hadn't had many close women friends.
Her life had always revolved around Mike and the guys. She hadn't realized
how much fun it was to sit over a pot of coffee and gossip about husbands.
For a short time after the tragedy they'd remained close. That was before
things had gotten ugly and Willie had started making it so uncomfortable
for Jill to even set foot in their home.
Jill took
Shelby to McDonald's for ice cream before driving back to Laurel Canyon.
Pulling into the driveway, she was surprised to see Eddie's car in the
car port. The guys were back earlier than she'd expected. She unbuckled
the very sticky Shelby from her car seat and carried her into the house.
Eddie smiled at her from the kitchen where he was fixing himself something
to eat.
"Airline
food is terrible," he grinned as he walked over to kiss first her and then
Shelby.
"She's
a little sticky. Let me get her cleaned up," Jill apologized as she took
Shelby to the bathroom to wash her face and hands. "Where's Mike and Willie?"
She called out as she wiped Shelby's face.
"I think
they went to talk to Trap. They should be back in a few minutes," came
the muffled answer as Jill dried Shelby's face and hands and put her on
the floor, instructing her to go play.
"I didn't
think you were going to be back, so I made arrangements for Michael for
tomorrow and Wednesday," Jill said as she walked back toward the kitchen.
"What
arrangements?" Eddie wanted to know as the door opened and the two guys
walked in.
"Jen's
going to pick him up tomorrow afternoon and he's going to stay the night
at their house. I was going to pick him up either Wednesday evening or
Thursday morning," Jill continued as she saw Willie's face redden from
the corner of her eye.
"You took
it upon yourself to call my wife?" Willie demanded.
"I had
to do something. Trap's working a case of his own and I wasn't about to
let Michael stay here by himself," Jill explained in a reasonable voice.
"Yeah,
well, you can make other arrangements. I won't have you using my wife for
your convenience," Willie snapped.
"Willie,
do you really hate me so much that you're willing to transfer that hate
over to my son? " Jill questioned in a shaky voice before she burst into
tears and bolted from the room.
"She's
right, you know," Mike told Willie after Jill had left.
"About
what?" Willie demanded.
"I'm the
one that's responsible for everything that's happened, not her," Mike sighed
as he sat down on the sofa with Eddie and Willie staring at him.
"Mike,
Savannah's death wasn't your fault! You weren't the one driving
the car," Willie reminded him for the thousandth time.
"No, I
wasn't driving the car, but I should've told her that I knew Savannah was
still seeing him. I should've supported her when she wanted to adopt Shelby.
But most of all, I should've supported her when my best friend started
attacking her," he stared pointedly at Willie. "All she was trying to do
was defend herself and her son from the beast that had once been her husband.
Now, like it or not, Michael is going to be staying at your house for a
few days so that I can be at the hospital with her while my granddaughter
fights for her life. If you don't like it, then we have nothing more to
say to one another, ever."
"I'll
take him to our house after he gets off of the bus tomorrow," Willie said
quietly as Mike nodded in agreement. "I'd better get home."
Jill was
standing on the dock when she saw Willie drive off. A few minutes later
she walked back into the house and observed that Mike was sitting on the
floor with Shelby, who was holding several brightly colored strings of
beads. The little girl ran over to show the beads to Jill.
"I brought
her some Mardi Gras beads from New Orleans," Mike explained.
Shelby
put the strings over Jill's head. "They're shiny," she signed.
They were
sitting there in silence watching Shelby play with the beads when there
was a knock on the front door. "Willie probably forgot something and is
too afraid to just walk into the house," Mike smiled as he got up to answer
the door. When he opened the door, he just stood there in stunned disbelief.
"Daddy,
aren't you going to say something?" Mary Kathryn asked.
Jill jumped
off of the sofa and rushed past Mike to wrap her daughter in a massive
bear hug.
"Mom,
you're cutting my oxygen off!" Mary Kathryn complained with a laugh.
"What're
you doing here?" Jill asked as she finally let her daughter go. "How did
you get here?"
"I figured
if daddy could get on a plane the first day they reopened the airports
then I could get back on a plane, too. Can I come in or do I have to stand
here all day?" She asked.
