Appearances May Often Deceive
Thanks to everyone that reviewed! You guys are great :D
Author's Notes: Okay, I never said where Meryton was located because it is still just a fictional place in my mind. But in the book, Pemberley was supposed to be about a day's journey from London, if you traveled by horse. Since this is a modern story, travel is not that difficult obviously. So I made up the travel hours just to show it was not an easy distance to get to, just like the original. I'll just leave it at that because you are about to find out what I mean.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice, its characters, names or its locations.
Chapter 13
It took John and I three hours to get back to Meryton because of the snow. When we finally got to the hospital, in the early morning hours, there still wasn't much news. We found our parents, along with Chris and Matt, in the ICU waiting room. They still hadn't had a chance to see Leo. Apparently since they brought him in, it had been nothing but x-rays, scans and lab work. So they had been stuck waiting the whole time.
It wasn't until four o'clock in the morning that they finally allowed us to see him, but only two at a time. It was against hospital rules, since visiting hours didn't start til eight a.m.. But the doctors knew we had been waiting all night, and how worried we all were, so they allowed us to see him for a few minutes. The doctors couldn't tell us much about his condition since they were still waiting for all the test results to come in.
My parents were the first to go in to see Leo. When they came out, a few minutes later, my mom was devastated. She was crying and my dad had to help her back into the waiting room. We all just huddled around and hugged her. I think it was comforting for her to have all her sons so close.
We let Matt and Chris go in next. When they came out, they were pale and their expressions were grim. John and I were the last to go in. We walked through the door and saw Leo laying there unconscious, connected to tubes and wires. The only sounds that could be heard were the beeping from Leo's heart monitor and the horrible suction noise coming from the tube that was inserted in his mouth. As we stepped closer to the bed, we could see the bruises and swelling on his face. As well as some of the smaller cuts that had been stitched up, and were not covered up by gauze.
Oh Leo. I had never felt so helpless in my life. My baby brother was probably dying in front of me and I couldn't do anything to stop it.
We just stood there staring at him until the nurse came in and said he needed his rest. She told us that we should come back at eight, when the visiting hours started. We nodded and left the room. No body felt comfortable going home, so we all stayed until the doctor could update us on his condition. The doctor later came out and told us that besides the cracked ribs, and various other injuries, Leo had swelling in his brain and was in a coma.
This news devastated us all. The doctor said at this point they were waiting to see if the swelling would increase or decrease on its own, in order for them to know how to proceed. We thanked him and sat there in silence. No one knew what to say.
Around seven in the morning, Katie showed up with coffee and breakfast for us all. The moment she put the bags down, John scooped her up into a tight embrace. I had never been so envious of my brother in my entire life. There was only one person I wanted to comfort me, but she wasn't there. I wanted so desperately to have Amelia by my side. To have her holding my hand and comforting me. But I knew it wasn't going to happen. I can't make her go through this horror again. Especially when Leo could have been responsible for putting other people in the same condition he is in now, or worse. No. I can't make her go through this again.
After we ate, I turned to Katie and thanked her for breakfast.
"No problem. We'd thought you guys could use something right about now," Katie replied.
"We?" I asked.
"Amy and I. She drove me back a couple of hours after you left. We brought all your stuff that you left at my parents' house too. We dropped it off at my house before going to pick up breakfast," she replied.
"Amelia came back with you? Where is she?" I asked.
"After we picked up breakfast, she dropped me off here," she answered.
"She dropped you off? She didn't want to come in?" I asked, not that I could blame her.
"She had some stuff she had to do," Katie said with a shrug.
When visiting hours started, my parents decided they wanted to visit with Leo first. Since they only let two people in the room at a time, my parents told us to go home. We left the hospital and drove Chris, Matt and Katie back to our parents' house. We were all shocked when we saw the state our parents' house was in. We had forgotten about Leo's little party and the huge mess it had left. There was only one thing to do, clean it up.
We all felt like zombies. We had stayed up all night, not that we could sleep even if we wanted to, and cleaned my parents' house from top to bottom. It could have waited, I guess. But we didn't want our parents to come home to the mess.
