DL (side story): Dont let go

A/N: ok, I´ve been wanting to publish this one for a long time, even before I had DL´s ending this one was already done ahaha it actually helped me complete the ending, so this one ´s very special. 

****

A very unexpected call made Nichole´s phone ring in the middle of the morning, she was working in a restoration, this time of a small statue, a religious one.

“Good morning, Maggie” she greeted, it was unexpected but she recognized the number.

“Nichole, dear, you were going to pick up Josh at the airport tomorrow, right?” her voice was desperate, concerned. Nichole noticed the word “were”

“Is something wrong?” she recapped the phone calls she´d had in the past week. He hadn´t called in the last couple of days but the last time they spoke he was mostly ok, he thought he had gotten a cold. “And with this heat!” he had complained.

“Ah –Maggie let out a breath- yes, dear, he´s sick with some incurable disease- the woman sobbed- we´re bringing him back, he´s in the plane as we speak”

“Incurable?! –Nichole hadn´t realize but tears had started to fall from her eyes- When does he arrive?” she wiped her tears with the back of her hand

“To the airport in an hour and from there we´re taking him in helicopter to the hospital”

“Can I go to the airport?” she didn’t want to have to ask but for the sound of it his mom had other plans

“I rather you go to the hospital…There´s another volunteer who´s sick, it´s likely that they have the same thing, one of the volunteers is coming with them, I am waiting for them here with some other medical personnel…”

“We won´t fit… -Nichole stated the obvious- what do you need me to do?” she asked trying to summon to her practical, composed self. Maggie seemed to have thought the same, she sobbed once and then she was her doctor self

“I need you to let Aaron and Erick know about what´s happening. I don’t think I can tell the story again, also, I need you to go get the admittance papers ready for when we arrive. If you don’t know his numbers Aaron might help…”

“It´s ok, I got it. Anything else?”

“No… no, just that”

“Are you at the airport now? …Aaron and your husband will want to know”

“Right now I´m on my way. Tell them not to call me, we´re discussing the best course of action as soon as I finish this call and I need to be focused”

“I´ll tell them. See you in the hospital”

“Bye Nickie” in rare occasions the woman called her that. Nichole didn’t really mind anymore, especially not when Maggie said it.

Nichole made the phone calls and as predicted both father and son wanted all the details, she gave them what she had

“Did he tell you he was sick?” Erick asked in his usual calm voice but now it had an edge to it

“He said he´d caught a cold”

“Obviously he was downplaying it, that idiot!” Aaron said angry with a note of desperation in his tone

“Yeah…” she´d murmured

**

Nichole was on the waiting room, passing the pages of the old magazines that she wasn’t even reading. It was still another half hour for Josh, Maggie and the others to arrive. She´d filled the forms quick; she knew his information by heart.

**

“Love, don’t leave me alone” the girl in the empty room whispered against Josh´s hand, it was covered with red and purple spots, petechial hemorrhages.

Drip, drip, and beep, beep were the sounds that kept the girl, Nichole, company. The Arlington family was shocked, they hoped butt they were waiting for the worst. Joshua was worse with every hour, his liver had started to fail, and his heart rate was slow and getting slower. He wasn’t waking up and not responding to treatment.

Nichole had read every internet and book information in the past twenty four hours, it all said incurable and it also said only a few died if the treatment is given on time, the first forty eight hours were crucial for this. Josh had spent three days without treatment so this part of the information was like a cruel blow to the family. It was a rare disease, one that the doctors accompanying him had never seen before so it was diagnosed as a cold, it had all the symptoms of a cold which is how it starts and then it turns in hemorrhage, organ failure… They had been in a remote place with barely anything available… Josh was dying.

The door to the hospital room was opened, Maggie entered in her white doctor´s coat. She nodded to Nichole and went to check on her son. She replaced the fluids that dripped into him. A line of blood came out of his nose. Maggie carefully lifted the oxygen mask and cleaned is blood, and then she kissed his head.

