Susan couldn't breathe. She stood helplessly watching the drama unfold in the operating room below her. The surgical team was working to revive Danny. Susan kept her eyes on the machine that was monitoring his heartbeat. He was still flatlined.
She let out the breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. It came out in one long whoosh and she had to concentrate to remember to inhale again. The surgeon that had been performing the hip replacement was now shocking Danny's heart with the external paddles. She watched in horror as she saw Danny's body react to the electric shock that was being driven through his body.
Her eyes never left the line on the monitor that was representing Danny's heart function. It was still showing no activity. For all intents and purposes, Danny was clinically dead. Susan fought her tears. She had to be strong. She prayed like she had never prayed before.
Danny had been such a great friend to her and it looked like fate was going to stick it to Danny again. He and Michelle had come so close. They had almost made it. She found a small comfort in the fact that if Danny was going to die and she still prayed earnestly that he wasn't going to, at least he had had his Michelle for a little while. She knew that Danny would have rather had these few days with Michelle in his life that an entire lifetime without her.
She would give anything to be able to help him but Danny's fate was now in the hands of God and she prayed that Danny had found favor with God to pull through this unexpected episode.
She saw the green line on the monitor begin to turn jagged. They had a heartbeat, it was weak but it was there. Thank you God, she breathed. She stood frozen in place as she watched the doctor's work on stabilizing Danny. She prayed that he would be stable enough to continue the operation. After this episode, she doubted they would ever get Danny to agree to another operation. Granted, a crippled Danny was better than a dead one, but she held on to the hope that this surgery could be a success and this time they had Danny on their side. The last operations that had been performed on him had been performed on a man who hadn't wanted to live. She prayed that Danny's fight to be with Michelle would be the deciding factor.
She needed to get back to Michelle and be with her the way she had promised Danny, but she couldn't leave her friend now. Michelle was probably still asleep anyway, at least she hoped that she was.
She would stay until she was sure that he would pull through and a decision had been made on whether to continue with the operation. Danny's hip was exposed and they needed to make a decision very soon.
She knew she had probably used up her favors from God today, but she felt bold enough to ask for one more. She asked that Danny be able to make it though this operation and spend the rest of his life with his wife. He had had so many tears of yesterday and it was high time he got some happiness. She hoped that God would surely see that he deserved at least that much.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Michelle woke up to a dark room. She turned her head towards Susan. She wasn't there. Where was she? She might have gone to the bathroom. She looked in the direction of the bathroom and saw that the door was open and the light was off in there too. Susan wasn't in there. She had stepped out somewhere.
She thought she remembered something about her going to see Danny. Was she there? How long had she been gone? She didn't have a watch on and she didn't see a clock in the room so she had no way of knowing.
She had a terrible feeling about this. Susan had promised to be here with her. She wouldn't have left her and stayed away unless something had happened. She was suddenly overcome with terror. Danny was in trouble. She knew it.
She looked on her night table and tried to reach the call button for the nurse. It was on a plastic box that was connected to the bed, and it was just beyond her grasp. She bent her pinkie finger and hooked the cord and pulled it to the bed.
She frantically pushed the button in rapid succession. No one was answering her call. She became panicked and pushed it again.
Still no one answered and she threw the plastic box in frustration and began to cry. She kicked her heels against the bed in a fit of temper like she used to do when she was a child and just as it hadn't helped then, it did her little good now.
She wanted to get up. She wasn't an invalid. She only had facial injuries so she would just get up out of this bed and go and find him. She knew this hospital backwards and forwards. She bet she even knew which operating room they had booked him in. If only she didn't feel so weak.
She thrust off her covers and was trying to tell her legs to move when the door opened and Susan entered. Her face was ashen and Michelle knew that her previous instincts had been right. Danny was in trouble.
She tried to form words but only guttural sounds came out of her mouth. Susan came to the bed and took her hand and soothingly rubbed her arm.
"Shh Michelle" she said. "You have to calm down. Danny is fine, do you hear me? Danny is fine"
She could see Michelle's attempts at trying to form words, so she decided to hand her the pad so she could write her questions. Michelle practically ripped the pad out of her hand and then the pen.