We came up with a schedule so everyone could have a chance to visit with Leo. We kept to the schedule until the following evening when Dr. Foster asked to meet with my parents. My parents asked us all to be there, in case we thought of any questions to ask the doctor, that they might not think to ask.
A nurse directed us to a conference room, as we waited for the doctor to join us. A few minutes later, Dr. Foster walked in with three men who he introduced to us.
"These three gentlemen are at the top of their field and I have consulted the specifics of Leo's condition with them. This is Dr. Wallace, one of the top neurologists in the country. This is Dr. Young, Chief of Internal Medicine. And Dr. Philips, Plastic Surgeon . . ."
"Plastic surgeon?" my mother interrupted, wondering why Leo would need a plastic surgeon.
"Yes, Mrs. Bennet. If you agree, I would examine your son and see if I can treat the lacerations on your son's face. Hoping to treat the wounds so I could reduce the amount of scaring he will have as much as possible," Dr. Philips replied.
"Oh," my mom answered. I guess she hadn't really thought about the scars on Leo's face being permanent.
"As I was saying, these three gentlemen are at the top of their fields, and with your permission, I would like to pass your son's treatment into their more than capable hands," Dr. Foster replied.
I couldn't help but stare at Dr. Philips and Dr. Young. There was something strangely familiar about the two of them. But I could put my finger on what it was. I know I had never met them before. Yet I couldn't help but think I recognized them from somewhere. Oh, well. I guess it's just one of those things.
We sat there for half an hour as each doctor told us how they planned to treat Leo. Leo had shown little improvement since he had been admitted. But three days later, he awoke from his coma. He was disoriented and couldn't speak properly at first. He had no recollection of the accident or the events that lead up to it. A week and a half later, they moved him out of the ICU and into a regular room. Leo's recovery was still going to be long and hard, but it was a miracle he was still alive.
Later, I was helping my dad with the accounting at the garage when we started discussing Leo's medical bills. We were fortunate enough to have most of Leo's medical bills covered by his insurance. Yet it did not cover everything. For example, dad said the insurance wouldn't cover any services provided by Dr. Philips, since it was considered cosmetic surgery. I just shook my head and asked what he planned to do. He said he would get a loan if he had to. I knew I had to find a way to help my dad out. I just had to find out how much money he was going to need to cover everything.
It was the week before Christmas and I wasn't feeling very jolly. I hadn't seen or heard from Amy since Thanksgiving. She was obviously avoiding me. If she wanted to she could have called or stopped by, but she didn't. I was swamped with work since I took over most of my dad's responsibilities at the garage, so he could be with Leo. At times I thought about calling her but I knew it wasn't right. She was not my girlfriend. I just kissed her once.
At times I would think about what it felt like holding her in my arms. I wanted to hold her again so badly. But she probably wants nothing to do with me or my family now, after what Leo has done. Especially since Leo was guilty of the same thing as the man who killed her father. No. That had to be the reason why she was avoiding me.
I tried my best to push those thoughts out of my head as I went to go visit Leo at the hospital. When I got there, I found Dr. Philips exiting his room. So I walked up to him.
"Hello Dr. Philips. Can I talk to you for a couple minutes?" I asked.
"Sure Mike. How can I help you?" he asked.
"I was just wondering if you could give me a ballpark figure of how much we will be charged for your services. Just an estimate. I was helping my dad with the books, and was just curious how much this was all going to cost," I said.
"Don't worry about it. It's free of charge," he said waving his hand in the air like it was nothing. He turned his attention back to his chart and started writing.
I stood there stunned, "What? I don't understand."
"I would never charge Amy for my services. Besides, she felt so bad that I cut my vacation short when she asked for my help, that she got her company to donate some medical equipment I needed for my practice. She really didn't have to do all that. After what we have been through together, she is like family to me. I would do anything for her," he replied as he returned to his notes.
I stood there completely shocked. It took me a while before I could say anything.
"Amelia? As in Amelia Darcy?" I asked him with my mouth still hanging open.
"The one and only. Why? I thought she said you two were friends," he asked, surprised by my reaction.
"Uh, yeah, we are," I replied.
He nodded but he was looking at me kind of funny. He probably thought I was behaving oddly or something. I just kept running his words over and over again in my head. Then the doctor's last words hit me.