“How is he?” Nichole asked in a low voice, sad, Maggie saw her and her eyes filled with tears. She rounded the bed, towards Nichole

“I think we didn’t bring him on time” her voice broke “I can’t believe my boy´s here again, I don’t know what to do. It´s like living the nightmare all over again… I wish his grandfather was with us… he helped him once… maybe he could do something now, you know, he was incredibly smart…” the woman cried as she hugged Nichole who hugged back unable to say a single word. Her life with Josh had been a breath of fresh air, his love since the very beginning had been a strength that she´d relied on in so many occasions, he was all light, somehow had managed to free her from the monster, from tragedy, finally and now…

Maggie´s pager startled them both

“A patient” she cleared her tear-stained face “You…you could go home… you need to rest” she told Nichole

“I don’t want to go. I´ll stay… I want to be with him” there was a not in her throat.

“Ok, thank you” the woman touched her shoulder and left the room giving a final glance to her son

****

“Hello baby, what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

“I am not your baby” Nichole wanted to say but that’d make it difficult to ask the next thing.

“I need your help, come to me”

“Baby, what´s wrong?”

“Red wood Larch hospital, room 036, how fast can you come, Nat?”

“I´ll be there in an hour and a half”

Natasha gasped once she saw the scene before her. Nichole had red-rimmed eyes, the man next to her, her boyfriend, on the hospital bed looking pale and covered with red spots, the heart rhythm on the machine too low to be normal. It all screamed, wrong. She entered and closed the door

“What happened?” she asked

“To weeks ago Josh went to a poor tropical country as a volunteer, they needed doctors, surgeons… twelve hours ago he was brought like this… there´s no… -Nichole sighed, swallowing tears- there´s no…”

“Cure, I know” Natasha knew. A few years after Karl´s death, she´d started to do a lot of volunteering as a doctor in poor countries

“It´s been over 48 hours… - Nichole took a deep breath- he´s withering away”

“Baby…” Nat went closer to Nichole who shook her head; she still didn’t let Nat to touch her unless it was unavoidable.

“His mom came a while ago…”

“Yeah, where’s his family? I´d think they´d be all over him…”

“His mom’s in the hospital over seeing his treatment. She works here so of course she´s treating other patients. His brother’s is suing the country and whoever he can and his father is at home –she sighed- a stroke…he got a stroke when he saw his son… but that´ beside the point”

“Ok…what´s the point? What do you need?”

“I need… I don’t know, his mom came a while ago, she said something, she said that if his grandfather  -Natasha shuddered- if Alexander was alive he´d probably know what to do since he saved Josh when he´d drowned”

“Alexander´s dead”

“Yes, but what he used to save Josh is right here…” she took her hand to her chest

“What are you suggesting, Nichole?” Natasha seemed scared

“You know what was done when Josh drowned, the exact way that Alexander used me to save him… I´m not letting Josh go…I´d do anything to save him”

“Nic… -Nat closed her eyes for a moment as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with her index and thumb- though we are in the same hospital, I doubt his family will let you move the boy to an area they don’t know exists and one that hasn’t been used in years”

“I know, I know but I need you to tell me exactly what he did so that we can come up with a version of it to help Josh… he was dead then, he´s not now… there has to be a way… Nat, please, do this for me” the girl said and Natasha was taken aback, Nichole had never pleaded, not to Natasha. Nat paced the room, remembering as many details as possible and thinking of the possible resources they´d need. Nichole waited patiently

“The only thing that I can think of and that we can do here is a blood transfusion; that might work”

“Alright, let´s do it”

“Wait; there are a few complications…”

“Talk fast” she cut the woman who sighed

“I can only draw 500ml from you, it´s not safe to get more and we don’t have the resources to separate the blood, not without telling the boy´s mom. Right now he’s only getting platelets so, if someone comes…”

“We’ll switch it… I don’t see a problem there, now go get the stuff and do this”

“Wait…”

“Go!”

**

“You’re still too good at sneaking in…” Nichole was watching the bag being filled with her blood

“I know this place”

“Mh…”

“Look, I have to tell you that this has risks for you and him… Once we put him in this, we won’t be able to switch him. Your blood will annihilate any other and it´ll be as if he´s bleeding even more. This bag will get in him in three hours, five top and I can’t get more blood from you until fifty six days have passed. He´ll need at least four bags… even ten might be needed…”

“I don’t care if I have to give him ´till the last drop of my blood” the bag was full, Nat started to bandage her arm “fill another bag” she moved her arm away

“No, I told you only…”

“If you don’t do it, I´ll do it myself”

“Only 250 ml more” Nat attached another bag “are you sure we´re switching him?”