Mike opened
the door and stepped aside as Mary Kathryn walked into the house.
"Michael's
going to be thrilled to see you," Jill informed her daughter.
"I can't
wait to see him, too. Are you and Shelby staying here? I thought you were
staying at Terry's," Mary Kathryn told her mother.
"We were
staying there while your dad was out of town. I'll be taking her back over
there tonight since it's closer to the hospital. Let me go get her," Jill
suddenly said as she went to go find Shelby.
"I had
to come, daddy. I couldn't let her face Shelby's surgery alone," Mary Kathryn
told her father once they were alone.
"I thought
Patrick was threatening to sue you if you broke your contract," Mike reminded
her.
"Well,
he was threatening to take my first-born son, but he gave that up
when I explained to him how that was never going to happen. I told him
I had to see my family, but I will be returning to New York," she explained
as she looked around the room. She smiled when Jill walked into the room
leading Shelby by the hand.
Shelby
was happy to see Mary Kathryn, since her appearance usually meant presents
of some kind. She sat on the floor and tried to open Mary Kathryn's suitcase
in search of loot.
Mary Kathryn
opened her purse and handed her a small package.
Opening
it, Shelby found a small piano-shaped music box. "It looks like your piano,"
Shelby pointed out.
"I know
she can't hear it, but I thought she might like it anyway," Mary Kathryn
explained to her parents. "When you wind it up, the keys move like a real
piano."
Mike surprised
everybody by inviting Terry, Willie, Michelle and Thomas over for dinner
and to visit with Mary Kathryn. Willie declined but everybody else accepted,
which surprised Jill. She hadn't expected her other daughter to show up.
As expected, Michael was thrilled to see Mary Kathryn and even happier
to have both of his sisters together for the first time in a long time.
They sat
around after supper laughing and talking. Mary Kathryn told them several
amusing stories about her travels and even more amusing stories about her
manager. "Mary Kathryn, I still bet that you're the only person I know
who used 'American Pie' as part of her essay to get into college," Terry
reminded her.
"I think
the judging committee at Juiliard were probably surprised that I knew the
words to a twenty year old song, much less what I thought it meant," Mary
Kate chuckled. "But, hey, if it could work for 12th Grade English
Lit, I figured it could work for college. I just thank God I've never had
to play it in concert. I'd much rather stick to Chopin and Mozart."
"Is it
bad in New York?" Thomas suddenly asked as the table went quiet.
"Yeah,
it's real bad. Everywhere you look there's posters of people who went to
work one morning and then were never heard from again. I still can't get
into my apartment. Trevor said there's no power. He's staying with a friend
and Jasmine's staying with her mom. I've been staying with Pete but he's
never there. Either he's at the WTC site or getting ready to attend another
funeral," she concluded sadly.
"Maybe
we should talk about this later," Jill cautioned as she looked over to
where Michael was hanging onto every word his sister was saying.
Mike found
Terry standing on the dock later staring out at the lake in the fading
daylight. "I got into it with Willie this afternoon," he said as Terry
looked at him.
"About
what?" Terry asked.
"This
whole stupid argument that's been going on for four years. It was like
a light went off in my brain this afternoon. I've been thinking about it
for a long time. I'm crazy about her, Terry. None of this was Jill's fault,".
Mike sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face.
"I don't
know. I've read where the death of a child can tear the parent's apart,
but I don't think there's any mention of what it does to long-time friends.
Mike, there's a lot of complicated issues at work here. I don't think things
would've gone as far as they did if it hadn't been for Jill adopting Shelby.
It was like everybody had a separate say in the matter and I think she
felt like she'd been backed against a wall. But, I do know this. Jill adores
that baby. And so does Michael, even thought he'd be the last to admit
it because he thinks you won't like it if he tells you how he feels about
her. I've watched you with her tonight, Mike. Given half the chance, she'd
have you as wrapped around her finger as Mary Kathryn and Michelle do,"
Terry told his friend.
"All I
know is I have to think of a way to get my family back together. Are you
game?" He asked.
"A conspiracy?
Count me in," Terry grinned as the two men shook hands before finally embracing
each other as friends once again.
