Ok so this chapter includes a lot of medical talk, which I tried to make sound convincing but is really just a culmination of watching too many medical shows and researching a few things on the internet, so don't hate me if I get something wrong. I've been pretty cruel to Sam for the last couple of chapters and this one is no different, but hopefully things will start looking up in later chapters. We'll see. I also got to dive into Spike's head for a while in this chapter which I enjoyed rather more than I expected to so I might explore Spike's thoughts a little more in the future. So here is chapter four, I hope you all enjoy it.
Sitting on the sofa at home with a glass of wine in his hand, the television only provided background noise for Greg. His mind was elsewhere, with Sam and the rest of team one. It was becoming more and more difficult each day Sam was in the hospital to sit around at home waiting to hear any news without the job to keep his mind off of things. Ed had come over briefly earlier in the day to check in which was a welcome distraction, but now Greg was left alone with his thoughts.
Sighing, he put the glass down and rubbed a tired hand over his face, wondering what to do with himself for the next few days before he would be able to throw himself back into his work. That was when the phone rang.
It took a moment for him to realise that it was probably news from the hospital, and he sat there for a moment longer, not sure if he wanted to answer in case it was bad news. Then again, he mused, it could be Spike or Jules calling to tell him that Sam's condition had improved. Somehow, he didn't think that was the case.
Pausing for a moment to collect himself, he reached for the phone on the coffee table. "Hello?" he said, somewhat fearfully in anticipation of what the call would bring.
"Sarge?" It was clearly Spike's voice, but what made Greg's stomach turn was how strained it sounded.
He swallowed in fear before he answered."Yeah Spike, what's going on?" If Spike had been calling with good news, Greg wouldn't have been able to get a word in edgeways, the excitable Italian having a history of spewing out words when he was excited.
"Sarge, you better get to the hospital quickly. It's..." Spike paused for a moment as though deciding what to say. "Sam's not doing so well."
Greg nodded solemnly, not wanting to push Spike for details but desperate to know what had happened to make Spike sound so scared. "Ok, I'll be there in twenty minutes. Should I call the rest of the team?" The answer to the question would reveal just how serious the situation was if the whole team needed to be at the hospital as soon as possible.
"Um... yeah that would probably be a good idea" came Spike's voice." I don't know if I can make this call three more times."
"Ok Spike." Greg understood that this hadn't been an easy call to make. "I'll call the others before I leave. I'll be there as soon as possible."
Greg sighed deeply as he hung up the phone. This was exactly what he'd been hoping wouldn't happen; that he'd have to call everyone to come into the hospital for bad news. Sometimes it was difficult being the superior officer on the team. Even when they weren't on the clock, it was his responsibility to keep everyone calm in situations such as these when he wasn't feeling at all calm himself. Steeling himself, he picked up the phone to make the calls he was desperate not to have the responsibility to make.
Spike paced up and down the floor of the ICU lounge, running a hand through his hair in agitated impatience as they waited for a doctor to come and update them on Sam's condition. Jules sat in front of him with her head in her hands, but for once Spike couldn't think of anything to say that would bring her any comfort. There was nothing he could say to erase the image of what had just happened, of seeing Sam like that.
He and Jules had watched as the doctors had eventually stopped the seizure, but were led away against their will by one of the nurses who promised a doctor would be in to speak to them soon. That had been twenty-five minutes ago. Every minute they had spent waiting was another minute for Spike's imagination to conjure up more ideas of what could be happening down the ICU corridor. He didn't know what his teammates would arrive to find when they finally got here.
As though reading his mind, the door swung open to reveal the concerned face of Greg Parker who made a beeline towards Spike and Jules as soon as he caught the look on the Italian's face. He took in Jules hunched form and looked to Spike for answers.
"What's going on?" he questioned. "I walked past Sam's room and there were a load of doctors in there with him."
Spike took a steadying breath, eyes flicking to Jules who still hadn't moved from her place. "He's had a fever since this morning so the doctors are pretty sure he has an infection. They tried to keep his temperature down but it kept rising." Spike swallowed remembering what had happened next. "It got so high he had a seizure."
Greg reeled back a little in shock, obviously upset by the news. Spike could see the emotions flickering across his face - confusion, fear, concern - before he seemed to gather himself together and settle his nerves. "So what have the doctors said?"
"Nothing." Spike told him, frustration evident in his voice. "We've been waiting for nearly half an hour and they still haven't told us anything!" The words were accompanied by an elaborate hand gesture which demonstrated his mounting anger. He was close to marching down the hall himself and finding someone who could tell them what the hell was going on. Being cooped up in this room waiting for news was fraying his nerves and testing his patience.
