Part 3.1 – The Hospital

The five-story building that was Carmel's Community Hospital loomed in the distance as Perry drove frantically through the rain and fog with his precious cargo lying prone on the back seat covered with the quilt from their new bed. Luckily, he had noticed signs for the hospital on their way into town, so he knew pretty much where the facility was located.

At present, Della's eyes were closed, with huge purple shadows beneath, her lips tinged with blue. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness ever since Perry had picked up her limp form from the bathroom floor, dressed her in her robe, exchanged her sodden socks for a dry pair and with the greatest care laid her on the back seat of his Cadillac.

Trying to remain calm and concentrate on the road in front of him now that the hospital was in sight, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned into the circular drive, stopping the car in front of the emergency room doors. The weather had slowed him down and he had been holding his breath almost the entire drive, so he took a few seconds to collect himself before flinging open the driver's door, jerking open the back door, and leaning in to get Della.

"We're here, baby," he spoke quietly. "We're at the hospital. It didn't take so very long did it? You'll be fine now, Della. They're going to take good care of you, and I'll be with you the entire time. I won't leave you, baby. I'll be with you no matter what." Swiftly, but gently, he gathered Della into his arms and carried her through the double doors.

The waiting room was almost empty, with only a handful of people seated in chairs, reading or talking amongst themselves. He hurried past them and up to the receiving desk, coming face to face with a nurse behind the counter. She looked up from paperwork attached to a clipboard and assessed the big man holding the obviously sick woman in his arms.

Perry's normally smooth voice betrayed him at that moment and shook as he spoke to the woman. "She's not breathing well," he began. "Her fever is very high and I think she had a convulsion. Her cough is horrible…I put her in the shower to cool her off…but I don't know how much good it did because she's still so hot. She - "

Megan Harper, R.N. held up her hand, recognizing the controlled panic in the man's voice. Despite her relative inexperience, she knew that what he needed was calm assurance and understanding. "Bring her around the desk and through this door to cubicle three Mr. – Mr…uh…"

"Mason."

"All right, bring Mrs. Mason in and I'll page Dr. Spencer right away. Patti is back there and will get your wife settled."

Perry moved quickly toward the door and Megan pushed a button to open it. He gave the young woman a grateful smile. "Thank you. She's never been this sick." He walked through the door and down the narrow hallway to cubicle three.

He carefully laid Della on the hospital bed and as he did so, he heard the page for Dr. Spencer and another young nurse bustled into the cubicle.

"Mr. Mason?"

Perry didn't look up. Della was trying to open her eyes and he wanted her to see him, and only him if she did. "Yes." He was holding her hand, stroking it gently.

"I'm Patti Jenkins. I'll be assisting Dr. Spencer. Don't worry, we're going to take good care of your wife. I'm going to get vital signs and listen to her chest. The doctor will be here any moment and after she examines your wife, she'll come out and talk to you. You can have a seat in the waiting room."

Perry straightened to his full height and stared down at the attractive blonde nurse. "I'm not leaving her," he said, his commanding voice fully restored. "I promised her I wouldn't leave. I'll stay out of the way, but I'm not leaving."

Patti opened her mouth to protest, and then closed it quickly. There was something about this man, something in his eyes and demeanor that told her she shouldn't get in his way. She met his piercing blue eyes then glanced at the patient. "All right, Mr. Mason, you can stay. But…"

"But what?"

"You'll have to sit at the foot of the bed," she indicated a chair off to the side of the bed with a nod of her head, "and you'll have to let go of her hand."

Perry bent over Della once again, smoothed damp curls from her forehead and kissed her. She was still so awfully hot. "The nurse is going to examine you now, baby, but I'll be right here. All you have to do is be a good girl and let the nurse take care of you. You can do that, can't you? I know you can, honey." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before finally placing it gently on the quilt and backing away to stand where Pattie had directed him.

The curtain parted and Megan came in holding a clipboard. "Mr. Mason, we need you to fill out these forms. They're standard forms, you know, medical history, insurance information and such." The young woman eyed the tall man, noting that he seemed much more composed than when he'd first arrived. "You might be more comfortable filling these out in the waiting room."

"That's okay, Megan. Mr. Mason is fine here." Patti straightened from taking Della's pulse and smiled at the attorney. A look of silent understanding passed between her and her younger colleague.

Megan smiled as well. "Then I'll just leave these with you, Mr. Mason. Take your time. I know you're worried about your wife." She placed a comforting hand on his arm. "You look like you could use some coffee. If you'll tell me how you take it, I'll gladly bring a cup to you."

