muse_shuffle | December Greatest Hits
Track 15. Time goes by so slowly for those who wait // No time to hesitate
(Madonna - 'Hung Up')
Co-written with drcampbell
[Follows THIS]
Ali only realise she had come to the hospital in her pyjama top when she caught sight of her appearance in a glass wall and nearly had a heart attack. She was a mess. But on the upside, Jamie in her buggy was in a pristine, neat little swaddle oblivious to the passing ER crowd around her, so at least she was doing something right. There had been wailing of protests when Ali had to get her out of bed for the trek to the hospital and then she had to contend with Andrew trying to protest the trip as well. Thank god she had back up in Lachlan, Luke and Tab because with worrying about Andrew and Jamie’s newborn sobbing, she was about ready to rip her own hair out.
A very brief conversation with the Scottish doctor stunned Ali when he told her not to say anything and just asked for her address. She gave it and he told her to hold tight. It wasn’t even twenty minutes later that he was at her door with a reassuring smile, not even seeming to care that it was now five in the morning. Tab and Luke arrived soon after him and Ali found herself with an apartment full of people and absolutely no clue of what should be done next. But she didn’t really need to because Lachlan just peeled off his jacket and scarf and went to check on Andrew who was still camped out on the bathroom floor. Ali was in awe, really. Lachlan put a hand on Andrew’s head to check for a fever and then pressed his fingers to the side of Andrew’s gut, earned almost a scream in response, and promptly insisted Andrew needed to get to the hospital because it was 99% certain he had appendicitis.
Ali had exploded into a random panic then, racing around like a crazy person to try and get Jamie ready to take with her and that’s when the screaming started. But no way was she not going to the hospital with Andrew. Lachlan called an ambulance just to be on the safe side, which led to Andrew’s own protests between bouts of vomiting. Seems he had an aversion to being in an ambulance himself with a mix of embarrassment that he was going to be taken in by his work mates. That was all what probably led to Ali ending up here pacing in the ER in her pyjama top biting off any nails that might have been left on her fingers. She had lost track of where Luke and Tab went while Lachlan had followed the paramedics to explain to the treating doctor what was going on.
It might just be appendicitis, but Ali was worried and scared and nervous and all those anxious emotions one feels when someone they care about was sick. And maybe not just care about… Andrew had admitted he was falling in love with her and having just sat with him through his miserable night, Ali realised it was very much a two-way street. She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a soft hand rested on her back and she shrieked, spinning around as her heart tried to lodged itself up in her throat. “Lachlan!” she gasped in relief, letting out a rough breath. “I was lost in my own little world.”
Lachlan offered an understanding smile. “Nay worries, love. I just wanted to come tell you that he’s about to be prepped for surgery. They think he’s ruptured his appendix, which is serious, but he’ll be okay once they get it all out. It’s probably been inflamed for a wee while, but the sicker he became the more indication it was he was leading to a burst. Assuming there are nay complications in the surgery, he’ll be moved into recovery after about an hour and you’ll be able see him once he’s moved to the surgical ward.”
Ali listened but she realised she was close to tears. “Complications? What complications? Will he be okay? How is he? Does he need anything?”
Lachlan gestured to a nearby row of plastic seats. “Why dinnae we take a wee seat?” he suggested and then offered her some tissues when they sat down. “Complications are rare. He’s strong and healthy, it’s routine emergency surgery. He’ll be fine. I had my appendix out last year and it was a piece of piss. I had some post-surgery complications and had a reaction to the anaesthetic, but other than that, it was fine. He’ll be in pain over the next few days and probably feel like crap, but nay anything a wee bit of TLC willnae help.”
Ali nodded but then grabbed his arm. “Can I see him? Before he has the surgery? Even just for a couple of seconds?” she pleaded. “I just want him to know I’m here and I’ll be here when he wakes up. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
Lachlan glanced up the hall and bit on the corner of his lip as he quickly considered the conversation. If this was Tara and he was about to be taken into surgery, he would want to at least see her for a few seconds before he went under rather than not at all. He stood up with a nod. “Aye, okay. But hurry. He’ll be moved real soon. You go, love. I’ll take care of your bairn til you get back,” he promised.
Ali hesitated and was going to protest but stopped herself. “Shit, I’m sorry. Overprotective fear she won’t be okay.”
Lachlan smile and squeezed her hand. “Six weeks and I’ll be a parent, too. I know how important she is to you. I promise I’ll guard her with my life,” he told her.
Ali grabbed his face and kissed his cheek thankfully. “I owe you one, Dr Campbell,” she told him and with one last reassuring look at her little girl in the buggy, spun around and fled up the corridor, her boots clicking loudly against the hospital linoleum floor.