"Ok." Greg said in his calming voice, putting his hand on Spike's shoulder to stop his restless bounding. "I'm sure the doctor will be here soon."
Spike nodded unconvincingly, spinning on his heel and going back to pacing back and forth across the lounge. He wouldn't be surprised if he managed to wear a hole in the carpet by the time someone came to speak to them. He could see Greg crouching in front of Jules, trying to comfort her, but he was too frustrated and restless to pay any attention.
Five minutes later, Wordy and Lou arrived with Ed just behind them. Sam's parents were on their way to the hospital but had yet to arrive. Spike let Greg tell them what was going on, not wanting to deviate from the path he had forged across the room. Shortly after the rest of the team had been updated, Sam's doctor finally appeared and was met with six worried and impatient faces.
"I'm sorry it took so long to update you, but I'll start by telling you that we've been able to get Sam stabilised for the moment." The team exchanged relieved looks, but Spike was more worried about the last part of that sentence, the part that meant Sam might not be stable in the future. "The reason he had a seizure was because his body temperature had risen too high and it was putting too much stress on his system. As you know, we took some blood samples to run some tests and what they've shown us is that Sam has a serious infection. We don't know for certain what the source of the infection is, but it's most likely the lungs considering the thoracic trauma. However, we should be able to combat it with the appropriate antibiotics which we've started him on now."
The doctor looked down at Sam's file in his hand before continuing. "Unfortunately, Sam's starting to show signs of sepsis, or blood poisoning, which can sometimes arise from infections such as Sam has." Spike swallowed in fear. He knew how serious blood poisoning was and how easily it could kill if it couldn't be controlled. "As a result, his urine output is somewhat decreased, which is indicative of the early stages of kidney failure."
Spike heard Jules gasp at the doctor's statement, turning her head away as though she was trying to hide from the information. Spike felt a similar urge to stick his head in the sand, but he needed to get the whole thing straight in his head.
"So you're saying that Sam's kidneys are failing?" It was a stupid question but he needed to say it out loud to make it seem real. He was starting to think this whole thing was just a horrible and never-ending nightmare.
The doctor nodded in sympathy. "Yes, that's what I'm saying." At the distressed looks on everyone's faces, he was quick to continue. "But we need to remember not to get ahead of ourselves here. At the moment, Sam's kidneys are functioning, but at decreased efficiency. If they continue to deteriorate we might have to think about putting him on dialysis, but if we can get the infection cleared up the kidneys should return to normal function so long as the damage isn't too extensive. What we need to do now is to monitor him closely and see how he reacts to the antibiotics. If his kidneys deteriorate any further we'll deal with that as it comes."
Spike shook his head in disbelief as the rest of the team sat down around him, discussing in hushed and concerned tones the news they had just been given. After being shot twice and surviving for three days, Sam now had to fight off sepsis and kidney failure. He hadn't given his teammate the nickname Samtastic for no reason, but there was only so much one person could take before it all became too much.
Hissing under his breath, Spike turned away from his team and started pacing again.
"Hey Sam, it's Ed. You know, I'm starting to think that all this is just one big excuse to get a few days off from work. I mean, I know we're all overworked and underpaid but this is getting ridiculous. So how about you start getting better, huh? You can't keep this up for much longer or you're going to drive Spike crazy. If he's like this when he's normal I'd hate to see him when you've finally driven him insane. So why don't you give me some kind of sign that you're still with us buddy?"
The sound of the hospital machinery was all that answered Ed. He sighed deeply and ran a tired hand over his face. It had been two days since the team had rushed into hospital to learn that Sam's kidneys were failing, and in that short space of time they had deteriorated further. Ed glanced at the dialysis machine which was taking up a large portion of the room next to Sam's bedside and watched for a while as it worked.
Throughout the whole process, Sam was still as unresponsive as he had been since he came out of surgery. He seemed to have shrunk further into the bed during his ICU stay and now looked like he was drowning underneath the mass of bandages, tubes and wires that were keeping him alive. The respirator still whooshed and clicked in a steady rhythm and multiple intravenous lines snaked from Sam's palms and chest to bags of fluid containing lifesaving concoctions. The chest tube that had been in place since the surgery was a morbid sight as it protruded out of Sam's body, emerging from amidst the bandages that encased him from nearly hip to neck, the space that wasn't covered by bandages being filled by wires that monitored Sam's heart rate and vitals. The dialysis tubes were new and so was the feeding tube which ran into Sam's nose, providing him with nutrients his body so desperately needed.
