Say a Prayer (Leila's Collection)

[Leila Gold]

This thread takes place after So Long to the Headstrong and related threads.

---------------------------------------------

Leila had gone into the hospital on Monday, put on the list to wait for a liver, promised to be a good girl and take her vitamins, and made more than a few prayers to God. Maybe God was listening, because one week later, early Monday morning there was a call. Through some miracle, there was a liver available. Part of Leila knew she should be sad for whoever else had died and lost their liver for whatever reason. Mostly, though, she was too happy that it looked like she herself might survive. God knew she didn't want to die.

They had to get the liver in within 12 hours after it became available. That meant Leila would be undergoing surgery Sunday afternoon at the latest. The nurses were bustling about, prepping her for surgery, and all she could do was try to keep calm. There was a large group of people who had come by to see her and make sure she was all right, including her mother, who had flown up from Texas to check on her baby. Leila's father couldn't make it due to pressures with his practice, but he had promised to try to take a few days off as soon as possible to come by. In the meantime, with her mother and Cobalt and all of the other friends she'd made in Pilot Ridge coming by, as well as an old friend from Chicago who'd found the time to swing by after finding out the news, there were enough well-wishers that Leila's spirits felt truly buoyed. She was going to make it. Surely she would make it.

Finally, the time came for her to go under. She gave her mother and all the rest of her family a warm smile.

"See you on the other side, I guess. Don't worry, I already know about the light. Even if they promise me candy, I swear I won't go." Perhaps the joke was made in bad taste, but she just couldn't stand to have everyone looking so glum. And she couldn't think of anything better to say.

She was glad to be in the hands of a good doctor, someone who would do the best he could to save her life. She looked up into the safety of warm, brown eyes and a kind face as she began to count backwards into sleep.

-----------------------------

In the waiting room, Monica Gold sat quietly, hands folded in her lap. She was a doctor and knew the risks of going into surgery better than some. Even a supposed simple or routine surgery could turn fatal in an instant. There was no way to guarantee her daughter's safety.

She hadn't seen Leila in a while, as it had been almost a year since she last came home for a visit. And to see her so weak and ill...it was heart-breaking for a mother. Yet she was glad to see that Leila had plenty of other friends nearby. Many of the people she had met seemed like very good individuals, and she smiled to herself knowing that Leila had always been able to make good friends, and lots of them.

There was a large group waiting now, even though the surgery would take hours. Monica did not know most of their names yet, but she was starting to recognize some faces. She sat nursing a cup of disgusting hospital coffee that had gone cold, staring at the ground in front of her.

---------------------------------------------

[OOC: Characters that know Leila and would have made time to sit in the waiting room are welcome to post here.]

[Riley Adams]

For ten years, Riley hadn't had a reason to go to the hospital. Now, in a span of a week, he'd been to visit Leila three times. This fourth was giving him a migraine. He didn't know if it was because of the sickening hospital smell or the worry he felt because the young woman, who had quickly wormed into his heart and whom he was quickly thinking of as his surrogate niece, was going through a liver transplant.

He kept being reminded of the little girl he had tried to save when he was still in college. Difference was, he couldn't do anything. Cobalt had made damn sure of that. It made standing here while Leila was carted away into the operating room that much more difficult. All he could do was say a little prayer for Leila and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

The hospital chairs held no comfort as the six foot tall anxiously tapped his foot against the floor, leaning forward on his arms that were on his knees. Riley was a patient man, but he was not happy about waiting out this surgery. Even with his best friends around.

He offered a smile to Leila's mother when she looked up from the floor, knowing it wouldn't make her any less worried but that was all he could do.

[Cobalt Weaver]

Five or six hours.

The estimated time of the surgery was five or six hours of waiting in the waiting room after seeing Leila wave to them from a gurney, making a horrible and inappropriate joke as she was wheeled away. It’d only been about an hour and Cobalt was so worried, he was ready to throw up. And he couldn’t sit still. The longest he’d managed to stay in a chair had been about four seconds before he’d gotten so restless he just had to move around. So he was wearing a hole in the floor with his pacing.

He glanced at Monica Gold, who was sitting over by herself. He met her before the surgery. He liked her; she was much calmer than Leila, and had that comforting energy Elaine possessed. Clearly, it was a mom thing. He stopped pacing long enough to stop next to her.

“How are you holding up?” He asked her quietly. She looked up, her brown eyes serious. A quiet smile touched her face. “I’m holding up just fine,” She assured him, “Much better than you seem to be.” The jibe was kind, “She’ll be all right.”

Cobalt huffed out a slight laugh, “Yeah. Thanks.” He saw Riley looking a little pale in a corner, so he excused himself to go talk to the taller man.

