Episode 5:

 

Fatal Error

 

Paramedics Kylie McCartney and Harry Littrell took a seat in the vacant employee lounge as fellow paramedic Kym Jennings ran down to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. Kylie sat silently as the table twirling a plastic fork between her fingers until Harry grabbed it out of her hand and pitched it into the nearby trashcan. 

“So what’s up, Ky? You aren’t acting yourself tonight,” Harry asked as he threw his feet up on the table and leaned back in his chair.  

Kylie’s green eyes widened in surprise because it seemed AJ had not told Harry anything about what happened, which was rare for the usually vocal AJ. “Brandy died,” she said quietly while resting her elbows on the table.  

“Oh God, what happened?”  

“She was one of the victims in the MVA near Indian Valley, it seems she died instantly, which is a blessing in disguise considering all the injuries she sustained.” 

“Gosh, I’m sorry, Ky,” Harry said sympathetically as he reached across the table to give her shoulder a supporting squeeze. 

“Thanks, Har,” Kylie said with a grim smile. “I’m going to go find Josh real quick and see when he expects to be done here.” 

Without waiting for a response, Kylie walked out of the room, hoping for the strength to get through telling her fiancée the terrible news. 

+++

“Jack!”

 

Jack Palmer looked up from the chart he was looking over to see Elizabeth O’Brien storming towards him.

 

“Yes, Elizabeth?” he asked, rather resentfully.  It was late, he was working overtime, and he was exhausted.  He could tell she was pissed off about something, and he was not in any mood to hear her bitch about whatever it was.

 

“Let me give you a little hypothetical question here – a woman is brought in from an MVA, LOC on the scene.  Minor cuts and abrasions on body, but complains of no other symptoms.  Do you still give her a thorough examination or take her word for it that she’s not injured?”

 

Jack frowned.  “I’d examine her,” he said slowly.  “Is this a trick question or something?”

 

“You tell me, Jack.  I don’t think it’s tricky at all.  When a trauma patient comes in, you examine her fully, no matter what.  Better to be safe than sorry, right?”

 

“Right,” Jack said.  Suddenly, he began to realize where this was leading.  “Elizabeth, is this about Bianca?”  Before she could answer, he went on, “Look, I’m sorry.  I know I should have done the full examination, but she said not to.  Normally I would examine a patient anyway, you know, but Bianca’s a doctor herself, so I knew she knew whether she was okay or not.  I just wanted to respect her wishes, since she’s a colleague and a friend of mine.  But I’m sorry; it won’t happen again.”

 

“It better not,” Elizabeth said sharply.  “Because you know what, Jack?  Your irresponsibility and poor judgment could have killed someone tonight.”

 

Jack looked up at her in fear.  “What?  Did something-“

 

“Bianca’s upstairs in the OR right now, undergoing emergency surgery to repair the abdominal bleeding you could have caught hours ago,” Elizabeth snapped.

 

Jack’s mouth dropped open in shock.  “Oh my God!  Is-is she going to be okay??”

 

“Probably, but there’s no guarantee,” Elizabeth said.  “I do know that her chances would be better if she had been sent up to surgery when she was brought in, when you were supposed to have been examining her.”

 

Jack hung his head.  “God, I’m sorry, Elizabeth.  I’m so sorry.”  There wasn’t much more he could say than that; he felt absolutely horrible.  No longer was it just a small error on his part.  Elizabeth was right – his bad decision could have killed Bianca.  And she wasn’t out of the woods yet by any means.

 

“I think you need to tell Bianca that, not me,” Elizabeth said.  Her tone softening, she said, “Hayley, one of the surgical nurses, has promised to call down here as soon as she’s out of the OR.  I’m sure everything will be fine.”

 

Jack nodded, feeling completely numb.  It wasn’t as if he hadn’t made mistakes before, but this was one of the worst he had.  He had lost patients before, but never on account of his own irresponsibility.  And if his first one ended up being one of his friends, he didn’t know what he would do.  If Bianca died because of him, it could damage his career.  But more importantly, it could ruin his life.

 

+++

 

“Oh, good, Ky, there you are,” said Josh, entering the staff lounge on the ER floor, where Kylie sat, sipping a cup of coffee.  Sitting down at the table with her, he asked, “So, what did you need to talk about?”

 

Kylie pursed her lips grimly.  Resting her hand on top of Josh’s, she slowly began, “Josh, something bad has happened.”

 

The color drained from Josh’s face.  “What is it?” he asked, his voice scarcely a whisper.

 

“It’s Brandy.  She was involved in that big car accident tonight.”

 

“Oh, God.  She… she’s okay, right?” Josh asked.  A lump rising in her throat, Kylie shook her head.

 

“AJ was the first to get to her.  She was already dead.  She had a major head injury.  She died instantly, no pain,” Kylie said softly.

 

Josh nodded sadly, running his hands down his cheeks tiredly.  “Somehow, I knew that,” he murmured.  “I knew she was dead, even before you actually said it.”  He sighed.  “Does Darrin know?”

 

“I don’t know.  He was working still when we left, and we decided not to tell him until things calmed down.  I’m sure someone from the hospital has told him by now know.”

