Chapter Forty-Eight: While He Was Sleeping

Everything is a blur, Katie barely processes the ride to the hospital, her heart shattering as Han's stops twice, forcing the EMT's to revive him, both times she doesn't breath again until the Flat glowing line Spikes with a weak pulse. With a sudden stop the EMTt's Fling open the back doors, where ER nurses and doctors were waiting to rush him into immediate surgery. Dom's and Bryan's cars screeches around the corner and they hastily park, the family leaping and following the rush of Staff, Katie doesn't look back at them she just stays next to Han's stretcher, running to keep up with the commotion.

 

"Miss, you can't follow from here, Miss, please." One of the nurses says turning and grabbing hold of Katie's arms, making her turn tears filled eyes up at her.

 

"But He needs me!" She whispers, her eyes pleading with the nurse. A flash of sympathy washes over her, making her face soften.

 

"I know he does, but right now what he needs more is to go into surgery so we can take the bullet out, Look you're family seems to be here,." She says gently and points over Katie's shoulder. She looks over to see Bryan, Dom, Mia, Lisa, Shawn and Twinkie standing there looking at her, "Look why don't I go get you some clean clothes and you wait with them, OK?" Katie opens her mouth to protest but a hand on her shoulder makes her stop, The hand belongs to Dom, One look at his bloody clothing has her bursting into tears. Dom takes her from the nurse and gathers her up in his arms, trying to protect her from the pain.

 

"Thank you miss," He mummers to the Nurse as she leaves in search for clean scrubs. Dom brings her over to the others, and she squirms out of his arms, running into the loving arms of her brother, Shawn just crushes her to him as she cries her fear and grief into the front of his shirt. He rubs her back, and kisses the top of her head, anything to sooth her.

 

"Shhh Katie, it's OK, he's going to be OK." He whispers to her.

 

"You don't know that." She cries. He pulls her away too look at her, wiping away her tears, a futile gesture as more tears replaces them. Her pain was shining strongly through her eyes, making his heart constrict. He tries to keep his own tears from falling as he gives her a weak smile.

 

"Sure I do, Its Han, He's too stubborn to let this stop him, Just you watch, The docs will fix him up and he will be awake and laughing in no time." He says, truly believing his words. Twinkie comes up behind her with the scrubs the Nurse had managed to find.

 

"Babe?" He whispers as she turns to him, handing her the clothing. She takes it and wordlessly heads to the women's restroom to change. Once inside she locks the door and goes over to the large mirror that hung above the sink. She barely recognized her own face staring at her. IT was so white the eyes sunken in wide and startled, The pupils the size of pins. Bloody trails streak down her face and with a pang of Nausea she realizes its Han's blood. Turning the sink on she grabs paper towels and soaks them with water and soap, scrubbing hard at her face until there is no more blood. Looking down at her clothes she lets out a sob. The knees of her jeans were soaks through, dark and sticky with his blood, her shirt splattered with it. Her sobs she can't hold back and the rip through her, leaving her shaking as she slides down the door, her knees pulled close. She buries her face into them and sobs, falling apart in a million different ways as countless images of Han flash through her mind, Han laughing, his eyes lighting up, He smirk she loved so much, memories of kisses they had stolen all those years ago. She stays in the bathroom for a good half an hour, rocking herself as she sobs her heart break, praying to whatever higher being was out there that Han would make it through this alive. When her tears subside she shakily gets to her feet, her legs wobbling under her. She goes back over to the mirror and stares at herself again.

 

"He WILL Make IT." She says to her reflection, her Green eyes staring back at her. She wasn't going to let herself fall apart again, He wasn't died, He may be weak , he may be clinging hard to life but he was still alive, and he was a fighter, he wasn't going to give up so easily. She tells this to herself as she takes a deep breath and quickly shrugs off her bloody clothes and flings them as far away from her as she could and slips on the scrubs. They were a dark navy blue and the pants were only slightly baggy on her, she was grateful for the drawstrings. Placing her hand on the doorknob she takes one more deep breath before stepping out, heading back to the Family who were all lounging in the waiting room, each one wrapped up in their own worried thoughts.

 

 

**********

 

 

Its been 8 hours since they had brought him to the hospital,Two of those hours were spent in Surgery, trying to repair the damage caused by the bullet and trying to retrieve it. Another four was spent waiting for him to stabilize enough to have visitors. the remainder was spent answering the questions from the Police which was a standard procedure for Gun shot related Cases. Katie had Pulled Shawn and Twinkie aside while the others were being questions and she told them flat out that she was telling the Cops who had done this, It was obvious to the three that Takashi was the one responsible. Shawn was hesitant but Twinkie and Katie convinced him it was the best for Han. Shawn gives the officers a detailed description of Takashi, while the three do their best to explain everything and why they knew it was him who had done this. Finally after the cops had left she sank into one of the waiting room chairs and must have dozed off because the next thing she knew she as being shaken awake.

