Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Okay ladies! Very nice work today! Class dismissed!” Says Mrs. Kelly, Julie and Flynn’s dance teacher. 

“Oh thank god.” Flynn says, turning to Julie as they walk into the locker room to get changed. “Girl I am starving! I am so ready for lunch!” Julie laughs and shakes her head at her best friend as they change out of their dance clothes and back into their regular clothes. 

“Well then maybe you should’ve had something more than a soda for breakfast this morning.” Julie says, giving Flynn a knowing look. Flynn just shrugs. 

“I didn’t have time for anything else this morning. You know I need my beauty sleep Jules.” She says as she closes her gym locker. Together the two of them head for the hall. 

“Hey you go ahead to the cafeteria, I’ll meet up with you in a bit.” Julie says to Flynn. “I have a melody I need to get out of my head and down on paper, but I want to hear it on the piano first. I’m pretty sure the music room is empty this period.” This time it’s Flynn’s turn to give Julie a knowing look.

“Fine, but I’m gonna come join you once I grab my lunch, someone needs to make sure you eat too and don’t spend the entire period at the piano.” She says nudging Julie playfully. “Ugh, why did I have to opt to buy school lunch today?” She adds, wrinkling her nose. “I seriously hope it’s not mystery meat today.” Julie laughs. 

“Okay go.” She says giving Flynn a playful shove towards the cafeteria. “Otherwise you’ll spend most of lunch stuck in the lunch line. I’ll see you in a few.” Flynn laughs and heads off to the cafeteria. 

Julie then turns and heads to the music room which she is pleased to find is, in fact, empty. She pulls her song book out of her backpack, flipping it open to a blank page as she heads for the piano. She drops her backpack on the floor and slides onto the bench, already humming the melody that’s been floating around in her mind all day. 

She’s only been at it for a few minutes when all of a sudden there is a rumble and the room begins to shake, the instruments around the room creating a cacophony of noise. Overhead the light fixtures start to swing wildly, creaking and flickering. With a start Julie realizes what’s happening. An earthquake. 

For a moment Julie freezes in fear. Despite having lived in California her whole life, she’s never actually experienced a major earthquake before. She certainly never expected the first time it happened would be while she was at school and completely alone.

But after a moment of paralyzing fear, a concerning creak from the flickering light fixture above her head spurs her into action. The earthquake safety protocol her parents drilled into her and Carlos from a young age comes flooding back to her. Drop, cover, hold on. 

Blowing out a breath Julie pushes back from the piano and drops to the floor on her hands and knees, plaster dust from the ceiling raining down around her. She quickly surveys the room and comes to the realization that her best chance of cover is under the piano, so she crawls unsteadily across the shaking floor until she is underneath it, huddling down, covering her head and neck with one arm and holding tightly to the leg of the piano with the other.

She stays like that as the room shakes and creaks around her. The windows along the back wall shatter, sending shards of glass everywhere, a few hitting Julie’s exposed arms, leaving nicks and cuts in their wake. Julie hisses in pain, her heart racing as she starts to realize just how bad of an earthquake this really is.

That’s when things go from bad to worse. With a screeching, groaning crack, the light fixture from above the piano comes tumbling down, bringing a chunk of ceiling down with it, right on top of the piano, crushing it. Julie lets out a cry. The last thing she feels is a blinding pain in her back and then her world goes dark.

Chapter Text

The boys spend the morning before the earthquake hits hanging out in the Molina’s studio. Luke and Julie had written a new song the night before and Luke wanted Reggie and Alex to help him write the bass and drum parts for it. They spend most of the morning working on it and by just before lunch time, Luke is pretty pleased with what they’ve accomplished. 

“You guys! This is sounding great! We are on fire!” Luke crows, throwing an arm around Reggie’s shoulders and grinning widely at Alex.

“Yeah man! I can wait to show Julie when she gets home from school!” Reggie says brightly.

“Which thankfully, is not for another couple hours.” Alex says, tucking his sticks away and stepping out from behind his kit. “I need a break. Who knew it was possible for ghosts to sweat this much?!” He grabs a towel to wipe his face then grabs a fresh shirt before heading to the studio bathroom to freshen up. Luke and Reggie move to do the same. All of a sudden, the cymbals on Alex’s kit start to rattle. 

“Hey!” Alex cries from the bathroom. “I’ve told you guys before, don’t mess with my drums!”

“Uh dude, that wasn’t us.” Reggie says. 

“Yeah man, we’re not anywhere near your kit.” Luke adds. Alex walks out of the bathroom. Sure enough, Reggie is standing in the middle of the studio and Luke is on the couch. 

“Then how are…” Alex cuts off and looks up. The chairs hanging from the ceiling are rattling and clanking together. A beat later he realizes it’s not just the chairs and his drums. The whole studio is shaking. They’re having an earthquake!

Just then, one of the chairs hanging from the ceiling comes loose. Alex’s eyes go wide when he realizes it’s hanging directly above where Reggie is standing.

“Reg! Look out!” 

“Huh? What the?!” Alex poofs across the room and yanks Reggie out of the way just in time. The chair crashes to the ground and splinters into pieces right where Reggie had been standing mere moments before. 

“Oh my god, are you guys okay?” Luke cries, leaping off the couch and making his way unsteadily towards them. 

“Th-that chair could’ve killed me! Alex! You saved my life man!” Reggie cries, throwing his arms around Alex. 

“Dude, we’re ghosts, we’re already… okay…” Alex mutters, rolling his eyes and patting Reggie’s back for a moment before shrugging the bassist off. When Reggie gives him a wounded look Alex huffs. 

“Dude! There’s literally an earthquake happening right now! Hugs can wait!” He says in exasperation.

“Oh! Right!” Reggie says before dropping to the ground and rolling back and forth. Luke and Alex stare at him in bewilderment. 

“Uh, whatcha doing there buddy?” Luke asks tentatively. Reggie pauses what he’s doing and looks up at his friends.

“It’s earthquake survival procedure you guys! Stop, drop, and roll!” He states like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Alex lets out a long suffering sigh before grabbing Luke and yanking him down onto the floor. 

“Reg that’s what you do if you’re on fire! Earthquake procedure is drop, cover, hold on!” He says in exasperation. 

“Ohhh. Right! Yeah I guess that does make more sense.” Reggie says, rolling over onto his stomach and pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. Alex just sighs again and shakes his head. 

“C’mon you two, we can use the piano for cover, I’d rather not find out the hard way that ghosts aren’t earthquake proof.” Alex says and together the three of them crawl over to the piano and huddle underneath it. 