 

“I need to call him.  God, just think of what he’s going through.  I can’t imagine it at all, what it would be like to lose the love of your life.”  He looked into Kylie’s eyes and squeezed her hand.  “If it was you, I don’t think I’d be able to go on.”

 

Kylie smiled sadly.  “Me either.”

 

“And what about little MacKayla?  Her mommy’s dead.”

 

“MacKayla… she’s still at my apartment, with Addie.  Addie doesn’t know about any of this yet either,” Kylie said.  “I need to head home and tell her.  I suppose we’ll probably keep MacKayla at our place overnight.  Either that, or you can take her.  I doubt Darrin will want to drive all the way over here to pick her up.  He needs some time alone anyway.”

 

Josh nodded.  “Yeah,” he said.  “Let’s both go to your place.  You can talk to Addie, and I’ll call Darrin from there.  We’ll get some arranges made for MacKayla.”

 

“Okay,” Kylie said.  “Let’s go.”

 

Hand in hand, they left the lounge and headed for the parking lot.

 

+++

 

“Hayley, is there anyone waiting up here for Bianca Parker?” Holli Brunson asked nurse Hayley Aldworth.

 

“Yeah, her boyfriend, AJ McLean, is in the room across the hall,” Hayley replied, pointing to the waiting room.  “Everything go okay?”

 

“Fine,” Holli replied brusquely, walking across the hall to the waiting room.  She opened the door and found a dark-haired man sitting in one of the chairs, his chin in his hands.  He was still dressed in his navy blue paramedic uniform.  “Mr. McLean?”

 

AJ looked up quickly.  “How’s Bianca?” he asked.

 

“Dr. Parker’s in recovery now.  Her surgery was successful, and I expect her to make a complete recovery,” Holli said.

 

“How bad was the damage?”

 

“There was some minor damage to her liver, which we repaired, but we had to remove her spleen,” Holli replied.  “If you’d like to see her, you can visit her in recovery for about ten minutes, no longer.  She needs her rest.”

 

“Thank you,” AJ said and decided not to ask any more questions.  He did not personally know Holli Brunson well, but he had heard more than enough about her from Bianca and other members of the hospital staff.  They all said the same thing – her surgical skills were excellent; her personality was not.  She was not the kind of person he wanted to deal with.

 

Holli left, and AJ waited until she was gone to leave the waiting room.  He stopped at the nurses’ station and asked the tall red-head, Hayley, where the recovery room was.

 

“Come with me.  I’ll show you,” she said kindly.

 

“Thanks,” AJ said gratefully and followed her down the hall.

 

+++

 

Jack was sitting in the lounge, his head in his hands, when Bianca’s med student, Justin Timberlake, came in, his feet dragging.

 

“Just need a cup of coffee,” he mumbled, heading straight for the coffeepot.

 

Jack glanced at his watch.  It was three in the morning, and Justin had been there for nearly five hours, not counting the twelve hours he had worked earlier.  The action in the ER was finally dying down, and the regular night shift was covering things.

 

“You can go home now, Timberlake,” Jack said tiredly.

 

Justin set down the coffeepot.  “You sure?”

 

“Yup. The night shift’s got things covered.  Go home and get some sleep; you’ve got the night shift tomorrow, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Justin said.  He went to his locker and traded his stethoscope and lab coat for a light jacket.  “Well, see you tomorrow night, Dr. Palmer.”

 

“Yup,” Jack said absently.  “Seven pm.”

”Okay.  Goodnight,” Justin said.  He started to leave the lounge and then stopped.  “You’re not going home yet?” he asked, turning back to Jack.

 

Jack raked a hand through his short brown hair.  “No, not yet.  I’m waiting for an update on Bianca.”

 

“Ohh,” Justin said knowingly. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Not your fault,” Jack replied. 

 

“Well… see ya,” Justin said hesitantly and continued on his way, leaving Jack alone in the lounge.

 

He was not alone for long though.  Moments later, a disheveled AJ McLean came in.

 

“AJ… how is she?” Jack asked cautiously, unable to read AJ’s expression.

 

“She’s gonna be alright,” AJ said.  “I just saw her in recovery.  She’s groggy and in pain, but she’s alright.”

 

“Thank God,” Jack said, releasing his breath in a long sigh of relief.  “Listen, AJ, this is all my fault.  I know this isn’t enough, but I’m so sorry.”

 

AJ shrugged.  “I don’t blame you, man,” he said.  “Bianca’s stubborn and independent; she likes to have her way, and she doesn’t like to be treated like an invalid.  It’s not your fault she convinced you that she was fine; she’s good that way.”

 

Jack smiled slightly.  “Thanks, but I still feel horrible about it.  A lot of patients come in here that aren’t exactly thrilled to be poked and prodded, but we do it anyway.  That’s our job.  I shouldn’t have let my relationship with her get in the way of doing my job.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s over and done with,” AJ said.  “I’m just glad she’s going to be okay.”

 

“Me too,” Jack replied softly.  “Me too.”

 

“Are you off yet, Jack?  You really look like you could use some sleep,” AJ commented.