“Yes” the girl said clearly. Natasha closed the platelet bag and put Nichole´s blood instead “wait” Nic said as Nat was about to open the flow

“Yeah?” Nat raised an eyebrow

“You said we can’t switch him to regular blood back because my blood in him will annihilate it… what will it do to him…?” Nic asked anxiously

“It was him, well, Alexander –Nat amended once she saw the look in Nichole´s eyes- made your blood mutate and gave you that deadly touch… You very well know it doesn’t affect him or he would´ve died the first time you  ever touched– Nat raised an eyebrow meaningfully- it´s like his body blocks that of you and your blood recognizes him… it won’t hurt him. I assure you that. I mean, the kid stitched you, touched your skin in one of your most vulnerable states in which you had not much control… don’t tell me it wasn´t him that did it that time”

“Ok, do it” Nic said after some thought, the older woman nodded and opened the flow

“How are you feeling?” after filling the second bag, Nat bandaged Nic’s arm which looked seriously bruised

“I´m fainting” Nichole blinked trying to fight in vain the black edges around her vision

**

“I am Natasha Strasberg, Nichole´s physician; I hope you don’t mind I used those” Nat pointed to the IV attached to Nic’s arm

“What happened?” Maggie´s voice angry, Nic heard it as a distant elusive sound

“My child hasn’t eaten since Joshua came, she fainted … low blood sugar…” she explained

“Your child?”

“Yeah… I… though Nichole´s mom´s dead you could say I am too… I was the surrogate who carried her…”

“Strasberg –Maggie said thoughtful- Nichole has that last name”

“Yes, her parents thought fit to use my last name. We´ve kept in touch… I´ve been her doctor since after she was born”

“Oh, but she does not….” Maggie´s voice was now soft, sympathetic

“No, of course not, Miriam was her real mom… It´d hurt her to call me that –Nat smiled a shy, little smile- Ah, a nurse came to check up on you  boy” Nat changed the subject

“Oh… -Maggie was interrupted by her pager-, she sighed- gotta go, I´ll be back in a while”

“You didn’t have to say you are my mom, you know” the girl said with annoyance

“Mom” Natasha whispered, Nichole rolled her eyes

“It’s annoying to say the whole thing. My point stands”

“That was the sympathy card, dear, she wouldn’t have trusted me near his almost twice dead boy or using syringes or any supply or let me distract her enough that she over-looked the whole blood instead of just the platelets”

“Ok, ok, fine. How long was I out?” Nichole didn’t like that she hadn’t heard Maggie come or that she was totally vulnerable, vulnerable and dangerous.

“A little more than an hour”

“Ugh” the young woman grumbled and tried to get up from her seat

“No, no, no, stay there. How do you feel?”

“Weird, weak, I didn’t hear Maggie coming”

“750 ml was too much blood”

“Only enough for six hours”

“Seven”

“Any changes in him?”

“Too early to know, you should sleep it´ll help. I´ll wake up if something changes”

“Ok” she didn’t argue, she was feeling too weak and hopefully a few hours of sleep would make her better

“What time is it?” the sound of an ambulance woke Nichole up

“Five in the morning”

“One more hour… Get more blood. How is he?”

“No, Nic, I am not taking more blood out of you. His heard beat is better, just a tad”

“It´s working then, he needs more”

“You will get sick…”

“I don’t get sick. I never get sick. Do it!”

“That blood in you is your life; no one can give you more. We could compromise your bone marrow”

“Don’t tell me Alexander Arlington ever cared about that?” she almost shouted

“No, but Joshua Arlington will”

“Damn it Natasha!”