There the three of them wait out the earthquake. Once everything finally stops shaking, they crawl back out to assess the damage. Luckily, the studio appears to be mainly intact. No other chairs fell and the worst of the mess just seems to be things that have fallen off shelves and dirt from the plants ending up all over the floor. Luke especially is relieved to find that none of the instruments were damaged. From outside they can hear car alarms going off and sirens wailing in the distance. 

“We should go check inside the house!” Reggie says, eyes going wide with concern. “Make sure Ray and Carlos are okay! I don’t think the little man had school today…” Luke and Alex nod in agreement and together the three of them poof into the Molina’s front hall. 

Ever since Julie had hugged the three of them back from the brink of existence they had started becoming more tangible to the human world. They remained tangible to Julie after her magical hug, but now Ray, Carlos, Flynn, and even Tía could see and hear them most of the time and sometimes, if they really focused, they could even make themselves tangible to Julie’s family and best friend. 

“Ray! Carlos!” Reggie yells as soon as he rights himself after poofing in. “Can you hear me? Are you guys okay?” Glancing around he can see the mess that the earthquake made of the Molina’s house. Pictures on the walls have been knocked askew or have fallen off the wall completely, stuff on shelves has been knocked to the floor, several more fragile things lying in pieces, and the furniture has shifted around at all sorts of strange angles. For one terrifying beat there is no answer, but then Reggie hears a voice from the dining room.

“Reggie? Is that you?” Ray calls back. Reggie lets out a breath of relief and poofs himself to the dining room, Alex and Luke right behind him. There they find Ray helping a wide eyed and slightly shaken Carlos out from under the Molina’s solid, heavy kitchen table. 

“Are you guys okay?” Reggie asks frantically. Ray wraps an arm around Carlos, pulling him close and gives Reggie a reassuring smile.

“Sí, we’re okay, thank you Reggie. A little shaken up, no pun intended, but other than that we are just fine.” Ray says soothingly. “Are you boys okay?” The three boys nod, grateful that they are currently visible to Ray and Carlos. 

“Yeah, we’re fine, thanks Ray.” Alex says. The studio is mostly intact too. None of the instruments were damaged. Though one of the chairs on the ceiling fell and broke.”

Ray waves a hand. “Oh I’m not too worried about those old chairs. I’m just glad you boys are okay and that there wasn’t any major damage. And I know Julie will be relieved that none of the instruments were damaged.”

“Have you heard from Julie?” Luke asks anxiously. “Is she okay?” Ray’s face falls and he squeezes Carlos closer. 

“Not yet, I’m sorry, I promise I will let you boys know as soon as I hear from her or the school” Ray says regretfully, his own worry clear on his face. The boys share a worried look.

“Can we turn on the news?” Reggie asks tentatively. “Find out what’s going on out there? We could hear lots of car alarms going off and sirens off in the distance…”

Ray nods. “Of course you can, that’s an excellent idea Reggie. Carlos, do you want to help the boys set that up? I need to make sure I know where my phone is and then start cleaning up a bit…” He says glancing around at the mess the earthquake left behind. Carlos nods and leads the boys to the living room, quickly getting the TV turned on and finding a local news station. 

BREAKING NEWS REPORT: Strongest Earthquake in Over 25 Years Hits LA

Just moments ago the LA area was hit by the strongest earthquake it’s had since Northridge was rocked by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake in January of 1994. Today’s earthquake hit a 6.8 on the Richter scale at its epicenter in Los Feliz, a neighborhood just north of LA. Let’s go to our sky cam now to get a bird’s eye view of the situation…

“Dad!“ Carlos calls. “Get in here! I think you’re gonna wanna see this!” A moment later Ray walks in, his located cell phone in hand.

“What’s going on Mijo? Oh Dios mío…” He murmurs in shock when he sees what’s playing on TV. It quickly becomes apparent that they were very lucky that their home wasn’t damaged more. Further north from where they are, there is much more significant damage. Every pair of eyes in the room is glued to the TV. 

A few minutes later there is a collective sharp inhale of shock and horror when the camera pans over Los Feliz High School. It is immediately obvious that the school, Julie’s school, where she is right now, suffered quite a bit of damage. Unable to stand waiting any longer, Ray pulls out his phone and tries to call Julie. The boys all watch him with baited breath. A few moments later he hangs up and shakes his head. 

“Voicemail.” He says, fighting to keep his voice steady, though his clear worry for his daughter’s safety bleeds through. Luke glances between the TV, which is still showing images of Julie’s damaged school, and Ray. He frowns and squares his shoulders.

“I’m going to the school. I gotta find Julie, make sure she’s okay. Alex, Reggie, you guys coming?” He says with determination, looking at his band mates. Alex and Reggie both quickly nod. 

“Of course we’re coming!” Reggie says. 

“Yeah. We’ll find her.” Alex says. “And as soon as we do, one of us will come tell you guys.” He adds, looking to Ray and Carlos.

“Thank you boys.” Ray says, his voice thick with emotion. “Please, find my little niña.”

Luke nods. “We will. Let’s go boys.” And with that the three of them poof to Los Feliz High School.

Chapter Text

When the boys arrive at Los Feliz it is chaotic to say the very least. There are students, staff and EMS workers everywhere, with more EMS arriving and concerned parents starting to show up as well. Almost everyone is yelling, sirens are wailing, and alarms are blaring. Alex turns to Luke.

“Okay dude, you know Julie’s schedule better than we do, where was she supposed to be when the earthquake hit? What class? We’ll start there.” 

Luke glances around at the chaos, his eyes wide and his nonexistent heart pounding at the thought that Julie is somewhere in this mess and could very well be hurt, or worse. 

“Uhh, I-I think… I think she should have been at lunch… Yeah. Lunch. We should check the cafeteria.” Luke says in answer to Alex’s question. Together the three of them poof over to the other side of the school where the cafeteria is located. The doors are open and students are streaming out. The boys turn this way and that, searching for Julie among the throng of students. 

“Julie! Julie! Where are you?! JULIE!” Luke begins to yell as he weaves through the crowd. Alex and Reggie join his cries, their voices growing more and more frantic the longer their calls go unanswered. 

All of a sudden Reggie turns around and smacks right into someone. He lets out a surprised grunt, stumbling back a step, not having expected to run into anyone. 

“Julie?!” He says hopefully, before he realizes this person has braids, not curls. “Oh hi Flynn. Are you okay? Is Julie with you? Where is she? Is she okay?” Reggie rambles nervously, glancing around her looking for Julie. Luke and Alex notice Reggie talking to Flynn and quickly make their way over.

“Flynn!” Luke cries. “Where’s Julie?!”

Flynn glances furtively around, but in all the chaos, no one is paying her any mind and, well, no one else can see the boys.

