Chapter Thirteen

The terrified look in Elizabeth's eyes the night she'd coughed continuously and had been unable to breathe had stayed with Will. He didn't think he'd ever forget it either. It wasn't an expression he ever wanted to see on his sister's face again. That desire was what led him to doing some research. There had to be something out there with promise even if it was just experimental. He spent all of his free time at work and much of his time at home searching online, digging through medical journals, and picking other doctors' brains. Will wasn't about to give up. Not until he found something. While he hadn't been able to save his parents all those years ago, the universe was giving him another chance to save a member of his family, just in a slightly different way. He wasn't about to fail.

"Hey, Daddy?" Annie asked as she walked into his study.

Will held out his arms and scooped his daughter up to settle her on his lap.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you still trying to find a way to make Aunt Elizabeth better?"

"That's what I'm working on right now."

Big blue-green eyes turned upward, full of hope. Annie had heard enough about how sick her aunt was to know that Elizabeth really needed help. If there was anyone who could help someone who was sick, it was her dad. She trusted him to find a way. He was an amazing doctor who helped people all over the world after all.

"Have you found anything yet?"

"Maybe, sweetheart. I have to do some more research and make a few phone calls, but maybe."

Annie nestled her head against his shoulder.

"I hope it works, Daddy."

"Me too, baby. Me too."

What he was looking at showed a lot of potential, but he couldn't be sure of anything yet. With luck he would be happy with what he found. Of course even if he did get good news it would mean trying to convince Elizabeth and Henry it was the right course of action. Hopefully that wouldn't be too hard.

O . o . O . o . O

"Could you please pick somewhere to put your feet that isn't right in front of what I'm working on?" Henry complained as he shoved Elizabeth's toes away from the bottom of his notepad.

"Well where do you want me to put them?"

"Anywhere but in front of where I'm trying to write."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him before pulling her feet off his lap and jamming them under his thigh. He patted her knee in thanks and was already working again. Really he shouldn't have bothered. He'd barely even started up again when the phone rang. Henry tossed his notepad on the coffee table with a sigh.

"If you claim the entire couch while I'm gone I'm going to sit on your legs when I get back."

"We both know you wouldn't dare."

"Watch me."

Elizabeth's laughter followed him into the kitchen. By the time he had picked up the phone it had turned into quiet coughing. Henry shook his head, sadness seeping in that she couldn't even fully enjoy laughter anymore. He picked up the call from security and quickly became distracted from his distress. When he stepped back into the family room after the call his forehead was creased in confusion.

"Did you know your brother was coming over?" he asked Elizabeth.

She pushed herself up to a sitting position, which triggered more coughing. When she got it under control the expression on her face told Henry everything he needed to know. She hadn't had the vaguest idea her brother was on his way either.

"Will?"

"Unless you have another brother I don't know about hidden away."

Elizabeth scowled at him over that one before her curiosity got the better of her.

"Wonder what he wants."

"We'll find out," Henry said with a shrug as he headed for the door so he wouldn't keep Will waiting too long.

Henry couldn't quite read the look on Will's face when he opened the door and Will stepped inside. There was an excited glow in his eyes, but the rest of his body language read anxiety. His body was tense, like a coiled spring ready to explode. Henry wasn't sure if the end result would be good or bad. With Will it could easily go either way.

"We weren't expecting you."

"I know, but I really needed to talk to you and Elizabeth."

"You know you're always welcome here, but there is this amazing thing called a phone that lets you talk to people without needing to drive all the way over to their house," Henry explained as he led Will over to the couch where Elizabeth was still sitting.

"Some things are better handled in person."

"If you meant to come over and scare me, you're doing a pretty good job of it with that comment alone," Elizabeth warned him.

"If I wanted to scare you, Lizzie, I would have a lot better ammunition than that."

"Oh, I don't know. That one was pretty impressive." Whenever something needed to be handled in person it always meant the situation was bad or potentially critical. She had to pause to catch her breath before finishing. "Why are you here, Will?"

"To propose something to you and Henry. You just have to hear me out."

"I hear people out for a living, Will. Or at least I did."

She waved him toward the other end of the couch where Henry had been sitting. Her husband took the arm rest behind her and draped an arm around her shoulders. Henry still wasn't sure what to think of Will's visit. He was starting to learn more toward the "turn out badly" result though.

"You sound like you don't know what we'll make of this, Will," Henry added.

"Because I don't," Will answered as he looked uneasily between the two of them.

"Talk, Will," Elizabeth demanded.

"I've been doing some digging and looking around to find something that might help you. I think I found something that has a lot of potential."

Elizabeth frowned and leaned back against Henry. They were already doing so much to try and improve her condition. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to add more, especially since there was no guarantee it would actually help. Will saw the growing reticence on her face.

"Tell me your therapy and current treatments are actually working, Lizzie. It's been a month. How many big improvements have you really made?"