 

“Yeah, I’m off.  I was just waiting around for word on Bianca,” Jack said.

 

“Well, now you have it, so get your ass home and get to bed.  You look like shit,” said AJ, flashing Jack a teasing smile.

 

“Thanks, AJ,” Jack said dryly, smiling back.  He hauled himself up from the couch he was seated on and went to his locker.  Pulling his jacket on over his scrubs, he said goodnight to AJ and left the lounge, wanting nothing more than to slide beneath his covers and forget about this whole horrible night.

 

+++

 

Howie Dorough awoke to the sound of his doorbell ringing, over and over again.

 

“What the hell?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.  He glanced at his clock.  “Five in the morning?  Who the hell would be here at-“  Suddenly, his eyes widened.  “Oh no!”

 

Leaping out of bed, he fled from his bedroom and raced down the stairs, shouting, “Coming!”  

 

He flung open the front door and smiled sheepishly at the woman standing on his front porch, drenched from the rain that was steadily falling.

 

“Morning, Sophie.  Come on in,” he said, stepping back to let her in.  Realizing she was alone, he asked, “Where’s Dani?”

 

“She’s asleep in the car,” said Sophie McCallister, glaring at Howie as she entered the house.  She dropped a pink duffel bag on the tiled floor.  “There’s her stuff.  You can go out into the pouring rain and bring Danielle in,” she spat, enunciating the words ‘pouring rain’ as she ran her hands though her hair, which had been dampened and flattened by the rain.

 

“Sophie, I’m sorry.  I overslept,” Howie apologized.

 

“You’d think you’d remember your own daughter,” Sophie shot back.

 

Howie sighed.  Why did Sophie always have to make him feel like a horrible father?  He couldn’t help that he worked all the time; they both did.  He couldn’t help that the judge had given her custody of their daughter, Danielle, after their divorce three years earlier, giving him only every other weekend to see her.  He always made sure to have that weekend off work so he could spend every minute with her, and he tried to be the best father he could.  But that just never seemed to be enough for his ex-wife.   

 

“I didn’t forget; my alarm just didn’t go off.  Must be broken or something,” Howie said.

 

“Yeah. Right.”

 

“You want some coffee or something?” he offered.

 

“No, I need to go.  I have a flight to catch,” she replied.  “Now come on and get Dani so I can get to the airport.”

 

Howie nodded, quickly tugged on a pair of shoes, and followed her out the door.  Sophie was flying to Boston that morning on business and leaving six-year-old Danielle in Howie’s care.  She wouldn’t be back until late Saturday night and had told Howie she would pick up Danielle Sunday morning.  That gave Howie five whole days to spend with her, rather than his usual two.

 

“She’s in the back,” Sophie called, hurriedly climbing into her car to get out of the rain.  Shivering in just his boxers, Howie flung open the back door of the car and leaned in to get Danielle, who was sprawled out across the backseat, sound asleep.  He scooped her into his arms, trying not to wake her, and grabbed a corner of her pillow in between two of his fingers.  He hurriedly closed the door with his foot and hurried back up to the porch, trying to keep Danielle out of the rain.

 

Sophie gave him a short wave and started the car, backing quickly out of the driveway.  Howie shifted Danielle over his shoulder and fumbled with his doorknob.  He finally got into the house and carefully carried Danielle upstairs to her bedroom.  As he lay her down in bed, she stirred, and her dark brown eyes opened.

 

“Hi, Daddy,” she said sleepily.

 

“Morning, baby,” Howie said, bending over to kiss her cheek.  “Listen, it’s early in the morning, so you go back to sleep, okay?  You have another two hours before you have to get up for school.”

 

“Okay,” Danielle mumbled, rolling over and closing her eyes.  She was out within a few minutes.  Pulling the covers up around her, Howie gave her another kiss and left the room, ready to get back to bed himself.

 

+++

 

“Daddy?  Daddy?”

 

Howie moaned and opened his eyes.  Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only six-thirty.  He still had another half an hour to sleep until he had to get Danielle up for school.  Rolling over, he found Danielle standing beside his bed, sucking her thumb. 

 

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” he asked.  Danielle had quit sucking her thumb two years ago, when she was four.  Now she only did it when she was scared, sick, or sleepy. 

 

“My head hurts,” she said, her hand absently rubbing the side of her head.

 

“Let me see. Did you bump it?” Howie asked, sitting up to inspect Danielle’s head.

 

“No. I have a headache,” she replied.

 

“Oh. Well, come here, Daddy will get you some Tylenol to make it feel better,” Howie said, getting out of bed and leading Danielle into his bathroom, where he was hoping he still had some Children’s Tylenol around.  But, searching through his medicine cabinet, he discovered he did not.  All he had was regular Tylenol capsules, and those were too strong and too hard to swallow for Danielle.  She needed one of the grape chewable kind.

 

“Dani, I don’t have any medicine.  How bad does it hurt?”

 

“Bad,” she whined.

 

He sighed.  “Baby, I’m sorry, but there’s not much I can do about it now.  Go back to bed, and we’ll see how it is in a little bit.”

 

“Okay,” Danielle said grudgingly, plodding off back to bed.

