When I opened my eyes all I saw was commotion above me. Everything was a blur. My ears were ringing. People were rushing around over me. I looked to my right, I was on the ground, I realized as I saw grass blades by my head. The grass had a red tint to it. I closed my eyes for a second to turn my head and looked up and saw Breckyn screaming above me. Her green dress was stained crimson as tears streamed down her face mixing with the blood that was on her chin and neck. Her face, her legs, her arms were covered in blood.
I suddenly remember what happened. I pushed Breckyn towards the car and heard a single gunshot, followed by a rush as Jake and Matt flew into my vision. I looked up at Breckyn again. Oh God, she's been shot. I thought to myself.
All of a sudden, my vision cleared. The ringing in the ears stopped. I went to get up when I felt someone pull my head down. "Don't you dare move." I heard Matt say as he held me down. "DREW!! BRECKYN!! He's awake!" He yelled. I looked above my head to see him kneeling above me. His white shirt underneath his tux was stained with blood as well as his hands and my hankerchief. He looked down at me and held me down. "You'll be okay, okay? Hang in there bud."
I'll be okay? What about Breck? Why isn't anyone looking after Breck? I tried to get up again and that's when my fog cleared. I suddenly felt this searing white hot pain in my chest. I couldn't breathe. I tried to gasp for air and I couldn't. I put my hand to my chest and felt the heat pouring out of my body. It was in that instant that Drew sat on my stomach and I felt the pain intensify. I put my hand to my face and it was covered in blood. "Jimmy?! Jimmy?! I need you to hold still. Matt? I need you to run to the car, get my medical bag, now!" She said as she sat on top of me in her wedding dress. She pressed both of her hands onto my chest. I almost passed out from the pain. I would have screamed but I couldn't get a breath out. I felt like I was drowning. When Drew pressed down I saw a shower of blood spray onto her face and her dress. Drew had her phone to her ear as she pressed her head to her shoulder, keeping pressure on my chest. "This is Andrea Connor.. SCOTT! Andrea Scott, I am a resident at the hospital. I have a 41 year old male with a GSW to the left chest! BP is 60. He is losing a lot of blood. I will try to get vitals stable but I need an OR prepped and ready when I get there, I will need 3 units of LR and 2 units of packed cells and I NEED AN AMBULANCE FIVE MINUTES AGO! GET ONE TO THE PARK NEAR LAKECHIPPEWA NOW! BRING A TRAUMA KIT AND A CHEST TUBE!" She let her phone drop. I looked down and tried to form words. I've been shot.
"B.. Br..Bre..." I couldn't get the word out. I still couldn't breathe. Drew looked up and yelled. "BRECK!! WHERE'S BRECKYN! I NEED HER NOW!" All of a sudden I saw Breckyn above my face. Drew looked her in the eyes. "Put your hands where mine are right now and hold all your pressure you can." Breckyn was sobbing and shaking. "Breckyn, now." She took her hands and put them on my chest and pressed down. "Keep them just like this." Drew said as she took her hands off and Matt handed her her kit. "He's losing too much blood. The Quik Clot wont work." She said as she looked in her bag. "Shit!" She looked down and stood up, ripping off material from her dress. She handed it to Breckyn. "We need to flip him. I need to see if there is an exit wound." She said as she took my by my shoulder and turned me."AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" I managed to get out between gasps of air. "Breck press down on his chest okay? He is losing a lot of blood and we need to contain it until I can get him to the hospital. Put this material around his chest and we will wrap him and make the best we can with what we have." Drew reached over for the material and wrapped my tight. "Great, that's perfect" she said as she put my back down. I growled. "Jimmy. Baby, please don't die." Breckyn sobbed as she held down on my chest, her hands covered in my blood. "Hold on! I love you! I can't live without you! Winnie can't live without you! Thomas! This is all my fault. Please don't die. I'm so sorry. This was my fault. I turn in his brother. This was my fault! I love you! Do you hear me? I love you!"