Elizabeth immediately flinched and seemed to withdraw. Will was rather taken aback by such a strong response, but Henry seemed to have almost expected it after that question. He pulled her back against him and rested his chin on your head.

"He isn't blaming you, babe."

Will felt like he'd been slapped in the face.

"What? Of course I'm not."

Henry smiled reassuringly at Will and explained.

"Elizabeth's been having a hard time convincing herself that her lack of progress isn't her fault."

"That's what I'm trying to get at, Lizzie. It isn't you. We just haven't found the right thing yet. This program might be it."

Elizabeth sighed and eventually looked up. She'd promised Will she would hear him out. Maybe he really was on to something. She nodded at Will to continue. He immediately jumped on the opportunity. This was his chance to convince her, and he was going to pull out all the stops. He really thought this program would be good for her.

"The medical research on this rehab program shows a lot of promise. Almost all of the participants showed some level of improvement, and a handful of them have made nearly a full recovery and can live a completely normal life. It's a month long residential program that combines both therapeutic and pharmaceutical methods to get results. They even provide counselling to help cope with th – ."

"Whoa, slow down," Elizabeth interrupted, her voice pitched up in agitation. "Residential?"

There was one of the major stopping points Will had been concerned about. Both Henry and Elizabeth had fought tooth and nail to prevent a stay in a facility of any kind after her release from the hospital. Getting them to consider one now could be a near impossible task. That was only the first battle he would have to fight too. There would be more to come even if he won this one.

"Yes, residential. They do a lot every day. It's a big commitment, but that's what gets the results. Wouldn't it be worth it if you could get off the supplemental oxygen?"

A flicker of hope flashed over Henry's face, and he glanced at Elizabeth.

"It might be, babe."

Elizabeth still didn't look convinced, so Will tried one more thing.

"This isn't a facility for seniors, Lizzie. The program works with a lot of middle aged adults, especially first responders and military members who have had similar experiences to yours that caused their pulmonary problems. It's not somewhere you go long term."

"And you know that from researching them?" Elizabeth asked skeptically.

"I called and talked to the staff. I really liked what I heard, which is why I brought this program to you guys."

"You talked to the staff."

Her voice was completely flat. She made it sound like he'd done something wrong by calling the program's staff. That was very Elizabeth. She could call other people to meddle in his life, but when he did the same it wasn't right. It didn't matter. He was going to meddle whether she wanted him to or not. It was for her own good.

"Of course I did. It's a highly specialized program with limited room. I had to make sure they had a spot for you before I brought it up. If they didn't have room there would have been no point."

"Will."

There was both anger and exasperation in that one word.

"Just to save you a spot, Lizzie. Whether you take it or not is entirely up to you."

"And where is this specialized program Elizabeth might be spending a month at?" Henry asked.

And that was the other sticking point. Will was sure his answer would cause an absolute uproar.

"Ohio."

"Ohio?!"

Both of them had wanted to shout that reply, but Henry was the only one to voice it. The sharp intake of breath in response to Will's answer had been enough to cause Elizabeth's lungs to spasm and trigger body shaking coughs. Henry caught hold of her and began rubbing her back to help calm her down. The shock made it hard for Elizabeth to slow her breathing and still the coughs.

"I realize it's kind of far away," Will began once his sister was breathing better.

Elizabeth glared at him. That was a major understatement. If she had dared to risk speaking she would have told him so in the harshest way possible. For something like this she would have called Virginia a long way away, and that was just barely outside of DC. Ohio was more than just across the border. It was states away. States. Plural.

"You promised you would hear me out. Now hear me out."

Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest, leading Henry to squeeze her shoulders to try and calm her down.

"Go ahead, Will," Henry told his brother-in-law.

"Cleveland Clinic is the third ranked hospital in pulmonary care in the entire country. This program is an offshoot of the Clinic. It's top notch. Yes, the distance means Henry and the kids aren't going to be able to come up and visit much, but you wouldn't really have much time for visitors anyway. I can stay up there with you though. Work will let me teach through tele-conferencing. Sophie understands, and Annie flat out told me to stay with you. She really wants you to get better and said everybody who's sick should have someone who loves them there to take care of them. Believe me, Lizzie, I wouldn't have gone through all this effort if I didn't honestly think this would help you. Take some time to think about it and let me know. They'll hold your spot for a week."

When Will finished he kept his eyes on Elizabeth, trying to figure out whether he'd at least convinced her to consider going. Her face was completely unreadable. That wasn't necessarily a bad sign though. At least the outright irritation and anger were gone. Henry, on the other hand, was much easier to read. Will had already won Henry's consideration. The debate of whether Elizabeth should go or not was already visible in his eyes. Maybe Will would have to count on Henry's vote and his ability to sway Elizabeth.

"Promise me you'll consider it, Lizzie. That's all I ask."

Elizabeth sighed and nodded her head in agreement. She would think about it, but Will had better not get his hopes up. There was very little about his plan that she liked. Even with time to think about it she doubted that would change.

Author's Note: Sorry this is so late. It's been a hell of a week.