“I-I’m okay…” She says tentatively. “B-but I-I haven’t seen Julie… She didn’t come to the cafeteria with me after dance class. She wanted to use the piano in the music room while it was empty… I-I haven’t seen her since… I-I don’t know where she is o-or if she’s okay… She’s not answering her phone…” Flynn explains, wringing her hands in worry. 

Alex tries to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but his hand passes right through, too anxious to focus on making himself tangible,  making them both shiver at the sensation.

“Sorry.” He mutters sheepishly. “We’ll go look for her, Flynn. You just stay here and stay safe, okay? We’ll let you know as soon as we know anything.” Flynn nods reluctantly. Alex then turns to look at Luke.

“Luke? You know how to get to the music room?” He asks. Luke nods. He grabs Alex and Reggie’s sleeves and poofs them there. 

Chapter Text

When the boys get their footing and look around the room they let out matching gasps of horror and shock. The music room looks like a war zone, furniture, instruments, and papers all over the place, shattered glass from the windows sprayed across the floor, and light fixtures and parts of the ceiling either fully or partially collapsed.

“Oh my god…” Luke whispers, his eyes wide. “Julie? Julie! JULIE!!!” He starts yelling, scrambling around the room, searching amongst the debris. Alex and Reggie do the same. 

“You guys! Over here!” Reggie yells a few agonizing minutes later. “By the piano… or what’s left of it…”

Alex and Luke dash over, dropping to their knees in the rubble next to Reggie who is already trying to move the smaller pieces of rubble, his eyes watering and hands trembling, having the most trouble interacting with objects he’s had since they very first came back as ghosts, his hands phasing through the pieces of rubble he’s trying to move. There, beneath the rubble of the fallen ceiling and crushed piano, lies Julie, her small, still form so unlike their lead singer who is usually so vibrant and full of life.

“No, no, no…” Luke mutters frantically. 

“Woah, Reg, hang on Dude.” Alex says, gently grabbing his wrist. “I-I know you want to help her, I do too, but if we shift something wrong, we could end up hurting her worse.” Reggie quickly pulls his hands back, clutching them to his chest. 

“I-is… I-is she…?” He sniffles, unable to complete his thought, not wanting to say it out loud. 

With a trembling hand Luke reaches forward and with the most delicate touch, gently brushes Julie’s hair away from her face. His nonexistent heart clenches when he sees her pale, still face streaked with dust and blood, her eyes closed. 

“Oh Julie… Please no…” He whispers, reaching forward again, searching for a pulse. For a few agonizing moments he can’t find it, but then he feels it, fluttering lightly under his fingertips. He lets out a huge sigh of relief. He turns to Alex and Reggie, a weak smile on his face. 

“Sh-she’s alive.” He breathes out. Both Alex and Reggie sag with relief. 

“G-guys, we gotta get her out of here! She needs help!” Luke cries frantically. “Help! Help! Someone help!”

“Luke! Luke!” Alex calls. “Dude! No one can hear you!” Luke turns to Alex, his eyes frantic. 

“Alex, we gotta get her some help!” 

“We will dude, we will, I promise, okay? But you have to calm down.” Alex says gently. Luke lets out a shaky breath.

“O-okay…” He mutters.

“Good.” Alex says with a nod. “Okay. Luke, you stay here with Julie. Reg, you go tell Ray what’s going on, tell him to get here ASAP. I’ll go find Flynn and have her send the EMS this way.”

Reggie nods, reaching out to squeeze Luke’s shoulder. “She’ll be okay Luke. Julie’s strong. I’ll be back soon okay?” 

Alex nods. “Reggie’s right man. Julie’s strong, she’ll make it through this. We’ll be back soon with help and then everything’s gonna be okay.”

Luke nods, giving the two of them a weak smile. “Thanks guys. Now go. Hurry!” Alex and Reggie nod then poof out. 

With Alex and Reggie gone, Luke turns his attention back to Julie. Even though he knows she’s alive, seeing her looking so small, still, and lifeless is freaking him out. 

“Oh Julie…” He murmurs softly reaching out and ever so gently cupping her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away some of the dust. 

“You gotta wake up Julie, please. I-I can’t do this without you…” He watches her closely, hoping that just maybe she’ll stir, but nothing. With a sigh he slips his other hand into Julie’s limp one, giving a gentle squeeze. 

“Just hold on Julie, please. Help is on the way. I just need you to wake up for me. Please.” He says softly, trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. He searches her face for any sign of a response, but still nothing. 

His head droops as he lets out a sigh of defeat, feeling utterly useless. He clutches Julie’s hand in both of his, afraid if he lets go she’ll slip away. A few minutes later he feels a slight pressure on his hands. He looks up with a gasp. 

“Julie? Julie! Can you hear me? It’s Luke! I’m right here, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand again!” There is a brief pause and then Luke feels a weak squeeze. 

“Julie! C’mon, please wake up!” Luke begs, squeezing her hand back. A moment later Julie lets out a soft groan and her eyes flutter open.

“Oh thank god.” Luke murmurs.

“L-Luke…?” Julie rasps, letting out a cough and then another groan. 

“I’m here Julie, I’m here, you’re gonna be okay.” Luke murmurs soothingly, reaching over to gently cup her face, his thumb rubbing back and forth against her cheek. Julie leans into his hand, letting out a pained whimper. 

“Ahhh… It h-hurts L-Luke…” She says in a small voice. “W-what h-happened?” She tries to squirm out, but quickly stops, letting out a cry of pain. 

“Woah, woah! Easy Julie, easy.” Luke says quickly. “Don’t try to move, okay? There was an earthquake, remember? Part of the ceiling fell and trapped you under the piano.” He gently strokes his hand through her hair. “Alex and Reggie have gone to get help. We’ll get you out in no time, just try to relax and don’t move okay? Help will be here soon.”

Julie sniffs and lets out another pained whimper. “L-Luke… I-I’m scared… I-it really h-hurts.”

“Shh I know Julie, I’m sorry.” Luke whispers, continuing his gentle motions through Julie’s hair. Julie sniffles and leans into his hand, tears dripping slowly down her cheeks. 

Just then there is the sound of a poof and Reggie comes stumbling back in. Once he rights himself he spins around until he spots Luke and Julie then rushes over. 

“Luke! I talked to Ray, he’s on his way but the roads are a mess, so it might take him a while to get here. How’s Julie? Is she o- Julie! You’re awake!” Reggie babbles as he rushes over and drops down on his knees next to Luke and Julie. Julie gives him a small, weak attempt at a smile.

“H-hey Reggie… I-I’ve been better…” She says in a small voice. Reggie sees her tears and frowns. 

“Oh no! Julie please don’t cry! I’m sure Alex will be back with the EMS soon!” He tries to reassure her, pulling a handkerchief from the pocket of his leather jacket and dabbing gently at her face. 