For a minute Perry didn't answer as he looked at the very pale, very sick woman he loved lying so still on the bed. Then he spoke, very quietly. "Thank you. I could use some coffee. I take it with both cream and sugar."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit with coffee. You can relax, Mr. Mason. Patti knows what she's doing, and Dr. Spencer is our senior resident. She's very good."

As if on cue, the curtain parted and an attractive dark-haired woman wearing a long white lab coat and a stethoscope around her neck slipped into the now crowded cubicle. Megan excused herself quickly and pulled the curtain closed for privacy.

The young woman doctor extended her hand to Perry Mason. "I'm Dr. Spencer. I'm the resident on call tonight and I'll be taking care of your lovely wife. I'll examine her now and then I'll speak with you afterward so this would be a good time to fill out those forms," she told him pointedly in a heavy East coast accent.

Perry accepted her handshake in silence. She looked too young to be a doctor, about Della's age, and as accomplished and composed as Della was, he considered her a youngster compared to his own lofty age. Dr. Spencer appeared capable and spoke with authority, so he sat down in the chair that was much too small for him.

He looked down at the form on the clipboard, trying to focus his eyes on something other than the two women who were now hovering over Della, who remained eerily still, but who's labored breathing he could still hear.

Name_ Perry wrote down 'Della', and then stopped. He wanted badly to put down 'Mason', just this once. After all, what harm could it do? No one here knew them. He took care of Della's medical bills. He took care of a lot of her bills, even when she objected strenuously. He smiled inwardly remembering the night she had not only objected, but had thrown somewhat of a fit. Her eyes flashed darkly and her face flushed an infuriated red. She hadn't yelled…that wasn't who she was. But she had made her feelings known in no uncertain terms. Perry had let her have her snit, then had smiled and taken her into his arms, and with that boyish charm Della admitted she couldn't resist, explained why he did it, why he would continue to do it, and why she wasn't going to object anymore. By the time he'd kissed her and covered the exquisite emerald green sheath dress she wore (and which he was already making elaborate plans to remove later) with the matching wrap, and led her out of her apartment for a night of dinner and dancing, she was mollified and accepting of his largesse.

Perry looked down at the form again, sighed, and made a decision.

"Mr. Mason."

He jerked his head up. "Yes? What is it? What's wrong with her?" He had a terrible feeling nothing they had found was very good.

Dr. Spencer laid her hand on his shoulder gently. "I'm admitting your wife, Mr. Mason. She's a very sick woman. An x-ray will confirm it, but I believe she has an extremely aggressive bronchial pneumonia. Her eyes are glassy and I can't get her to focus. Her lips are bone dry, and she has a rash we often see with bronchial pneumonia. Her breathing is very shallow and labored, and I'm concerned about her lungs possibly collapsing. Mr. Mason, this type of pneumonia can be very serious if not caught and treated in time. I'm starting her on a very strong antibiotic right away, before we get a chest x-ray. It's relatively new, but we've had good results." The hand on his shoulder gripped him tighter. "She'll have to be in an oxygen tent to help her breathe and on an ice blanket to get her fever down. It's currently one-oh-three point four, and that in itself is not good because once a person's temperature reaches one-oh-four they can convulse."

Perry swallowed with difficulty. "I think her temperature already spiked well past that point Dr. Spencer. I woke up and she was stiff, her back arched, and her eyes were rolling back in her head. I put her in the shower, and after a few minutes she went limp."

The doctor watched his complexion go grey and how his hands began to shake. He tried to disguise it, but she had seen enough frightened, worried people to know when one was at the jumping off point of terror. She patted his shoulder. "You did exactly the right thing," she assured him. "What else did you do?"

Perry passed his shaking hand over his face wearily. "When she felt cooler, I sat her on the floor and turned on the hot water. Then I forced some whiskey down her. I had no idea if anything I did was right or wrong, I only wanted to make her breathe." He took a long shuddering breath. "After the hot water ran out I put her robe on, wrapped her in the quilt and drove her here."

The young doctor's hand tightened once again on his shoulder. "Mr. Mason, she's going to be okay. She's young, and from all outside appearances looks to be in good health. You did fine, Mr. Mason. You should be proud of yourself. A room should be ready upstairs for her shortly, and we'll get a chest x-ray with a portable machine up there. You can stay here with her until it's time to take her upstairs. Do you have any questions?"

He gave a short, rueful snort. "Only about a million, doctor, but I can't put my thoughts together coherently at this time. I do have to tell you something, however. I promised I wouldn't leave her, so I will be staying with her upstairs. I know she can hear me and it's important that I keep my promise." He ran both hands through his damp hair. "She's my whole world," he whispered. "I can't…I wouldn't…there is nothing without her."

