Gertie

Chapter 36

The Last Week of June 1996

    Marlena had changed into a clean pair of scrubs, donned a cover for her hair, and covered her face with two surgical masks. She wasn't taking any risks when it came to John's care, and she had washed her hands up to her elbows three times before she felt she could enter his room, and then, she'd put gloves on, as well. He was incredibly susceptible to germs, and would be for a couple weeks, as his body used all of its extraneous energy to heal itself. Walking into his room, she took a deep breath, steadying herself for the sight of his body, prone on the hospital bed.

    The monitors beeped and the hiss of the ventilator filled the room. Even though she knew what to expect, every time she saw him, it was a shock all over again. The pallor of his skin, the rings under his eyes, and the general stillness of his body, was all so difficult to handle. Marlena approached his bed, reaching for the tie on his hospital gown, which was on backwards for access to his incision. It was a long incision. Mike had warned her a week ago, that he'd had to open John's whole chest. They hadn't had time for MRI's and CT scans to locate the damage. It didn't matter. John could live with a scar, as long as he was alive. She traced her fingers over the incision gently, pleased to see the edges were healing the way they should, and felt gentle tears fall from her eyes.

    Sitting beside him, she said softly, "I love you. I was so worried, but you know, Caroline said, you wouldn't go. She said, you would fight to stay here, and you did. You're still fighting. I know you are, and I want you to keep fighting. Can you do that for me? Keep fighting?"

    Her fingers laced through his limp ones, and she whispered, "Brady is living at the house with Sami, Gertie, and I. Mickey was able to get a temporary court order for custody, while you heal..."

    Marlena didn't say anything about Roman or Isabella. She didn't tell John that Isabella admitted she'd tried to end her life. She didn't mention Roman's involvement or the fact that he was missing. She knew that there were studies that showed people could sometimes hear while they were in a coma. She didn't want to say anything that might hinder John's progress.

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    Mike handed the medical report from John's surgery over to Abe saying, "John's a fighter, Abe, but we nearly lost him three times during surgery, and twice more in the last week. The damage was extensive. Not just the nicked artery, but the muscle in his chest, and the bullet cracked a rib, so I had to retrieve all the minute, loose pieces that might be in there as well."

    Abe felt sick. The growing pile of evidence, combined with Isabella's confession, were damning. Not only for her, but for Roman, if they could locate him. The bullet found outside the fish market, and the bullet retrieved from Marlena were both from a .45 caliber handgun, the same type of gun that was issued to officers in the Salem Police Department. It was still possible that it wasn't Roman's revolver, but it was doubtful. Isabella refused to say what she'd done with the gun. Finding Roman was proving harder to do than he had anticipated. He had officers watching the fish market, and Roman's house, but so far, there had been no sign of him.

    "This case is really taking it out of me," Abe said softly, glancing over Mike's surgical notes. Abe looked up, closing the folder, "Has there been any word on Isabella?"

    "Dr. Baker can't tell me anything, since I'm not her physician. HIPAA regulations have that locked up," Mike said. "Although for the case, I'm sure you can subpoena the records."

    Abe sighed deeply, and walked away. Making his way down to the psychiatric ward, Abe decided this would be his last stop before heading home. He missed his wife, and his daughter. When he'd arrested Isabella a week ago for attempted murder, he hadn't expected her to attempt to kill herself with a bedsheet wrapped around the cell bars. Luckily, the officer on duty was able to perform CPR, and bring her back. She'd been at the hospital ever since, while he waited on a psych report.