Susan read the question that she was sure was going to be on the pad. Where was Danny?
"He is still in the operating room Michelle," she said and she saw that Michelle was not done writing. She read the new question that Michelle had written and again would have been correct in assuming what Michelle was going to ask.
What went wrong? Susan wasn't surprised Michelle knew something had happened. She just hadn't prepared herself to tell her this quickly because she didn't have the words to say that would assure Michelle that Danny was all right.
"Listen Michelle, he is okay. There was a minor complication but he is all right now. They are going to be finished in about an hour or so," she said.
Michelle knew there was something that Susan wasn't telling her. Danny had had more than a minor complication. She had felt it. She knew Susan was just trying to keep her calm but she would not be able to relax until she knew the truth about Danny.
Michelle began to write again and angrily shoved the pad in Susan's direction. Susan didn't expect what was on that pad. Michelle had simply written the word "bull" on the blank white page.
Susan suppressed a smile and nodded her head. It was time for her to tell Michelle the truth and she had been wrong to try to keep it from her. Michelle deserved to know even though it could be detrimental to her own recovery.
"Alright Michelle, I will tell you but I want you to think like a doctor and not like a wife, okay?" she said and Michelle looked like she was going to be sick. Bad choice of words, Susan thought to herself but she knew Michelle would get hysterical if she tried to think as his wife but may understand things better if she thought as a doctor.
Michelle nodded her head and Susan took a deep breath. No other way to say it then to just say it. "Michelle, Danny's heart stopped during the operation, but they got it started again and that is why he isn't out of surgery now. He is strong Michelle and his will to live is strong. He wants nothing more than to get well for you." She said and watched Michelle for her reaction.
Michelle was silent for a moment and Susan was afraid she either hadn't heard all of what she had just said, or that she was going into shock.
"Michelle, honey, did you hear me?" she said and Michelle nodded indicating she had indeed heard her.
Susan moved her fingers down to Michelle's wrist and rubbed it in a gesture of comfort when in actuality she was checking her pulse for any irregularities. She would not do herself or her recovery any good if she went into shock. Sometimes people went into shock right before your eyes and it is not realized until it is too late. She had promised Danny she would take care of Michelle and that was exactly what she was going to do.
She didn't notice anything odd so she pulled her hand free. She was pouring water from the hospital issued pitcher into the plastic cup to give to Michelle. She adjusted the straw and maneuvered it into Michelle's mouth around the wires.
Michelle gagged on the straw and Susan had to take it out. After Michelle stopped choking she asked if she wanted to try again and Michelle nodded. Gently she inserted the straw into her mouth and let her pull it in with her tongue so she could control how far she brought it into her mouth.
Gently she managed to close her mouth around the straw enough to form a sucking position. She managed to get some water through the straw and quench her thirst but Susan knew that mastering the use of the straw was going to take time.
Michelle was just taking her second drink of water when they heard a soft knock on the door. They looked at each other and Susan went to go and open it.
Frank Cooper and David Grant were standing outside the door with their badges in their hands.
"Can I help you officer?" Susan asked totally bewildered by their being outside of Michelle's room.
"Yes, thank you" the man with the badge that said Frank Cooper said. The other one was tall and dark and very sullen. He scared her the way his eyes were penetrating hers. She would hate to be under his interrogation. She would be so frightened by that dark look in his eyes that she just might admit to kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.
The officer with the kind eyes continued to talk. "We need to ask Michelle some questions if she is up to it," he said.
Susan shook her head no. This was not a good time. She had been hurt in a car accident and know was not the time to be questioning her.
Frank Cooper was insistent about coming inside though and Susan tried to get her body between him and the door.
"Please detective. She is not well. Why can't this wait until tomorrow morning. She has to rest. Don't you understand that?" she pleaded.