Sure enough, moments later Alex poofs in and rushes to join them.

“Okay, I found Flynn, the EMS should be here soon- Julie! Oh my god!” Alex rambles. 

“H-hi Alex. Is Flynn o-okay?” Julie asks weakly. Alex quickly nods.

“Yeah she’s fine Julie, she made it out okay,  she’s just worried about you.” Alex says, trying to reassure her. Julie lets out a breath of relief that turns into a whimper of pain. Luke squeezes her hand. 

“Don’t worry Julie, help will be here soon.” He murmurs softly, rubbing his thumb soothing back and forth against her knuckles. Moments later a team of EMS comes rushing into the room. 

“Julie? Julie Molina?” One of them calls out. “Call out if you’re in here! We’re the paramedics, we’re here to help you!” 

“H-Here!” Julie calls weakly, coughing and letting out a whimper of pain. The EMS crew rushes over, forcing the boys to move out the way or keep getting walked through. Julie lets out a small cry when Luke’s hand slips out of hers.

“It’s okay Julie, I’m staying right here, I promise.” Luke calls from a few feet away. “I gotta let these guys do their job, but I’m not leaving you.”

“Neither are we.” Alex adds. Reggie nods. That seems to calm Julie a little and she lies still, letting the EMS crew do their job, though she never takes her eyes off the boys. What feels like an eternity later, they are finally able to clear away all the rubble from off and around Julie.

Julie lets out a small breath of relief as the painful pressure on her back is finally gone. It still hurts, but not nearly as bad as it did before. A couple of the paramedics bring a backboard over and lay it down next to Julie. Then one of them comes over and crouches down next to Julie’s head so she can talk to her. 

“Alright Julie, we’re going to roll you over onto the backboard now and get you secure so we can move you and get you out of here. This might hurt a little, but I promise we are going to do this as gently as possible, okay?” The paramedic explains. 

“O-okay…” Julie says in a small voice. The paramedic gives Julie a reassuring smile then looks up at her partners and nods. 

There is a flurry of activity and then Julie finds herself on her back, a brace around her neck, forcing her to look straight up at the remnants of the music room ceiling. A moment later she feels the board she is laying on being lifted into the air and then laid on a stretcher. 

But then the stretcher starts to move and from her position Julie can’t see her boys anymore. She wants to call out to them, just to make sure they’re still there, still with her, but she can’t do that without the paramedics noticing and asking questions she can’t answer. Almost as if he can sense her unease, moments later, Luke poofs next to Julie and carefully slips his hand back into hers, walking alongside the stretcher. 

“I gotchu Boss.” He says with a soft smile, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Me and the guys are right here, we’re not going anywhere, promise.” A second later Alex and Reggie poof in on the other side of the stretcher and give her their own reassuring smiles.

Julie lets out a small breath of relief, sending them a weak but grateful smile and squeezing Luke’s hand back in a silent thank you. All three of them stick close to her side as she is wheeled out of the school, none of them faltering even for a moment, not even when her grip on Luke’s hand tightens each time the stretcher goes over a bump, sending a jolt of pain flaring up her back and making her bite back a whimper. 

The next thing she knows they are wheeling her outside and she is squinting against the bright sunlight, unable to shield her eyes. She is still squinting and blinking to adjust her eyes to the change in light when, above all the noise and chaos, she hears a voice calling her name.

“JULIE!!!” Shrieks a very familiar voice. A moment later a shadow falls across her stretcher and Julie finds herself staring up at her best friend. 

“H-hey Flynn.” She croaks weakly, giving her best friend a small attempt at a smile. She knows Alex had said she was fine, but seeing for herself that she really is okay makes her feel so much better. 

“Oh my god! Julie! Thank god you’re alive! I got so worried when you weren’t answering your phone! Are you okay? I mean, obviously you’re not okay, otherwise they wouldn’t be wheeling you out on a stretcher, but you’re gonna live, right? Oh my god, she’s gonna live right?!” Flynn babbles frantically, turning her attention from Julie to the paramedics.

“Woah, okay, just take a breath honey, your friend is going to be okay.” One of the paramedics says soothingly to Flynn. Julie manages a weak chuckle. 

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily Flynn, don’t worry. You’re stuck with me just like I’m stuck with you. Crazy glue of best friends, right?” 

Flynn gives Julie a watery smile, swiping at her eyes. “And don’t you forget it.” She says mock sternly. 

One of the paramedics gives Flynn a kind smile. “Okay hun, I know you’re worried about your friend here, but we do need you to move so we can get her to an ambulance so she can get to the hospital and get checked out.” Flynn nods, wiping at her eyes. She looks down at Julie and gives her the best attempt at a reassuring smile she can muster. 

“You’re gonna be okay Jules. I’ll come see you in a little bit, okay?” She says, squeezing Julie’s arm. Julie gives her a brave smile in return. 

“Thanks Flynn.” She says softly before Flynn steps out of the way so they can keep wheeling her towards where all the ambulances are waiting. Just as they arrive at the ambulances, another familiar voice cuts through the crowd.

“Julie? Julie! Please, where is my daughter? JULIE!” Ray’s voice calls above the chaos.

“Dad!” Julie cries out, straining a little against the straps securing her to the backboard, then biting back a whimper when the movement triggers another jolt of pain. 

“Ray!” Reggie calls out, sticking his hand in the air and waving it around, hoping he can still see and hear him. “Over here!” It must work, because moments later Ray breaks through the crowd and rushes straight to Julie’s side. 

“Oh Julie, are you alright Mija?” Ray asks softly, gently stroking his hand over the top of Julie’s head, his other hand slipping into the one that Luke isn’t holding. Julie sniffles and clings tightly to her dad’s hand. She’s been trying so hard to be brave, but now her dad’s here she can’t help the tears that escape. 

“Papí…” She croaks in a small voice. “I-it really hurts… I-I’m scared Papí…” 

“Shh, it’s going to be okay Mija.” Ray murmurs soothingly, gently wiping away her tears before looking up at the paramedics. “What happened? Sh-she’s going to be okay right?” 

“Mr. Molina, I presume?” One of them asks. Ray nods.

“Yes, I’m Ray Molina, please is my daughter going to be okay?” Ray responds.

“We pulled your daughter out from under the partially collapsed ceiling in the music room Mr. Molina. We need to get her to the hospital to properly assess the extent of her injuries, but the fact that she’s conscious and alert is a good sign. I assure you, we’re going to make sure your daughter is well taken care of.” The same kindly paramedic who had reassured Flynn says. Ray nods and gives the paramedic a shaky smile.

“Okay thank you.” He says before turning his attention back to Julie. “You’re going to be okay Mija.” He says with a small smile. “These nice paramedics are going to take you to the hospital, and make sure you’re okay. Carlos is in the car, so I’m going to follow right behind you, guys, sí?” Julie frowns, tightening her grip on her dad’s hand. 

