This is my first completed attempt at a serious fanfic, so if you
end up ROTFLOL over the whole thing, I *really* don't want to know.
This has actually been beta read.
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Disclaimers: The characters aren't mine.
I'd like to thank Jean, Trish, and Echo for beta reading. Without
their help, this story would make less sense, have fewer commas, and
more typos.
Author's Note: I don't know a lot about hospitals, I admit it.
Permission to archive on fkfanfic.com and the ftp site.
If anyone else wants to repost/archive/fold/spindle/mutilate/whatever,
ask first.
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Title: Waiting (01/01)
by Emma Lighton



  Yesterday, I dragged myself out of a pile of dirt.
  I spent the rest of the night looking for someplace to clean up,
and tonight I was planning to celebrate. Instead I'm standing in a
small alcove, watching people come and go from a door in an
institutional green hallway.
  It looks like all the other doors here, the only difference is, the
different clusters of people watching them, wondering what's
happening on the other side.
  My door has the attention of a black man in a rumpled looking suit.
He looks like he hasn't slept in a week, I can sympathize with that.
A few minutes ago he was joined by a large white guy, who hangs
around for a bit, then races off to bark questions at anyone passing
who looks like they might have news.
  Every so often, a uniformed officer will show up and talk to one of
them. I'm not even sure if they're bringing news or getting it. I
could find out, but I don't want to distract myself from the door too
much.
  It's tempting to go over there; see what they know. Maybe just have
someone to worry with. But that would cause to many awkward
questions. 'Who are you?' That's the big one I don't want to have to
explain. So, I'll just stay here keeping this big potted plant
company. In a way I envy it. It just sits here watching those doors
without having any interest in what's going on in there.
  Envying a plant? I think something must have started chewing on my
brain before I woke up. Maybe I'm just hungry. I try to remember when
I last ate. Last night, I must have eaten then. I can't recall for
sure. Hell, I'm not even sure if I'm hungry right now.
  Another couple of uniforms show up and talk to the black man.
What's his name? Reese that's it. Captain Joe Reese. Reese just
shakes his head and they walk off.
  The other guy comes bustling back. Her father I guess, I've never
seen him so I can't be sure. He stops to talk to a couple of people.
They don't look like they work here so they must be plain clothes
cops. I tear my attention away from the door completely for a couple
of seconds to take a quick look around the waiting area. No, he's not
here. What a surprise.
  "She's your responsibility now." I can hear him saying it as if he
was standing right here. But he's not. It would be really horrible if
a vampire harmed her, but humans, well that's life. I'm dead for a
couple of weeks and she winds up here. Of course, now that I'm back,
he'll probably blame me. He always struck me as a hypocrite.
  I know I'm not being fair to him. I don't actually know what
happened. He can't be everywhere at once. Nobody can. But why wasn't
he there to prevent this?
  I feel so damn helpless just standing here. I want somebody to
blame for this mess. Knight isn't here, so he just got elected. I
restrain the urge to punch the wall. I definitely don't want to have
to explain how I how I did that much damage to it either.
  A nurse comes out of the room and hurries down the hall. As the
door swings shut a wave of apricot and calla lilies wafts out. I
breathe it in. Try to hold onto it, but it drifts away.
  "Code Blue!"
  The call hits me like a bucket of ice water. Not that room. Let it
be someone else. I know I'm fooling myself. I heard it slowing. I
heard it stop. I want to rush in there, but there's too many people.
I wouldn't have time to stop them interfering and save her.
  Even more people go in. So does the restless man from the waiting
room. I can hear him shouting orders, almost begging them to bring
her back. Idiot, get out of there, let them do their job. They push
him out and close the door.
  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Reese get up shaking his head. I
hear him mutter something to a uniform about keeping Natalie informed
and disappear round a corner.
  The cold feeling that was running up my spine starts to head for
the pit of my stomach. Then I hear it. It's faint but it's there.
It's getting stronger. She's back!
  It takes all of my will power, plus some I didn't know I possessed,
not to run up to her father and tell him. Not that he'd care right
now who I was, but he'd want to know how I knew. Somehow he doesn't
seem the type to believe it if I told him I was psychic. Then someone
comes out to tell him the good news and I don't feel as guilty for
not telling him myself.
  Stabilized. It might be a long time since my last encounter with
medicine, but even I know that's good. Still out. Sleep's good when
your sick, at least that's what my mother always told me, so this
doesn't worry me too much. Besides she was in surgery earlier, I
don't think that would be possible if she'd been awake. The doctor
doesn't seem to be expecting trouble, not soon anyway.
  It suddenly occurs to me that I'm hungry and that intensive care
probably isn't the best place to be in that condition. Or maybe it
is. My senses pick up a concentration of blood nearby. There's too
much to be a person and it has the faint odor of plastic to it. I
quickly head off in search of the blood bank.
  I'm tired. I need to sleep. The sun isn't up yet, but it will be
soon. I could make it back to the church before then, but I can't
leave her here alone.
  Yeah, alone with a heard of doctors and nurses who are in a better
position to help her then I am. The only thing I can do for her, I
don't know if she'd want. I silently curse myself for playing dumb,
every time she tried to bring up subjects like that. She was too self
conscious to come right out and ask me. Not that I need her permission
to do it.
  Who am I kidding?
  When I get back a while later, I notice they've all gone. She's
still in the room, so she must be doing better. Nobody else is in the
room right now and the hallway is empty, so I decide to sneak across
and go in.
  The only light is coming from the window and the various electronic
displays. She looks so fragile lying there. Her head is wrapped in
bandages and there seem to be a million wires coming out of her. I
reach out a hand and gently caress her cheek. Her breathing remains
strong and even, she doesn't know I'm here.
  I should leave, before someone comes. I know this, but I still find
myself pulling a chair over to the bed and sitting down. I could fall
asleep in this chair and not notice when I fell off it. That would be
fun to explain to the next nurse. Assuming the sun didn't rise before
then and turn me into a pile of ash. Gee, hospitals sure seem to put
me in an good mood.
  I pick up her hand and caress the back of it gently with my thumb.
Just a few minutes more. A glance out the window tells me it's not
safe to stay longer than that. With a sigh I turn my attention back
to her face.
  She's looking at me.
  "Javier, what...I killed..." Her voice is barely a whisper. She
raises her hand to my cheek to see if I'm really here. I smile down
at her and take hold of her hand.
  "It's okay. I'm fine. You'll be fine too."
  "I must look a mess." She says, trying to pull her hand away and
hide under the covers. I keep hold of her hand and place a delicate
kiss on the palm.
  "You've never looked better Trace."
--The End
---
Emma (elighton@hotmail.com)
"Hand over the keys you fairy godmother."
   ---The Usual Suspects (edited for TV)
Vaquera * T+Vpack * in DP denial * War 9 Vet.
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