Dr. Spencer felt the prick of unexpected tears. She was supposed to present detached concern, to soothe and calm, but this big man and his raw vulnerability got under her skin. "Mr. Mason, it's my belief that patients recover more quickly if their loved ones are nearby. It's often the best medicine we have. Some of my older colleagues don't agree, but they're not here and not in charge of your wife's case. So Mr. Mason, I'm going to arrange it so you can stay with her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see what we can do to speed things along. And for what it's worth, I think she's one lucky lady."

Perry's voice almost broke. "You have that all wrong, Dr. Spencer. I'm the lucky one. I thank God for her every day…every single day."

Once again the doctor laid a compassionate hand on Perry's shoulder. She smiled encouragingly and turned to leave. Perry stood, picked up the chair and moved it next to the bed, close to Della's head. Sensing his need for privacy, Patti checked the IV line efficiently and stepped toward the closed curtain.

"I'm through now, Mr. Mason. An orderly should be here any minute. I have to take care of some things, but if you need me, just press the call button. It's on her pillow."

Perry nodded his head in acknowledgement, his eyes riveted to Della's extraordinarily pale but ethereally beautiful face. He rubbed his hand over his face again. He was physically exhausted and emotionally drained but there was no way in hell he was going to rest now. Not when Della needed him so much. He was about to take her hand when the orderly arrived. The young man introduced himself to Perry as Joe, quickly and efficiently transferred Della's slight weight to a transport gurney, and in a matter of minutes was motioning to Perry to follow him. Perry walked alongside the gurney holding Della's hand, keeping up with the orderly's swift and sure pace. They entered the elevator, which stopped at the third floor, and when the doors opened and Perry stepped out into the hallway, his breath caught in his throat as the sign on the wall glared at him: C.C.U. – Critical Care Unit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joe's voice cut through the fear that gripped Perry. "Her room is right down the hall, Mr. Mason." Joe pushed the gurney past the nurse's station another fifty feet or so and then stopped. "Here we are, room three-ten." As Joe guided the gurney into the room, yet another nurse walked up to Perry.

"Hello Mr. Mason. I'm Louse Miller. I'll be Mrs. Mason's night nurse. Patti called from downstairs, and Dr. Spencer will be up shortly to check on her again. I'm going to help Joe get her settled in the bed and attach her monitor. Would you mind waiting out here for a few minutes until we're through? You can finish the admitting paperwork."

Perry glanced down has his left hand, which still held the clipboard Megan had handed him. All he had written was 'Della'. He hoped his voice sounded grateful. "Thank you, Louise. Please let me know as soon as I can go in. I promised I wouldn't leave her."

"I will, Mr. Mason. There are chairs around the corner by the nurse's station. Can you find your way back?"

Perry nodded dumbly and after a longing and helpless look toward the door of room three-ten, he made his way back to the nurse's station and lowered himself heavily onto another small, uncomfortable chair. He stared at the admitting forms and still couldn't focus. He suddenly realized that the coffee Megan had promised to bring him had never materialized. And he really could have used it. He laid the clipboard across his knees, propped his elbows on it and buried his head in his hands.

It seemed like an eternity before Joe emerged from Della's room and said goodbye to him in passing, but in reality it had only been about ten minutes. Perry leapt to his feet, tossed the clipboard on the nurse's station counter, and strode toward room three-ten, discovering Louise in the doorway beckoning him to enter. As he stepped into the room he was taken aback. It was larger than most hospital rooms he was familiar with, light and airy, painted a pale yellow and with a window overlooking a courtyard. There was a small closet and a chest of drawers, and what looked to be a comfortable sitting chair. For a second Perry almost forgot where he was…almost. Then his eyes went to Della, his precious girl, lying on a rubber mat that he assumed to be the ice blanket, in a bed surrounded by intimidating medical equipment that flashed and beeped, the arm containing the IV antibiotic taped to a board. But it was the oxygen tent that disturbed him the most, the constant hiss emitted by the large tank a stark reminder of her dire condition.

Seeing her like this was too much for him. He couldn't bear it. The physical pain was like a stab to the heart. His face paled and he felt his whole body tremble, from the inside out, exactly as Della had described her chills. His eyes blurred with tears and for a second he thought he might be sick. He leaned against the door frame and took several deep breaths to gather himself. He had to be strong for her, had to hold himself together to get them both through this nightmare.

Louise, who was still tending to Della, looked up for a split second and saw his face change color. She was by his side instantly, holding his arm and leading him to the chair. She firmly pushed him down into it. "Sit down, Mr. Mason. You look exhausted. It won't do for Mrs. Mason to wake up and find you sick. When was the last time you had anything to eat or drink? You need to take care of yourself for her."

