CHAPTER 15

more Susan/Eleanor
some Maggie still to come
and you know the rest

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Susan turned the key in the door and pushed to open it.
She pushed again ... harder.
"It's stuck" she hissed.
She banged her side against the door, and it sprang open, throwing her slightly off balance. She began to scale along the wall, feeling for the
light switch, flicking it on and squinting against the light.
Eleanor walked in slowly, ducking her head slightly as she passed through the door frame, looking around dubiously.
"How strange .... John usually keeps things so tidy"
Susan rolled her eyes as she walked into the bathroom.
**yeah, but that's cause you pay someone to clean up after him** she thought, turning around to face Eleanor.
"Listen, how about I grab some things for Abby, and you can get some things together for John...?"
Eleanor nodded, still looking around the apartment.
"....oh, and Carter asked me to find Abby's mom's number from the phone book." Susan reminded herself.
"I can do that." announced Eleanor "What is her name"
"I'm guessing it'll probably be under "Mom""

Eleanor cringed at the way Susan spoke to her.
**I don't think I appreciate your sarcasm** she thought to herself.

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"Carter" said Elizabeth, shaking him lightly.
"hmm?" he answered lifting his head and rubbing his eyes.
Elizabeth could tell that for a split second, he'd forgotten where he was, what had happened.
"Abby's out of theatre"

**Thank you God**

He nodded, trying to act like "Dr. Carter", trying to take this in his stride.  He glanced at his watch **ten past eleven - she'd been in there ages**
"...we've just moved her to intensive care now."
Carter glanced down the corridor.
"So how did it go?"
Elizabeth sat down next to him, ticking off a mental checklist as she described the procedure to him.
"....... it was touch and go, the intercranial bleed was as bad as we anticipated. It took a long time, but she pulled though it. She must be a fighter."
John nodded.
"Will there be any damage?"
Elizabeth thought for a moment - she knew he knew the answer as well as she did.
"It's impossible to say until she regains consciousness"

Carter rested his head back against the wall.
She had to be ok.
She'd come so far through this.
She could have been in a coma.
She could have died.
She'd come through so much, she just had to be ok now.

"Is she breathing on her own?"
"... she's triggering the vent, I'm about to go and take her off now. You could assist if you like?"
Carter nodded and stood up.

It suddenly hit him that he was going to see her.
He was frightened of seeing her.

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Kerry put the phone down and looked at the small group of faces waiting for her to speak.
"she's made it through theatre"
They all breathed sighs of relief.
Luka bowed his head, whispering something inaudible before saying
"I'm going home ... good night"
Kerry responded
"night Luka"

Susan struggled in through the ER doors along with Eleanor.
Susan was up to her eyeballs in bags.
"Kerry! have you heard anything?"
"she's out of theatre - they're moving her to ICU now"
"what does that mean?" interrupted Eleanor.
"It means she'd getting better" Susan turned back to Kerry "thanks Kerry"
She then struggled down the corridor, stopping to press the elevator button, almost dropping all the bags on the floor.
"I still don't see why we had to bring their entire wardrobe" she mumbled, casting the back of Eleanor's head a look to kill.

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