flatline [m.s]

cvii.

- - -
every patient who gets bad news wants to be the exception. the one in a million. the miracle. but surgeons don't believe in miracles.
- - -

"here's our girl," alex announces, wheeling darci into lia's room where jackson and mark are stood on either side of her bed.

"hi, sweetie," lia smiles as she holds her arms out in a grabbing motion towards the crib. "gimme, gimme, gimme."

"darci is gaining weight right on schedule," alex informs the three parents as he picks her up and passes her to lia. "she's healthy and fat."

"fat baby," mark coos proudly over darci, as jackson and alex fist bump.

"and healthy enough to go home today," alex adds, and lia's smile fades as she looks up to alex.

"yeah?" jackson raises his brow.

"are you sure she's ready?" lia frowns. "what about her respirations? i thought i-"

"lia, you can take your kid home," alex cuts her off, as his phone goes off in his pocket. he slides it out to check it quickly. "look, i gotta go. congrats on the fat baby."

"okay, yeah, thanks," mark nods as alex walks out. he then looks back to lia who is still frowning. "why the face?"

"it's a good thing," jackson reminds her.

"not for me," lia sighs, not taking her eyes off darci.

"what do you mean?" mark tilts his head to the side as he takes a seat on her bed, tracing over her hands that are cradling darci with his fingertips.

"my incision opened back up. they want to do wound therapy," lia explains. "darci's going home. but i'm not."

■ ■ ■

jackson and mark are packing up darci's things in lia's hospital room, whilst darci is sat strapped into a car seat and lia is lying in her bed.

"when you get home, just put her in her little yellow onesie with the frogs on," lia tells them, her voice breaking as she does so. "that was her going home from the hospital onesie."

"i know. i'll take pictures," jackson nods and lia begins to sob.

"hey," mark soothes, placing a hand on her leg.

"she's going home without me," lia cries, not taking her eyes off her.

"yeah," mark says softly. "and what did we just say about that?"

"the important thing is that she's healthy and i'm healthy," lia rolls her eyes.

"exactly," mark squeezes her thigh gently.

"that's crap!" lia snaps, and both mark and jackson raise their brows at her. "she's supposed to be with me- bonding and attaching or whatever. smelling me like birds and dogs."

"birds and dogs?" jackson furrows his brow.

"shut up. it's nature," lia begins to sob again. "how's she gonna attach to me when she's there and i'm here?"