Infectious Chapter 11
Obvious FYI: I don't own anything about the O.C.!
Thanks for all the hits/readers! Sorry it's so late!
"Well, Mr. Atwood! Glad to see you joined us in the land of the living!" Ryan's nurse Evelyn greeted her patient with an all too familiar tone.
Ryan looked around him and took in the hospital room. The walls were no longer white, now a dull shade of blue, but he noticed the sterile materials and the visitors' chairs, one occupied by a dozing Sandy. A constant throbbing made Ryan look down at his arm, causing him to inadvertently release a low moan of frustration, pain, and exhaustion.
"Ryan?" Sandy awoke so quickly that it made Ryan jump. The teen couldn't help but feel a mixture of safety and embarrassment once he realized that Sandy had stayed with him so long. He had, hadn't he? Ryan suddenly felt a pang of guilt, from both making the Cohens babysit him, and then doubting their presence. Of course they'd been there. They'd showed him on enough occasions that they loved him. Then again, he felt he owed them so much, no matter how hard Kirsten would try to deny it.
"How are you feeling, hun?" Evelyn asked sweetly as she walked closer to the bed. "How's the pain? We don't want it to get too high and send your body into overdrive," she finished with an understanding smile.
Noticing Ryan's hesitant expression, Sandy cut in, "Do you remember what happened, Ryan?"
The poor kid paused a moment. Memories dated back to the initial start of summer, where everything all began, all the way from the accident to leaving the hospital, but as Ryan was about to answer 'yes,' he realized that the past day had been a fever-induced blur. Instead, he looked at his impossibly-huge arm in response.
"I…" Ryan began, confused wrinkles sprouting all over his face. His heart rate increased as he begin to panic when he realized he couldn't recall the past hours.
"It's alright, hun," Evelyn spoke up. "You've been very sick, but I promise you're on the mend." She turned to both Sandy and Ryan. "Dr. Parzych will be in shortly to explain everything. Bottom line, Ryan, you've got the best care possible. We're good at our job, and your family one of the most dedicated I've seen." She smiled. "I'll be back soon."
Ryan looked at Sandy, the latter reading his son's expression immediately. "It's ok, kid. What's the last thing you remember?"
"I…well we got home from the hospital and I had to stay in the guest room…then…Oh!" Ryan suddenly remembered. "I was sick and you, you and Kirsten helped me," he finished sheepishly.
"Of course, kid. We were all there, and Seth called 911," Sandy answered. Before he could continue, Dr. Parzych knocked politely on the door.
"Word in the halls is that you're awake," the doctor said with a smile.
Why was that such a big deal? Ryan couldn't help but wonder.
"Uh…yah…" was all Ryan could reply. He just wanted to sleep, and hoped that the doctor would let him rest.
"Has your dad told you much of what happened?" the physician continued.
"Well, kinda…I remember being sick at home," Ryan replied, just wishing someone would get to the point.
"Yes, young man. You were very sick. Your fever was very high when you came into the emergency room and blood work showed another infection," Dr. Parzych began.
Ryan threw his head back onto the pillow. There was no way he was starting with that again.
The doctor picked up on his patient's not-so-subtle frustration. "I know, I'm sorry, but we caught it before it spread."
"So where was it? The cut again?" Ryan asked, thinking he knew the answer. He closed his eyes.
"Actually, Ryan," Dr. Parzych continued as he pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed, on the opposite side of Sandy. "The infection was in the bone."
Ryan's eyes snapped open. "The bone? Like cancer?"
"No, not cancer. Not cancer. But there was an infection, something called osteomyelitis. We had to do a biopsy to find the correct kind of bacteria so we could properly treat you."
Ryan looked at Sandy, as if for conformation. Sandy nodded.
"You've been out for a while, but I promise you're getting better," Sandy encouraged.
"How much longer do I have to stay here?" Ryan couldn't help but ask.
"We want you to finish this round of antibiotics and then we can be a little more decisive. Hopefully within the next few days," Dr. Parzych answered.
Ryan sighed. It wasn't immediate, but it was doable. He wasn't prepared for what was coming next.
"But once we send you home, that doesn't mean you stop taking the medication," the doctor warned.
Pills, ok. I can do that, Ryan thought.
"We will insert a PICC line right here," Dr. Parzych pointed to the crook of his arm. "It's like a permanent IV port that we will show you how to inject the medication into. This way the antibiotic will go directly into your blood stream. We're talking long-term here, Ryan. A couple of months."
"Months?!" Ryan couldn't help but exclaim. "There isn't, like, a pill form or something I can do instead?"
Thoughts were racing through Ryan's mind. As if having a gigantic cast on one arm wasn't enough, he would have a not-exactly-discreet tube sticking out of the other arm.
