Chapter Twelve:

Long Day

Emily walked out of the prison, still trying to process everything that Allison had said. It was a lost cause, Emily knew that Ally would never forgive their parents for the past and Emily understood why. Now she would have to be the one to tell their mother and she knew that that news would break their mother’s heart. Emily got into the car; Matt had been waiting for her there. He looked at her expression and knew that it could not have gone well. “So how did it go?” He asked
 

Emily sighed and replied “like I expected”
 

He leaned over and kissed Emily on the forehead “Do you want to talk about it?” Matt asked. He sat back in the driver’s seat and put his seat beat on before he put the vehicle into drive and sped away from the prison
 

“Nothing really to talk about. Allison can’t forgive mom for the past and doesn‘t want anything to do with her and that’s putting it nicely. I really can’t blame Ally for feeling that way, I haven’t forgotten either but I just can’t justify not being there for my mom.” Emily said
 

“How about we just forget everything for tonight and just go home” Matt suggested
 

“Sounds like a plan” Emily replied “I don’t want to think about any of it for tonight.”
 

They drove on in silence until both phones went off. “You have got to be kidding me” Emily sighed. Matt and Emily answered their phones, “Lehman, got it, we’ll be there in five”
 

“Duty calls” Emily said as Matt hung up his phone
 

“Before I hit the sirens are you sure you’re up to working. I can call Cheryl back and get her to call in Temple and Binder. She’ll understand” Matt stated
 

Emily leaned forward and hit the sirens “I’m good. I still won’t be able to think about it at work.” Emily said. She gave Matt a weak smile, Matt looked over and gave her a questionable look “Seriously Flannery I can handle it.
 

Matt and Emily rolled up to the scene five minutes later. It was the last place either wanted to be at the moment. When Emily took the call she never put it together that their scene was a hospital. They got out of the car and flashed the uniform standing at the crime scene tape and walked in “so what do we have?” Matt asked Cheryl when they entered the bus.
 

“45 year old male just took the transplant unit personnel hostage. Lia is working on an ID and Frank has just secured the scene.” Cheryl answered “Listen guys, I wouldn’t have called you; I know the English case was a long one and we’re at a hospital but apparently you two are the only people on my team that still answers their cell phones.” She said in a rather annoyed tone
 

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get to work” Emily replied. “I’ll take primary”
 

“You were primary on the last case. I’ll take it this time” Matt insisted.
 

“I think it would be better if I took primary” Emily replied stubbornly. She wanted to be primary and she wasn’t going to back down. Matt knew this but the problem was he knew what kind of pressure she had been under lately and though he didn’t doubt her abilities he didn’t think she should be primary at the moment either.
 

“We don’t have time for you two to argue over this right now” Cheryl commended “Emily is primary”
 

“What happened to letting the choice of primary up to your negotiators?” Matt questioned. Good job Cheryl was his friend he thought or he probably would have been kicked of the scene for that comment.
 

Cheryl raised her eyebrows “Do I need to remind you what happened the last time we negotiated at a hospital? I’m looking out for you. Lehman is taking primary.” Cheryl said calmly “and Flannery don’t question me again”

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    An hour later, Emily had made some progress with their HT. Lia had ID him as Bryan Roland, an architect from Pasadena and a single father. It turned out that he was doing this for his twelve year old son Cody. Cody had been diagnosed with congenital heart disease when he was eight, he was put on the transplant list and had been waiting for a new heart ever since. Due to the miracles of modern medicine, Cody had been able to live the past four years while he waited for a new heart to become available but his heart had been getting weaker each year, Cody was going to die without a new heart. And than Bryan’s prayers had been answered. Today he got the page, which meant Cody was finally going to get a heart. Cody had been prepped and had been waiting for the heart to arrive. That’s when the horrible news came; there had been two hearts both a match to Cody but one went to an elder man and one to Cody. When Cody’s had been removed the doctor discovered that it had been too damaged in the accident, it was no longer a viable organ which meant Cody would no longer be getting a heart today. When Mr. Roland received the news that Cody would have to wait for a heart he took the transplant unit over demanding the doctors give Cody the other heart.
 

“Emily it’s not fair. Cody deserves this heart.” Bryan said into the phone. He was slightly agitated but at least he had stopped yelling.
 

“I do not doubt that Cody is a good kid but that’s not how these things work. There are procedures that have to be followed” Emily replied

 

“You can stick your procedures where the sun doesn’t shine. My boy is getting a heart today and no one is leaving here until he does.” Bryan yelled into the phone before hanging up.
 