“Papí, please don’t leave me…” She whimpers. 

Ray feels his heart break. “I’m so sorry Mija, but I promise I will be right behind you the whole way. I love you so much.” He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead. “The guys will stay with you Mija, I promise you won’t be alone.” He whispers softly to her.” Julie lets out a shaky breath and nods. Reluctantly Ray stands up and takes a step back. “Please take care of my little neña.” It sounds like he’s talking to the paramedics, but the boys know he’s talking to them too. 

“We will Ray.” Reggie says earnestly.

“We promise.” Alex adds. 

“I’m not leaving her side.” Luke says in the most serious tone Ray has ever heard from the boy, a resolute, determined look on his face as he gives Julie’s hand a gentle reassuring squeeze. 

“Your daughter is in good hands Mr. Molina, I assure you.” The paramedic says kindly. “We’re going to head out now, you are welcome to follow us, we will be heading to Los Feliz General Hospital.” Ray nods.

“Thank you, I will see you there.” Ray says with a nod, sending Julie a reassuring smile. “I’ll see you very soon Mija.” He waits and watches the paramedics load Julie into the ambulance then hurries to his car. 

Luke is forced to briefly let go of Julie’s hand while they lift her into and secure her in the back of the ambulance, but as soon as he can he poofs to her side, slipping his hand back into hers. Reggie and Alex are moments behind him, settling in on Julie’s other side, just as the doors of the ambulance are slammed shut.

The ambulance starts driving, turning its siren on and speeding towards the hospital. All of a sudden it hits the boys that the last time any of them were in an ambulance was the night they died and none of them made it to the hospital that fateful night. They all seem to have this realization at the same time, exchanging wide eyed looks. 

Luke lets out a steadying breath and gives a small shake of his head, nodding subtly towards Julie, communicating silently to Reggie and Alex that now is not the time to freak out about that, right now they need to keep their focus on Julie. Reggie and Alex let out calming breaths of their own and give Luke a nod. And if they shuffle a little closer to Julie and if Luke holds onto Julie’s hand a little tighter, well, nobody has to know.

Chapter Text

As the ambulance speeds towards the hospital the couple of paramedics in the back of the ambulance work on Julie, getting her vitals, checking over her injuries, and cleaning the blood and dust off her face and arms.

“Julie, hon?” One of the paramedics says gently, to get her attention. “We need to try and determine if you might have any sort of head injury. Do you know if you hit your head or do you remember if you lost consciousness at any point before we found you?”

“She did! Sh-she was unconscious when we found her!” Reggie says urgently, a slight tremble in his voice, forgetting for a moment that the paramedics can’t see or hear him, until a beat passes and the paramedics don’t react. “O-oh right.” He says in a small voice, looking down and fiddling with his fingers. Alex rubs his back.

“He’s right Julie, you need to tell them that you were unconscious.” Alex says softly.

“Julie?” The paramedic prompts gently. “Do you remember if that happened?” Julie quickly turns her attention back to the paramedic, realizing she had been looking at Alex and Reggie, which to the paramedics would’ve looked like she was staring at nothing.

“O-oh. Sorry. Y-yeah. Umm, I-I definitely passed out at least for a little bit before you found me… I-I don’t remember exactly what happened though…” She says in a small voice. The last thing she remembers is a terrible pain in her back and then waking up with Luke by her side. The paramedic gives her a sympathetic smile.

“That’s okay sweetie. You’ve been through a lot today, it’s perfectly natural for your brain to be a little muddled. We’re just going to run you through the basic concussion test, okay? The doctors will do a more thorough check up when you get to the hospital.”

“O-okay.” Julie says in a small voice. The paramedic gives her a reassuring smile then runs through the test, her partner making some notes.

“Okay, well done Julie.” The paramedic says a few minutes later. “We’ll be at the hospital soon, you just try and relax, okay?”

Julie lets out a small breath of relief and lets her eyes drift closed for a moment. Luke can’t help but panic slightly when he sees Julie’s eyes flutter closed. The logical side of him knows that she’s probably exhausted and just resting for a moment, but the part of him that remembers that fateful ambulance ride 25 years ago is scared that if Julie closes her eyes, she won’t ever open them again. He exchanges a panicked look with Alex and Reggie and knows that they’re thinking the exact same thing.

“Nonono, Julie, don’t close your eyes, just stay with me Boss, please.” He begs, squeezing her hand. Slowly Julie blinks her eyes open. When she sees Luke’s worried and scared face peering down at her she gives his hand a light squeeze.

“‘M okay.” She mumbles softly.

“You’re gonna be okay Julie, we’ve got you, just stay with us please.” Reggie begs resting his hand on Julie’s knee and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Julie’s eyes drift to Reggie, and she tries to give him a small reassuring smile. But then her eyes drift to his hand on her knee and her brow furrows in confusion. Because she can plainly see Reggie’s hand resting on her knee, and it’s definitely resting there, not phasing through her, she can see the way his hand is flexing as he squeezes gently, but she can’t feel it. She tries to focus on where she knows she should feel his hand, but nothing. Slowly it starts to dawn on her, that’s not the only thing she can’t feel. She’s not getting any sensations at all from anywhere below her waist. Her eyes widen and she feels her heart start to race. Luke sees the change in her face and immediately starts to worry.

“Julie? Hey Julie, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“No… Nonono.” Julie whimpers.

“Hey Julie, talk to us, what’s wrong?” Alex asks.

“M-my l-legs…” Julie whimpers. “I-I can’t… I-I can’t feel them… I-I can’t feel my legs!”

The guys all exchange a wide eyed look. But Julie’s words also get the attention of the paramedics.

“What was that hon?” The nice paramedic asks in concern. “Did you say you can’t feel your legs?”

“Y-yeah…” Julie whimpers. “I-I can’t feel a-anything b-below my w-waist…”

“Okay sweetie, I know this is scary, but try not to panic, okay?” The paramedic says soothingly. “We’re almost at the hospital, when we get there the doctors will look you over and figure out what’s going on.”

Julie sniffles, her eyes wide with fear and her heart racing at this new development. Reggie inches closer to her and slips his hand into the one Luke isn’t already holding. Alex scoots around him and rests his hand on Julie’s shoulder. Luke squeezes her hand and rubs his thumb soothingly across her knuckles.

“You’re gonna be okay Julie.” He murmurs softly. “We’ll figure this out. We’ve gotchu.” Julie just sniffles and clings tightly to his and Reggie’s hands, grateful that she has her boys by her side and she can at least still feel them.

