Angel's Call

Thanks a lot to techsan who edited the story pretty quickly and turned it into a better one.

Chapter Three

Chris asked the receptionist where Dr.Geoffrey was. She called him and then told Chris that he was in the ER. He walked to the ER, found the doctor and remembered that he still had the keys to his car.

"I figured you wouldn't go away without these," said the doctor.

"How is Mrs. Doe? Have they taken her out of the ICU yet?"

"I was just about to go and check," added Dr.Geoffrey. "Would you like to come?"

"Sure."

"Did the police find out who she is?"

"They think she might be Anna Collins but they are not sure and there are no close relatives around if she is Ms.Collins."

They walked to the elevator silently. Chris saw that the elevator went up to the third floor.

"So she is on the same floor with her daughter," Chris thought.

After a nurse handed him scrubs and warned about shoe covers just like in the neonatal ICU, he went in. Mrs. Jane Doe was still unconscious, white as snow where it wasn't an ugly purplish black. Her hair fell over the pillow in a mess. Her fist was closed as if hanging on to something. Chris stood by her and stroked her hand. She looked like she was in pain. He suddenly felt angry. He wanted to tell her that everything would be all right - he wanted to take the pain away from her.

"What a thought," he talked to himself. "Haven't you had enough trouble over this woman?"

The little voice inside him shouted, "Make sure she's ok."

Chris opened her fist and held her hand. It was cold. He thought how he disliked all the IVs and monitors when he was in hospital for an appendectomy. He leaned towards her and said, "Everything is going to be all right. You are in a hospital and your daughter is also fine." She didn't move.

After checking her vitals and taking information about her situation from the ICU nurse, Dr.Geoffrey returned to Jane's bedside.

"I could have her out to a room but she needs somebody to stay with her."

"I can stay with her," blurted Chris without thinking and continued, "Do you think she'll wake up soon? It might be best that somebody be there to explain her situation once she does."

"Well, she should be awake by ten o'clock normally, but I can't guarantee that as she is not a normal patient. She was already unconscious when you found her. Thank god there is no brain damage or such but there is possibility of an infection and she simply might not want to wake up after the trauma."

"I am going to stay with her for a while. After all, I promised her baby that I would not go anywhere until I see that both of them are fine."

"You are keeping your promise to a little baby? Don't you have anything else to do?"

"I have to call the school to inform them that I am not coming today. I have only one class at two anyway, then I'll be free for the whole weekend and I'm hoping she will wake up within three days. We'll see what happens later."

"Still it is weird that a stranger like you is doing so much for a woman whom you do not even know."

"I know. I feel odd too but I also feel I have to do it for her; God had a reason to send me to that alley to find her."

"I am not going to argue with you. If you're sure you can make it, I'll have her taken to room 205 in half an hour."

"I'll be there. Is there any place where I can get some quick breakfast?"

"There is a cafe on the fifth floor."

"Thanks."

So Chris rushed upstairs for a cup of coffee and a sandwich, while Anna was prepared for the transfer and taken to her room. She wasn't there yet when he reached her room. The nurse on duty questioningly eyed the tall, handsome man with broad shoulders, olive green piercing eyes but a tired look.

"I will stay with Ms. Doe until she wakes up. Dr.Geoffrey told me she was to be brought in Room 205," Chris tried to explain.

"She's not here yet. Are you a relative?"

"No."

Dr.Geoffrey arrived at that moment with the stretcher carrying Anna and, after having her placed in the single bed with all the IVs and stuff hanging at different places around her and the monitors arranged, turned to the nurse and explained Chris's situation. Heather, the nurse who would be there during the day, stared at Chris amazed. When he thought of the situation, he himself found it weird but was thankful to the doctor because he believed in him.

"I will be on duty until five o'clock. I'll come to check her every two hours and Heather will call me if there is a change in her situation. To tell the truth, my personal opinion is that she won't wake up today. Tell Heather if you change your mind and want to go."

"I'll be here. Thank you."

Chris checked his watch as he sank down in the chair next to the bed. It was eight o'clock. He hadn't slept at all. Despite the large cup of black coffee he had gulped a few minutes ago, he fell asleep. He woke up with a gross headache and a biting pain in his neck and back due to sleeping uncomfortably. Checking Ms. Doe, he saw that she was still sleeping, the bruises an uglier shade of black now with an eye almost closed due to swelling. His watch showed 11:15. He walked out of the room and spotted Heather.

