Welcome to my first multi-chapter story. I am a Registered Nurse in real life so I know of the subject matter. I would like to extend my deepest thanks to Eva for her insight and suggestions. She really made the story infinitely better. I own nothing. Lyrics: "When You Believe"
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear
"Sweetheart, when we see Bonnie, I'm going to ask her to set up an appointment for you. You're so tired all the time. Sometimes it seems you have to stop and take a deep breath. Do you think I haven't noticed that you've lost weight and the night sweats you've been having? I'm worried about you Damon." I'm certain he detects the anxious tone of my voice.
Sighing heavily, "I'm fine, Elena. I have stacks of papers piled up on my desk. It's just the stress of it all. The Donner trial is taking its toll as well as all my free time." he says, exhaustion heavy on his face.
"Bonnie is going to do our sonogram tomorrow. You will take some time off tomorrow afternoon! If you forget, you'll be sleeping in the doghouse for the rest of your natural life."
He cradles my bump with his palms and presses a kiss to my forehead, "don't worry sweetheart. Nothing can possibly keep me from getting to see our little bundle tomorrow. You have my word. I love you."
He gestures for a Kleenex when his nose starts bleeding again. "Damon, please. Tomorrow we're going to make an appointment for you to get a check up. I won't take no for an answer. When was the last time you had one anyway?"
I know in my heart that something is dreadfully wrong with my love. He won't admit to being in pain but I can see his grimaces when he thinks I'm not looking. Sometimes I see him popping some Advil as well. When the bruising started, I would ask him what they were from, he would always say he bumped into something. My Damon isn't clumsy. The pallor he now wears is frightening. His nose bleeds are frequent. He tells me it's just the dryness causing them. My gut twists in knots as my anxiety level kicks up a notch every time I look at him. He's lost at least twenty pounds, his appetite practically non existent. He insists that it's just work related stress. I'm certain he worries too. I've seen him looking at himself in the mirror, a shadow of his former self, clearly concerned with his appearance. He knows...
Damon was already waiting by the time I arrive at Bonnie's office for our sonogram. He stands to meet me, drops a gentle kiss to my temple and takes my hand. We take a seat to wait after alerting the receptionist of our arrival. Soon we're being escorted into the exam room. She checks my blood pressure and weight before handing me a gown to change into.
"Hello Salvatore's," Bonnie greets, as she enters our exam room. Are you ready to see your little one? You're only fourteen weeks Elena, it's a little early to learn the sex. If you decide you can't wait, we'll do another sonogram around the twenty week mark. You'll just have to let me know."
Damon casts his eyes to me then to Bonnie. "You know Bonnie, we may change our minds but right now we're leaning towards the surprise."
"Alright then, let's get to it then. I want you to lay back on the exam table." Snickering, "yeah I know the gel is cold," she says while squirting it on my lower abdomen. "See, that flicker, that the heart and these are four chambers. The brain looks good. These are the kidneys. The spinal cord is normal. Everything looks perfect." She says with a smile as finishes the scan and wipes the gel off my bump.
Damon and I are in tears. He stands up and wraps his arms around me, pressing a kiss to my lips. "I love you so much Elena," he says then turns away and grabs onto a chair to keep himself from falling, a trickle of blood starts leaking from his nose.
"Are you okay Damon?" Bonnie asks, handing him a Kleenex.
"I'm fine Bonnie, just a little light headed. Is there any nasal spray you can suggest for nasal dryness.? I've had a lot of nosebleeds lately. I've been exceptionally busy at work. I'm trying to get things done so I can take some time off with Elena when the baby comes." Eyeing me, "I'm okay, please don't worry. I've got to get back to the office. I'll be home around five thirty." .
"Hey daddy, do you want a picture to show off at work?" Bonnie teases him.
He smiles widely when she hands him the picture, he kisses me sweetly before leaving to go back to work.
"I'm really worried about him Bonnie. He's been having these nosebleeds on and off for a few weeks now. Did you notice how much weight he's lost and how ghastly his coloring is? He tries to hide it from me but I can see he's in pain. He's just so stubborn about getting looked at. Do you think he could have an infection of some kind or maybe a virus?" I ask anxiously.