 

Yawning, Howie went back to his own bedroom and sunk beneath the sheets of his bed, grateful for another half-hour of sleep.  He closed his eyes and was back to sleep in just minutes.

 

+++

 

Right at seven o’clock, Howie’s alarm went off, startling him from his sleep.  Groaning, he shut the alarm up and pulled himself out of bed.  He padded down the hall to Danielle’s room to find her sound asleep in bed.  She looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to wake her.

 

Lightly, he touched her forehead, to see if she had a fever.  If she was really sick, he wouldn’t make her go to school.  But she felt normal.

 

“Danielle,” he whispered, gently shaking her.  “Dani, wake up.  It’s time to get up for school.”

 

Danielle slowly opened her eyes.  “Do I have to?” she moaned.

 

“Does your head still hurt?” Howie asked.

 

Danielle thought about it for a moment.  “A little,” she finally answered.

 

Howie pursed his lips, trying to decide what to do.  He didn’t want her to be miserable at school, but he also didn’t want to keep her home for just a little headache.  Besides, he had to work a shift in the afternoon and didn’t want to have to bring her to the daycare at the hospital unless he absolutely had to. 

 

“Well, I think you should try to go to school,” he said.  “I’m sure your headache will be gone by the time you get there. And if it gets worse, just tell your teacher, and you can come home.  I don’t have to go to work until afternoon, so I’ll be around to come pick you up if you need me to.”

”Okay,” Danielle replied.

 

“You get dressed and come on downstairs. I’ll make breakfast,” Howie said.  He started for the door and then stopped.  Turning around he added, “And no stalling, young lady.”  He smiled, and Danielle grinned back.  Then he went downstairs to start breakfast.

 

+++

 

Isabel Rivera walked into the lobby of Atlantic City Memorial, ready to start her second day.  She was much calmer and relaxed that day, and she couldn’t help but smile as she thought of how rushed and jittery she had been the previous morning.

 

She passed through the lobby and went down the hall that led to the ER.  Standing just in front of the double doors marked Emergency Room was a familiar-looking blonde man.

 

“Nick?” she asked, coming up behind him.

 

Nick Carter turned around in surprise, his blue eyes lighting up when he saw her.  “Hey, Isabel!”

 

“Hey, how’s it going?  Ready for our second day?”

 

Nick nodded.  “You bet.  So, how did the rest of your day go yesterday?  Did you finally get to see some patients?”

 

Isabel nodded.  “Yup, a few.  My first was a seventeen-year-old boy that was in a car accident.  He might be paralyzed from the waist down.”  Her smile faded as she thought of Caleb, the charismatic football player she had spent hours talking to the night before.

 

“Oh man.  That really sucks,” Nick said glumly.

 

“Yeah,” Isabel agreed.  “He’s scheduled to go through some tests today to find out how bad it is.  Hopefully it’s not permanent.”

 

“Yeah.  Poor kid.”

 

Nick pulled back one of the doors and held it open for Isabel to go through, then followed her into the ER.

 

“So, how was your day?” Isabel asked him as they walked down the busy hall to the staff lounge.

 

“It went pretty well.  I got to see a few patients too,” Nick replied.  “It’s kind of tough, seeing all those people so sick or hurt.  But I guess you get used to it, huh?”

 

Isabel smiled.  “Yeah, I guess so.”

 

They reached the staff lounge and went inside, immediately going to the lockers they had been assigned.  “Hey, you got any plans for lunch?” Isabel asked suddenly, spinning her combination lock.

 

“Um… no, not yet,” Nick replied, banging on his locker in an attempt to un-jam it.  Why was it that the med students got stuck with the crappy lockers?

 

“Well, you wanna maybe do lunch together?  I saw a little Chinese place just down the street from that café we were all in yesterday,” Isabel said.

 

“Hey, sure, that sounds great,” Nick replied.  “What time do you want to try to meet?”

 

“Um… how about sometime around noon?  Down by the gift shop?”  she suggested.

 

“Sure. I’ll see you then,” Nick said, grinning at her.

 

Isabel returned his smile.  “Okay then.  See ya, Nick.”  She slammed her locker closed, draped her stethoscope around her neck, and left the lounge.

 

Grinning from ear to ear, Nick tried his own locker again.  This time, it flew open with ease.  He pulled on his white lab coat, slung his stethoscope around his neck, and walked out of the lounge to find Dr. Littrell, still smiling.

 

+++

 

“Good morning, Dr. Littrell,” said Nick a few minutes later, coming up to Dr. Littrell, who stood at the admit desk, hunched over something.

 

“Morning, Nick,” Dr. Littrell replied, sounding distracted and hurried.  He barely even looked up from the chart he was reading.

 

Nick frowned.  “Is something wrong, Dr. Littrell?” he asked.

 

He pursed his lips together.  “Well, Bailey’s tests results came in last night, right after you left.”

 

Nick’s heart began to thud.  He could tell by the look on the doctor’s face that they didn’t turn out well.  He wasn’t sure why he cared so much; he barely knew Bailey and thought of her as a snotty little brat.  But for some reason, he couldn’t help but care.  Bailey was his first patient and, despite being a brat, was only an eleven-year-old kid.  She didn’t deserve whatever the tests determined she had.