“Hey Riley.” Cobalt greeted, his voice quiet. He felt a little awkward. The last time he’d talked to Riley, the taller man had suggested he use his powers to help Leila. And that hadn’t gone well at all. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t completely necessary to yell at Riley for almost fifteen minutes about what a damn stupid idea that was. It didn’t take much to intimidate the gentle man, but Cobalt felt justified for the overreaction. It communicated how very, very opposed to the idea Cobalt had been. Now, while he didn’t feel bad about it, he still felt a little awkward. He’d never had occasion to yell at Riley before, although he knew the other man couldn’t hold a grudge if he tried. “How’re you doing?” He scanned the room, looking for other people that he knew.

[Elaine Tonaya]

Elaine didn't know Leila very well, but she knew that the woman had been a very big help to their mutual friend, Cobalt. She also knew that the surgery was dangerous, and it was Elaine's belief that a large group of well-wishers could create an actual effect and help speed someone's recovery. This was primarily due to her own personal experiences with being near someone who had a good aura, which in turn helped her to feel better, but while it was a conscious experience for her she felt that others felt the same way subconsciously.

And so she wrapped up a plate of cookies and went to the hospital. She wasn't really able to stay for the whole period, but she at least would go and show her support.

Walking through the doors and down the hallways, she felt a bit nervous. It hadn't been that long since she'd been here for Morgan. Just the thought gave her bad memories and sent a shiver down her spine. Luckily, though, Morgan was doing better now and could even get around on his own. With luck, the same would be true for Leila in a short time.

There was already a small group of people gathered when Elaine arrived. "No news yet, I'm assuming," she said quietly as she stepped in. "I hear it's quite a long surgery. I'm sure there's no need to worry." Part of her wanted to suggest that they might all go somewhere else and not sit in the uncomfortable waiting room, but she somehow guessed that her suggestion might fall on deaf ears. Cobalt had an unfortunate tendency to play the part of the martyr.

"I brought some cookies. And if needed I can go get dinner, too, so there's no need to eat the hospital food. How are you all holding up?"

Elaine didn't recognize the other woman there immediately, but she could guess that it was Leila's mother. Monica, at this moment, had refocused her attention on her hands, which were wringing each other with fury. Not feeling that she was the right person to offer comfort in this situation, Elaine could only send wordless sympathy toward the other woman.

"Cobalt? Are you going to be okay?" Elaine said, coming next to him and pulling him down to sit next to her. "I know this is hard for you. This whole summer has been hard. But everything's going to work out, all right?" She gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders, enveloping him in a gentle hug.

[Cobalt Weaver]

At the sight of his friend, Cobalt let out a huge sigh of relief. Elaine had always been an immediately calming presence, ever since they'd been teenagers. So he half-coherently excused himself from Riley and wandered over to where she was. At her question, he shook his head, trying not to look as miserable as he felt. "No. Nothing yet. The... uh. The doctors say it'll take five to six hours." He absently adjusted his glasses, still obviously restless, "Thanks for... being here." It meant a lot to him, and he could tell she was a little nervous, since the last time she was in here, it was for Morgan.

He let out a slight laugh when Elaine said she brought cookies. "Thanks, Lainey. I think we should be okay." As okay as he was going to be, because his brain was racing, cataloging all the worst case scenarios and putting them in order of worst to worst and he couldn't shut his brain up. But that was hardly a new scenario: Cobalt had yet to figure out how to shut up his brain.

When Elaine sat him down and gave him a gentle hug, Cobalt all but threw his arms around his friend and pressed his face against her shoulder. "I'm freaking out, Elaine." Cobalt confessed with a slightly hysterical laugh, "I don't... what if she isn't okay? I don't know how to handle this." Much to his chagrin, he apparently couldn't cope in personal crises as well as he would have hoped. He wasn't as strong as his friend. "I'm glad you're here."

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh still had difficulty accepting that Leila was in the hospital. She'd always been so vivacious, so vibrant! And now she was having a liver transplant? Visiting her (and Cobalt) after that first phone call had been so surreal. He and Sean had always joked about their livers failing, but he'd never expected it of someone Leila's age.

After signing in at the front desk he made his way to the waiting area where friends and family were gathered. An anxious pall hung over the small crowd of people, not all of whom he recognized.

His eyes sought out Cobalt, but the other attorney was with Elaine and so he didn't interrupt, particularly given the fragile look on the shorter man's face. He would go offer support to his friend once he wasn't clinging on to his frequently mentioned "fake sister."

Instead he made his way over to Riley, offering the landscaper a small smile. "Hey. Do you know when she's supposed to come out?"