 

"Katie, The doctor is here wake up."Dom's voice whispers to her. She jumps awake with a start and turns her eyes to the doctor who was standing in front of the family. He gives them a smile

 

"Hello I'm Doctor Montgomery, I was the one who performed the surgery on, Mr. Chan." He says introducing himself. Katie stills.

 

"Is our friend going to be OK?" Shawn asks who was sitting on the other side of her. He takes her hand and squeezes it for support. Montgomery looks at him and smiles nodding his head.

 

"You're friend is going to be just fine," He says as everyone lets out a breath of Relief, Happiness floods through Katie, chasing away the numbness that had started to settle in her heart  "We were able to retrieve the bullet, thankfully it didn't tear through any major organs although he did have a collapsed lung but we Repaired it." He explains

 

"Can we see him? Please?" Katie says her eyes begging the doctor. He turns his light grey eyes to her and gives her a grim smile.

 

"I have to warn you We had to put him in an induced coma for the time being, He needs rest and he needs to heal, he is stable, but for the time being he is in an a coma." The color drains from Katie's face, her mouth going dry, unable to ask the doctor anything. Twinkie sees her shutting down and turns to look at the doctor.

 

"But can we still see him?" He asks, knowing Katie needed to hear the answer more then anything. Montgomery falls silent for a few, wrestling with his professional opinion and what was the best thing. He flicks his eyes to Katie and with a firm nod he says yes.

 

"Two at A Time though," He warns. The others chuckle a nervous laugh as they remember that the same "warning" Was issued when Dom was in this very hospital. No one stops her as Katie bolts from her seat, Shawn right behind her, as she follows the Doctor to Han's room. He opens the door and lets them slip inside. Katie's eyes fall on Han who was laying still in the bed. She gasps when she sees him. He was pale, his slight brown skin looking sickly. But that's not what tore at her heart. There were tubes everywhere, in his arms, on his finger, and an oxygen tube down his throat. She walks hesitantly over to the bed, faintly hearing Shawn ask why he needed the oxygen tube. "His repaired lung isn't strong enough yet to work on its own, we don't want to put unnecessary strain on it while it's healing, don't worry the tube will only be needed for a few days, then we can remove it once the lung is stronger." Katie walks over to him and sees that he was shirtless, a clean white bandage covering his entire lower half, keeping the wound clean and free of infection while it healed. She turns to look at the doctor.

 

"Can I-" She clears her throat, "Can I touch him, like hold his hand?" She asks, her voice shaky. The doctor nods.

 

"Yes of course, as long as you don't disturb the IV tubes or touch his injured side." He says gently and with that he politely exits the room, giving the siblings privacy with their friend. Katie takes his hand and laces her fingers through it.

 

"Hey Han, It's me, Katie, The doctor says you're going to be OK." She says, tears streaming down her face. She feels something hitting the back of her knees and looks to see Shawn had pushed the chair over to her so she could sit, she gives him a grateful smile and folds herself into it, never dropping his hand. And that's how she stayed. No one questioned when she alone stayed in the room, the others going in and out, well into the night, the nurses sympathetic to the family, and touched at their loyalty that they let them stay well past visiting hours. Even giving Katie a blanket and pillow so she could curl up in the chair. Her hand never leaving his.

 

 

**************

 

 

Four days later the Doctors deemed his lung was strong enough and removed the Breathing tube.The family Cheering when he breathes strongly on his own, His heart beat steady. Doctor Montgomery says that now that he was breathing on his own they could start weening him out of the Induced coma, letting him wake up on his own when he was ready. Katie's heart swells at the Idea of Him waking. That same day they transferred him to his own private room, since he was stable enough not to be on close watch. They put him in a room with two beds, knowing that Katie would use the other, her vigil over him relentless. The days drag on, each day her hope diminishing slightly as the Doctor say there was no change. A week goes by and her anxiety and panic sets in when the doctors say that he was completely out of the induced coma.

 

"He should have woken up by now right?" She says to Shawn turning to look at him. He was standing by the window looking out, his arms crossed. He tears his gaze away from the scenery and turns to his sister.

 

"Give him Time Katie, He just went through hell and back. He'll wake up don't worry." He says. She sighs and squeezes Han's hand, praying he would suddenly squeeze it back. The sound of someone clearing their throat has both Her and Shawn turn to the doorway. Twinkie stood in the entrance, freshly showered and in clean clothes, a duffel bag slung over one arm. He looks at Katie and smiles before turning his gaze to Shawn.

