I've Loved You Before

Chapter 15 - The Night We Met

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I am not the only traveler

Who has not repaid his debt

I've been searching for a trail to follow again

Take me back to the night we met

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Her car was hit at the intersection of Elm and Cary Street... spleen is torn... internal bleeding... emergency surgery... I can't get a hold of Roman... I need your signature... The elevator was moving so slowly John wanted to rage. He wanted to punch the control panel, even though he knew it wouldn't get him where he wanted to be any faster. Mike had promised him he'd be waiting by the elevator, all John could hope for was that he was true to his word. He'd been in a meeting with potential investors when the phone call had come through. In less than ten minutes, John was on the road heading to the hospital. He tried to calm his breathing, but it didn't matter. His heart was thundering in his chest, and all he could think about was losing Isabella. He couldn't lose Marlena too.

"Where is she?" John demanded as soon as he came off of the elevator, and ran into Mike Horton.

"Thank G-d!" Mike handed him the clipboard, and said, "I was hoping you would get here in time. I went ahead, and told them to prep her for surgery. There's a tear in her spleen - most likely from the seatbelt. She's bleeding internally, and Roman is hours away on a stakeout. Abe is trying to track him down–"

"--what is this?" John asked, looking at the form Mike had handed him.

"Marlena's power of attorney." Mike sighed, "She must have had it done after your return from Mexico, but you never signed it. It states that if Roman is unavailable you make her medical decisions, you will." He saw the surprise in John's eyes. "I've got her stabilized, and with your signature, and your permission we can get her into surgery before everything goes south."

"Mike! It won't be notarized," John exclaimed, staring at the document in front of him. Marlena had never mentioned a power of attorney to him.

"I know someone. You've gotta trust me on this," he said.

"Will they backdate it?" John asked, starting to feel panicky. "If I date this as January 1992, will they notarize it?"

Mike stared at him, and said firmly, "Yes."

With a quick flash of the ink pen, John signed his name, and said, "Done. Where is she?"

"She's in the pre-op room," Mike told him. He watched John walk away, and then he turned to the staff lounge. He had a power of attorney to get notarized, or he'd be arrested, and John might be in trouble as well. All that really mattered was saving Marlena's life.

John entered the room at a run, throwing the curtain wide. Marlena lay in the bed, her skin pallid with a nurse placing an I.V. Her eyes opened, and she smiled at him weakly, "Someone hit my car," and then she was out again. He rushed to her side, and saw the burn along the side of her face from the airbag.

"Aww, fuck, Doc." He softly traced his fingers over her cheek. "Mike's going to get you fixed up. Okay?" He wasn't expecting an answer.

The nurse said quietly, "She's been in and out of consciousness. She was asking for you."

"I'm here now," he whispered. "Mike's going to get you into surgery, and then you'll be on the road to recovery in no time." He stared down at her thinking to himself that he was so grateful that Mike had called him. Lifting Marlena's hand to his lips, he whispered, "You're going to get through this, Doc. You will, and I'll check on the kids for you. I'll tell them how strong you are, and what a fighter you are."