"It's okay, sweetheart," I whispered, stroking Eden's hair.
The poor infant was screaming, her little body covered in a sheen of sweat. I had taken her outside into the cool night air in an attempt to cool her down and to avoid waking anyone else up. Eden coughed, her tiny face turning red as she hacked.
"Shhhh," I said, rocking her back and forth as I patted her back.
Once she had finished coughing, I went to wipe away her tears but noticed there weren't any.
"You need fluids, jellybean," I said, frowning.
Gabby came out a few moments later, wrapped up in one of Casey's sweatshirts.
"How's she doing?" she asked, walking over.
"Not so great. Her fever is up to 101.9 and she's dehydrated but I can't get her drink. I'm getting really worried, Gabby," I said.
I turned to head to the ambo to get a suction bulb for the snot in Eden's nose but stopped when I heard her breathing.
"Gabby, she's wheezing. And look at her nostrils. They flare every time she takes a breath."
"Call Will," she said, taking Eden from me.
"It's 3 am. He's probably asleep," I said.
"Grace, he's always telling you to call if you need him. You need him. So call him."
I pulled my phone out at dialed Will's number. It rang until it went to voicemail. I tried again.
"Hello?" he answered groggily.
"I'm sorry to wake you up but I'm worried about Eden," I said.
"Hey, it's okay. What's going on?" he asked, slightly more alert when he heard the panic in my voice.
"She had a little cough before I started shift yesterday but now it's turned into a full blown hacking cough with a runny nose and a fever of 101.9 as of 20 minutes ago. Now she's wheezing and her nostrils flare every time she tries to take a breath."
"It sounds like her cold is turning into something more. Can you get to Med?" he asked.
"I'll have to check with Chief Boden and get back to you. I don't know if I can get time off to bring her to Med," I said.
Dawson looked at me and shook her head. She signaled that she would check with Boden.
"Dawson is going to go check. Will, how worried should I be?" I asked.
"I can't tell you that until I see Eden. Just breathe," he said.
Dawson came back a minute later with Chief Boden.
"I'll call headquarters and request a relief paramedic for you and I'll fill in for Severide. Take Eden and Kelly and get to Med," Boden directed.
"Thank you. Will, I'm on my way."
I hung up and thanked Boden again before taking Eden from Gabby and heading back to Severide's quarters. He woke up as I came into the room. He sat up immediately when he saw the worry on my face.
"What's going on?" he asked, getting out of bed.
"We need to take Eden to Med. She's getting worse so I called Will and he's going to meet us there," I said, shoving things into the baby bag with my free hand.
Severide got dressed and finished packing the bag while I strapped Eden into her carseat. I offered her a bottle, but she only drank for a minute before spitting it out.
"Let's go," Severide said.
Casey met us in the common room, worry etched in his face.
"Call if you need anything from us. We'll swing by Med after shift if you're still there," he said, clapping Severide on the shoulder and hugging me.
Dawson walked out to my car with us and gave Severide and I both tight hugs before heading back inside to her husband. Severide sat in the backseat with Eden while I drove. I almost wished I had asked Boden if we could take the ambulance just so we could get there faster, but I knew the few extra minutes it would take us in the car wouldn't make a difference.
"Will is going to meet us at the Nurse's Station," I said as we pulled into the parking lot.
I unsnapped Eden's carseat from the base and carried her through the sliding double doors. The ER waiting room was filled with drunk people and Severide pulled me close to his side as we walked past them. Will was standing at the Nurse's Station, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to Dr. Manning.
"Hey. I asked Nat to come in to help out. Is that okay?" Will asked when he saw us.
"Of course. It's good to see you," I said, smiling at Natalie.
We headed into one of the rooms and I set the carseat on the bed and unstrapped Eden. Once she was out, I put the carseat on the floor and sat on the bed in its place. Eden was still wheezing and I cringed when she started coughing.
"Let's see what's going on with you, kiddo," Natalie said, listening to Eden's heart and lungs.
I gripped Severide's hand tightly while Natalie and Will worked on Eden. Eden started coughing again, causing her to cry. I watched as her tiny little lips started turning blue as she struggled to breathe.
"We've got to keep her calm. Crying makes her breathe harder and she can't get enough oxygen," Natalie said, picking up Eden.