I looked up and tried to smile when I let out a cough and felt warmth flow out of my mouth and the taste of copper filled my mouth. "DREW!!" Breckyn yelled as she cleaned the blood from my mouth."His vitals are crashing. We need to get him there now!" She yelled as I heard sirens in the distance. I tried to take two quick breaths when I felt foggy again, it was getting dark around me, I was feeling fuzzy. The hurt was fading. Sleep was coming. I fluttered my eyes. Drew smacked my face. "NO! You stay awake! You stay awake!" she said. I let out a half smile and looked at Breckyn. "I love you.." I let out in a breath as I drifted off into the darkness that enveloped me peacefully.
*****
"JIMMY?!?!?!?" I yelled as he let out a long breath and closed his eyes. I shook him. More blood flowed out of his mouth and onto his neck. I leaned my ear down to his mouth. There was no air coming out. "DREW!!!" I yelled over at her, she was directing the ambulance over towards me and Jimmy. She looked up at me. I was sitting on top of Jimmy at this point, giving CPR. Drew ran over to me. "Stop! Stop! You're going to hurt yourself and him!" She leaned her ear to Jimmy's mouth. "Damn it Jimmy! You're not doing this! Not tonight!" She guided me off him and straddled his body as they put him on a stretcher. She began pumping his chest and breathing into his mouth. With each pump of his chest, blood slid out of his mouth. "Breathe, Fallon. Breathe. I can hear you trying to do it, JUST DO IT!" she said. I stood there in shock. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. I was just holding him in my arms and now he's...
All of a sudden I hear a long tone coming from a machine. I look up and see a flat line on the screen. "NOOOOOO!" I screamed out as the EMT talks to Drew.
"Drew, there's no pulse. He's not breathing by himself." Drew is staring at the flatline while she does the compressions. She looks at me as I buckled into Matt's arms. Matt carried me into the ambulance as the EMT put the stretcher in while Drew stayed on top of Jimmy still doing compressions." D-Fib! We need to push Lidocaine and crash cart, NOW!" she said as the EMT hands her paddles. "Take over compressions, Josh." She says to the EMT. He comes over and starts compressions as Drew grabs a board and looks to the other EMT. She grabs a hold of his shoulder while the other is taken by the EMT. "Ready, Scott? 1.....2......3..." and rolls Jimmy over to his side. Blood slides down his face and onto the gurney. She takes off her hands and grabs the paddles. "Charge to 300" Drew said. "CLEAR!" she says as she puts the paddles to Jimmy's chest. Jimmy's body jumps and goes back to the gurney. "No change." Scott said.
*Continuous tone*
"Charge to 360" she says as she put it back to his chest "CLEAR!" Jimmy's body jumped as it went off. Matt buried my head in his shoulder and started sobbing. "Just don't look Breckyn." He whispered into my ear. I was in so much shock, I couldn't cry, I couldn't speak, I couldn't move. I just listened.
*Continuous tone*
"Goddamn it, Jimmy! Come on Fallon! Come on! You don't get to die. Not now! One more time!" I hear the charging of the paddles. "CLEAR" and hear his body come back down on the stretcher. I close my eyes.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
"Sinus Tac.. we have a rhythm. Its barely there but its there. " I heard the EMT say. I looked up. Drew still had her hands on the paddles as she handed them to the EMT and put her hands on Jimmy's chest and sobbed for a minute or two, letting out quick breaths. She quickly composes herself and looks over to me. "Brecks... I'm gonna need you to call his family. He's gonna need surgery as soon as possible if I'm going to save his life and keep his vitals stable. They need to be on the next red eye out here. Can you do that? Can you call them?" she looks at me. Her face and hair is matted down with blood. Her dress is not salvageable. What was once a beautiful ivory gown, is now mostly crimson with Jimmy's blood. What was supposed to be such an innocent and pure night has turned into a horrific nightmare. "I need a chest tube and you to call OR 1 and get them ready." "I need the fabric scissors."