"Heather, do you happen to have a painkiller I could swallow? My head is killing me."

"Do you know why? Maybe you should see a doctor."

"I was drunk last night," Chris answered quite embarrassed.

"Oh, in that case you can take this." She handed an aspirin.

"And could you keep an eye on Ms. Doe for a few minutes? I'd like to check on her daughter."

"If it is only for a few minutes ok, but if duty calls I have to go."

"Thanks. Will the baby still be in the neonatal ICU?"

"Let me check."

Heather called the nurse on duty in the NICU and learned that the little baby had been transferred to the pediatrics department.

"She was transferred to the pediatrics on this floor. Turn left at the end of the corridor and you'll see it ahead."

"Thanks again. See you soon."

Chris headed to pediatrics to see the little baby who was awake and crying like somebody cut her leg off or something. She stopped crying as soon as he took her into his arms, though. Once more he felt like he was looking at an angel.

"I hope she is not making much trouble," he said to the nurse. "Her mother is not awake yet."

"Well, she had been crying until you came. I heard about her mother. I am sorry."

"Can I take her to see her mother? Just for a little while maybe."

"I'll check with the doctor. Can you wait here with her for a few minutes?"

"Sure."

When the nurse came back, the little angel was peacefully asleep in Chris's arms.

"You sure know how to take care of a stressed baby." The nurse said, "You can take her to see her mother. In fact, if you think you can manage it, I'll lend you a baby cradle from here and you can keep her there until noon which will be the feeding and changing time."

Chris, who believed he didn't have any idea how to take care of a child let alone a small baby, was amazed at himself, too and spoke with a renewed courage, "I can give it a try. You want me to bring her back in here by 12?"

"Yes, you are such a sweet man."

"Thanks. I have no idea why I'm doing this. It's like some outer force is making me do it. Let's hope her mother wakes up soon."

He thought he heard the little voice saying, "Thank you." Holding the sleeping little angel in the crook of his left arm and pushing the wheeled cradle with the other hand, he headed towards room 205.

"Hi, Heather. I am back. Look who I've got here. I hope she will persuade her mother to wake up."

"Hello, Mr.Taylor. I see that you've already got a beauty in your arms which zeroes my chances of any involvement with the hero of the day."

Chris eyed the plump brunette with golden brown eyes, medium sized breasts and nice round hips questioningly.

"Sorry, bad timing."

"Never mind, you seem too good for me anyway. If you need any help with the baby, call me. As far as I could see, Ms. Doe didn't even stir."

"Let's go and see mama, little angel. Do you mind if I call you angel? No, you don't, thanks." Chris went into the room talking to the sleeping baby. He found that Anna was still sleeping.

"Look, Ms. Whatever. Your baby is waiting here for you to wake up."

He couldn't stop looking at the innocent sleeping baby. She had come to the world in such cruel circumstances but was unaware of anything going on. She could have been dead with her mother in the alley by now if he hadn't found them. He felt anger and wanted to go and find who beat her mother so badly and give him a beating. Deciding to turn the TV on to keep his mind occupied, he found an interesting talk show and sat down on the chair with the baby still in his arms. Some time later Dr.Geoffrey came.

"I see that she is not awake yet. Let me check her."

"I've got to take this little one back. Will you be here for a few minutes?"

"I'll wait till you come back."

Chris took the baby to the pediatrics and found the nurse who had handed her to him.

"Is she still sleeping?"

"Yes."

"Are you fine with her or do you want to leave her here?"

"I am fine, why?"

"I'll change her diaper. If she doesn't wake up, take this bottle and feed her when she does, but no later than one o'clock. Wake her up and feed her by then because her blood glucose level will fall. That's not good. Bring her in for the next diaper change if you feel the diaper is dirty or by four at most. Do you think you can do that?"

"Oh, fine!"

It was a confused Chris who walked back to room 205, really thinking about what he had gotten himself into for the first time since he found Ms. Doe in the dark alley. Even some fathers didn't act the way he did and this little angel's father certainly was one belonging to that kind. Maybe he didn't have any idea where the baby and the mother were. Maybe he was wondering, maybe he wasn't. Maybe the person who almost killed the mother and daughter did the same to the father. Maybe he was the one who did this to them. If she is Anna Collins, he wondered what happened to her during the last year. Had she run away with her boyfriend? Maybe she had committed some crime and ran away because of it? The cop on the case, Sergeant Young, would have mentioned it if it were the case, wouldn't he?