Ed hated to say it, but he was becoming used to seeing Sam underneath all this equipment. It no longer made him do a double take every time he entered the room or made him extra cautious not to disturb anything when he was sitting at Sam's bedside. He looked at the machines in distaste. Getting used to seeing Sam like this felt like he was giving up on his teammate's recovery. He needed to envision Sam in his normal, healthy state so as not to get lost in the routine of intensive care. He had seen more of this ward than he had ever intended to see at any point in his life, and especially enough for one day.
Yawning and stretching out the kinks, Ed rose from his chair and made his way to the ICU lounge where he found Jules and Greg. Jules had hardly been home in the last four days, stubbornly refusing to leave Sam's side when he was so sick.
"Hey Jules, you want to go see him now?" he asked.
Jules looked up at him and smiled gratefully. "Yeah, thanks Ed." She brushed past him on her way out.
Ed turned his attention back to his boss. "How's she doing?"
Greg sighed and shrugged. "I don't know Eddie, as well as can be expected I guess. I've been trying to get her to go home and get some rest but you know what she's like, stubborn as hell."
Ed smiled knowingly. "She sure is." He sat down in the empty seat next to Greg. "How about you? How are you holding up?" Ed was aware that Greg had a habit of trying to keep his emotions hidden from the rest of the team to create the appearance of strength, but that didn't mean he didn't feel everything as acutely as the rest of them. Sometimes Ed worried that keeping that all at bay would keep him from getting past things.
Sharing a long pensive look with his team leader, Greg finally spoke. "I'm just trying to hold us all together through this," he told him. "It's not always easy to do that when you're not together yourself."
Ed looked at him understandingly, encouraging him to go on.
"I just want this whole thing to be over, you know?" Ed could only nod in agreement. "Sam's the strongest of all of us after everything he's been through. It's difficult to see him like that."
Ed smiled softly. "Yeah he was always so enthusiastic and energetic." Ed laughed suddenly, remembering Sam's first few days with the team. "Do you remember his first call with the team? With the guy who was trying to get his daughter a transplant to save her life? God he was so cocky, thought he knew everything there was to know about everything. He told me to tase the guy's ass."
Greg laughed at the memory. "Yeah, I remember. And you sent him to get you and Jules coffee."
Ed raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey," he said, "he was getting on my nerves. Plus we could use someone to get us coffee during the long calls. Maybe we should get a water boy."
Greg laughed again before the pair lapsed into silence. Ed was itching to get home and wash the hospital smell off of him, plus he was most certainly neglecting his family who hadn't seen much of him during the last few days. He said his goodbyes to Greg and took one last look in Sam's room as he left to see Jules in her regular position by his side. He suspected Greg would have a fight on her hands getting her to move.
As he pulled up into his driveway at home, Ed felt an overwhelming sense of relief in knowing that his family was waiting inside to welcome him home. Ever since Sam had been in the hospital, he was able to appreciate coming home to them even more than usual. Sophie always knew the right things to say to settle his mind, and Clark had an innate ability to take his mind of the things that were bothering him.
Inside, he was greeted with the familiar smell of Sophie's home cooking, and found her at the kitchen counter peeling potatoes for dinner. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her waist, taking in her familiar shape and scent. She always felt like home to him.
"Hey honey," she greeted him, twisting around to give him a quick peck on the lips. "How's he doing today?"
Resting his chin on her shoulder, Ed watched as she peeled the potatoes with practised efficiency. "About the same. They put him on dialysis this morning."
Sophie nodded."Well you know what Sam's like. He'll pull through this," she said with absolute conviction. Ed couldn't help but be amazed at her unflappable positivity. She had never doubted that Sam would make it. He wished that he could share her conviction, but with all the experience he had with SRU he had learned to prepare for the worst.
"Is Clark around?" He asked, picking up a chopped piece of carrot and munching on it, receiving a swat on the hand for his troubles.
"He's in his room," Sophie told him. "Probably playing his video games again."
Upstairs, he indeed found Clark on his games console. He looked up briefly when his dad entered the room but quickly returned his focus to the game, trying to negotiate a car around a twisting track. "Hey dad," he greeted him quickly, "is dinner ready yet?"
Ed chuckled at the question. It was typical of a teenage boy to think only of video games and food. "Your mother says it'll be another twenty minutes." he told him. Clark looked slightly disappointed at the news.
"Hey, you want to play?" Clark asked his dad, holding out the spare controller for him to take.
Ed thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah, sure." He grabbed the controller from Clark and sat down beside him, nudging his shoulder playfully, feeling relaxed and at home for the first time all day. "I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked."