“Besides, he did care, he cared because if you were hurt, he was hurt –she pointed to Josh- back then you could get transfusions and we had all the medical team and facilities for when we couldn’t… not now” Natasha said

“We have to take him down, you know the place”

“We can’t tell them about you, we can’t tell them about what happened to both of you, they will treat you as a threat”

“I don’t care. I´m not letting him go”

“Ok, ok, look I have thought of a possible way but it might not work and it is dangerous but it has the potential of making him better without making you sick… you might shut down for a while though”

“Ok, what is it?” Nic narrowed her eyes

“I want you to keep an open mind and consider the end result”

“Fine… Just get to the point, you´re as annoying as always”

**

“Nic, what happened to you?” Aaron said worried when he saw the IV on Nichole’s arm

“I fainted” she rolled her eyes

“Why?” he stared

“Low blood sugar” she lied

“Haven’t you been eating? –he raised his eyebrows- Nic –he started with almost the exact same tone that Josh used when he though she was being unreasonable but he didn’t want her to push him away- he´d want you to be healthy, why haven’t you eaten?” concern in his voice, concern that made Nichole want to cry. In the time she´d been with Josh, she´d gotten to care about his family, about Aaron as they cared for her but now, Aaron was extra caring, as if he was trying to compensate for Josh not being there

“Hospital food”

“Oh, you can go eat. I’ll stay here with Josh, dad will come later to visit him for a while”

“Is your dad better now?”

“He´s getting better… He wants to see Josh” his tone was sad, he took a deep breath “you can go home and rest for a few hours, you need to sleep and eat”

 “No, it´s fine, got food right here” she pointed to the IV. She also didn’t want to say how she was waiting for Josh to get worse; it had been 30 minutes since they had switched him back to the regular platelets, the first step of their plan.

“Mmmmm I’ll still go and get you some food. Mom says you haven’t gotten home. Do you need me to bring you anything in specific?”

“Yeah… Could you please go to my apartment and check on Mitch still has food and water, ah and could bring me the black bag under the sink of my bedroom?” she gave him her keys

“Sure, do you want any food in particular?”

“No, anything’s fine”

**

You know, suing that poor country won’t make things better” Nichole said over the food she and Aaron were having once he came back

“If they had better health policies, Josh wouldn’t be here” Aaron said in a harsh voice

“That´s a good idea, the having better policies part”

“Are you agreeing with me?” Aaron said in a surprised voice “Nichole is agreeing with me? This has to be recorded for history!”

“I am but not in the way that you think” she rolled her eyes, she hadn’t taken her eyes from Josh, the heart monitor showed his heart was going slower, hers was going faster with the desperation of what she knew was going to happen

“How can you agree but not really?”

“I am most certain that you will win, you´ll rip their money away… you´re that bad or that good… Once you do I think you should give the money back”

“I won’t do such a thing!”

“Yes, you will… there´s a reason why your brother went there… if you don’t give it back it’ll be like taking all his work away…” she stared at Josh in his bed, Aaron sighed scrubbing a hand over his face

“I hate it when you’re right”

“It won’t hurt you to give it back, you´re already rich, money can´t do a thing for him now but for them, for his dream… I think you should tell them that they either give you the money or improve their health policies, I bet they´ll take the later, we’ll supervise that or else they´ll just have to pay twice the amount or something, you´re a lawyer, you can come up with penalties and all that… if they take the first option you could create some kind of foundation to help them” she finished and from the corner of her eye she saw him staring at her with a small smile

“I always thought that since we were kids he´d always learned your ways but you´re just like him as well”

“Some of his greatness must have stuck with me –she inhaled deeply- besides, there´s no need to let people die” she sighed as Natasha entered the room, a worried look on her face, it was time. Nichole’s heart beat faster as Josh´s nose started to bleed followed by his ears and the petechial hemorrhages got even worse. She knew this would happen but to see it happening made her tears come out without control.