Drew grabs something from Scott. "Brecks?" she calls as she cuts Jimmy's suit off his body. I watched as she cut off the black undershirt he was wearing. She ripped off the cut shirt and revealed his chest. What was once tan and perfect is now scarlet and torn apart. Amidst all the blood I see a darker hole. It's the source of the bleeding as a crimson river flows out from it. "GSW just below the left pectoral muscle. Scott, I need your help lifting him. I need to see if there is an exit wound, I couldn't tell at the scene." Scott grabbed Jimmy's shoulder and lifted. "Shit. There's no exit wound. Damn it, the bullet is still in his chest. Start an IV and I'll set up the chest tube." Scott went to work on the IV as Drew grabbed the tube out his hands. "Breckyn, look at me." I hadn't even noticed I had been staring at the gurney until she snapped me out of it. I looked up. "Brecks, babe, I need you to listen to me. I am going to do everything I possibly can to save him. I won't give up on him. You know that. Now, he needs you right now. He needs to be strong and to pray for him, right now Brecks. And he needs his family. He is going to need them there when he wakes up. And, God forbid he doesn't, they are going to need to be there. So you need to call them. Now."
"I.... I don't have my phone. I left my purse in the church." I said in a trembling voice that I barely recognized as my own. Drew looked at me. "J.. Jim... he always keeps his in his pants pocket." I pointed at his limp body on the gurney. Drew looked down underneath her legs as she straddled him. She lifted herself up and reached in the left pocket. I saw her feel around and her eyes went wide. She looks up at me and clears her throat. "What?" I said as she pulls her hand out and goes to the other pocket. "Nothing. It just wasn't in that pocket. Oh.. here it is." She grabs his phone out and hands it to me. I try to unlock the screen. I start crying at the picture. Its Winnie kissing my belly last weekend. I try frantically to unlock it so I can look at anything else at this moment but the blood on my hands keeps smearing on the screen. My hands start trembling and I drop the phone.
"Here, let me." Matt says as he grabs the phone and unlocks it. "What's his mom's name?" He says as he scrolls through the contacts. "It's Gloria but in his phone its Momma, but don't call her. She wont be able to tell James what is happening. She will be hysterical. Dad can handle it better." Matt looked up. "It will be under Pops"
Matt hands me the phone as he hits call. I watch as Drew finishes the chest tube. I hear his heartbeat quicken. I look up. "Heart rate is steadier. Let's go Jimmy. Hang in there til I can fix you buddy." Drew says as she breathes a little easier. I grab Jimmy's left hand that is hanging over the side of the gurney. I caress his ring finger and kiss his hand as I hear the line connect.
"Yeah, Jim?" I hear his dad say in the phone. I sigh. "Actually, its me... Da... Pops.." I say with a shaky voice. I was so used to calling my dad Dad that I had to stop myself. Jimmy calls him Pops. I will too. "Breckyn? Honey? What's wrong?" he asks. I close my eyes and let out in a tearful statement. "I need you to be sitting down."
*****
"Unidentified Male, approximately in his 30's. Gunshot wound to the left chest, we lost sinus rhythm en route to the hospital, we pushed Lidocaine and used the crash cart as he coded, we regained pulse but it is thready and irregular." Scott said as he wheeled the gurney into the trauma room as nurses surrounded us on either side. I held Breckyn against my body as Matt joined John, Karen, and Jake in the waiting room.
"Its not an unidentified male! Its Jimmy Fallon!!" Breckyn yelled out as we followed the gurney. I stopped dead in my tracks as did everyone else. "Ji... Jimmy Fallon? Like the tv host?" a new nurse said as she stood next to me holding scrubs for me. I snapped around and turned to Breckyn. "Brecks! What the HELL are you doing saying that outloud? I covered his face with a sheet so no one would see who he is! I told Scott to call him a John Doe. The LAST thing we need is a media frenzy on our hands while I'm trying to save his life!" I said as I shook Breckyn's arms.
Breckyn shot me a cold look. "Oh FUCK the media! These people need to know who they are dealing with! They need to know who they are saving here! I want him in the best hands possible! Besides, if he dies, there really is no point in hiding this now is there?!" She yelled at me, pushing me in my chest. I flew against the wall and looked at my team. "Go get OR 1 ready for me, now!" then I just looked at her.