All muses referenced with permission
Word Count | 1,011
(Madonna - 'Hung Up')
Co-written with drcampbell
[Follows THIS]
Ali only realise she had come to the hospital in her pyjama top when she caught sight of her appearance in a glass wall and nearly had a heart attack. She was a mess. But on the upside, Jamie in her buggy was in a pristine, neat little swaddle oblivious to the passing ER crowd around her, so at least she was doing something right. There had been wailing of protests when Ali had to get her out of bed for the trek to the hospital and then she had to contend with Andrew trying to protest the trip as well. Thank god she had back up in Lachlan, Luke and Tab because with worrying about Andrew and Jamie’s newborn sobbing, she was about ready to rip her own hair out.
A very brief conversation with the Scottish doctor stunned Ali when he told her not to say anything and just asked for her address. She gave it and he told her to hold tight. It wasn’t even twenty minutes later that he was at her door with a reassuring smile, not even seeming to care that it was now five in the morning. Tab and Luke arrived soon after him and Ali found herself with an apartment full of people and absolutely no clue of what should be done next. But she didn’t really need to because Lachlan just peeled off his jacket and scarf and went to check on Andrew who was still camped out on the bathroom floor. Ali was in awe, really. Lachlan put a hand on Andrew’s head to check for a fever and then pressed his fingers to the side of Andrew’s gut, earned almost a scream in response, and promptly insisted Andrew needed to get to the hospital because it was 99% certain he had appendicitis.
Ali had exploded into a random panic then, racing around like a crazy person to try and get Jamie ready to take with her and that’s when the screaming started. But no way was she not going to the hospital with Andrew. Lachlan called an ambulance just to be on the safe side, which led to Andrew’s own protests between bouts of vomiting. Seems he had an aversion to being in an ambulance himself with a mix of embarrassment that he was going to be taken in by his work mates. That was all what probably led to Ali ending up here pacing in the ER in her pyjama top biting off any nails that might have been left on her fingers. She had lost track of where Luke and Tab went while Lachlan had followed the paramedics to explain to the treating doctor what was going on.
It might just be appendicitis, but Ali was worried and scared and nervous and all those anxious emotions one feels when someone they care about was sick. And maybe not just care about… Andrew had admitted he was falling in love with her and having just sat with him through his miserable night, Ali realised it was very much a two-way street. She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a soft hand rested on her back and she shrieked, spinning around as her heart tried to lodged itself up in her throat. “Lachlan!” she gasped in relief, letting out a rough breath. “I was lost in my own little world.”
Lachlan offered an understanding smile. “Nay worries, love. I just wanted to come tell you that he’s about to be prepped for surgery. They think he’s ruptured his appendix, which is serious, but he’ll be okay once they get it all out. It’s probably been inflamed for a wee while, but the sicker he became the more indication it was he was leading to a burst. Assuming there are nay complications in the surgery, he’ll be moved into recovery after about an hour and you’ll be able see him once he’s moved to the surgical ward.”
Ali listened but she realised she was close to tears. “Complications? What complications? Will he be okay? How is he? Does he need anything?”
Lachlan gestured to a nearby row of plastic seats. “Why dinnae we take a wee seat?” he suggested and then offered her some tissues when they sat down. “Complications are rare. He’s strong and healthy, it’s routine emergency surgery. He’ll be fine. I had my appendix out last year and it was a piece of piss. I had some post-surgery complications and had a reaction to the anaesthetic, but other than that, it was fine. He’ll be in pain over the next few days and probably feel like crap, but nay anything a wee bit of TLC willnae help.”
Ali nodded but then grabbed his arm. “Can I see him? Before he has the surgery? Even just for a couple of seconds?” she pleaded. “I just want him to know I’m here and I’ll be here when he wakes up. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
Lachlan glanced up the hall and bit on the corner of his lip as he quickly considered the conversation. If this was Tara and he was about to be taken into surgery, he would want to at least see her for a few seconds before he went under rather than not at all. He stood up with a nod. “Aye, okay. But hurry. He’ll be moved real soon. You go, love. I’ll take care of your bairn til you get back,” he promised.
Ali hesitated and was going to protest but stopped herself. “Shit, I’m sorry. Overprotective fear she won’t be okay.”
Lachlan smile and squeezed her hand. “Six weeks and I’ll be a parent, too. I know how important she is to you. I promise I’ll guard her with my life,” he told her.
Ali grabbed his face and kissed his cheek thankfully. “I owe you one, Dr Campbell,” she told him and with one last reassuring look at her little girl in the buggy, spun around and fled up the corridor, her boots clicking loudly against the hospital linoleum floor.
All muses referenced with permission
Word Count | 1,011