"Yes miss, I do, but you see Michelle could still be in danger and we need to rule out a few things and I am afraid the only person who can help us is Michelle. Now, you can let me in now and let me get this over with real quick like or I can go back to the station, get a warrant and then come back and make this long and drawn out. Is that what you want? Is that what would be best for Michelle?" he asked.
"Okay" she resigned, "but I am warning you, if you upset her in anyway, I am going to have to ask you to leave and speak to the chief of staff about this. Just ask your questions and then leave. Deal?" she said and Frank could tell she was serious.
He looked over Michelle's self appointed bodyguard and decided she would do just as she said she would do if he took things too far. He agreed to her terms and then he and David walked in the room intent on asking Michelle if she had any idea why her sister in law would take a shot at her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Pilar had ordered her waitress to refill her coffee cup for the fourth time. The nice blonde lady filled her cup and gave her a smile and was rewarded with one of Pilar's nastiest sneers.
Where was he? He was supposed to meet her here. She needed that book. Dietz had failed to get it for her and as long as it was not in her possession, she couldn't feel safe. It was only a matter of time for Dietz now anyway. She had managed to find the pills she needed right under everyone's nose.
She smiled to herself and she stared at her coffee cup. She added the appropriate amount of cream and sweet and low, had to watch her perfect size 2 figure, and stirred it with her finger and then licked the sweet sticky brew off the tip. She had found the pills while she was at Cedar's earlier when Danny had his sissy fainting episode. Once that hag of a nurse had pulled him to her and out of Pilar's embrace, she had left. She had fully intended to go home and shower and then await word of Michelle.
She had to play it cool still and not bring attention to herself. She would feign shock and surprise when they told her about Michelle's being shot at. Deitz had figured out it was she and he had to die. There was no other way. She couldn't risk him running his mouth to anyone about this.
She felt like God was surely smiling on her when she walked into the elevator intent on going to the ground floor out to the parking lot but instead ended up going up to the sixth floor with a nurse who had already pushed the button. She had been fuming about it at first but then perked up when she saw they were going to the intensive care unit.
The wheels in her twisted mind had begun to turn. So much could happen on the intensive care ward and if a patient should have a code blue and the nurse suddenly had to leave her station with all that medication lying around, why anything could happen now couldn't it?
She smiled to herself at how ridiculously easy it was to create the diversion and swipe the pills that looked similar to Dietz's blood pressure medicine. What was the name of that medicine again, started with a v, Vaseline something or other.
She had pocketed about 20 or so pills. She would pay him a visit tonight after she got the book from David. She would put on her best pout and then he would be a goner. He never could resist her when she pouted.
She would have to endure one more time with him but then afterwards, she would make the switch. His instructions said he took them twice a day so he should be at stroke level by tomorrow. He would never know what hit him and the medical examiner would label it a stroke and Mr. Dietz would just be an unpleasant memory that noone in Springfield would mourn. And best of all, there would be no suspicion whatsoever. His death would be ruled natural causes and that would be the end of it.
She was giddy with pleasure. She would get out of this jam and then she would leave Springfield. She would make one last huge withdrawal on Danny's ATM card and then she would go west. California maybe.
That was where beautiful people like herself belonged anyway. No hassles over people being jealous at not looking as good as you did or anything like that. She knew that was what Danny's problem was. He couldn't stand that she was still beautiful while he was grotesquely hideous.
They were all jealous of her. They would not miss her when she was gone, but she didn't care. They meant nothing to her anymore. Nothing did. Not since Bill had betrayed her with that blonde bimbo at his college.
She was lost in her thoughts of Bill again and didn't notice when the bell above the door dinged signaling someone had entered the restaurant.
She felt a presence near her and looked up, right into the eyes of the object of her fascination. Bill Lewis was standing in front of her in the flesh.
Her throat went dry. What was he doing here? Was he a figment of her dementia? Was he an angel sent to save her?
For one brief moment she remembered what it was like to feel. To be in love like other people, to have dreams. Bill crushed those dreams however, and he was partly if not fully responsible for her downward spiral into madness.
The moment passed however, and she got up from the table, slapped him square in the face and then left the restaurant amidst the gawks and stares of the other patrons.