 

“What is it?” Nick asked.

 

“Leukemia,” Dr. Littrell replied grimly.

 

Nick’s heart sank, for Bailey’s sake.  “Poor kid,” he said softly.

 

“Yeah, poor kid is right,” Dr. Littrell echoed.

 

“Does she know yet?” Nick asked, looking up into Dr. Littrell’s serious blue eyes.

 

He shook his head.  “I could have told her late last night, when I found out, but I didn’t think it needed to be said yet.  I didn’t want to tell her right before bed, give her nightmares.  I figured it could wait till morning.”

 

Nick nodded.  “So, is that our job, to tell her?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes.  We’ll break the news to her, and then Dr. Sterling, the oncologist, will be down to explain things further to her.  Then she’ll be moved upstairs to oncology once they get a bed for her, and she’ll be out of our care.”

 

Nick bit his lip.  “So… when are we telling her?”

 

“Right now.”

 

+++

 

When Brian and Nick got to Bailey’s room, there was a man and a woman with her.

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Cole?” asked Brian.

 

“No, I’m Patricia Jenkins, and this is my husband, Brad.  We’re Bailey’s foster parents,” the woman explained.

 

“Ohh, alright.  Well, I’m Dr. Littrell, and this is Nick Carter.  We’ve been treating Bailey,” Brian said, introducing himself and Nick.  “As I’m sure you know, we ran some tests on Bailey yesterday.  We got the results back last night.  I’m very sorry, but the tests show that Bailey has a form of leukemia.”

 

“Oh dear,” gasped Patricia, turning to look at her foster daughter with wide eyes.  Then she exchanged a worried glance with her husband. 

 

“Bailey, leukemia is a disease of the blood.  It’s a type of can-“

 

“I know what it is,” Bailey snapped, glaring at Brian.  “I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

 

“Hopefully not.  This type of leukemia is treatable.  Many people who get it don’t die,” Brian said.  “You’re lucky.”

 

Bailey snorted.  “Oh yeah, right.  I have leukemia.  You call that lucky??  Feel free to trade me places.”

 

“He means you’re lucky to have this type instead of another kind of cancer,” Nick inserted, glancing at Brian.  He gave him a quick smile of gratitude and nodded.

 

“So, how do you go about treating this exactly?  Will she need chemo?” asked Brad, Bailey’s foster father.

 

“Yes, chemo is the first method of treatment we usually use,” Brian said.

 

“So will she have to stay in the hospital?” Patricia asked.

 

“Yes.  We’ll move her up to the oncology floor later today, and she’ll be transferred to another doctor, an oncologist, who will be able to treat her better.”

 

“How long will she have to stay?” Patricia grilled.

 

“I’m not sure. That’s up to her oncologist.  Probably until she goes into remission though, which could take a few weeks or even months,” Brian answered.

Patricia and Brad exchanged glances again. 

 

“Well, if you have any more questions, Dr. Sterling, the oncologist, will talk to you later, once Bailey has been moved upstairs.  She’ll be able to tell you more than I can,” Brian said.  “Again, I’m very sorry to have to break this news to you.”

 

Brad and Patricia nodded, while Bailey just sat there, staring down at her hands, which were clasped tightly over her covers.  “Thank you, Dr. Littrell,” Patricia said, shaking his hand quickly.

 

“You’re welcome,” Brian said, nodding at her.  Then he started to the door.

 

“Good luck, Bailey,” Nick said, offering Bailey a gentle smile.  Bailey looked up and scowled at him.  Keeping the smile pasted on his face, Nick just turned and followed Brian out the door.  He had to admit, he was more than ready to be free of Bailey.

 

+++

 

At eleven-thirty, Howie was just stepping out of the shower.  As he lazily dried himself off, the phone rang.  Wrapping his towel around his waist, Howie grabbed the phone that was mounted in the spacious bathroom.

 

“Dorough residence,” he answered.

 

“Mr. Dorough, this is Nurse Kimball from Cannon Elementary School.  I’m calling about your daughter, Danielle.”

 

Inwardly, Howie groaned, figuring he was going to have to take Danielle to work with him after all.  “Is she sick?” he asked.

 

“No, she fainted in PE class,” the nurse replied.

 

“Fainted?!” Howie exclaimed.  “What was she doing??”

“The students were playing dodgeball, and according to her teacher, she just collapsed.  She lost consciousness only momentarily, and now I have her lying down in my office.  She’s complaining of dizziness and a headache.”

 

“Yeah, she had a headache this morning,” Howie said, cursing himself for sending Danielle to school.  “Did she get hit in the head with the ball or something, or did she just collapse?”

 

“She said she didn’t get hit,” the nurse replied.

 

“Okay…” Howie said, sighing worriedly.  “Well, I’ll be there in a few minutes to pick her up.”

 

“Okay.  Goodbye, Mr. Dorough.”

 

“Bye,” Howie replied, hung up, and quickly finished drying himself off.