"Breckyn Nicholle Jones! I am telling you this as calmly as I can right now, but I might just blow up on you. I know this team like the back of my hand, hell sometimes they ARE my hands. We are going to do all we can to save him, ok? He is in good hands. Do you trust me?" Breckyn just looks at Jimmy on the gurney. I reached up and pointed her face towards me. "Do. You. Trust. Me?!" I said emphasizing each word. Breckyn nodded at me. "Good. You should. Then you trust that I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure he comes back to you in one piece. Can you do that?" She nodded.
"Who's going to do the surgery?" Breckyn says quietly as I go to walk off. I stop and turn towards her. "I am." I say as I look in her eyes. "I am going to perform the surgery. I don't trust anyone else in there with him. It's going to be me. I am going to do it." I say as she starts crying. "It's going to be a very long procedure. It is going to be delicate, its going to be critical. I don't trust anyone but me and my team with him. Just trust me."
Breckyn softly nodded. "Are you sure you can do this?" she whispered. I sighed as Matt walked up still in his tuxedo with blood splatters all over. He came up and grabbed Breckyn an held her.
"Every gun shot wound is different and I am good at what I do for a resident.
But, Breckyn, you have to be away from here. You have to go sit in that waiting room and you have to let me do my job. I can't do this if I know you're out there worrying that I am going to kill the best thing that has ever happened to you. Okay? I can't." I said as I rubbed her arms. I looked at my husband.
"Matt, you are going to take Breckyn and you are going to take her to the waiting room and she is going to sit there until I am done. You will stay with her. If she looks like she is going to flip out, if she looks like she is going to get up and try to do something stupid, you stop her. I dont care how, you stop her." I said as I looked him in the eyes. Matt nodded and grabbed Breckyn to take her to the waiting room. She flung herself out of his grasp and turned towards me.
"He is the love of my life! The father of my child!" She yelled at me as she turned around. I grabbed her as she walked towards me. "Do you want me to kill him? Is that what you want? Because I can't do my job if you don't let me do it with a clear head." She looked at me and just stared. "Breckyn, I will do my very best, but please, I am begging you, go sit down and wait." She slowly nodded and I took her in for a hug. "Now, I gotta go save your man. I'll come get you when I can but I must warn you, if it's as bad as I fear, it could be hours and I mean HOURS." She nodded.
I let go and backed up. "I'll bring him back to you. I will.. I will do my best to bring him back to you. I love you Brecks and I love you Matt, and .. I got to say.. I love Jimmy too. I'll do my best. I'll do my best." She nodded. "I love you, too." She turned and walked into the hallway.
I changed into my scrubs and walked into the prep room. The nurses were trying to get Jimmy's suit pants off when I walked in. "No. I'll do it. Back away from him. I will change him out of his pants. No one else." The nurses backed up and I turned towards them. "I would like to have privacy please. Go scrub in and get prepared." I said and I walked up to Jimmy. I leaned into his ear. "This is as uncomfortable for me as it is you, pal." I said as I unbuttoned his pants and slid them down his legs. I reached my hand into the left pocket and grabbed the ring box out that I felt earlier. "I really hope you weren't planning on using this tonight, but I promise to keep you around to actually do this." I put the box in with my things and turned back towards Jimmy. I took his boxers off and then placed the surgical sheets over him. I turned and wheeled him towards to OR. The doors opened and I wheeled him in. I put the brakes on and leaned into his ear. "Please just stay strong in there. Pull through this. Stay with me, pal."
I walked back out and scrubbed in and came back into the OR, where Jimmy was already under anesthesia and intubated. I looked down at him and stood over him. "Let's do this, Fallon." I whispered to myself with my eyes closed as I held my hand out. "Ten blade." I felt a scalpel be placed into my hand. I brought it up as it gleamed under the fluorescent lights and took a deep breath in, brought it Jimmy's chest and let the breath out, making my first incision.