"I'm afraid not," Dr. Parzych answered, truly feeling bad for the young boy. "Why don't you get some rest. How is the pain now?"
Ryan mumbled, "I'm fine," and turned his head rudely away from the doctor.
Sandy glanced an apologetic smile at Dr. Parzych who nodded understandably.
"Just let the nurse know if it gets bad. I'll be back in a few hours. You'll be better soon, Ryan," Dr. Parzych comforted as he left.
"Hey, kid, it won't be that bad. We'll get through this," Sandy tried to sooth, but stopped his speech as he saw Ryan's eyes close. Out of anger or natural sleep, he couldn't tell.
At 3:00 exactly, Katrin showed up on Victor's doorstep and confidently rang the doorbell. Two old police friends of Sandy's were dressed undercover sitting on a bench down the street, ready for Katrin's text to barge in when needed. They would run in right away if the situation went amiss.
"Ah you are right on time, young lady," Victor said slyly as he pulled the student into the house. After surveying the street, he shut the door behind him.
"Hi, Victor," Katrin replied simply. She took off her coat to reveal an outfit not too overdone to be out right asking for anything, but appropriate clothing if she needed to get attention.
"Vick? Who the hell is this?" Eddie came towards the door as he heard the female voice. He stopped short as he looked at Katrin. Had he seen her before? She looked so familiar…then again, Victor did have photos of all the girls he'd 'helped.' Maybe she was one of them?
"This is Katrin. She's one of my clients and she owes me a payment. Isn't that right?" Victor raised his eyebrows at the girl.
"Yes, I have it here," Katrin said handing over an empty envelope. She had already paid her month's dues and had no money to spare.
"Let me go deposit this. Katrin I want you to stay here. You two can talk," Victor winked at the German.
Outside, the cops Jack and Charlie noticed Victor leaving the house. Sandy and Katrin had versed the two exactly on what was to be expected, but Victor leaving was not part of the said plan. They would just have to sit and wait.
"So you're one of Vick's bitches?" Eddie couldn't help but jump to the point.
"I guess you could say that," Katrin replied, playing along. "But I'm here for work."
"They all say that," Eddie laughed as he leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette.
"It's true. I'm a student nurse at HOAG in Newport," Katrin began as she flipped her hair behind here shoulders. "I've been here for a while now and I've seen some interesting cases."
"I bet," Eddie replied nonchalantly as he tapped the ash onto the carpet.
"Well one of my patients now is this poor boy who was hit by a car last week. I guess his bike got clipped and he fell, messed his arm up bad and got an infection from the dirt. I feel bad, he's such a delight to talk to," Katrin continued, eying the man across the table.
"Last week, you said?" Eddie's knee began subconsciously to bob suddenly.
"Yes. And his brother's been with him the whole time. They're the same age, you know. I guess the family kinda…adopted my patient. He's actually from here, Chino," Katrin stopped. She could almost see the wheels turning in Eddie's head.
Jack and Charlie noticed Victor come around the back door. The suspect had walked down the street and then returned, as if to make himself appear to have left the area. The two officers exchanged looks and moved closer to the house.
"You, ah, you know this kid's name?" Eddie asked Katrin.
"Oh I can't tell you that, confidentiality. Sorry. Why do you want to know?" Katrin asked. When Eddie didn't answer, she continued. "Well, I think they're about to catch the guy who did this. The brother can ID the ass and the car. He was there when the kid got hit."
Katrin was getting nervous. Wasn't Victor supposed to be here to hear all this? Wasn't that the plan? Where did he go?
"I know you, you little slut!" Eddie suddenly jumped up, realizing where he'd seen Katrin before. "You were there! I saw you in the mirror! How did you know it was me? Vick put you up to this? Answer me, dammit!" Eddie was now in Katrin's face, having covered the distance between them in less than a second. "Who the hell are you?" Eddie yelled. "You better tell that bastard to stay away. He's dead!"
Katrin pressed 'send' on her phone, the text already written to Jack and Charlie.
Victor walked briskly in through the back door and surveyed the confrontation ahead of him. He smiled.
"Oh, what is this?" Victor asked in his sly tone.
"Vick what the hell?! You setting me up? This bitch knows about Ryan!" Eddie yelled.
"Ah, and now do I. It's confirmed. You see, Eddie, when friends don't do as they promise, they pay. Don't they, Katrin?" Victor deviously walked towards the girl.
Katrin panicked. It was worse than she thought. She glanced at the front door—blocked by Eddie. The back door—blocked by Victor.
Just before she could scream, she heard the best two words of her life.
"FREEZE, POLICE!"
