A Fine Messa

Face the Music (Ep. 27)

Episode Twenty-Seven -- Face the Music

Seated next to her daughter's bed Sharon holds a slightly chilled bandaged hand while mentally instructing herself not to cry. At least not in front of Mariah. She will be all right. Everything will be all right despite the fact two hours have drifted by with Mariah having yet to regain consciousness. Those moments following the medical staff guiding her daughter into a room on a stretcher had been some of the most terrifying of her life as they fought to revive Mariah while Devon did his best to calm her down. If she lost her, if those essential lines upon the screen had remained flat it might have been necessary to cart Sharon off to the psych ward because she wouldn't have been capable of handling the loss of another child.

She is determined to focus on the positive. Mariah is a young, strong and determined woman. She has been through so much and survived it all. A fighter. A smile briefly touches Sharon's lips. Her fighter. Mariah would survive this too. The breathing tube would be removed from her trachea, she would make a full recovery and be released from the hospital. Hopefully just in time to start a brand new year.

Lips brush the back of her daughter's hand as Sharon blinks away tears. Upon spotting her on that stretcher she hadn't known what happened but suspected due to the stress inducing events Mariah went through over the last few hours maybe she suffered a heart attack, but once she was stabilized and blood tests performed they were informed Mariah had been poisoned from exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide when she rescued Noah and Tessa from the nightclub fire.

Based on the amount of carbon monoxide discovered in her bloodstream the doctor was amazed it took Mariah so long to exhibit symptoms and lose consciousness. Admitted to the ICU and placed on a ventilator to aid with her breathing, the doctor thought she was a prime candidate for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is a tube like machine a person can be placed inside in order to receive one-hundred percent oxygen. Unfortunately, most hospitals didn't own hyperbaric chambers and the nearest to Genoa City was a hundred and twenty miles away.

Sharon was on the brink of making arrangements to have her daughter transported to that hospital when an unexpected guardian angel in the form of one Victor Newman approached assuring her that a hyperbaric unit was on its way and would arrive faster than it would take to get Mariah transported and admitted to the other hospital.

How much would it cost? She needn't worry about that because Victor had everything taken care of. Why was he doing this when not too long before she collapsed Mariah threatened his grandson? More than one reason. Despite the threat, despite slamming him into a window she saved his life and the life of Victor's unborn grandchild after Noah intentionally placed her in danger by abandoning her in freezing weather. Having learned the entire story purchasing and having a hyperbaric chamber delivered to the GC hospital was the least he could do.

"Mom?"

A hesitant knock followed by the softly uttered word cause Sharon's jaw to clench. Thumb brushing back and forth across Mariah's hand she doesn't immediately turn around or respond, instead focusing on her breathing. He is her son and regardless of recent actions she of course still loves him, but right now she wishes he would keep his distance. Right now she doesn't wish to lay eyes on Noah.

Sharon is in the midst of selecting the right words to ask him to leave when Noah walks to the other side of the bed standing near Mariah's head, crutches on either side of his body. A mixture of guilt and pain stretched across every inch of his face Noah gazes upon an ashen face while tears brim. When a hand heads toward his sister's as though he plans on grabbing it he pauses as his mother calls his name.

Despite the tear traveling down his face and despite sensing Noah feels true regret neither sway Sharon from asking him to leave the room. It's obvious he misunderstands when he asks if she would like something to eat or drink. The cafeteria is closed but he is more than willing to go to the all night coffee shop across the street.