I held my arms out for my baby. Dr. Manning handed her to me and I rocked her back and forth, bouncing gently. Will slipped a tiny oxygen mask over her nose and mouth to help her breathe as she slowly calmed down. When she was done crying, she fell asleep, exhausted.
"It's looking like she's got bronchiolitis," Natalie said.
"Is that like bronchitis?" Severide asked.
"It's similar. It's a respiratory infection, just in a different part of the lung," Will explained.
"So what's the treatment?" I asked.
"We'll need to admit her for a few days. She needs to stay on oxygen and we'll start her on IV fluids as well as some medications to help with her breathing," Dr. Manning said.
"How serious is this?" Severide asked.
"We'll know more once we get treatment started. The most common complication is having to put the patient on a ventilator until the infection clears, but that's rare. Eden should be fine," Will said.
"So the ventilator is the worst case scenario?" I asked.
"Essentially," Natalie said.
"Good to know," I said, feeling slightly reassured.
Will and Natalie stepped out to get started on admitting Eden while Severide called Chief Boden to give him the update. I picked Eden up off the bed and cuddled her to my chest. She looked up at me, tears welling up in her green eyes. My heart shattered at the look of pure sadness on her face.
"Are you okay?" Severide asked, coming back into the room.
"She looks so sad. I feel so bad for her. She can't tell us how she feels or what she wants or needs," I said.
Severide wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. We stood like that, looking down at our daughter, until Will came back. He handed me a stack of papers to sign and left again to go get one of the little rolling cribs for Eden. By the time I was finished reading and signing the admission papers, the Pediatric Unit was ready for Eden.
"Thank you for coming in on such short notice," I said as we waited for the elevator.
"Of course. I told you, I'm here to help," Will said, smiling at me.
When we got up to the room, Will and a few nurses got Eden hooked up to a heart monitor and wrapped a pulse-ox around her toe before adjusting her oxygen mask.
"We're going to have to put an IV in her hand. Do you want to hold her while we do it?" Natalie asked, coming into the room.
I nodded and picked up the baby, being careful not to get the wires twisted. Eden stayed still when Natalie inserted the IV, but my heart still hurt. Natalie taped the IV in place, making sure it was secure.
"All finished. You were so good," she said, gently tickling Eden's belly.
Will got Eden hooked up to a bag of saline before turning to Severide and I.
"You're more than welcome to hold her, but make sure that nothing gets twisted or bent. Be very careful and press the call button if you need anything."
"Thanks again, Will," I said, hugging him.
"Anytime. I'll come check on her in a few hours," he said.
He stripped off his rubber gloves and tossed them in a nearby wastebasket before leaving, sliding the glass door closed behind him. The room was silent except for the soft sounds of Eden wheezing. I sat in one of the chairs, relaxing for the first time in hours.
"Do you need anything?" Severide asked, sitting in the other chair.
I shook my head and scooted my chair closer to his so that I could lay my head on his shoulder. My eyes began to grow heavy as we sat there.
"I'm going to go get some coffee. Do you want any?" I asked, looking over at Kelly.
"Yes, please," he replied, standing to go look at Eden.
I grabbed my wallet and headed down to the cafeteria, rubbing my eyes.
"You look like hell. What's going on?" Dr. Rhodes asked, turning the corner and spotting me.
"Eden just got admitted with bronchiolitis. I've been up with her since midnight," I said.
"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.
"We'll be okay. Will and Natalie are on top of it. Besides, I know you're incredibly busy," I said.
"At least let me get you a coffee," he insisted.
I agreed and we headed to the doctor's lounge. When we got there, Dr. Choi was sitting at the computer, scrolling through a chart. He looked up when we came in and shot me a smile.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, turning in the chair so he was facing me.
"Eden is upstairs. Severide and I brought her in with bronchiolitis," I said.
"Oh man. That's unfortunate. Let me know if you need anything," he said.
I thanked him and gratefully accepted the cup of coffee that Connor held out to me. I watched as he poured another cup and secured the lid.
"For Severide," he said, handing the second cup to me.
"Thank you so much," I said.
"Anytime. Do you want to hang out here for awhile or do you want to go back upstairs?" Dr. Rhodes asked.
"I need some fresh air for a minute," I said.
He nodded and led me out of the doctor's lounge. We walked through the ER waiting room and headed outside. The early morning air felt good on my skin. The sun was barely up, the buildings blocking its rays. We stood there in silence, Connor just letting me have time to breathe. After a few minutes I looked over at him and decided it was time to go back to my daughter.