Chapter Text

A few tense minutes later the ambulance pulls into the emergency bay at the hospital. There is a flurry of activity as the paramedics unload Julie and start wheeling her into the hospital. The boys have to let go of Julie during the unloading process, but they stick as close to her as they can and as soon as her stretcher is back on the ground, Luke slips his hand back into Julie's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

Moments after Julie is wheeled into the emergency department Ray comes rushing in, Carlos following and clinging tightly to his dad’s hand. The two of them make a beeline towards Julie once they spot her, but before they can get to her, one of the paramedics steps in front of Ray.

“Mr. Molina?”

Ray frowns, trying to side step her to get to Julie, but to no avail.

“Yes. Please let me through, I need to get to my daughter!”  

“I’m sorry Mr. Molina, I will let you go to your daughter in just a moment, but I need to speak to you first. You see there was a development on the way over here. Julie has lost feeling in her legs. The doctor is on the way to examine her now, but given how we found her, it’s not unlikely that she has suffered some sort of spinal injury.” Ray’s face goes pale. 

“What does that mean? Is Julie going to be okay?” He asks in a low shaky voice. The paramedic shakes her head. 

“I don’t want to speculate before the doctor has had a chance to examine her, but I just wanted to prepare you. I know this all sounds really scary, but I can promise you our doctors are going to give your daughter the best care.”

“Okay, thank you.” Ray says softly, trying not to show his fear, but the slight quiver in his voice betrays his worry at the thought of his little girl going through all of this. “Can I please see my daughter now?” 

The paramedic nods and steps to the side, allowing Ray and Carlos to get to Julie.

“Of course. The doctor will be with you momentarily.” Ray nods in thanks and rushes to Julie’s side. 

“P-Papí…” Julie sobs out when she sees her dad again, unable to hide how truly scared she is anymore. 

“Shh it’s okay Mija, I’m here now, you’re okay, everything’s going to be okay.” Ray murmurs soothingly, his heart breaking for his little Niña. 

“S-something’s really wrong, Papí… I-I can’t feel m-my legs.” Julie chokes out. 

“I know Mija, I know, the doctor will be here soon and we’ll find out what’s wrong and help you get better, I promise.” Ray says gently, squeezing Julie’s hand reassuringly. 

“Hey! It looks like a doctor is coming this way!” Reggie says pointing towards a woman in a white coat walking towards them. Sure enough, the doctor stops at the end of Julie’s bed, consulting a file in her hand before looking up at Julie. 

“Julie Molina?” She asks. Julie tries to nod then realizes she can’t move her head with the neck brace still holding her in place. 

“Y-yes.” She says in a small, shaky voice, squeezing her dad’s hand tight. The doctor gives her a soft reassuring smile.

“Nice to meet you Julie, my name is Dr. Camron. And are you Julie’s father?” She asks, shifting her gaze to Ray who nods.

“Yes, I’m Ray Molina and this is Julie’s brother, Carlos.” He replies, inclining his head towards the young boy tucked into his side, looking between the doctor and his sister with wide, worried eyes. Dr. Camron gives them all a warm smile. 

“Nice to meet you all, though I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances. But don’t worry, my team and I are going to take good care of Julie here.” She says, her voice even and professional. Ray musters a tight, polite smile in return. 

“Thank you Dr. Camron.” He says, squeezing Julie’s hand and wrapping his other arm around Carlos. He knows they’re both probably pretty scared right now, Julie especially, and it’s not like any of them have particularly fond memories of hospitals to begin with. Dr. Camron turns her attention back to Julie.

“Okay Julie, I’m just going to do a quick exam and ask you a few questions, then one of my nurses will come help you get cleaned up a little and into a gown so we can do some scans and find out what exactly is going on, sound good?”

“O-okay.” Julie replies softly, squeezing her dad and Luke’s hands tight. 

Dr. Camron asks Julie to explain as much as she can remember about what happened, then asks a couple follow up questions about Julie’s symptoms. She makes some notes in her file then does a quick exam, testing the sensations and mobility of Julie’s legs. 

By the time she’s done Julie is truly terrified. She couldn’t feel a single thing below her waist and no matter how hard she focused and tried, she couldn’t so much as wiggle her toes, let alone bend or move her legs. She sniffles and clings tightly to her dad and Luke’s hands while Dr. Camron makes some more notes in her file. 

“Shh, esta bien Mija.” Ray murmurs softly, reaching up to gently wipe away a few stray tears for her with his other hand.

On Julie’s other side Luke keeps a steady comforting grip on Julie’s hand, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth across her knuckles in a soothing motion, just like he’d done earlier in the music room. He hates this. He hates seeing Julie scared and in pain and not being able to do anything to help her. Alex and Reggie aren’t doing much better.

“Okay Julie.” Dr. Camron says, looking up from her file where she’s finished taking notes. “We’re going to get you back to a room so we can get you into a gown, then we’ll do some scans, see if we can’t figure out what’s wrong.” She turns and waves a couple of nurses over. “This is Nurse Kasey and Nurse Carly. They’re going to help you get settled while I go get your scans lined up.” 

Both nurses give Julie a friendly smile. Carly is a tall, willowy blonde with a perky, curly ponytail that bounces with her every movement. Kasey is a little shorter and stockier, with close cropped brown hair, and he has warm eyes that are framed by black, rectangular glasses. His voice has a slight southern drawl to it and he addresses everyone using Sir or Ma’am with the utmost sincerity.

The two of them take Julie and her family back to a private room and get her set up. Nurse Kasey then ushers Ray and Carlos out into the hallway for a brief moment so Nurse Carly can help Julie change into the hospital gown. Alex and Reggie trail after them, wanting to give Julie some privacy, dragging Luke along with them, though he is very reluctant to leave her side. 

“I’ll be right back Boss, promise.” Luke says softly, giving Julie’s hand a final squeeze before Alex and Reggie drag him away. Julie squeezes his hand back in silent thanks before it slips from her grasp.

Chapter Text

Once everyone else is out of the room Nurse Carly turns to Julie with a friendly smile, her blonde ponytail bobbing behind her.

“Okay Julie, I’m going to go ahead and get you changed into a gown now. We’re going to do this real slow and gentle and I’m going to try and move you as little as possible since we don’t know the extent of your injuries yet. You just tell me if anything hurts and I’ll stop right away.”

“O-Okay.” Julie says in a small voice. 

“I’m going to try and save what I can, but so I don’t have to move you too much, I’m probably going to have to cut some of your clothes off, I’m very sorry.” 

Nurse Carly explains as she gently starts removing Julie’s shoes. Julie frowns. She’s not exactly thrilled to hear that, but thankfully she’s not wearing any of her mom’s things today, so at least she doesn’t have to worry about any of her mom’s clothes getting destroyed, which would just make this whole situation even worse.

“O-okay.” She says again softly. 