Aaron looked back to see his brother, stood up and quickly asked for help, doctors filled the room, Aaron was asked to go out as Josh´s heart slowed down, then it was Nichole´s and Natasha´s turn to go

“Maggie, Natasha can help” Nichole said ignoring the nurse telling her to leave

“Nichole, no offense but we are the best doctors and we´re doing our best”

“He keeps getting worse and none of you have ever gone to the tropical countries that deal with this disease, you´ve never seen it, we have. She´s dealt with it” Nic said pointing at Nat. Maggie sighed as she shook her head. A tube to breath was being shoved in Josh’s throat “it could help” she pleaded

“I must know what you´ll do first” Maggie said to Nat who nodded and moved forward, around the nurse that was making her stay away

“Once a person has survived this disease they become immune to it… Nichole survived to it –she lied- I want to try using her as some kind of vaccine” she explained, Maggie frowned

“Making a vaccine out of Nichole could take years”

“I meant to say that I think Nichole´s blood would make your son better”

“That´s just a theory, besides she can’t give him more than…”

“500 ml I know, which is why we´d do it directly” Nat said, a horror look crossed over Maggie´s features. Natasha had explained Nichole that when Alexander had used her to save Josh when he was little he made it so that her blood went through him and then his to her as if their body was one, it had been the fastest way

“That´d be dangerous for Nicky…”

“I am willing to do it” the younger woman spoke

“We don’t know if it works” Maggie argued with less conviction

“We gotta try… Maggie… he´s all I have” Nichole said barely above a whisper

“We need to test your blood first –Maggie stared for a moment before speaking- I don’t know if your blood type is compatible and… you´ve traveled a lot, it might…” Maggie trailed off; Nic’s eyes grew wider as she looked at Nat. She couldn’t let her blood to be studied, it was different, there was panic visible in Nichole´s eyes, Nat, as always was the picture of being calmed

“I understand-Nat started-. I’ve been thinking of this since Nic called me. I have them here” she gave Maggie an envelope with a blood test

“I´d like these to be from this hospital”

“There´s no time to make a new one –she motioned to Josh- … but , here, I knew you´d ask that”

“When…?” Maggie was clearly surprised that Nat had anticipated this, Nic was too but at the same time she was not, Nat was very good at plotting and making plans, detailed plans to get what she wanted, to make things come to the end she wanted.

“Dr. Arlington” a nurse called, the three women looked at her. It seemed like Josh was crying blood, he was bleeding every where

“Are we doing this?” Natasha prompted, Maggie looked at Nichole

“Yes” said Nichole in a firm voice

“Yes” Maggie whispered

**

It was close to hour twenty eight that Josh stired and as he did so he pulled a little at the needle stuck in Nichole´s right arm that rested on his stomach

“Ow- she frowns, Nat quickly stands up to help so that Josh didn´t pull his own IV- shhh, love, don’t move much” Nichole whispers into Josh’s ear. Josh doesn’t open his eyes but he stops and moans in pain once before going back to sleep. Nichole also feels like letting herself sleep, she´s very tired and her eyelids feel heavy as well as her body

At hour twelve after Nichole started to give her blood to him, the bleeding in him stopped completely and she was completely shut down, Maggie was really worried about her heart rhythm and vitals, to her she was in a comma. At hour eighteen he started to breathe by himself and Nichole had woken up for the first time for a couple of hours but she was really sleepy but from them every time his eyes fluttered, five or ten minutes before she woke up, Nat noticed it but said nothing.

 Twenty nine hours after, Josh opened his eyes, still blood shot, he blinked a lot, Nat dimed the lights for him to be comfortable

“Nichole?” his voice was hoarse, his throat hurt, everything hurts. He wondered if he was delusional, he remembered he was in some jungle with a high fever and excruciating pain and then he remembered listening to her voice.

“I´m here love” he heard her voice to his right, he registered her arm on him, slowly he turned to see her. He recognized the hospital, he was back home. He was in some kind of double hospital bed because his girlfriend fit right next to him

“How…?”

“Ssshhh… rest, love, you´re home… you´ll be fine” as if her voice carried some kind of spell he felt himself drifting to sleep

The next time he woke up, it was during the day, his eyes didn’t hurt as much and his body did not feel like it was being crushed anymore, he looked to his side remembering where he´d heard Nichole and sure, she was there, sleeping, her arm on his stomach, he noticed there are needles on her arms… blood coming out of one and in to the other, he furrowed his eyebrows, confused as to what´s going on, his mind is still foggy. As if she sensed he´s awake her eyes flutter open, she smiled, he smiled back , she looked pale, dark circles under her eyes as if she hasn’t slept in days she looked like he´s never seen her: sick

“Hello, bunny” she whispered and lightly brushed his lips with hers

“You look pale” he stated the obvious

“You too” she chuckled

“I´m sick”

“I know”

“Why…?” he looks at her arms, she closes her eyes and opens them slowly as if she didn’t want to talk about it. He knows that blink perfectly, she´s doesn’t want to speak and she wouldn’t do it if it wasn´t him.