******
"Breckyn?" I heard a voice say as I snapped out of my own menacing, terrifying, thoughts. I looked up and saw Jimmy's mom and dad, his sister, and Nancy walking into the waiting room. "Breckyn..." James said as he walked towards me with his arms out. I got up and ran towards him. He brought me in for a hug and I felt arms go around me.
"How's my baby?" I heard his mom, Gloria, whisper in my ear as she kissed the top of my head. "Have you heard anything recently?" she said. Jim let me out of the hug and I stood back wiping off my tears.
"Uh...Drew sent an intern out about an hour and a half ago. They are repairing as they go. They got most of the bullet out, and right now they are repairing his collapsed lung and then they will try to remove the rest of the bullet and repair the damage to his heart." I sniffled as I looked at him. "The intern said it is slow going and they've had a few close calls and scares but so far, everything is doing as best as it can be." I said. Jimmy's sister held her arms out. "He's a stubborn man. He'll be okay." She said as she hugged me.
I leaned back and nodded. I looked at Nancy who was staring at the floor instead of looking around the room. I instantly felt bad, she had no one here that she could feel comfortable talking to, I'm sure. I know Jim and Gloria will be supportive of her but she has to be hurting too. I looked past her. "Did you bring Win?" I asked wiping my nose and face.
Nancy looked up and gave a little smile. "I did but I didn't want her here, you know, hospitals and everything. I felt like she should go play and be happy. She wouldn't understand." She said softly as she looked at me. Gloria laughed. "She's out with her uncle right now, playing with the kids and hanging out. My husband being the biggest kid there is, I'm sure she's getting spoiled." I nodded and smiled. "I bet."
Nancy came towards me and pulled me in for a hug. "How are you doing? You holding up okay?" she asked as she pulled back and rubbed my belly. "You sure are getting big, there. How much longer do you have?" she asked, changing the subject as everyone went and sat down.
"8 weeks. Give or take." I answered in a monotone voice. I really wasn't in the mood for baby talk right now. Not while his father is fighting for his life. "Not too long, then." Nancy said as she looked at me. I nodded. "Well I am going to find a restroom. I'll be back."
Jim and Gloria were standing next to me when my dad and mom walked up to them. "Mr. and Mrs. Fallon?" My mom said as she walked forward. Jim and Gloria turned around. "Yes." My mom held out her hand. "I'm Karen Jones, this is my husband John, and my son Jake," she pointed behind her at Jakers who had tears in his eyes. "We are Breckyn's parents. We just wanted to introduce ourselves. We're terribly sorry about your son. We... we love him like he was our own son." Gloria looked from my mom to my dad who just nodded. "We really do. You raised a great man." Gloria brought my mom in for a hug and they both started crying. Jim shook my dads hand and looked over at me. "We feel the same way about your daughter. Breckyn is just.. well, she's amazing." Gloria let go of my mom and nodded. "We love her, we are glad they found each other." She reached over and pulled me into their three way hug. "I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, Mr. Fallon." My dad said as he let go of Jim's hand and put a hand on my back. "Please, just call me Jim and I agree but I am glad that you were here for my son. He needs his family here and from what we understand, you guys have accepted him as your own Mr. Jones." My dad nodded. "Yes, I feel like he is a second son to me. And please, call me John." Jake stood up and walked over. "He's the best brother anyone could ever ask for." He said, letting the tears fall. "Come here, young man, what's your name? Jake?" Gloria said as he walked over. He nodded. "Yes Ma'am." Gloria smiled. "Oh, now, a young man with manners, I just love that." She said pulling him into the hug too.
Just then Nancy walked back in. I let go and walked over to her. "I hope this isn't awkward for you." I said apologetically as we sat down. She waved me off. "Please, I got past the awkwardness about a year ago, when you came into play." She said throwing me a devilish smile. "Jim and Gloria are supportive of me as well. I am their granddaughter's mother after all. Plus, I wouldn't be anywhere else for the world. He may be my ex-husband but that doesn't mean I wish any ill will towards him." She said as we sat there.