 

"Hey can I have a moment with Katie? Alone?" He asks, something in his tone makes her frown, wondering what it was he wanted to talk about. Shawn hears it too and doesn't question it, just uncrosses his arms and heads out the door, Twinkie moving out of the way for him.

 

"Sure, Hey sis, I'm going to go to the Subway up the street, want anything." She just shakes her head and smiles, watching as he leaves before turning her attention back to her boyfriend.

 

"Hey Twink what's up? is everything OK?" She asks. He just walks in and sits in the other chair, on Han's right side, his bad side. He regards his friend with quiet eyes, his behavior worrying her. "Babe?" She whispers. At this he looks at her.

 

"You don't have to call me that Katie, it's OK." He says just as softly. She sucks in breathe.

 

"Why not, you're my boyfriend." She asks. Twinkie shakes his head, a small smile on his lips.

 

"Katie lets be honest. You were meant for him," He says nodding to Han's still form, Katie opens her mouth to Protest but he stops her. "No no you don't have to say anything its OK, I'm cool with it. to be honest I think I always knew. You two were made for eachother." He says shrugging his shoulders. Katie looks down.

 

"I'm so sorry Twinkie." She says with tears in her eyes. He opens his arms for her and she quietly gets up, engulfing herself into his hug.

 

"Dont be sorry, You tried, you honestly tried and that's all I could every ask of you, Plus It's not like this is a total lose, I mean I still have my best friend right?" He says pulling her back and wiping away her tears. She smiles and laughs through them, her first laugh since everything had gone wrong.

 

" I will always be your friend, you're stuck with me." She says, making his whole face light up with a smile. She kisses his cheek and gets up, going back to her own chair. He stands up and gives Han's Arm a squeeze.

 

"Hey man listen up, you've got an amazing girl sitting here waiting for you so don't you dare keep her waiting for long, you know how impatient she gets sometimes." He says, Katie leans over and swats him making him laugh. His laughter dies and he grows serious again. "Hey I need to get back to Tokyo, Neela needs someone to help run the garage and I'm one of the best mechanics there, Shawn's staying here for Han." He informs her.

 

"When do you leave?" Twinkie checks his watch.

 

"I need to get to LAX now, my flight is in two hours." Katie gasps and goes over to him, hugging him hard, feeling him crushing her to him. "This isn't goodbye forever Katie, I'll be back." He whispers into her hair. kissing her on top of the head. She disentangles herself from him and watches with sad eyes as he leaves. When he is gone she leans forward and gently places a kiss on Han's forehead, sitting down and trying ntw to cry. Grabbing Hans hand she gives it a fierce squeeze, a sob escaping her when she feels no returning pressure . Bringing his hand to her lips she kisses his knuckles ever so gently.

 

"Please Han come back to me" She whispers,

 

 

***********

 

 

A month goes by and her anxiety grows worse. depression that she hadn't felt in years creeping in.

 

"Dr Montgomery how is he today?" Shawn asks as the Doctor enter, looking over the notes the Nurse had left after checking on him that morning.

 

"No Change, his heart is still beating strongly, and his lung is  healing from the collapse." He says sounding grim. Katie blinks back tears that were getting harder and harder to hold back.

 

"Then why isn't he waking up?" she asks, her voice wobbling with the unshed tears. Montgomery looks at Katie with sad sympathetic eyes, a small shrug lifting his thin shoulders.

 

"To be frank I don't know, there may be something holding him back, like his mind just isn't ready to wake up yet, He will in time, when he is ready." He says gently. Just then before anyone can speak his beeper goes off, he looks at it and with a rushed excuse me he leaves the room, heading to the ER for an emergency. Katie lets out a small sob and slips her hand into his squeezing.

 

"Please Han, I need you." She whispers, Shawn leaves the room to give her privacy and once he was gone she doesn't even hesitate, doesn't stop to think if it was a bad idea. She climbs onto his bed, careful of the IV's and curls up into his left side, placing her head on his shoulder and falls asleep curled up to the man she was so madly in love with.

 

The feeling of someone clumsily running their hand through her hair wakes her. Fighting the drowsiness she opens her eyes to find all to familiar shiny dark ones staring at her through a haze of confusion. He smirks making her eyes widen, all sleep vanishing, a gasp leaving her lips.

 

"Han? are you- are you really awake?" She whispers, Hope blooming inside her as a strong part of her warns that this might all be a dream and that she was going to wake up any minute to find him still sleeping. He takes his hand away from her hair and places it gently on her cheek, making her lean against it. He smirks at her again. IT WAS REAL!! He was really awake He was really touching her

 

"Hey there Angel, Did you miss me?" He says, his voice rusty from disuse. Tears stream down her face as he brings her face close to his, their lips connecting as his heart monitor lets out a shrill beep as Both their hearts pick up speed.