Hey guys, as promised, here's the next chapter for you. Hope you all enjoy and don't forget to review J
The mail man had come just after Peter had phoned. Jill sifted through the mail, deciphering what was junk and what seemed to be important. One piece of mail stuck out, the word 'important' was written in angry red letters, highlighting the fact that important information must be within. She noticed that it was addressed to Kris, or Kristine as it says, so she walked into her sister's room and handed it to her, standing beside her as she opened it.
Mrs. Munroe
I'm writing to you on behalf of Dr. Simmons of the Los Angeles Memorial Hospital. This letter is to remind you that your daughter, Leilani-Reba Jill Melina Munroe, has an appointment on December 7th at 16:30. If she cannot make it then please inform me at least two hours beforehand.
Yours sincerely
Karoline Murtaugh
"Leilani-Reba Munroe!" Kris shouted as she got off her bed and stalked towards her daughter's room. Kris rarely shouted, so the unusual level of her voice woke Leilani before Kris had even had the chance to barge, furiously, into her room, Jill marching silently behind her.
"Why didn't you tell me that you had an appointment at the hospital today?" She asked, her level of anger was evident in her glaring eyes and pursed lips. Leilani gulped nervously, before checking to make sure the twins were sleeping, then looking at her angry/worried mom and aunt.
"I forgot" She replied, her voice barely above a whisper, her head bowed slightly to hide her scared expression from her mom.
"You forgot? That's not an excuse Leilani, you're supposed to tell me these things as soon as you find out" Kris said chastising her forgetful daughter.
"I know mom, and in my defence I wasn't exactly living here when I got the first letter" She said, pointing to a pile of opened letters on her nightstand.
"Then you should have told me as soon as you got back" Leilani nodded, scared, before Kris continued "This is serious Leilani"
"I know mom, and I'm sorry, I really am, but you can forgive me for being a bit scatter brained at the moment. Me getting checked out at the hospital isn't exactly at the top of my list of things to do. In case you haven't realised, my boyfriend has been kidnapped by a psychotic freak who is hell bent on causing us pain, so I'm sorry if something as superfluous as this slipped my mind" She said, defending her forgetfulness to a certain extent to her shocked mother and equally as shocked aunt.
"How many of these hospital letters did you actually get?" Jill asked, noticing the pile of letters seemed to be a little bit more than a pile and more of a stack of numerous letters and opened envelopes.
"Oh… erm… about 12, or something like that" She replied, studying her mother's now angry face.
"12... You got 12 hospital letters before this one and they all conveniently slipped your mind?" Kris asked, angry at how seemingly unfazed Leilani was with this "What the hell were you thinking?" Kris stopped as Jill's hand grasped her arm.
"Kris, honey, don't you think you're overreacting a little?" She asked her younger sister, feeling somewhat afraid for her niece at the display of anger Kris was showing.
"No, I don't Jill. In case you didn't remember last time we were in the hospital Leilani had a four week fever. I don't know what you think, but that isn't normal Jill. Leilani was overdosed with a drug that did god only knows what to her immune system, and it's important that she gets checked out. It could have done irreparable damage, that's why it's so important for Leilani to tell me when she gets hospital letters, so we can actually make the appointment and find out what the hell's going on!"
"Sorry kiddo, but your mom's right on this one" Jill told Leilani "You do need to get checked out, and it is important that you tell your mom as soon as you get letters like this"
"I'm sorry momma" Leilani told her, a sincere look on her face.
"I know you are, and that's why, from now on, you're going to show me every piece of mail you get as soon as you open it" Kris told her. Leilani looked at her shocked. She had never really been punished before, so something as small as this, seemed like a massive punishment for the youngest angel. Kris and Jill left the room, leaving Leilani to mull over what had just happened, and reel over the punishment she had just been given.
"What time is it?" Kris asked Jill as they walked into the living room. Jill looked at her wrist, taking note of the time the small watch, which was fastened to it, said.
"Erm… almost two thirty, what time is Leilani's appointment?" They both sat on the sofa and relaxed into it, revelling in the comfort it provided.
"Four thirty, that gives us two hours to have something to eat, get the twins up and get to the hospital for her appointment" Kris told Jill.
"I'll stay here with the twins while you take Leilani to the hospital" Jill told her, smiling at the appreciative look Kris gave her in return.
"Thanks, I mean, I love the twins, but them mixed with hospital equipment is bound to create a whole load of trouble" She said laughing at how mischievous the twins were. They were definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, Munroes. Leilani was exactly the same when she was a baby, always breaking things through sheer curiosity about what it looked like in little pieces, a habit which had become very expensive for the angels.
"Yeah, I remember when we took Leilani to the hospital after she walked into the table when she first learned to walk. Every single piece of hospital equipment in the room ended up either on the floor, across the room or she used them to try and pull off the doctors nose. I bet he regretted taking us on as patients that day" Jill said laughing at one of the many hilarious things Leilani had done throughout her 19 years alive.