 

+++

 

“So, what happened, sweetheart?  Did you just get dizzy?” Howie asked, taking his eyes from the road to Danielle, who sat next to him in the passenger seat of the car.

 

“Yeah,” Danielle said, her voice tiny.

 

“Well, how do you feel now?  Still dizzy?”

 

“No… but my head still hurts,” Danielle replied.

 

Howie bit his lip.  He was worried about her.  He wondered if he should take a sick day and just keep her at home, not wanting to abandon her at the hospital’s daycare center.  But then again, if he was going to bring her to the hospital, he could get Brian to check her out before his shift started.  Brian Littrell was one of his good friends; he could surely find time for a quick exam, even just to soothe Howie’s nerves. 

 

Some might have called him an overreacting father, but he knew that six-year-olds didn’t just pass out for no reason.  And he was worried that reason might be more than just over-exertion in gym class.

 

+++

 

Howie drove silently, turning off the highway onto the street that led to his neighborhood.

 

“We’re almost home, Dani,” he murmured absently, his attention focused on the road in front of him.

 

“Daddy…” she moaned.

 

Glancing quickly at her, he asked, “What’s wrong, baby?  You feel sick?”

 

“I…”  Danielle trailed off, and Howie took his attention off her briefly to glance at the road.  He looked back just in time to see Danielle’s dark eyes roll back into her head and her hands clench in tight fists.

 

“Dani!” he cried, as her body went rigid and started to jerk in convulsions.  His mind racing, Howie began to panic.  What should he do?  Pull over and try to help her or get her to the hospital as soon as possible.

 

He opted for the second option, knowing he couldn’t stop her seizure, and jerked the steering wheel to his left, pulling a sharp U-turn on the road.  Cars honked, brakes slammed, but Howie didn’t care.  He was blind to the other traffic.  Pushing the pedal to the floor, he gunned the engine and sped off down the road.

 

To his relief, when he made it back to the intersection, the highway was nearly clear.  He slowed enough to let one car pass by and then made a quick turn onto the highway and sped up again.  His speedometer rose to 65, then 70, but Howie made no attempt to slow.  He just prayed that the traffic cops were on their lunch breaks, as he continued to drive fifteen miles over the speed limit.

 

But then, up ahead, he saw the stoplight change from green to yellow.  The cars in front of him began to slow, and Howie had no other choice but to slow with them.  Beside him, Danielle’s thrashing slowed, then finally ceased. 

 

“Dani?  Dani?” he asked, letting go of the wheel while he was stopped to grab her shoulder.  “Dani, wake up.  Open your eyes, sweetheart.  Danielle?  Come on, sweetie, wake up,” he urged, gently shaking her.

 

The light changed, and Howie grabbed the wheel and pressed the accelerator down again.  “We’re almost there, Dani,” he murmured, gripping the wheel so tightly it hurt.  “Almost there.”

 

+++

 

“Help!  I need some help, please!” Howie cried, as he burst through the double doors of the ER, carrying a limp, unconscious Danielle.

 

“Howie?” asked JC Chasez in surprise.  “Here, bring her in here,” he said, leading Howie to one of the exam rooms.

 

Howie lay Danielle down on the gurney in the room.  “This is my daughter, Danielle Dorough.  She just had a seizure in the car.”

 

“Okay,” JC said.  Turning towards the door of the room, he called out, “I need a nurse in here!”

 

Moments later, nurse Melissa Ruffino appeared.  “What do we got?” she asked.

 

“Danielle Dorough, Howie’s daughter.  She had a seizure,” JC said.  “Pulse is thready, breathing shallow.  Pupils are sluggish.  Get her started on oxygen and dilantin and order a chem panel, CBC, and lytes.”

 

“Sure thing,” Melissa said.

 

“Temp’s normal,” Lance said.

 

“Do you know if she took anything?” JC asked Howie without looking at him.

 

“No, I know she didn’t.  She’s been at school.  She was complaining of a headache all morning, and then she passed out at school.  I was on my way home from picking her up,” Howie replied.

 

“Okay, I’m going to run a neuro exam,” JC said.

 

“You think it might be some kind of neurological disorder?  Like epilepsy or something?” Howie asked.  He was a paramedic, not a neurologist, so he wasn’t really familiar with the symptoms of epilepsy. 

 

“There’s no way to say at this time.  It’s a possibility though, with her symptoms,” JC said.

 

“Okay,” Howie said, running a hand through his thick, dark hair and sighing heavily.

 

“Howie, maybe you should go sit in chairs.  I’ll come get you when we no more or when she wakes up, okay?” JC suggested.

 

“Alright,” Howie replied with some reluctance.  “But please, let me know the minute she wakes up.”

 

“I will,” JC promised.

 

Howie nodded and hesitantly left the room and took a seat in one of the chairs in the hall across it.  Melissa shut the door behind him, sealing him off from his daughter.

 

+++

 

At noon, Isabel was wandering aimlessly through the gift shop in the lobby, waiting for Nick to come so they could go to lunch.  She came to a display of stuffed animals and saw a stuffed, plush football.  It made her think of Caleb.  She wondered if he would ever be able to play football again.  The results of the tests he was probably undergoing right at that moment would determine that.