For the next 30 minutes or so, I didn't say anything. I just let the thought creep back into my head. What if he doesn't make it? What if he doesn't come back from this? What if he isn't the same? What if he loses everything because of this? I let the thoughts continue to invade when a song cuts through my fuzzy mind and breaks my thought process.
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Oh every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I still miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing
Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if its me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes and thank god we're together
I just wanna stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna miss one smile
I don't wanna miss one kiss
I just wanna be with you right here with you
Just like this
I just wanna hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing
I couldn't take it anymore. I got up without a word and walked out the waiting room doors, slamming the door against the wall and I screamed. "WHY?!?!?!?! Why him? Why not me? Why did you have to choose him? This is such BULLSHIT! You're going to leave me, his daughter, and our son to live without him? What the fuck kind of bullshit is this? I thought you were supposed to love your children. So far, I've just had a fucked up life, you know that? When is it going to be my time to have something good happen to me? HUH?!" I screamed up at the ceiling.
Nancy came out behind me. "Breckyn? Breckyn. Talk to me." She said as she followed me out. "How could I possibly feel comfortable talking to you about this?" I said angrily at her. I immediately felt bad for saying that to her. "Look, Breckyn, I may just be the ex wife, but I am feeling the same things you are feeling right now. I was married to him for several years, Breckyn. He's the father of MY child too. It's not just you and your son that have to worry about losing him. Winnie will lose her father too. I will lose my best friend. Just because you stop being with someone doesn't mean you stop caring about them." She said as I looked at her.
I looked at the floor. "It took me a long time to find him. A long time, and even then it took me a long time to even know that I wanted him. To be married, to be his wife, to have his kids, and now that I realize that, he is lying on a table in there an my best friends hands are inside his chest. He may not survive this and that is on me." I said, sobbing.
Nancy looked at me. "Breckyn, what do you mean?" I looked up. "This is my fault. He didn't have to get shot! I was in front of him! He wanted me. It's all my fault. I knew what was going on and I didn't get him to safety!" I screamed as I was sobbing. Nancy came up and put her hand on my shoulder. "Oh, Breckyn, you're human, you were scared. You were trying to stay alive." I shook my head. "I turned away for a split second and I'm in the car.. and he's... it's just.... " I looked up with tears in my eyes. Nancy stood back and shook her head. "What? No, you think... he got shot.... On PURPOSE?" she asked as her eyes widened. She shook her head again. "No, Jimmy may act like a dumbass sometimes but he is a smart man and he knew what he was doing, Breckyn. He did what he felt like he had to do. He protected you and that little boy in there." She pointed to my belly. "You mean the world to him. He was saving his world." I looked up and shook my head this time. "He knows how to defend himself, he knows how to get a gun away from someone... he's a good fighter." I said as I broke down and fell against the wall sobbing. "He had multiple chances to get it away from him, and he didn't." I whispered. Nancy grabbed my arm and pulled me back up towards her. "Breckyn you don't know that he...No. You don't get to break down, you do not get to fall apart, not when there is still a chance and there is still a chance, Breckyn."
I looked up at her. "Just promise me one thing?" I said quietly. Nancy wiped the tears from my face. "What's that?' I looked at the floor. "Just promise me that if anything happens, my son will know his sister." I said as I rubbed my belly as I spoke. Nancy just put her hand on my belly. "Oh, honey. Winnie will know who her brother is no matter what. I would never keep that from her. But we aren't going to talk like that because James is going to make it through this."
I looked up. "Just promise me, Nancy." I said sternly. She smiled and looked at me. "How about this? How about you promise that if anything happens to Jimmy... your son will know how amazing his father was and how LOVED he was before he was even born? And that no matter what happens, you promise me that you will stick around no matter what because not only is Winnie going to need her brother, she's going to need BOTH her moms. Okay?" she said holding my chin.