"What did you mean by what you've been through together?" I asked. Was this an old boyfriend of hers? How did Dr. Philips know Amelia so intimately?
"We worked together in Africa. It's kind of hard not to develop a bond when you have to live and work with the same people for months. Especially in the conditions we were under. We all naturally gravitated toward each other and became a family. Having to live with the pain and heartache of losing some of our patients. Being away from our families, being in a different country, culture, and in an area where they spoke a different language. I can't tell you how close we all became. Especially with Amy. She was fresh out of college and one of only two women on our team. We all looked out for her as if she was our little sister. Well, scratch that. Not as a sister exactly. I think all of us guys kind of fell in love with her. I mean how can you not? She's so cute and funny. And seeing her taking care of, and loving all those children as if they were her own. How could you not fall in love with that?" he finished.
"Yeah," I replied as I looked down at my shoes and felt my cheeks flush. How could you not fall in love with her?
"So you're a plastic surgeon, and you were volunteering in Africa?" I asked. I found that kind of odd.
"Yeah, I performed reconstructive surgeries on children that had facial deformities. Well, in the beginning anyway. Once I had done all the surgeries they required, I helped out in other areas that needed assistance. I mostly worked with Dr. Young," he replied.
"Dr. Young? Not this Dr. Young? The same Dr. Young that is treating Leo?" I asked in surprise.
"Yes, it's the same Dr. Young. We were in Africa together with Amy," he answered.
"And you all live in Meryton?" I asked surprised by this new information.
"No, I live in Los Angeles, and Dr. Young lives in New York. We flew in the moment Amy called and asked for our help. We're staying with her at her townhouse," he replied.
Whoa! I can't believe Amelia did this! I can't believe she asked her friends to help Leo!
Dr. Philips turned and hung the chart back on the rack behind the counter of the nurses' station. When he did, I noticed the name embroidered on his white coat. Dr. Peter Philips. Peter. Peter? Why was that name so familiar?
"Peter! If you don't turn that camera off right now . . ."
That is why I thought Dr. Philips and Dr. Young looked familiar! I saw them on Amelia's home movies!
Dr. Philips turned his attention back to me.
"Was Dr. Wallace in Africa with all of you as well?" I wondered.
"Oh no, there were no neurologists with us in Africa," he replied.
"So Amelia had nothing to do with him working on my brother's case?" I asked.
"Oh yeah she did. When she found out what happened to your brother, she asked me and Dr. Young who were the best in their field. We both checked around and consulted our colleagues. And they all seemed to think that Dr. Wallace was the best choice," he finished.
"So Amelia paid Dr. Wallace to come down here to take on my brother's case?" I asked in astonishment.
"Oh no. Not even Amelia has that kind of money, to persuade the leading neurologist in the country to drop everything and come handle one case," he replied.
"Then how did she do it? How did she get him to come here?" I wondered.
"She committed herself to obtaining all the funding he required for a research study he has been working on. See doctors love to discuss their research. Except when it comes to having to find funding for our projects. It involves countless presentations and meetings. No doctor looks forward to that. Anyway, Amy took on the responsibility of obtaining all the funding he required for his research in exchange for him treating Leo. She has been on the phone for weeks with her business contacts, and calling in favors. She flew to London this morning to give a presentation. She said if it's a success, she will have obtained the final amount Dr. Wallace needs for his project. She is quite the business woman, she is very resourceful," he finished with a smile.
"London? That is at least a six or seven hour flight," I said more to myself then for his benefit. I can't believe she went to all this trouble for Leo!
"When does she get back?" I asked. I have to see her. I have to thank her for everything she's done.
"Well she has to be back at work by Monday. So she should return late Sunday night. She was just so grateful that they were willing to meet with her during the weekend. She can't take any more days off of work, and most people don't like to meet on weekends. Especially during the holidays," he commented.
I just nodded absentmindedly in response. Wow! I can't believe this. Why would Amelia go to so much trouble to help Leo? Unless . . . unless she did it for me.
Though this chapter is shorter than usual, I thought this was the best place to cut it off. The beginning part was the hardest to write because I wanted it to be realistic. Yet not too gruesome that it would bum you guys out.
I already wrote 75 percent of chapter 14. So let me know what you guys think :D