“Keep in mind that I love you and that I´m not in danger –she started, he was confused but as she kept explaining he felt horrified. Alexander had done that, he´d never known how that had happened exactly, and now she was telling him this is a version of that, it was happening again

“How could you allow this?” he said angrily to Maggie ho was just coming in. he tried to take off his IV

“You´ll hurt yourself Josh!” Maggie tried to stop him

“I don’t care” he growled and tried to sit up

“Ow! –Nichole hissed, he stopped altogether- stop, Josh, let me finish, if you take off the IV´s then you´ll hurt me and yourself” she said and he calmed down, let Maggie check his vitals. She and Nat had worked an agreement, she’d check Josh and Nat, Nic, as well as the blood works… with them sharing blood his had temporarily acquired Nichole´s characteristics.

“Welcome back, baby” Maggie smiled once she finished, her son smiled for her and then yawned

“I´ll let you rest” Maggie brushed his hand. She and Natasha left the room

“That yawn was very convincing –Nic teased- I hope you never use those tricks on me”

“I made you sick, right?  That´s why you are pale” he said with an edge of anger in his voice

“That´s just how my skin is”

“I’m serious…”

“Look, I know what you´re thinking…and yes, this is what Alexander did but you´re not hurting me in any way, it´s exactly like donating blood, also, this time I wanted to do it, it was my choice. I couldn’t lose you and even if I knew you´d bet mad I did it and believe me I’d do it again. If you try to take off the IV,  I´ll put you to sleep and do it all over again  against your will without regret… -he frowned- I´m not letting you go… but…aren’t you glad that I love you as much as to risk you hating me?” she reasoned, his expression softened

“I don’t want you to be harmed in any way”

“I´m not being harmed, but if you don’t let me do this and get worse then you will harm me, if you´re not around, I´ll go back to being dead, so, please, stop being stubborn” she said, they stayed silent for a long time

“I missed you so much” he broke the silence

“I missed you too”

“Why does your blood help me? Mom had this look like they had resigned to the worst… I don’t get it, how did it help me before…?”

“You know Alexander made me different. My blood carries much more oxygen and ….well I´m not a doctor nor a scientist like he was but he made it so it regenerates organs, mine of course, and my white cells as well, they are better at fighting diseases…You´re immune to… my other ability –she rolled her eyes- so it helps you like it´d help me”

“I guess it makes sense but, wouldn’t that, healing me put your body under a lot of stress?”

“It´s capable of handling it, don’t worry”

“But it does put your body under a lot of stress”

“Yes,-she sighed, not wanting to get into details- that´s why you´re also sharing your blood with me since so far you´re the only blood type that my body wouldn’t destroy”

“Wait! But that means you are under much more stress than you´re letting me know!”

“Calm down, it´s not that bad, we just shut down, that releaves some of the stress you´re talking about”

“What do you mean, shut down?”

“You wont like it”

“The more reason for you to tell me, then”

“Fine, but you don’t get any more questions and you have to know that it´s not because of you that this has happened because it´s happened to me before, when mmmm when my missions and training didn’t go well”

“When you were hurt, you mean, like you´re hurting now”

“Yes, I guess, except that you´re making it sound like you´re the bad guy when it´s not like that at all… You´re part of me, if any part of me was injured, I´d go ahead and make it better, it´s the same, you´re part of me, I had to do what´s necessary to make you better and this is just the way it happens” she shrugged

“You didn’t say what way that was”

“I guess it seems like some kind of comma state…I bet your family was very worried because I had to brought you into it with me” her voice barely audible

“For the sound of it I brought you into that not the other way around”

“That´s unimportant, boy” she winked, he stared with a tender gaze

“My little monster… I owe you so much, you´ve saved my life so many times” he said just above a whisper

“On the contrary, love, you´re the one that´s saved me, you´re the one that brought me back to life” she said against his lips.