I nodded and lost it. I began to sob when Jim and Gloria and my parents came out. My mom grabbed me and Gloria grabbed me into a hug. "Everything okay out here?" Gloria asked as we hugged. Nancy just looked at me. "She's just overwhelmed. She has been trying to hold all this in, and she finally let it out." Gloria rubbed my back. "It's not good on the baby to be keeping all that in. You need to let it out. We're all family here, its all affecting us as well, we understand honey, just let it out." I cried into my mom's shoulder and Gloria when the swinging doors opened. Drew came out holding her scrub cap in her hand.
"Brecks?" She said as she opened the door. She looked around.. "Mr. and Mrs. Fallon, I presume?" looking at Gloria and Jim. They nodded. "Could you follow me into the hallway please, I would like some privacy." I looked at her as we stood there. She just gave me a look with tears in her eyes. "Please."
****
I walked into the room and grabbed the clipboard. I looked at his vitals and checked his BUN levels and his IV and fluid output. Everything was looking great. I had taken out his breathing tube a while ago. He has been out for around 10 hours now. Which, is completely normal for someone who has been through this much trauma to do. I was just writing down his vitals when I heard it.
"Ow.." he said very softly and very raspy. His voice was going in and out, which was normal for someone who was intubated. I looked up. "Well, well, well, rise and shine sleeping beauty. How's your pain level? Would you like more morphine to take the edge off?" I said as I walked over to him. He nodded slightly with his eyes still shut. I gave him a little more medicine and put my hand on his wrist, checking his pulse. "Sorry for ruining your wedding night.." he whispered.
I smiled as I wrote down his heart rate. "Are you kidding me? You were the life of the party." I said smiling at him. "Plus, it wouldn't have been my wedding without a little drama, I just didn't plan on saving any lives tonight." Jimmy finally opened his eyes. "I'm so glad you did." He said as he looked at me. "Me too, Jim. Me too." I said putting my hand on his hand. He looked around the room. "Where's..." he said.
"Your wife?" I said smirking. "She's not my wife" he said as he smiled. "Yet." I said completing his sentence. "She wants to be, she should be and if tonight teaches you anything, its that life is too short to keep waiting." Jimmy looked up all of a sudden. "The ring.. I had it in my pocket." I waved my hands to him. "I took it out when I took your clothes off for surgery. Don't worry about it. I gave it to John." I said. Jimmy turned red. "So, you took my clothes off? You saw.." I nodded. 'Yep, I saw.." I laughed. He leaned back. "Don't tell Breck." I laughed some more. "I saw you naked, James. Its not the end of the world. I see naked people every day. Plus, if you think that Breckyn hasn't told me all about that business.." I said as I pointed to him as I put down his chart..."You obviously don't know how we are with each other. I knew about that long before tonight, trust me. But, don't tell my husband and we have a deal." He let out a soft chuckle. "Ouuuuch." I nodded "Yeah, be careful. I wouldn't do much movement, you are going to be in excruciating pain for a while. I'm sorry theres no way around that, but I saved your life, so, its worth it. Besides, I got a lot more intimate with you tonight than seeing you naked, Fallon. I quite literally had your heart in my hands." I said walking towards him. Jimmy looked up at me with glossy eyes. "Nah, Brecks already has that." I grinned at him and put my hand on his head. "Speaking of your WIFE, do you want me to go get her?" I asked.
"With every fiber of my being." Jimmy answered. "I'll send her in but no funny business, you hear me? I don't need you ruining my masterpiece there." I pointed to his chest and he looked down at his incisions. "I'm not getting covered in your blood again, Fallon. It's my wedding night." I chuckled. He smiled. "I cant make any promises." He said. I laughed. "Well good luck getting anything going with all the drugs I pumped into you." He looked at me. "Hey you saw it, don't act like you weren't impressed. This thing is good to go." I scoffed and kissed his cheek. "GOODBYE Jimmy, I'll send Breckyn in behind me. I'm off to see my husband now."
Jimmy held my hand as I went to walk away. "Thank you for saving my life. I owe you everything." I just looked him in his eyes. "Yeah, Fallon, you do." And smiled as I walked off.
I walked out into the waiting room. "Brecks?" She looked up from the floor. "There's someone asking for you." I said smiling.