Tuesday-September
18, 2001
Michelle
was in the middle of rounds on the Pediatric Unit of UCLA Children's Hospital.
The doctor, Dr. Reese, was leading the group of surgical residents through
the Pediatric Cardiology Ward. They would be asked questions about the
patients and would be required to keep detailed notes. Michelle was taken
slightly aback when they stopped in front of Shelby's bed. "Patient is
a four-year-old female, admitted this morning for surgery to repair a congenital
heart defect known as Transposition of the Great Arteries. Can anyone tell
me how this condition presents itself? Miss Danko?"
"The newborn
infant will appear cyanotic at birth due to poor mixing of oxygenated and
non-oxygenated blood. There will often be a secondary defect involving
either the atriums or ventricles of the upper or lower chambers of the
heart," Michelle recited in a monotone as she felt her face and neck grow
hot.
"And what
is done to correct the defect?" Dr. Reese prodded.
"A temporary
fix is performed when the affected child is an infant and when the child
reaches early school age. A procedure is performed to put the reversed
vessels into their proper position by placing the child on a heart-lung
machine," Michelle continued.
"Very
good, Miss Danko. And what is the prognosis of a child born with this condition?"
He asked.
"After
the vessels are properly reversed, the prognosis is normally excellent
and most children are able to live normal lives," Michelle told her captive
audience.
"Excellent.
Let's move on, shall we?" Dr. Reese ordered.
Michelle
was walking down the hall when Dr. Reese stopped her. "Miss Danko, I was
very impressed with your answers during rounds. I mentioned this to Dr.
Sajay and he asked if you'd be interested in being on the surgical team
tomorrow morning for the TGA surgery," Dr. Reese inquired.
"There'd
be a conflict if I were part of the surgical team," Michelle informed the
doctor.
"I'm afraid
I don't understand," he said, looking suitably puzzled.
"The 'four-year-old
female' as you referred to her during rounds is my niece. I think it's
against hospital policy for me to operate on family members," Michelle
pointed out peevishly.
"I didn't
know you had any nieces. Where are her parents?" The doctor asked as Michelle
glared at him.
"One night
in January 1997 my 16-year-old sister and her 19-year-old boyfriend got
into an argument in a car while my sister was driving. She was declared
brain dead and was removed from life support three days later. Her boyfriend
is basically a cucumber and he gets watered daily at a residential facility
near here. Does that tell you everything you need to know?" Michelle asked
in an icy voice.
"I'm sorry,
Miss Danko. Please forgive me," he mumbled in embarrassment as he hurriedly
walked off.
Michelle
continued walking down the hall when she spotted Thomas walking toward
her. "What're you doing here?" She asked.
"I needed
to talk to you," he said as he kissed her and then matched her pace. "Can
we sit down somewhere?"
"Thomas,
I'm really busy. I'm due in surgery in half an hour. Can't it wait until
tonight?" She pleaded.
"Yeah, I guess it probably could," he agreed sullenly. "I'm going to go to my mom and dad's for dinner, so I guess I'll see you when you get home," he told her woodenly, kissing her as he walked away.
<><><><><><>
Jennifer
was putting the finishing touches on dinner when Thomas walked in the front
door with his father and younger brother. She smiled as she watched the
three most important men in her life walk into the dining room. She only
wished that Willie would forget his stubborn pride and patch things up
with Mike.
Thomas
had told his mother that he had important news. Jen had important news
of her own that she wanted to share with her husband and sons. She finished
setting the table and called them in to dinner. She noticed that her older
son was extremely quiet and he just picked at his meal.
"You told
me over the phone that you had news. What's going on?" Jen asked as she
poured salad dressing on her salad.
"Maybe
it should wait until after dinner," Thomas suggested.
"Why?
Is it going to ruin our appetites?" Willie teased.
"It might,"
Thomas replied cryptically..
"Is everything
okay with you and Michelle?" Jen asked.
"It might
not be after tonight," Thomas shrugged. "I went this morning and took my
induction physical," he began.
"Induction
physical for what?" She asked in a neutral voice as she froze, afraid to
hear his answer.
"I joined
the Marines," Thomas answered as he stared at his plate.