 

“Hey, Isabel.”

 

Isabel turned around to find that Nick had come into the gift shop.  She hadn’t even noticed him.

 

“You ready to go?” he asked.

 

Isabel smiled.  “Yup, let’s go,” she said.  The two of them left the hospital and started down the street, heading for the Chinese restaurant Nick had spoken of that morning.

 

The restaurant was not crowded, so they got a table and ordered right away.  As they waited for their food to come, Isabel struck up a conversation.

 

“So, what kind of stuff are you into?  Do you play any sports?”  He had an athlete’s build – tall and somewhat muscular.  She could see him as a football or basketball player.

 

“Yeah, basketball,” he said.  “I used to play in high school, but now it’s just for fun.  I’m really into computers and video games too.  And music.”

 

“Music?”  Isabel’s eyes lit up.  “I love music too.”

 

“Really?  Do you sing?” Nick asked with interest.

 

“Somewhat.  I mean, I like to sing, but I don’t do it seriously.  Just for a hobby.  Dance is what is really my thing.”

 

“Really? What kind of dance do you do?”

 

“Oh, everything.  Pointe’s my main thing, but I like Latin dancing too.”

 

Nick grinned.  “That’s cool!” he said.  “What other kind of stuff do you do?”

 

“I ran track and played volleyball in high school, like your basketball.  And I used to play the flute too.  Do you play any instruments?”

 

“Drums,” Nick replied.  “And I sing too.”

 

“Wow, cool.  Hey, you could start a band!” Isabel said, laughing.

 

Nick chuckled, his cheeks growing pink.  “This is gonna sound stupid, but I used to actually want to be a rock star,” he said.

 

“That’s not stupid at all!  I mean, who doesn’t want to be a celebrity?  I always thought it would be cool to be like Jennifer Lopez.  Dancer, actress, and singer.”

 

Nick smiled.  “That would be cool.”  Jokingly, he added, “When I start my rock band, you can be the lead singer.”

 

Isabel giggled.  “You got it, Carter.”

 

+++

 

“Dr. Chasez, she’s waking up,” commented Melissa, motioning to Danielle.  Glancing over at the bed, JC saw that the little girl indeed was beginning to regain consciousness.

 

“Danielle?” Melissa asked softly, smiling down at the child, who was looking around the room with wide eyes, startled to find herself in a foreign place.  “Danielle, my name is Melissa, and this is Dr. Chasez.  You’re in a hospital, and we’re taking very good care of you.  Your daddy is right outside; do you want to see him?”

 

Danielle nodded dazedly, a little disoriented from her seizure.

 

“Okay, I’ll go get him,” Melissa said and hurried out of the room.  She returned moments later with Howie.

 

“Dani!” he cried, coming up to her side and taking her little hand in his big one.  “How are you feeling, baby?”

 

“Sleepy,” she murmured.

 

“Excuse me, Dr. Dorough,” JC said, nudging Howie aside as he hovered over Danielle.  “Danielle, I need you to follow this light with your eyes, okay?  Only your eyes; don’t move your head.”

 

“Daddy?” Danielle asked, blindly reaching out her hand, which had been torn away from her father’s.

 

“I’m here, baby,” Howie said from the side of the room.  “Do what Dr. Chasez tells you.”

 

“Follow the light please, Danielle,” JC said again, shining his penlight back and forth.  Danielle’s eyes followed it obediently.  “Pupils are equal and reactive,” he mumbled.  “Alright, I’m going to take her upstairs for a CAT scan.”

 

“Can I come with her?” Howie asked.

 

“Yeah, you can come upstairs, but you can’t be in the room while we’re doing the scan,” JC replied.  “Come on.”

 

He raised the rails on Danielle’s gurney, and with Melissa’s help, they wheeled her out of the room and towards the elevators, Howie tagging along anxiously behind.

 

+++

 

“Hey, Dorough, can I speak with you outside, please?”

 

Howie looked up to see JC enter the ER exam room, where Danielle had been returned to following her CAT scan.

 

“Sure.  Dani, I’ll be right back,” he said to Danielle, who was drifting off to sleep.

 

“So, what did the scan show?” Howie asked JC, once they were out in the hall, safely out of Danielle’s earshot.

 

“Nothing.  It looked fine,” JC replied.

 

“Well, what caused her seizure then?  What’s making her have these headaches?” Howie demanded, not satisfied with JC’s answer.

 

“Sometimes small children have seizures like this for no apparent reason at all and end up being perfectly healthy.  And as for the headaches, they could be all in her mind.  You know how little kids tend to exaggerate symptoms.”

 

“No, I don’t,” Howie said, frowning.  “And I don’t see how you could either, considering you don’t have any of your own.”

 

JC rolled his eyes.  “Whatever.  All I’m saying is the scan was inconclusive, and your daughter seems perfectly fine now, so I wouldn’t worry about it.  It’s probably just a fluke.  Like I said, I’ve seen it happen before.”

 

“Well, I don’t accept that,” Howie said.  “I want you to run more tests.  I want to get to the bottom of this and make sure it really is nothing to worry about.”

 

“You’re not a doctor; I am,” JC replied. 

