Chapter Text
The hospital had been in Code Black for close to four hours, which was nothing compared to some night, but tonight, things had been especially tough on everyone. A bus crash on the highway, a roof collapsing at a school dance, and a fire in a care home, meant that half of LA was in Angles waiting to be seen.
Leanne had just left a patient who was now stable enough to be moved to sides, when she walked back into her office, her heart breaking at the sight of her fourteen-year-old asleep on the couch. She knew Ariel didn’t mind, the teen suddenly not wanting to be home alone, but she knew that her couch in a crowded hospital wasn’t the best place for her.
“Mum?” Ariel’s voice was quiet, and sleepy.
“It’s okay, my love. Go back to sleep.” Leanne whispered, crouching down in front of her, leaning forward to place a kiss on her forehead. “I promise, I’ll be done in a few hours and then we can go home.”
Ariel shifted slightly. “Emily said I can stay with her when you and Ethan work nights,”
Leanne sighed, she really should have thought about that before dragging the teen to the hospital for her shift, knowing full well that she had a week of school ahead of her.
“We’ll sort something out tomorrow, sweetheart, now, you go back to sleep, we’ll be going home before you know it.”
Leanne slowly got up, trying to be as quiet as possible so Ariel could fall back to sleep, and so she could have a moment to herself before she headed back out into the chaos that was centre stage, but the person on the other side of the door had other ideas.
“Come in,” Leanne said loud enough for them to hear, but quiet enough as to know wake her daughter.
It was Ethan who pushed the door open quietly, closing it behind him. Leanne watched as he took a moment to look over at Ariel, a small smile on his face.
“She’s just fallen back to sleep, I told her we would be heading home in a few hours. Apparently, Emily has said she could stay with her when we worked night shifts.” Ethan chuckled lightly, walking over to sit on one of the desk chairs.
“Somehow I can’t see that working out very well, but I agree, we should sort something out.”
“Did she tell you why she doesn’t want to stay home alone anymore?” Ethan asked after a moment of silence. It had been a few weeks ago that Ariel had actually wanted to go to work with them, offering to help Jesse out, or do homework.
Jesse had said how much better she had been since her adoption got finalised, and how much calmer she was. He’d even gone so far as to make himself her honorary uncle, as had Mario and Angus, and of course, then Noa joined in, although she called herself more of the big sister Ariel never had.
“Jesse said she mentioned something about school and someone asking after her? I don’t know, I didn’t want to push her. I don’t mind her being here, at least she has people who can keep an eye on her. Hopefully, she’ll open up soon.” Leanne shrugged. Her guess was as good as his.
“Asking after her? Like an old family member, or maybe an old patient, someone from New Mexico or?” Ethan asked.
Leanne shrugged again. “I thought her family were all dead. I thought asking Child Protective Services was being too overprotective,”
“She’s our little girl, it’s not being overprotective is it keeps her safe.” Leanne couldn’t help but smile at the term ‘our little girl’. As much as Ethan hadn’t adopted her himself, he was still a big part of Ariel’s life.
Leanne and Ethan had begun a casual relationship not long after Ethan started, and as time went on, the relationship grew, and the moment Ariel showed up, Ethan promised to be supportive no matter what Leanne choose to do, and now, nearly a year after the outbreak that nearly killed both Leanne and Ariel, they were as much of a family as they could be.
“Ethan?” Ariel’s sleepy voice interrupted what Leanne was going to say next.
“Yeah, sweetheart?” He asked, moving from his seat to sit on the couch next to her legs.
“How are those kids?” She opened one eye to look at him, before opening them both, quickly searching the room for Leanne.
“From the school dance?” Ariel nodded. “They’re doing okay, they’ll all make full recoveries.”
“Good,” Was all Ariel got out before Leanne and Ethan’s pagers went off again.
“We’re needed in Centre Stage,” Leanne said, getting up from her desk, moving over to Ariel, kissing her forehead again, before moving towards the door.
“We’ll be back soon, okay? Try and get some sleep.” Ethan said with a smile, before he got up and joined Leanne as they made their way back to their patients.
Getting to centre stage, Jesse gave both of them sympathetic looks, and instantly Leanne’s mind went to the worst case scenario. They’d lost someone. Maybe a school kid from the dance or the old gentleman from the care home, or possibly one of the tourists on the bus from Arizona.
“What’s going on, Mama?” Leanne asked, her eyes scanning the beds in centre stage.
“This is Shona, she was on the bus that crashed, she’s been checked out and other than a broken ankle and fractured wrist she should be good to go. Dr Dixon is going to move her to sides once you’ve spoken to her.”
“Why do I need to speak to her?” Leanne asked, looking over at the woman who Elliot was currently treating.
“She won’t tell me, she just demanded you, daddy.” Jesse shrugged, ready to follow Leanne over.
Ethan, who was stood behind her, gave Jesse as curious look. It wasn’t often people asked for specific doctors.
“Hi,” Leanne said as she took a few steps over. “I’m Dr Rorish, how are you feeling?”
Leanne looked at Elliot quickly, hoping her could give her the nod, that all this woman’s vitals were stable.
“She’s stable, we’re taking her to sides, awaiting a full x-ray of her ankle before booking her in for surgery,” Dr Dixon filled her in.
“I’m fine. Thank you for coming, you guys seem busy,”
“Well, we do what we can. So, how can I help you?” Leanne gave the woman a warm smile, her brain running through everyone this woman might have been, who she could have been related to, if she’d seen her before, if the name Shona rang a bell.
“You can give me my daughter,”
“Excuse me?” Leanne asked, her heart jumping into her throat, and her eyes squinting slightly, hoping she’d heard the patient right.
“I’m Shona Braeden, I’m Ariel’s mother.”