Emily sighed and turned around to face the rest of the team. That was the fifth time in an hour Bryan had hung up on her, she could feel him slipping away along with his twenty five hostages and there was nothing she could do about it. “Frank, I hate to ask this but do you have a tactical plan?” Emily asked
 

He shook his head no. “There is no way to penetrate that floor. Plus there are several patients up there with weak hearts, they can’t take anymore stress” He replied
 

Emily nodded her head that left it up to her. Matt passed her a bottle of water, “remember common ground and make a connection with Bryan.’ Matt reminded her
 

“Ok but I have no common ground with Bryan. I have no idea what it’s like to have a sick child….” She started to say when a light went off in her head “Matt you’re a genius” She picked up the phone and dialled back into the hospital
 

“Hello” Bryan said into the phone “have you gotten the heart for Cody yet?”
 

“No not yet” Emily replied
 

“What the hell are you doing? Get the heart or I swear I’m going to start shooting this gun” Bryan bellowed into the phone
 

“Don’t do that but Bryan I’m going to be honest with you. The other heart is going to go to Mr. Johnson. Don’t shoot just listen” Emily said into the phone. “I can sit here and say I know what you’re going through but truth is I have no idea what its like to have a sick son. But I know what its like to loose control. That’s one of the elements of this job, I can talk but I can’t control what the person on the other end is going to do. So I control my life. And until recently I had total control of my life. I might not understand what its like to have a sick child but I know what its like to have a sick parent. My mom has terminal cancer and there is nothing else that the doctors can do for her. She’s going to die and soon.” Emily said into the phone. She could hear Lia let out a sigh of shock behind her. She hadn’t told anyone (besides Matt) from the team about her mom yet. But right now she had to focus on Bryan.

“I’m sorry about your mother” Bryan said into the phone in just above a whisper “But this is my son and Cody needs this heart. And I can save him as soon as you hand over the other heart”

“But Cody still has a chance even without this heart the doctors say he can live a few more years with his old one. Cody is at the top of the transplant list, he’ll get another chance. My mom won’t. She won’t be around to see me walk down the aisle or see her grandchildren.” Emily replied “But let’s forget about my problems for now. Let’s talk about Mr. Johnson. That’s the guy whose heart you’ll be taking. He’s fifty-five and has two daughters, Annie and Kellie. If you take the heart from Mr. Johnson, he won’t be able to walk Kellie down the aisle this spring or take his granddaughter on their annual fishing trip this summer. There are no more chances for Mr. Johnson.” Emily said into the phone. She heard Bryan sigh, she bit her lip and hoped that she had gotten thought to him.

“Ok, I’ll surrender” Bryan said back.

 

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        It took another hour to get everything straightened away. Bryan Roland had been taken into custody which meant social services had to be called in for Cody. Emily was in the back of the bus, putting the Intel they had gather during the negation into a folder when Lia and Cheryl came down to see her.
 

        “Are you OK?” Cheryl asked . She was actually quite shocked about Emily’s confession about her mom. She had known something was up with Emily lately but no one in the CNU had any idea about Emily’s mom.
 

        “Yeah I’m fine” Emily said
 

        Lia walked over to her best friend and gave her a great big hug.
 

        “Lia, why are you hugging me?” Emily asked
 

        “Because you need one. Now shut up and take the hug” Lia replied

        Emily smiled “Thanks I think” she said

        “Emily, if you need to take any time off. I’ll understand” Cheryl said
 

        “No!” Emily replied and Lia let her go “I don’t need time off, that’s one thing I definitely don’t need”
   

        Matt, walked into the back of the bus “Ok so now we’re going home and we‘re not answering our cell phones” He said
 

        Cheryl nodded her head in agreement. Just than Frank and Duff walked back to the bus, “Lehman, whenever you want I’m up for a round at Sloans: Duff said and Frank added “And he’ll buy”

 Lia rolled her eyes “Yeah because that’s healthy” she said sarcastically and quickly added “If you need anything you know I’m always around” She told Emily.

        Emily smiled who family might be insane but she knew how lucky she was to have such great friends. “I’m fine” Emily insisted. No one actually believed her but it was okay because they would all be there if she needed them and Emily knew it.

Shortly afterwards Matt and Emily got ready to leave the bus and headed home. All Emily wanted to do now was put on her pyjamas and cuddle up with Matt. It had been a long day.

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Chapter Thirteen