"I think he needs to get himself examined, Elena. Let's go look at my schedule and see if we can get him worked in. I would like to do some blood work. I'm not going to lie to you Elena. The symptoms you're describing could be something very serious." She pulls me in for a hug when she sees the panicked look on my face. "Hey, calm down. There's no need to freak out when we don't know what we're dealing with yet," she says soothingly. She walks me out of her office to lead me to the receptionist's desk. "Marla, Mrs. Salvatore needs to make an appointment for her husband. He'll need to stop in lab for blood work and he'll also need a chest xray," Bonnie instructs her receptionist.
"Does four next Thursday afternoon work for you Mrs. Salvatore?" Marla asks.
In a daze, I nod my head. She hands me a reminder card. I hug Bonnie, say my goodbyes and leave.
Several nights later in the midst of a deep sleep, a nearly panicked Damon shakes me awake.
"I can't get enough air. You need to take me to the ER," he rasps, fear embedded in his eyes.
"Sweetheart. Damon, look at me." I cradle his face with my hands. "You need to relax and calm down. Your anxiety is only exacerbating your breathing difficulty. In through your nose and out through your mouth," I breath along with him as I speak the words. "Let's get you ready and we'll go." Feeling my gut twisting inside, I was nearly in a panic myself, but I need to keep a level head for his sake.
After getting myself dressed and helping him, we make our way to the car. I hand him the seat belt and squeeze his hand before jumping into the driver's seat. I turn on the ignition and speed to the hospital.
I pull up next to the entrance, put the car in park and run inside practically screaming for help. A nurse follows me outside with a wheelchair to help him. There is an oxygen canister attached to the wheelchair. Seeing his level of distress, she runs back inside to grab a nasal cannula. She returns quickly, takes a moment to turn the flow meter on then slips the cannula on his face to ease his breathing.
"Let's get you inside," she says. She wheels us inside while telling me to check him in with the receptionist so she can get him into an exam room.
By the time I'm escorted into Damon's room, he's already had blood work done and a chest xray. The attending Dr. assures me that he will call Bonnie for us. Damon is resting quietly, eyes closed. The nurse tells me that they gave him some anti anxiety medication and that it does make people drowsy. I hold his hand and finger his hair when Bonnie and the emergency room Dr. walk in. "Damon, wake up. Bonnie is here," I nudge him gently. I notice the concern on Bonnie's face immediately.
"Bonnie, what is it? What's wrong with him?"
"Damon has a pleural effusion. That means he has fluid in his lung which is why he's having difficulty breathing. I'm going to send him to interventional radiology for a thoracentesis. What they'll do is insert a needle and drain the fluid from his lung. We'll send the fluid for testing. You'll breathe easier once that fluid is removed Damon. You're going to have to stay in the hospital so we can do some additional testing. There are risks with this procedure. It could cause a pneumothorax which is a collapsed lung. Depending on the severity, you may need a chest tube," she informs us.
"What would cause this Bonnie?" Damon asks clearly fatigued.
"It could be an infection like pneumonia but Damon, this could be something much more serious," she says hesitantly.
Immediately tears spring to my eyes. Damon takes my hand and squeezes it gently. "If this turns out to be the worst case scenario, where do we go from there?" he asks, his voice cracking.
"Why don't we worry about that when we know for sure. I'm going to write admission orders. We're going to do a thorough workup while you're here, Damon." She takes his hand and looks him in the eyes. "You're going to get the best care Damon. I'm going to order something to help you sleep okay?" He nods languidly. I see the fear in his eyes when someone enters the room to transport him to radiology for his lung tap.
Tears again fill my eyes. Bonnie hugs me. "We'll do everything we can Elena. You need to be prepared. Given his weight loss, nosebleeds and fatigue, I think this could very well be something quite serious," she tells me, empathetically.
Fear overwhelms me and I collapse in her arms. She strokes my hair, "shhhh, I'm here Elena, I'm here."
Thankfully Damon didn't need a chest tube after his procedure. Bonnie told me they took a two thousand cc's of fluid from his lung.
He's finally able to get some sleep once he gets settled in a room. Thankfully they let me stay with him as he blurts out my name a couple of times during his sleep. By the time the next afternoon arrives, Damon is going a bit stir crazy, feeling cooped up. I am nervous as hell but I try to stay calm for him. We anxiously await his test results to come back. Bonnie finally arrives around five in the afternoon. She pushes the door closed, takes Damon's hand in hers, then points her gaze at him.
"Damon, It looks like you may have Leukemia," Bonnie says, her voice cracking.
I hope you enjoyed chapter one. Please let me know what you think by pushing that little review button. Make sure to follow if you want to keep up with the story. Thank you all for your support.