He knew the time given him for when the surgery was starting, but he wasn't sure how long it would be. He'd forgotten to ask, and Cobalt had been too flustered for him to feel comfortable asking for more specific details.

[Riley Adams]

Riley stopped his nervous foot tapping when he heard Cobalt's strained voice. He looked up at the smaller man and had an overwhelming urge to spring up and throw his arms around his friend's shoulder. But he refrained when Elaine arrived. Riley gave Cobalt a small smile and shooed him over to her. Elaine was better equipped to handle a stressed Cobalt.

Josh's presence forced Riley to smile once more, though it was even more strained than the one he had offered to Cobalt earlier. "Um...surgery usually lasts about five or six hours." He shrugged. "But I guess it depends." Riley sighed, rubbing at his face tiredly, his face suddenly older than he really was. It was funny how just one person's ailing could take a toll on another person.

"Have you met Leila's mother?" Riley nudged Josh as he looked over to where Monica was sitting.

[Yulia Sokolov]

Lia had seriously considered whether it would be better to go to the hospital or to wait by the phone. She knew that the latter was easier but the former was the right thing to do. Leila’s friendship was something she treasured, and she was going to be there come hell or high water. Neither appeared which made the walk much easier. Still it was a whole different atmosphere once she got into the room. She was not surprised by the group that met her eyes, recognizing them on sight if she didn’t know them personally.

The concept of loosing another good friend, another person who mattered deeply to her, had been enough to keep her away for a while. However she had realized that was no way of dealing with this and she felt horrible that she had withdrawn for even that short time. Well, she was here now. Yulia quietly look a seat and folded her hands in her lap.

Everything had to be fine though, at least that was her method of rationalization. It had to be, because it was Leila. She had never met anyone so lively, so well intentioned, but also so sneaky. It was a combination that the world simply could not loose.

[Elaine Tonaya]

"Any time, Coby. I'm always here for you if you need it."

She smiled at Riley, who was waiting over by the window. It was meant to be an encouraging smile, but she hoped it didn't look too forced. She sensed that he was none too happy to be in the hospital again, either. Bad memories looked like they hovered just beneath the surface. She was glad, then, when Josh came in. It meant that they weren't alone, facing their fears without anyone to speak to.

As Cobalt threw his arms around her she instinctively hugged him tighter, whispering into his shoulder. "Ssh, it's okay. It's all right." She listened to his fears and could only rock gently with him, trying to calm him again. "Hey now, everything's going to be okay. She's going to pull through, and you're all going to be okay in the end." And if Leila didn't survive the surgery, well...they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. "I'm glad I can be here for you. It's good to have friends around to support you."

There were more people in the room now, including another girl about Leila's age. Elaine stayed sitting next to Cobalt so that he could lean on her. She seemed to be about the only person around who he would let himself be dependent on, so she was content to be his support during this. Everyone needed help sometimes.

She felt the most sorry for Leila's mother, who was sitting alone. She didn't know any of these people and couldn't bring herself now to speak to any of them. Apparently the mother hadn't been gifted with Leila's exuberance and outgoing personality. It almost must be harder for her, knowing that her little girl was hurting. Elaine didn't know if there were any other children in the family, but it didn't really matter. Knowing the pain of a mother in danger of losing her child, Elaine's heart went out to the woman in the corner.

Monica had left off staring into her coffee and was now standing carefully and looking around. She glanced over at the two men standing together talking and forced herself to walk over to them. "So," she said quietly, "how did you know Leila?" Much as she wished to not have to think about the surgery, she couldn't stop her brain from focusing on her daughter.

[ooc: feel free to have Monica say whatever is needed, and note that this thread will wrap up soon]

[Dr. Terrence Jordan]

Liver transplants were difficult, long surgeries. After all, this was a vital organ being dealt with, and the tiniest mistake could have long lasting, ill effects. As such, he always felt exhausted after performing them, both because of the length of time as well as the meticulous nature.

But he was always glad in the aftermath, when the transplant had been finished and the patient was on the road to recovery. Glad because he knew he had saved a life. Even more glad in this case, because Ms. Gold was vivacious and intelligent and witty even in the face of uncertainty and possible death. Perhaps it wasn't entirely professional to find his patients attractive, but he did. He rationalized this by reminding himself that technically they'd met at the book club.

After the nurses rushed her off to the room she'd be staying in he stepped out into the waiting room, which was filled with worried friends and family. It was impressive how many people cared for her, impressive and heart-warming.

He gave the group a reassuring smile. "We're finished. She is sleeping off the effects of the anesthesia currently, but if anyone wants to visit her later she is in room 203-A. I would not recommend interrupting her right now, though, as she needs her rest."

((and I think that's a wrap guuuuys))