Lou couldn't believe she was experiencing the long drive to the hospital twice in one day. She had hoped that Katie would be safe there with the professional medical staff and Lou herself wouldn't have to worry so much, but it seemed like Katie wasn't safe anywhere; if her body wanted to attack itself, it could do it anywhere.
This time however, Amy and Ty were with her and Jack and Lisa had stayed behind to be with Georgie. The teenager needed something close to parental guidance to help her keep up with the routine despite everything that was going on.
After arriving at the hospital, Lou walked toward Katie's room, with Ty and Amy following her. It felt as if this nightmare was never going to end, the self-blame just grew bigger and bigger as Lou couldn't help but think that she had done something wrong during the CPR. Or maybe Katie's accident had been more serious than they had thought.
No matter - she was to blame.
As she arrived closer to the room, Lou saw Peter standing in the hallway with Dr. Palmer, one of the doctors involved in Katie's case.
"Peter… Dr. Palmer…" Lou greeted as she was about to reach them. Both the doctor and Peter turned to look at Lou.
"Mrs. Morris", Dr. Palmer said, recognizing the woman from earlier that day. Lou tried not to get too nit-picky about him calling her by the wrong name, because it really didn't matter. As long as he could tell that she was Katie's mother and wanted information, names were only a minor detail.
"How is Katie? What's happening?" Lou asked, eyeing Katie's room. She wanted to go and see her daughter, but there was probably a reason why Peter and the doctor weren't inside.
"They are doing some physical tests with Katie. It can't uncover epilepsy, but it can show problems indicating what part of her brain isn't working properly", Dr. Palmer filled her in.
"Epilepsy…? But… Katie doesn't have epilepsy… does she?" Lou started by sounding sure, but as she went on, she had to admit that she couldn't deny that doctors could know more than she did.
"I was…" the doctor said, looking at Lou and then back to Peter, "I was under the impression your husband had told you about our thinking that was a possibility over the phone."
"No, he didn't", Lou said trying to hide the anger in her voice, turning to glare at Peter. The man looked back, sighing and feeling like maybe he needed to explain himself.
"I didn't want to say anything before we knew for sure. I know you'd freak out and it could be for nothing–"
"Well, it's not nothing, is it? Epilepsy is a serious thing. You think not knowing what the doctors assumed could be the diagnoses would be better?" Lou asked.
"No, I just–" Peter tried clarify his statement, but was interrupted by Dr. Palmer who had a zero tolerance for family drama in already stressful situation.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I am hoping you could talk about this later. Right now I need to ask some questions", he continued, as Lou and Peter tried to regain their composure. "Based on your reactions, I'll take it there has been no history of seizures? Your husband said so, but he also said that you two are separating, so maybe that's something you wouldn't have told him", he said, and based on the way they had just behaved he believed it was a possibility.
"No, I would have told him if there had been any seizures. But there has not been", Lou confirmed. The doctor marked it down on his sheet so that the staff would be up to date about all the details concerning Katie's medical history.
Amy and Ty stood on the side, glancing at each other in disbelief. It was different to be in the center of the hurricane than on the sidelines. Everything started to feel more real.
"Well, as far as we know now - while we are still in the middle of examinations - it seems like Katie could have had an epileptic seizure", Dr. Palmer continued, making Lou seem sadder.
"That's not good, is it…?" she asked, unable to look at Peter, because she was afraid he would blame her all the more.
"Depends. Causes of epilepsy can be divided into two groups: brain injuries and chemical imbalances in the brain. Anything that injures the brain can lead to seizures. Low oxygen levels are common imbalances that can cause seizures, and given the nature of Katie's accident earlier today, it's possible that it's what we are dealing with", the doctor explained the situation to both parents. "We are still waiting for the MRI scans to see if there's something abnormal in the structure of the brain that might suggest reason for the seizure as well. These things can be hard to pinpoint and often the cause of epilepsy remains idiopathic."
"Idiopathic?" Peter echoed. He wasn't familiar with the medical term, but wanted to understand everything they were told.
