Save Me from the Dark (A John Gage 'Emergency!' love story Fanfiction)

Chapter 37

Scarlett saw Brackett's mouth twitch again before he replied. "I can't say. He's, otherwise, in good health, so he certainly has that going for him but the sole fact he's had to be put on a ventilator is a cause for concern. Right now we just have to wait and see."

Silently she bit her lip, afraid that if she said anything, all of her pent up emotions would pour out and now wasn't the time for that. Unfortunately, she could feel the tears prickling at the corner of her eyes, and fought to keep them from spilling over. Dixie, thankfully, came up beside her and handed her a couple of pills in a cup, having freed her of her IV nuisance, which subsequently gave her a moment to compose herself.

"Take these, and I'll take you to see Johnny." Dixie told her, and Scarlett pretended to not notice the look she gave Brackett, as if daring him to disagree with her. Sighing a little, she put the pills in her mouth, and using the cup of water she had next to her bed, she swallowed them.

Much to Dixie's pleasure, Brackett didn't seem to be interested in fighting with her, though he did seem slightly annoyed.

"Just make sure she doesn't overdo it. She's recovering from a serious illness, and normally I wouldn't approve of this but," He looked her in the eyes. "I know you'll hound me about it all day and I'm much too busy for it today."

"Why, what ever do you mean, Kel?" Dixie smirked innocently at him as he rolled his eyes.

"As if I didn't just see you hounding Johnny every time you saw him yesterday. Like I said, Dix, I don't have time for that today."

Brackett stood to leave, but first turned to Scarlett.

"Like I just told Dix, take it easy. You're still recovering yourself, and you won't do Johnny any good by getting sick again."

Scarlett just nodded as he finally left, before redirecting her focus on Dixie.

"So you hounded Johnny yesterday?"

"It wasn't hounding. He just needed to be told how unfair he was being to you by storming out and refusing to talk to you." Dixie paused a second. "Johnny is usually pretty sensible but sometimes you have to make him see sensibility. Anyway, I'll get a wheelchair and take you to see Johnny, how's that sound?"

Several minutes later Dixie returned with the wheelchair, and Scarlett was taken up to the ICU. The first thing she noticed was how silent it was, the whirling and beeping of medical equipment the only real sounds. The second thing was how the beds were only separated by curtains for whatever minuscule amount of privacy that provided. Finally they reached where Johnny was, and Scarlett immediately felt like crying. He didn't deserve this.

"You can try to walk a little if you think you can. Just don't overdo it." Dixie said quietly, and stuck close to her as Scarlett shakily got to her feet for the first time in days. Surprisingly, she found she wasn't as weak as she expected, but she definitely wouldn't be running any marathons anytime soon. As if she ever had anyway.

As Scarlett moved closer to Johnny's bed, she studied the prone form of the man lying there. Johnny looked to be in a very deep sleep, but this wasn't sleep, that much she knew, even if she hadn't been told. He was usually a ball of energy, never seeming to be able to stay still for very long. Even in sleep he tended to move quite a bit, much to her annoyance, and the eerie stillness of his form now just proved how much this wasn't sleep.

Looking at him made her heart ache as she realized how much worse he looked than when she'd last seen him yesterday. Not only was there a breathing tube shoved down his throat breathing for him, there were also quite a few different wires going to and from him, some of which were different IV lines. Scarlett also noticed his flushed appearance, which she knew was most likely a fever, however she wasn't expecting him to feel quite as warm as he did when she took hold of his limp hand.

All things considered, it wasn't much of a surprise Brackett had decided to sedate him. Even without the ventilator, Scarlett knew he would've been absolutely miserable being so ill, so this was really the kindest thing that could've been done in this situation. Still, she found herself missing him and wondering when Brackett would lower it. He just wasn't Johnny like this.