"Ready?" he asked.
I smiled softly and nodded. Just as we turned to leave, we heard the sound of tires screeching on pavement. Across the street, a black car slid to a stop, pausing for a second, before peeling away. Both Connor and I immediately took off running when we saw a bloody figure slumped against the curb.
The coffee cups I had been holding dropped from my hands as I ran. Connor and I arrived at the victim at the same time. Connor tossed me a pair of gloves and we both yanked them on before getting to work.
"I have an entry wound, but no exit," I said, finding a bullet hole in the man's thigh.
"He has multiple stab wounds too," Connor said, putting pressure on one the wounds that was bleeding heavily.
Clarke came sprinting over with a jump bag and we immediately got to work. I grabbed Clarke's stethoscope and listened to the man's lungs.
"Tension pneumothorax," I said.
"We need to decompress. Clarke, go for it," Connor said.
I moved aside and put pressure on another one of the stab wounds while Clarke shoved a needle into the guy's chest, releasing the air that had been crushing the left lung.
"We need to move him," I said as the trauma team came running over with a gurney.
Once the man was transferred onto the gurney and secure, we all ran back into the ER. I stepped aside as the team of doctors and nurses got to work on the unconscious man. Connor and I made eye contact for a second and I smiled before turning and heading out of the ER.
On my way back up to Eden's room, I grabbed two fresh cups of coffee. When I got upstairs, Severide was asleep in the chair next to Eden's little plastic crib. I set the coffees down on the table and went over to Eden. She was sleeping, her oxygen mask slightly askew. I fixed it just as Natalie came into the room.
"Hey," she said quietly, sanitizing her hands.
"Hi," I said.
"How's she doing?" she asked.
"I just got back, but she seems to be doing okay. I was helping Dr. Rhodes in the ER for a little bit," I explained.
"He mentioned that. It sounds like you really helped save that man. He's in emergency surgery now," she said, listening to Eden's lungs.
"I hope he makes it," I said.
Natalie finished listening to Eden's lungs and reached over to turn up the flow of oxygen. I frowned at her actions, concerned.
"Relax. It's just a precaution," Dr. Manning said, shoot me an encouraging smile.
I smiled tensely back before turning to look at Severide. He stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake. He needed sleep. He had been awake almost as long as me.
"Either Will or I will be back to check on her in a few hours. Don't be afraid to press the call button if something seems off or if you need anything," she said.
I thanked her and watched her leave before turning back to my daughter. Despite Natalie checking her, Eden still slept. Her little wheezes were muffled by the mask, but were definitely still there. Eventually, I sat in the chair next to Severide. I let my head fall back against the headrest and my eyes started to close, the events of the day finally hitting me.
"Hey, baby," Severide said, waking up.
"Hey," I said, not opening my eyes.
"Did I miss anything?" he asked, rubbing my thigh.
I shook my head, slowly opening my eyes. I pointed to the coffee that was sitting on the table and Severide took his, taking a long sip. He stood and went to look at our daughter, resting his hand on her tiny body. He sighed and kissed her forehead before pulling his chair closer to her and sitting. I tried to stay awake to watch my man interact with our daughter, but my eyelids grew too heavy and I finally gave up, letting sleep drag me down.
I was woken up only a little while later by the sound of voices. I heard Severide and someone else talking in hushed whispers. I opened my eyes and saw Kelly, Will, and Natalie all talking just outside the doorway. Severide looked up and noticed I was awake.
"What's going on?" I asked, standing up and going to check on Eden.
I noticed that her tiny little fingers and lips had a blue tint to them. She wasn't getting enough oxygen, even with the mask.
"You have to intubate her," I stated, knowing that was what they had been talking about.
"It's more complicated than that," Dr. Manning said, her eyes sad.
"What else is wrong?" I asked, my heart racing.
"When I was listening to Eden's lungs a few minutes ago, there were crackles. I'm going to order a chest x-ray and see what's going on," Will said.
Eden started coughing, hard. Natalie picked her up and positioned her upright to help her breathe. Once the coughing fit had passed, radiology arrived with a portable x-ray machine. Severide, Will, and I stepped out while they did the x-ray. When we came back in, the film was up on the computer screen.
"There's fluid in her lungs. She's developed pneumonia."