"It's a medical term for unknown", Dr. Palmer explained. "If it seems like Katie is okay and the seizure didn't affect her too much, she might be able to go home as long as she's under constant surveillance. If her condition were to change, then you would, of course, come back to the hospital. If it really is epilepsy, it might seem scary, but just know that it's not a death sentence. However history of seizures is required to make a diagnosis, so I can't say for sure it's what she has since you just told me that this is the first time anything like this has happened."
"Could she have had a seizure without us knowing, though?" Peter wondered.
"Most seizures have a clear start and finish and they last from seconds to few minutes, occurring seemingly random times. The patient may not remember their behavior during seizures, so I guess it's possible, but highly unlikely", the doctor told him. "If it's something else, something we can work on, then we can hopefully tell it soon. Given the circumstances, I would guess she had a seizure due to low oxygen levels. For now, all I can ask is for you to remain calm and wait while we are running some tests."
"But how dangerous is a seizure…? Can it cause like… a stroke?" Lou had to ask. She knew older people were more prone to get strokes, but she figured maybe it was possible with younger people too.
"Seizures don't cause strokes, but strokes can lead to seizures when brain cells are injured and can no longer control their electrical activity", Doctor Palmer replied and Lou nodded along.
"So she could have had a stroke and then a seizure?" Peter asked needing to understand what exactly had happened.
"It's possible, but we have to see the scans before we can make any assumptions", Dr. Palmed replied.
"So can this be because of the accident?" Peter continued, and Lou felt like if the doctor said yes, Peter would get even more ammo for his custody case.
"We rather not speculate before we know something further. It's possible, but it's not something I'm ready to confirm yet. It could be that her brain was injured during the accident, but it's also possible that the accident happened because of a stroke, for example. I mean, you said that you didn't see what happened exactly, correct?" the doctor asked and Lou confirmed it by nodding. "So she could have had a seizure while she was in the water, which could have been the result of the drowning. But as bad as that may sound, it's a good thing she was awake after she arrived at the hospital and she seemed otherwise okay too - that is more than most people can hope for in a situation like this", Dr. Palmer said, hoping to avoid the parents' self-blame. They seemed like caring and loving parents and he could sense they were honestly worried. "Right now I need you to wait and I will get back to you when we have the MRI scans and have examined them. They can be the key to this all."
"Thank you, doctor", Peter said before he left.
Lou stood there, frozen, and stared at the floor. The doctor was trying to give them hope, but after today she didn't feel like she had much to hope for, even if Katie was okay, she still might lose her. Her head was spinning with all the possibilities and she was worried that no matter what route this situation took, it would all end up badly.
"Come on. Let's go to the waiting room", Peter said, placing his hand behind Lou's back guiding and supporting her as they walked. There were lot of things he wanted to say, but as Lou was obviously upset and fragile, he didn't want to fight right now as it could make her condition even worse.
"Is there anything we can do?" Ty asked after they had both watched the parents with the doctor, feeling sorry for them and hating the situation as much as anyone.
"Thanks for bringing Lou. I think we'll take it from here", Peter replied. He still felt like the more Bartlett-Flemings were around, the harder it was for him to relax and be himself.
"But maybe we should wait with you? I don't know about you, but if it was me, I would want family to be around if… something like this was going on", Amy suggested, not feeling like she could or should leave Lou's side right then.
"Amy, just go home. I know you have clients coming up first thing in the morning. You should try and catch some sleep while you're able", Lou said. A part of her wanted the security of her sister, but another part of her didn't think she deserved it. She just wanted to lock herself up and wait numbly for more news. Lou realized Amy and Ty meant well, but the less people were there to witness her downfall, the better.
"But–" Amy tried.
"Just go", Lou demanded firmly.
Ty decided maybe it was better for them to go even if it felt like they were abandoning Lou. But if it was what Lou and Peter wanted, then they should respect their wishes.
"Okay. Well, if there's anything we can do, just call us. Either of you", Ty said, looking at both of them. "I hope Katie's going to be okay."
"Me too", Peter replied, nodding. "Thanks, Ty."
"No problem", Ty said, before he took Amy by the hand leading her away from where she wanted to be, making their way back to his truck so they could begin the long drive home.