The miracle of Phoebe!

Chapter two!

Brooke stared at them with high disapproval. With decisive steps, she walked towards them.

"Hey Ridge!" Taylor and he looked up and pulled away from each other sheepishly. Taylor could feel the icy stares Brooke was throwing at her. She got very uncomfortable.

"Oh coffee, excellent idea! I think I'll get one too!"

"Will you bring me one?" asked Ridge her. 

"Of course!" Taylor was glad to escape the situation. There was an awkward silence between Brooke and Ridge at first, until Brooke spoke up.

"How is Phoebe?"

"I don't know, we still don't have any further information. She's been in surgery for hours!" Brooke smiled, trying to stay optimistic.

"Oh I'm sure, she'll be fine! I'm sure everything will turn out good" Ridge paced nervously.

"I hope so! She just can't die! I can't lose her!"

"You won't lose her. You'll see, in a few days everything here will be just a bad memory!" Ridge gave her a look of disbelief, as if she had lost her mind.

"You don't believe that yourself! I mean, you witnessed it! Her heart stopped earlier!" 

"Yeah, but the paramedics brought her back and she's in good hands here."

"You're probably right. I'm just worried about her and I'm pretty scared!"

"That's normal Ridge, I'm worried about Rick too! I really hope he comes out of all this unscathed!" Ridge's expression darkened when Brooke mentioned Rick's name.

"Dad told us, Rick endured the accident just fine and is barely injured."

"Well the external injuries aren't that severe, but I'm worried about whether he can cope with what happened. He seems to be in quite a shock." Ridge snorted contemptuously. Rick's mental state interested him very little at the moment.

"I guess we all have a huge shock!" he said unimpressed. "And after all, he's not fighting for his life!" Brooke pouted; it bothered her that Ridge showed so little empathy for Rick and her concerns. Taylor returned with the coffees, she could sense the tense mood. The three of them went back to the waiting area. It stirred Brooke because Ridge barely paid any attention to her and his concerns were more on Taylor.

Finally, after another hour of waiting, a doctor approached them. Thomas, who was awake by now, nudged Steffy and they all rushed towards him. Taylor and Ridge eyed him, anxiously and expectantly.

"How is our daughter?" The doctor cast a quick glance around.

"She's doing well under the circumstances, she came through the surgery and right now her condition is reasonably stable. However, she is far from out of the woods. We've put her in an induced coma to help her body regain its strength." Everyone shrugged together in concern and dismay. They were all happy that Phoebe was still alive, but there was no sense of relief. The doctor now addressed Taylor and Ridge.

"May I see you in my office for a moment?" The two followed him. After Ridge left, Brooke went back to Rick's room, where she updated Eric on the latest news. 

In the doctor's office, Taylor and Ridge took their seats. They were both very tense and nervous about what the doctor wanted to talk with them about. He got straight to the point. 

"As I said your daughter came through the surgery. But I have to inform you, we had to remove one of her kidneys." Ridge and Taylor stared at the doctor, shocked. "Unfortunately, the second kidney was also very badly affected. We were able to stop the bleeding, but we can't tell at this point if the kidney will resume her function." Taylor immediately understood what the doctor was getting at. Agitated, she reached for Ridge's hand.

"Are you saying our daughter needs a new kidney?"

"I'm afraid that possibility exists. You should be prepared for it. We will monitor your daughter very closely, and perhaps her condition will stabilize on its own. But I don't want to get your hopes up." Taylor and Ridge were stunned. Ridge, in particular, felt completely helpless.

"That means right now there's nothing we can do but wait?!"

"Yes, I'm sorry I can't give you any better news."

"We want to see her!" Taylor just wanted to be at Phoebe's side now.

"She's being taken to the ICU, I'll let you know when you can see her."

Numbed, Ridge and Taylor left the office and went back to Stephanie, Thomas and Steffy. They were already waiting impatiently and immediately wanted to know what the doctor said. Taylor informed them that Phoebe might need a new kidney, but that nothing could be done at the moment. Steffy was completely distraught, she had hoped after the surgery everything would be okay. All her despair burst out of her.

"What do you mean, the doctors want to wait and see?! They have to do something right away, they can't just let Phoebe die!" Steffy went into a terrible crying fit. Taylor took her daughter in her arms.

"Steffy, listen to me! The doctors are doing their best no one is going to let Phoebe die! She's going to make it! She's going to get through this!" Bridget came and told Taylor and Ridge that they could see their daughter now. Thomas and Steffy wanted to join their parents, but Bridget held them back.

"Unfortunately, only Taylor and Ridge are allowed to see her. Phoebe is still very weak and too many visitors increases the risk of infection!" Ridge turned to them.

"The best thing would be for you to go now. Mother, could you drive them both home?"

"Of course!" agreed Stephanie immediately.

"But I can't leave Phoebe alone!" protested Steffy vigorously.

"Your father's right!" interjected Taylor. "There's nothing you can do for her here right now! You two should go home and try to get some rest!" Reluctantly, Steffy allowed her grandmother and brother to lead her away.

Taylor and Ridge entered Phoebe's room. The sight nearly broke their hearts. Their daughter lay motionless in her bed, hooked up to numerous machines. Tears welled up in Taylor's eyes. She rushed to her and reached for her hand.

"Phoebe?! Can you hear me? It's me, Mom!" Phoebe showed no reaction. Ridge also stepped closer. 

"Hey, my little girl! Daddy is here too! Listen carefully, you have to be strong now, ok! You have to get through this and we will all be here for you!" Ridge couldn't bear to see his daughter in this horrible state. "She looks so delicate and fragile!" Taylor tried to encourage him.

"You said yourself, she's strong! She's going to live, for sure! She has to! And no matter how long and difficult the road gets, we'll all get through it together!" Ridge smiled and put his arm around her 

"Yes, we will!"