"Dr.Geoffrey, how is she?"

"She is a little feverish but generally she looks fine and ready to wake up. We have to wait and see. I see that the little one is back."

"They didn't want to wake her up because she was sleeping."

"You could have left her in the pediatrics."

"I think it's better for both of them to be close. Is Ms. Doe in pain?"

"No, I don't think so, at least not much. There's a painkiller going down that IV."

"Will she be able to hold her baby when she wakes up? I remember hearing that she had a few fractured bones."

"Not for a while. Even sitting will be painful for a few days. Somebody else has to hold the baby if she wants to breastfeed, too. Her left arm is broken along with two ribs on the same side. I have to go now. Good luck."

"See you in a couple of hours."

After Dr.Geoffrey left, Chris put the baby in the cradle, went to the mother's side and held her hand.

"Ms. Whatever (he was avoiding calling her Ms. Doe), you are safe now. The doctor says you could be awake by now. There's a lovely little girl waiting for you. Come on. You have to come back for her."

A disappointing silence followed to be broken by the cry of the baby. Chris lifted her up and fed the bottle to her. She was so small that she fit in the crook of his one arm with her head only as big as a palm. She sucked the bottle quite powerfully though. He remembered that babies have to burp after feeding so he tried to copy what he saw on TV with success and the little one went back to sleeping again.

The woman didn't wake up and a fierce fever overtook her in the afternoon. After the doctor ordered medication, he said they have to wait. He was gone by five o'clock and the night shift doctor came to check on her every couple of hours.

Chris felt helpless. She was burning with fever. He had taken the baby back to pediatrics in case this was something infectious. He was putting a wet cloth on her forehead and brushing her healthy arm and leg with cool water but the fever stayed. She wasn't fighting. It was an endless night. Each time he checked her fever he felt more hopeless. Every time he felt hopeless the voice told him to carry on. The second night in a row he hadn't slept. He was bordering on exhaustion. The nurse on duty was amazed at his determination to get her healthy.

The next morning at dawn, the miracle happened. Her fever went down. He had some opportunity to sleep in the chair and afterwards went to bring the baby back. He had missed her.

After Dr.Geoffrey's next visit, Chris decided to talk to Anna again; he had read somewhere that people heard what you talked about even when unconscious.

"Ms. Whatever, let me start by introducing myself. I am Christopher Taylor. I found you in an alley the night before last. You are in a hospital now and you are safe. I don't know what happened to you but I gave my word to your daughter that I will not leave you until I see both of you are fine so I am staying. I am a teacher with no attachments, who has the whole weekend off to stay here, meaning you are lucky."

He stopped briefly to draw in a breath. "Yes, you have a daughter who is also fine, sleeping soundly in the cradle beside you. I just fed her. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, 2.8 kg., 47cm. and probably is looking like you when you were a baby. I bet she is missing her mother, though. The police think you are Anna Collins and are trying to reach your uncle but we don't know if he's going to show up yet. Dr. Geoffrey, who took care of you when I brought you in here last night, has checked on you a few times and says you could be awake by now. Well, I think you have to try, if not for anything else, for this beautiful baby you've got. Now, come on. If you hear me, hold my hand."

After some long seconds, he repeated, "Come on, Miss. You seem like a strong lady. Let's surprise Dr.Geoffrey. He doesn't think you'll wake up today."

When there was no movement, he gave up. Taking the remote he turned the TV on. Then he held her hand again. Somehow he felt she needed the touch. He felt he needed to touch her.

"I had read that music is good for healing. I would have your favorite music played but I have no idea of what it is so you have to settle for this."

He had found a channel where they played meditative, slow and classical music. Ten minutes later a very slight squeeze made him jump. She tried to hold her hand up but it was secured in place because of the IV's and the monitors along with other things he didn't even know the names of and she started crying. Chris froze for a second, not knowing what to do then pressed the button to call Heather who came in smiling.

"Is the little angel causing trouble? Oh, Ms. Doe, you are awake," and ran back to call Dr.Geoffrey.

to be continued... (hopefully soon)