Nurse Carly gets to work on the rest of Julie’s clothes and Julie hears more than sees most of what she does, since her head and neck are still immobilized in the neck brace. She tries not to wince when she hears the metallic shink of the scissors cutting away her clothes. 

“You’re doing great Julie, we’re almost done here, then we can let your family back in here.” Carly says soothingly as she guides Julie’s arms through the armholes of the hospital gown, then gently and carefully tucks the sides under her just a little. 

“There you go Julie, you’re all set.” Nurse Carly says with a soft smile, pulling one of those thin hospital blankets over her lower body to give her a little more modesty and coverage. 

“I’m going to go let the others know that it’s okay to come back in now. We do still need to remove your jewelry though, so you think you can start working on your ring and bracelets for me? I’ll come back and help you with your necklaces, earrings and any metal hair accessories in just a moment, okay?” 

“Y-yeah, I-I can do that.” Julie says, grateful that her family can come back in now. She slowly starts working off all her bracelets while Nurse Carley heads to the door. 

A moment later her dad and brother are back by her side, followed closely by the guys. They crowd around her bed, near her head where she can easily see them, Ray and Carlos on one side, the guys on the other. Of course, Nurse Carley can’t see the guys, so when she comes back to help Julie finish taking off her jewelry, she ends up walking right through Reggie, who yelps indignantly.

“Hey! Rude!” He huffs. Alex sighs and shakes his head. 

“Dude, she can’t see you.”

“Still rude, she could at least say excuse me!” Reggie grumbles. 

“That’s not… Okay…” Alex mutters with a roll of his eyes.

Once Nurse Carly finishes helping Julie get the rest of her jewelry off she hands it all to Ray for safe keeping. 

“Alright, I’ll go let Dr. Camron you’re good to go Julie, Nurse Kasey will stay here if you need anything or have any questions.” She says before slipping out of Julie’s room. 

Once she’s gone, Luke scoots a little further down the bed so he can slip his hand into Julie's, giving it a gentle squeeze. It seems so much more delicate than he’s used to without all her normal colorful bracelets adorning her wrist. Julie can’t say anything to him without it looking strange to Nurse Kasey, but she does squeeze back, holding on tightly. 

“I gotchu Julie, I’m right here.” He murmurs. “Not leaving you again.” Julie gives his hand another squeeze in silent thanks. Then she looks up at her dad.

“It still h-hurts Papí…” She says in a small voice. 

“I know Mija, I’m sorry.” Ray murmurs soothingly, gently stroking her hair. 

“Isn’t there anything you can give her for the pain?” He asks, looking up at Nurse Kasey. 

“I’m sorry Mr. Molina, but we have to hold off on administering any medication until after we’ve determined the extent of Julie’s injuries.” Nurse Kasey explains. Just then Dr. Camron comes striding back into the room. 

“Alright Julie, we’re making progress here, I promise, we’re going to find out what’s wrong soon and help you start to feel better.” She says as she comes to a stop at the foot of Julie’s bed.

“I’ve ordered an x-ray, a CT scan, and an MRI scan too, just to be thorough. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.” She explains, looking between Julie and Ray, who nods in understanding. She holds out a clip board with some forms and a pen.

“Mr. Molina, if I could just have you sign these consent forms, please, then we will get Julie straight to imaging and get started.” 

Ray quickly looks over the forms, then signs them and hands them back to the doctor. 

“How long is all this going to take before you all can give my daughter something to help reduce her pain, Dr. Camron?” Ray asks with a frown, his hand resting supportively on Julie’s shoulder.

“I understand your concern Mr. Molina, and I promise as soon as we figure out what’s wrong, we will get her something for the pain.” Dr. Camron says calmly. 

“Yes, I understand, but how long is that going to take exactly?” Ray asks again, a no nonsense tone to his voice.  

“We’re probably looking at one and a half to two hours to complete all three scans.” Dr. Camron replies. “But I assure you, we are going to do things as quickly as feasible, so Julie doesn’t have to be in pain any longer than necessary.”

Ray frowns, clearly not thrilled with that answer, but knowing that nothing he says or does will change anything. Realistically, the more time he spends questioning the doctor, the longer it will be before Julie can get some relief. 

“Alright.” He says with a nod. “Let’s get on with it then.”

“Of course.” Dr. Camron says with a nod. “Carly, Kasey, let’s get Julie down to imaging.” The two nurses nod, stepping forward to start moving Julie’s hospital bed. 

“W-wait! Aren’t we going with her?!” Carlos pipes up shakily. 

“Sorry buddy, you’ll have to stay here with your dad, but I promise your sister is in good hands. We’ll bring her right back here once all her scans are done.” Nurse Kasey says, giving Carlos a kind smile. 

“O-oh…” Carlos says in a small voice. Then he glances quickly at the three ghosts on Julie’s other side. “Look after my sister.” He says solemnly. All three of them meet his eyes and nod solemnly in response.

“We will little man.” Reggie says, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

“We’re not leaving her side.” Luke vows. 

“Promise.” Alex adds.

“We’ll take the best care of her buddy, promise.” Nurse Kasey says kindly, not seeing or hearing the phantoms and thinking Carlos is talking to him and Nurse Carly.

Satisfied, more so by the boys’ reassurances than the nurse’s, Carlos steps back, leaning into his dad’s side. Ray gives him a squeeze before giving Julie an encouraging smile. 

“We’ll see you in a little bit Mija.” 

“O-okay.” Julie says softly, still clinging tightly to Luke’s hand, grateful that her boys can stay close where her dad and brother can’t go. 

With that the nurses wheel Julie’s bed out of the room and follow Dr. Camron down to imaging.

Chapter Text

True to their word, the boys stick close to Julie’s side throughout the whole process of getting all her scans done. They don’t get too close to any of the scanning machines, not wanting to mess something up and delay the process, but they’re able to stay much closer to Julie than they would’ve if they were visible to the doctors and nurses. 

Luke sticks especially close to Julie, holding her hand whenever she’s not getting scans done, uncaring if it means he gets walked through a few times. It may not be the most pleasant sensation, but he’d let it happen a hundred times if it means he can bring Julie even a little bit of comfort during this scary time. 

Reggie meanwhile keeps up a near constant stream of chatter about anything and everything, with the occasional interjection from Alex. That way, even during the times when Julie can’t see or feel them, she knows they’re still there. Julie can’t really say much, not without looking crazy to the doctors and nurses, but she silently appreciates the comfort the presence of her phantoms brings, and promises herself she’ll thank them once they’re alone again.

Finally, after a long, exhausting couple of hours, the scans are complete and Nurse Kasey and Nurse Carly are wheeling Julie back to her room where Ray and Carlos are waiting, and have now also been joined by Tía Victoria. 