"Please
tell me you're joking," Willie sputtered in disbelief.
"I thought
you'd be proud of me, pop," Thomas replied with a slight shake of his head.
"I know your generation had Vietnam and a lot of you ran off to Canada.
They attacked my country, pop. I can't just sit here and do nothing," Thomas
explained as Jen tried to recover her senses.
"I don't
expect you to sit here and do nothing, but couldn't you have thought this
through?" Willie finally asked.
"I have
thought it through. I report in 90 days to Camp LeJuene, North Carolina,
for six weeks of boot camp. I don't know where I'll go after that," he
informed his still stunned parents.
"Have
you even talked to Michelle about this?" Jen asked in a monotone.
"Why?
So she could talk me out of it?," he snapped in a bitter voice. "She's
so wrapped up with her surgical career that she doesn't even know I'm there
half the time. Every time we talk about getting married something always
comes up and she gets cold feet."
"At least
you're going into a cool branch of the service. Everybody knows that Marines
kick ass," Eric grinned.
"Eric,
please watch your language," she admonished him with a glare as he looked
back toward his plate.
"Can I
ask you one question?" Willie asked in a sharp voice. "Did Mike have anything
to do with this?"
"Mr. G.I.
Joe? Are you kidding? He doesn't know anything about this," Thomas promised
his father as Willie nodded. "I just know we're heading for war and I figured
it would be better if I enlisted before they called me up."
"So you
HAVE been talking to Mike?," Willie fumed. "That's exactly what he told
me about going to Vietnam."
"Pop,
Mike didn't have anything to do with this! I'm 26 years old! I can make
my own decisions," Thomas reminded his father.
"Natalie
called today. She's going to come home for Thanksgiving," Jen told her
family as she desperately tried to change the subject.
"It's
about time," Willie grumbled as he got up and took his plate to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry,
mom. I thought he'd take the news a little better than this," Thomas apologized
to his mother.
"It's
okay. Let me get the table cleaned off," she said as she stood up and started
to remove the dishes from the table.
Later
that night she was lying in bed while Willie was in the shower. Their daughter
hadn't been home in almost three years. She'd told her mother after her
last visit home that she couldn't stand the hostilities anymore and if
things didn't change she wouldn't come back. Jennifer didn't blame her.
Jill was Natalie's godmother and Savannah had been her best friend. Natalie
had tried on several occasions to warn Jill about Savannah, but she'd always
been told by her father to stay out of it and that it wasn't any of her
business. Jen didn't understand how Willie could possibly think that. The
Danko children were in their home as often as they were at their own. Jen
felt that every aspect of their lives was her business. She'd like to think
that Mike and Jill would feel the same about her children.
The bathroom
door opened amid a cloud of steam and Willie walked into the room, wearing
boxers and an old t-shirt. He turned back his side of the bed and crawled
under the covers.
"Why didn't
you ever want Natalie to tell Jill about Savannah?" Jen suddenly asked
as Willie was preparing to turn off the lamp.
"Why are
you bringing this up now?" He asked as he looked at his wife.
"Because
I have to know now. Why didn't you want Natalie to tell Jill?" She repeated.
"Because
it wouldn't have changed anything. Nothing would've changed anything that
happened that night!" He insisted in a sharp voice. " I don't know why
everybody thinks that by Jill knowing that things would've turned out differently.
Savannah still would've gotten into that car that night and she still would've
driven it into a telephone pole."
"Let me
ask you this, then," Jen pressed. "Did you start your verbal attacks on
Jill because it was something that Mike was doing? He didn't want her to
adopt Shelby so you decided you didn't like the idea, either. I mean everything
he didn't like, you were right in step with him. I was beginning to think
that the two of you were joined at the hip. You're the one who made it
uncomfortable for your own daughter to remain in this house. She wasn't
allowed to grieve for Savannah. She wasn't even allowed to mention her
name. Why is that, Willie? Were you feeling guilty because you didn't betray
your best friend and tell his wife that her daughter's life might be in
danger?"