Perry managed a fleeting smile. "We actually had a good dinner. But I sure could use some coffee. Megan said she would bring me a cup but…"

Louise frowned slightly. "I believe another serious case came in right after you brought Mrs. Mason in. I'll see about getting that coffee for you. And I'll see to it that you are in decent shape for when your wife wakes up."

Perry gazed at the woman standing before him with slightly amused eyes, and despite everything almost smiled. She sounded like Della when they were working late on a tough case and she would admonish him in the way only she could. She got him to do things he wouldn't do for anyone else – he rested, he ate better, he got some exercise. He knew she nagged at him because she loved him, so the least he could do was listen to her. And now he felt he should listen to Louise because he needed someone to lean on. Because he was scared.

Yes, this big, larger than life man who had such a commanding presence and who seemed unstoppable, indomitable, was scared to death…and wracked with guilt because he hadn't insisted firmly enough that the love of his life see their doctor before they left for Carmel.

His eyes shifted again to Della and in a husky whisper said almost to himself, "She's so pale and still. She's usually so animated. Her eyes sparkle and…she knows I'm here, right? Can I touch her? I need to touch her. Can I hold her hand?"

Louise bent down and unzipped the oxygen tent a bit, took his hand, and placed it on the bed. "If you want, just slip your hand under here and you can hold her hand. Just be careful of the IV. You can talk to her, Mr. Mason. I guarantee she knows you're here. She's pretty well settled and her breathing is already a bit better, so I'll leave you alone. If you need me I'll be at the nurse's station, or just press the call button – see it there?. And I'll find that coffee for you."

"Thank you, Louise." He turned back to Della and did as Louise had instructed. Careful not to jostle any of the tubes, he slipped his hand into the tent and took Della's hand in his. He instantly felt calmer, but her appearance still disturbed him. God, she looks so small and helpless lying there, so fragile and young. She's really not much more than a girl, so much younger than me…

"Della, I'm right here, darling. I told you I wouldn't leave you. You're going to get well, precious girl. Don't be scared, I'm right here. You rest and I'll be right here when you wake up."

As Perry sat holding her hand, a wave of fatigue overtook him and he closed his eyes. His head nodded forward and he snapped it back, determined not to sleep until he knew for certain she was out of danger. Then he felt it, felt her hand move in his and she became agitated, her head moving from side to side, her mouth moving with silent words. He leaned forward, applying more pressure to her hand. "Shhhhh, baby, it's okay. I'm right here. Settle down."

"Have to finish…" Her voice was raspy and deep. "Have to finish the notes. Can't go until I'm finished…Perry? Perry…please don't leave…everyone leaves me."

"Shhh, it's all right, sweet girl, I'm here. I'm holding your hand, honey. I know you're sleepy, but can you wake up for a minute? I need to see those beautiful eyes."

Dr. Spencer stood in the doorway, listening to her patient speak. Her voice was deep and cracking, but it was a good sign that she was talking. She moved swiftly to Della's side, next to Perry. "Mrs. Mason! Mrs. Mason, can you hear me? I'm Dr. Spencer. Can you open your eyes for me? Come on now, open those eyes. Your husband is here and he wants you to open your eyes, too."

Perry couldn't let it go on any further. Della wouldn't want it to. He had to tell the doctor the truth. He held up his hand. "Dr. Spencer, there's something you need to know. She won't respond to 'Mrs. Mason' because…because she's not my wife. I know I should have put down her last name on the form, but I just couldn't, so I left it blank and simply let everyone continue to assume we were married. I'm sorry. Believe me, I'm not in the habit of deceiving people. Her real name is Street. Della Street."

The doctor's eyes widened in shocked disbelief as she looked at Perry. Her hand flew to her mouth and for a moment she was at a complete loss for words. Then she found her voice, but her composure wasn't quite collected, so it was shaky when she spoke. "Street? Della Street?" She looked down at the patient in the bed incredulously, and tears sprang to her eyes. "It's Della? My God, it's Della!"

Before Perry could say anything, Della opened her eyes and looked at the woman standing next to Perry. Even in her semi-conscious state and her eyes still glazed with fever she was able to get out two audible words. "Hi Kathy." She turned her head slightly and gave a hint of a smile to Perry. "You didn't leave," she whispered. Then her eyes closed.

Perry turned to the doctor, his own disbelief evident on his face as he noticed for the first time the name on her hospital identification badge: Dr. Kathleen M. Spencer. "You're Kathy…Della's Kathy? Kathy Martin?"

The doctor leaned against the bed for support. "How – how do you know my maiden name?"

For the first time since entering the hospital, Perry Mason gave a genuine smile. "I know all about you, Kathy Martin. And when you tell me Della's out of danger, we're going to have a long chat about what you and your family meant to her, and how she wound up in Carmel in your emergency room."