 

“Don’t give me that ‘not a doctor’ bullshit.  I do know a thing or two about medicine, and if you won’t listen to me, I’ll get a second opinion,” Howie fired back.

 

“Fine, get a second opinion. It’s not going to be any different from mine,” JC said with a shrug.

 

Howie glared at him.  “JC, I think you should do an MRI.  Just to be sure.  It might catch something the CAT scan didn’t.”

 

“So you want to spend more time and money and put your kid through even more tests than necessary just to find that there’s nothing wrong with her?” JC asked sarcastically.

 

“Yes,” Howie said through gritted teeth.  “If I can prove that there really is nothing wrong with her, that’s what I want to do.  But one CAT scan doesn’t prove anything to me.”

 

“You’re not the doctor here.”

 

“Yes, we’ve already established that.  But I’ve just got this feeling that there’s something behind this, something that didn’t show up on that scan.  I’ll feel much better if you would just do an MRI.”

 

“Oh, so you want me to run another test based on some ‘feeling’ you’ve got?  Don’t tell me you’re psychic, Howie,” JC said, rolling his eyes.

 

“I don’t have time for this crap, Chasez,” Howie snapped.  “Either run the test or get another doctor who will.”

 

“You know, Howie, you can trust me here. I’m an educated, certified physician.  I know what I’m doing.  And just because you think I flubbed with the Woods case two years ago doesn’t mean you have to go getting in my face about every decision I make,” JC said bitterly.

 

“You did flub with Molly Woods,” Howie spat, remembering the little girl who died because JC would not give his consent to let her have a heart transplant.  “You killed that girl!”

 

“Look, that’s ancient history!  Get over it!” JC yelled.

 

“You’re the one that brought it up!” Howie shouted back.

 

“Well, I’m sorry I did!  I didn’t know you would get so worked up over it still!”

 

“Well, excuse me for caring!”

 

“Guys, shhh!” hissed Melissa, pushing the two men away from each other.  “Jesus Christ, you’re grown men, and here you are arguing like two little kids.  You’re staff here; you’re supposed to set an example.  Now quiet down, or go settle it outside.”

 

JC glanced at his feet, and Howie’s expression grew sheepish.

 

“Alright, Dorough,” JC finally said reluctantly.  “I’ll run the MRI.  But when I turn out to be right, don’t go complaining about how much it cost.”

 

“Thanks, Chasez,” Howie said smugly.  “And this may be a new concept to you, but my daughter’s health is much more important than any amount of money.”

 

+++

 

“Hey, Dr. Chasez, you need to take a look at this quick.”

 

JC turned to look at the technician that had spoken.  “What?”

 

“This MRI you ordered.  Look,” the technician said, motioning to the scan of Danielle Dorough’s brain that he just run fifteen minutes earlier.

 

JC squinted as he looked at the scan and suddenly paled.  “Oh, my God.  She’s got a cerebral aneurysm,” he gasped.

 

“Yup. You better get her to surgery before that sucker bursts, and she strokes out,” the technician said.

 

JC did not even reply, just dashed out of the room, hurrying to get back down to the ER before it was too late.  Danielle Dorough had a blood vessel in her brain that was close to rupturing… and if it did, the consequences could be fatal.

 

+++

 

“Melissa, page surgery, tell them to prepare a room right away, and make sure they have a neurosurgeon available.  I know they just hired a new one, so someone should be around,” JC said breathlessly, as he dashed past the nurses station of the ER.

 

“Sure,” Melissa said, watching him run off with wide eyes.  She picked up the phone and immediately set to work, knowing this was an emergency of some sort.

 

“Howie!” JC cried, bursting into Exam 2.  All his anger towards Howie had faded, as the harsh reality of the circumstances hit him.

 

“What?  What’s wrong?” Howie asked, looking up with wide eyes.

 

“What’s going on, Daddy?” Danielle asked, looking at her father, frightened by the abruptness of his and JC’s tones.

 

“Outside,” JC said quickly, grabbing Howie and dragging him into the hall.  “She’s got a cerebral aneurysm that could rupture anytime,” JC burst.  “We need to take her to surgery ASAP.”

 

“Oh my God!” Howie gasped.  “Dani…” 

 

“Go back in with her, prepare her if you can.  I’ll go make sure they have things ready in the OR, and I’ll be right back,” JC said, running back up to the nurses station, as Howie turned and went back into Danielle’s room, his heart pounding with fear.

 

“What’sa matter, Daddy?” Danielle asked.

 

“Dani, sweetie, you’re going to have an operation,” Howie said, his voice shaking.  “There’s something wrong inside your brain, which is why you’ve been having headaches all day.  You need to have an operation to fix it.”

 

“I don’t want to,” Danielle whimpered, tears filling her eyes.

 

“I know, baby, but you have to.”

 

“When?”

 

“In a few minutes.”  When Danielle’s eyes widened, Howie quickly continued, “But it will be over before you know it, and you’ll feel much better.”

 

“I’m scared, Daddy,” Danielle said, beginning to cry.

 

Me too, Howie thought, pulling his daughter into a hug.  Me too.

 

+++

 

 

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