"I never
thought Savannah was in danger and neither did Mike," Willie replied as
his face flushed in anger. "If he thought for one minute that Troy would
hurt her, he would've told Jill himself," Willie told his wife as she shook
her head.
"Willie,
he was a drunk! Nineteen years old and he was already an alcoholic! I'm
surprised Shelby wasn't born with more health problems! I don't see how
the two of you couldn't see that her life was in danger! But, worse than
that, I don't see how you could stand by later and watch what Mike was
doing to Jill. She'd been your friend for more than twenty years and you
stood by and did nothing while he ripped her apart," Jen's voice started
rising as Willie tried to hush her.
"Have
you felt this way the whole time?" He asked in stunned surprise.
"Yes!
So have your children. Maybe Mike's right. Maybe this does need to end.
You, Mike and Terry were so close at one time. When we were still living
in Ohio I used to love your stories of your exploits with them. I was thrilled
the first time I met them and even more thrilled when they included me
in their circle. We've seen each other through some pretty tough times.
I think we need to go up to the hospital tomorrow and support Jill while
that little girl undergoes surgery. Because that's what families do," she
concluded with an air of finality.
<><><><><>
North
Hollywood-later that same night
Thomas
was sitting up nursing a beer when he heard the front door unlock and Michelle
entered the room. She was instantly greeted by the dogs. "How was your
day?" He asked as she greeted the dogs.
"Busy.
What was it you wanted to talk about this afternoon?" She asked as she
put her purse on the kitchen table and sat on the sofa next to him.
"I joined
the Marines," he just spit the news out.
"Did you
just say that you joined the Marines?" She asked in disbelief, certain
that she'd heard him wrong.
"I report
in ninety days," he said wearily as he waited for the explosion.
"And just
what am I supposed to do while you're off playing soldier?" She demanded.
"I don't
know, Michelle! I was kind of hoping maybe we could get married and you'd
be willing to have my kids!" He shouted as he stood up.
"I told
you a long time ago that I was never going to have a baby," she reminded
him.
"Michelle,
when are you going to realize that you're not your birth parents? I can
never see you ever abusing a child. Hell, sometimes I think you love these
animals more than you love me. The only time I feel that you really care
for me is when we're in bed. I don't know why you're so angry. I don't
even think that you do. I think the only reason that you're a doctor is
because it was something that Savannah wanted to be. I want a wife and
I want a family," he told her.
"I'm scared
to have a baby, Thomas," she admitted in a quiet voice. "I'm not only scared
that I might lose my temper and hurt it, but I'm scared of going through
what my mother's going through right now with Shelby. I don't see how she
does it."
"She does
it because it's what she has to do," he explained in a tender voice as
he sat back beside her again. "I want to give my parents grandchildren.
I want to give a child the kind of life that I had growing up. Hell, I'd
like to see what the combination of you and me would look like in a kid,"
he grinned.
"He'd
probably have your looks and my personality," she warned.
"Outspoken
isn't always bad," he told her.
"How did
your parents take the news? I know that you told them first," she guessed.
He nodded.
"My pop didn't like it. He thought your dad had something to do with it.
I grew up listening to Mike tell war stories, but this was my decision,"
he insisted.
"I need
time to absorb all of this, Thomas. But, I guess if you're going to leave
in ninety days, we'd better plan a wedding," she forced a smile.
Thomas
grinned happily.
<><><><><>
UCLA Children's
Hospital-That same night
Jill had
gone down to the cafeteria before it closed to get something to eat. Shelby
had been asleep for a little over an hour so Jill didn't foresee her waking
up before the next morning. When she returned half an hour later, she was
surprised to find Mike sitting in the hard chair beside the iron-barred
crib with Shelby cradled in his arms. Both of them were sound asleep. He
opened his eyes when he felt Jill removing the child from his arms.
"What're
you doing here?" She asked as she placed Shelby back in the crib and covered
her.
"I came
to look for you. When I walked in, she looked like she was preparing to
stage a jail break," he smiled.
"Come
on, let's take a walk," she suggested with a chuckle as she held her hand
out to him.
They stepped
out into the hallway where they watched the night shift nurses going about
their routines. "Have you given any thought to coming back here?" Mike
asked out of the clear blue sky.