“There you go Julie, you did great, Dr. Camron will be back in a few minutes to go over the results with you guys.” Nurse Carly says, getting Julie’s bed settled back in place before she and Nurse Kasey slip out of the room. They’ve barely made it out of the room before Tía starts fussing over Julie. 

“Oh Sobrina! How are you? Do you need anything? Your Papí told me what happened, I’m so sorry Mija. I will make sure these doctors take the best care of you! Do you need anything at all? Water? Food? Have they given you any pain meds yet?” Tía fusses, pulling Julie’s blanket up and stroking her hair back. 

“Okay Tori, cálmate, give Julie some room to breathe, she’s had a rough day.” Ray says in a calming tone, stepping forward and resting a hand on Tía's shoulder. Then he turns to Julie.

“How are you doing Mija?” He asks gently. Julie sniffles and tries to blink back tears. She’s just exhausted and in pain at this point and getting shifted around during all the scans didn’t exactly help matters. 

“H-hurts Papí…” She whimpers. “M-make it stop… p-please…” 

“I know Mija, I know.” He murmurs, reaching up to wipe away her tears. “The doctor will be back soon with answers and we will get you something for the pain.” 

Thankfully, Dr. Camron walks back into the room just then. 

“Okay Julie, I have your results here, oh!” She looks up and spots Tía. “Hi, you must be Julie’s mom, I’m Dr. Camron.” The whole room goes still and silent for a moment. Ray swallows roughy and gives Dr. Camron a weak smile. 

“Ah no, this is my sister-in-law and Julie’s Aunt Victoria… M-my wife…” He lets out a shaky breath. “My wife passed, a bit over a year ago now.” He finishes softly. 

“Oh dear. I am so sorry for your loss.” Dr. Camron says gently. “I shouldn’t have assumed, my apologies.” 

“You wouldn’t be the first.” Ray says with a small shrug. “Now you said you had Julie’s results?” He asks, trying to move on as quickly as possible. Dr. Camron nods and quickly looks down at her notes before looking back up.

“Yes. The scans showed us that Julie suffered a compression fracture to her T8 vertebra.” Dr. Camron says, putting one of the scan images up on the light board and pointing to the injury. 

“This type of injury is consistent with a traumatic blow to the spine, like what Julie experienced during the earthquake.” Dr. Camron continues. “The injury is putting pressure on Julie’s spinal cord, causing paraplegia, which explains the loss of mobility and sensation in her lower body.”

The room falls silent for a moment after Dr. Camron finishes speaking as everyone processes all that information. 

“W-wait… H-her back is broken?!” Reggie is the first to speak up, his voice scared and shaky, even if only Julie and her family can hear it. He moves closer to Julie, resting a hand on her shoulder, as if to reassure himself that she’s still there. 

Next to him Luke is uncharacteristically silent, though his grip on Julie’s hand tightens, like if he can just hold on tight enough, Julie will be okay. 

On Julie’s other side Ray takes her free hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. 

“Okay.” He starts slowly, working to keep his tone even and calm for all the kids’ sakes. “So where do we go from here Doctor? I would imagine a fractured vertebra is treated a little differently than say an arm or a leg.”

“You would be correct Mr. Molina.” Dr. Cameron says. “The good news is, Julie is young and healthy, so there is a very good chance she will be able to make a full recovery from this.”

“I sense a but coming though Doctor.” Ray says evenly. Dr. Camron nods.

“Yes. Unfortunately, when it comes to back injuries and damage to the spinal cord, there is always going to be some level of uncertainty. The fracture itself will likely heal in anywhere from 4-6 weeks to 3 months, depending on if surgery is necessary, which I will get to momentarily, but the neurological recovery, which in Julie’s case would be the paraplegia, is a lot more uncertain. There is a good chance that it is temporary and it will resolve in a few weeks to a month. But there is also the possibility that it could take months or even years to achieve full neurological recovery. I know this may not be what you want to hear right now, but I want to be up front and realistic with you about what we’re facing here.”

The room falls silent once more as everyone processes this new information. 

“B-but I will walk again, r-right…?” Julie finally asks timidly. “E-even if it takes some time…?” 

Dr. Camron gives her a sympathetic smile. 

“I don’t want to make any promises, but there is a very good chance you will walk again, yes. Like I said, you’re young and healthy, so the paraplegia may only last a few weeks. I just want you to be aware that it may be longer than that.”

“I-I understand.” Julie says softly. Ray smiles softly down at her and squeezes her hand again, proud of how calmly she’s taking this, despite how freaked out she’s probably feeling right now. 

“Okay, well, we appreciate you being up front with us Doctor.” Ray says, turning back to Dr. Camron. “Now you mentioned something about surgery earlier…?”

“Yes.” Dr. Camron says. “I don’t want you to be alarmed, but I do think Julie would be a good candidate for surgery. Given the traumatic nature of her injury, and the pressure the fracture is putting on her spinal cord, I believe surgery could be beneficial in helping to stabilize the vertebra as it heals, which would help relieve her pain and could also potentially speed up the neurological recovery. Now, I know spinal surgery sounds big and scary, but I was to assure you that this particular procedure is minimally invasive. We would simply take a thin needle and inject bone cement into the fracture site, which, like I said before, will stabilize the bone while it heals and help to reduce pain.” Dr. Camron explains.

“I see…” Ray says, nodding slowly. 

“You don’t have to make a decision right this minute, I can give you the informational packet and some time to talk it over as a family.” Dr. Camron says reassuringly. 

“That would be good, thank you.” Ray says.

“Of course.” Dr. Camron says with a smile. “And in the meantime, now we know what we’re dealing with here, we can go ahead and get Julie something to help with the pain. Kasey, go ahead and set Julie up with an IV and start her on some morphine. Carly, could you fetch the vertebroplasty information packet, please?”

Both nurses nod and jump into action.

“Sure thing doc, be right back!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Alex tugs a disgruntled Luke out the way as Nurse Kasey approaches to set up Julie’s IV. Very reluctantly he releases Julie’s hand and steps out the way so he doesn’t keep getting walked through. He doesn’t like it, but he knows he needs to let the nurse do his job so Julie won’t be in as much pain. But that doesn’t stop him from scowling at the nurse when Julie flinches and lets out a slight whimper of pain as the needle goes in.

Just as Nurse Kasey is finishing setting up Julie’s IV, Nurse Carly comes back with the information packet. She hands it to Dr. Camron who passes it to Ray. 

“Here you are, Mr. Molina. I’ll give you guys some time to read that through and talk it over. I’ll be back in a little bit to check in. Julie, the morphine should kick in soon and help ease your pain. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to hit the call button.” She says with a kind smile before she and the two nurses slip out of the room.