"Mike,
I've got a life in San Antonio now," she reminded him with a strange look.
"Coming back here would be so complicated. I'd have to sell the house and
try to transfer back here. I know you miss Michael, but you can see him
as often as you want."
"It's
not just Michael that I miss. Maybe this isn't the right time to be talking
about this, but I've been thinking about everything. I miss us," he confessed.
Jill looked
at the floor, unable to look him in the eye. "Mike, I'd love to continue
this conversation, but I have enough to think about just getting Shelby
through tomorrow. Can we put this on hold until I get her out of here?"
She begged.
"But we
will talk about this?" He asked.
She nodded.
Wednesday-September
19, 2001 (7 a.m.)
The next
morning at 7 a.m. the anesthesiologist came in to give Shelby her pre-op
shot. He told Jill that she would be able to carry her to the operating
room. He told her that it was less traumatic for the child than bringing
a gurney in for them.
Just past
8 o'clock Jill was told to bring Shelby to the operating room. She lowered
the rail on the crib with shaking fingers and picked the drowsy child up
in her arms. The walk to the operating room was the longest walk Jill felt
she'd ever taken. Tears were running down her face when she was forced
to relinquish Shelby to the waiting arms of one of the nurses.
"We'll
keep you posted," the nurse promised Jill as the double doors to the operating
room closed.
Jill entered
the waiting area where she was surprised to find Eddie, Trap, and Terry
already waiting. Eddie walked over and pulled her close as she sobbed out
her fears and frustrations.
"She's
going to be okay," Eddie whispered reassuringly.
A short
time later, Mike arrived with Mary Kathryn. They sat down on either side
of Jill and began the long waiting process. Terry was surprised yet pleased
to find Mike holding tightly onto his ex-wife's hand. He was even more
surprised when Willie and Jennifer showed up shortly before noon.
"Any word?"
Willie asked as Jill shook her head.
"They
came out a couple of hours ago to let us know she was on bypass, but we
haven't heard anything since then," Jill told him.
"Have
you talked to Michelle today?" Willie asked as he and Jen took seats. "My
son informed us last night that he joined the Marines."
"He did
what?" Jill asked in a high pitched voice as everybody else in the room
turned to stare at Willie.
"That's
kind of what we said," Willie forced a smile.
Jill got
up to go outside for some air. She was standing outside when Jennifer materialized
beside her. "Things might change. I had a talk with Willie last night and
I think I finally was able to knock some sense into his thick skull."
"Mike
told me last night that he missed us. How strange is this trip getting
to be?" Jill sighed in a shaky voice.
"So are
you going to try to work things out?" She asked.
"I don't
know, Jen. The papers have already been signed and things got so ugly.
I mean, both of us said things that can never be taken back. But I love
him, Jen. I feel like I grew up with him. He's the father of my children
and he knows me better than I know myself. I guess we'll just have to see
what happens," she concluded as she turned to go back inside.
September
19, 2001-3:27 p.m.
It had
been more than eight hours since Jill had taken Shelby to the operating
room. It was almost 3:30 when she looked up to see Dr. Sajay exiting the
elevator. She walked toward him as he entered the waiting room.
"We did
everything that needed to be done. We had a slight problem removing her
from bypass, but it was resolved and the rest of the surgery proceeded
as scheduled. She's in recovery and we'll be moving her to the PICU in
about 45 minutes. We'll let you see her as soon as she's moved," he promised
as he turned to leave the room.
It was
almost another hour before Jill was permitted into the Pediatric Intensive
Care Unit (PICU) to see Shelby. She was connected to thousands of wires
and monitors but Jill began to weep as she examined her nail beds. They
were a color they'd never been in four and a half years-pink. The little
girl forced her eyes open and smiled at her grandmother.
"Hi, sweetie.
You go back to sleep and I'll see you in a little while," Jill promised
as Shelby's eyes fluttered closed once again.
She left
the PICU and leaned against the wall, gradually sliding down it as tears
consumed her.
Mike ran
over to her and helped her off the floor as he held her against him. "What's
wrong?"
"She's
pink, Mike! She's never been pink in her life!" She continued crying as
Mike laughed.