"Ha, that was funny. She tried to beat his nose off with a penlight. I think he had more than a few bruises after that" She said, finishing the story. They shared a few laughs between themselves at Leilani's expense before their rumbling stomachs halted their time of reminiscing.
Leilani walked out of her room just as Kris and Jill had opened the kitchen door and followed them, her stomach talking to her much like her mom's and aunt's had for them.
"Food?" Jill asked as she opened the full refrigerator. Leilani nodded at her, smiling as she did so. Jill already knew that Kris wanted some food, so she rummaged round, trying to find something that would satisfy all of their hunger. She settled on omelettes which, luckily for them all, were her speciality. Kris and Leilani smiled at her, knowing how good their meal was going to taste.
"Thanks sis" Kris said as Jill placed a full plate in front of her.
"Thanks aunt Jill" Leilani told her as a full plate was placed in front of her too.
"You're welcome" Jill replied as she sat down at the table too. They ate in almost silence, throwing the few occasional smile in each others direction, and the odd word through food filled lips. Thankfully, as if by some kind of miracle, the twins were still asleep. They must have been affected by Cameron's absence, as they didn't laugh as much. The smallest things used to make them laugh, usually performed by Cameron, and Leilani had to admit that she was spending a lot of time focusing on Cameron and trying to get him back, that she didn't spend as much time with Farrah and Charlie as she should have.
"Ok then honey" Kris said as she took her last mouthful of food "Time to get dressed" She told Leilani who too was on her last mouthful of food.
"What about Farrah and Charlie, I don't want to wake them up" She told them. Kris and Jill both smiled at her.
"They're staying here with me while your mom takes you for your appointment" Jill said ruffling her hair. She smiled in appreciation before placing her empty plate and cutlery in the sink and leaving the room.
The twins were back in their cribs and sleeping peacefully when she entered so she picked out her clothes as quietly as possible and left the room to get changed in the bathroom. She emerged 20 minutes later fully clothed and ready to go. She went back into her room with the sole purpose of kissing her children before she went back in the kitchen. It was only 10 to 4, and they didn't have to leave for about another 10 minutes so she took up her previous position and watched and listened as her mom and Jill talked about when Leilani was little, ignoring her frantic pleas to stop.
" I really hate to be the one to break this up but mom, we've got to go" Jill and Kris both turned to look at her, realising that she was right. Kris hugged Jill across the table, got up and led Lani out. Deciding to go in the Cobra, Kris got in the drivers seat while Leilani sat in the passengers seat, they both buckled up before Kris left the parking space. How that little parking area beside their house could fit four cars was beyond her, but it did, with space to manoeuvre. Little conversation was passed between mother and daughter before the car was pulled into the hospital parking lot 20 minutes later. They exited the car and walked into the building, stopping shortly to give their name at the reception desk before being told to wait in the waiting area for Dr. Simmons to call them.
"What do you think this is about?" Leilani asked Kris, nervous about why she had been asked to come in to the hospital. She had to admit, before Alexia, she didn't hate hospitals, she had more of a dislike, a mild dislike, but now more than ever she never wanted to be confined to another hospital room for as long as she lives.
"I don't know honey, hopefully he just wants to do a check up" Kris replied truthfully.
"Hopefully" Leilani said. Kris took her hand and held it, giving Leilani some sense of hope. The hospital wasn't particularly busy, but they weren't called by Dr. Simmons until 4:45. They both got up and followed him into an examination room.
"Good afternoon ladies, I'm Dr. Simmons and you must be Leilani-Reba" He said holding his hand out for Leilani to shake, which she did, frowning at the use of her full name, before he gave his hand to Kris to shake "And Kristine" Neither angel bothered to tell him what they preferred to be called, and through bad manners on his behalf, he didn't ask.
"I know you're a bit confused as to why you're here today, and to be quite honest I would have preferred you to come when I first sent you a letter" He started, causing Kris to give Leilani an angry stare, which she shied away from "But it's better late than never" He continued.
"I wanted to run a few tests to see how your body is coping after your overdose of insulin 5 months ago" He told them. Leilani nodded in accordance with what he had just said "I'm just going to take some blood, and the lab downstairs should be able to give me the readings in about 20 minutes, which gives us enough time to talk" He said. He took a syringe out of an equipment tray to his right and filled it with a pint of Leilani's blood before calling a nurse to run it to the lab.
"Ok then, don't worry, I'm not going to ask you any evasive questions, but I want you to answer as truthfully as you can ok?" He asked her. She was sat on a hospital bed, Kris next to her holding her hand. She looked at the doctor, nodding in response, allowing him to start asking his questions.
"First off, have you been feeling any different since you came out of the hospital, any change in attitude, any instances of unexpected behaviour?" He asked. Leilani and Kris both shook her head. Her leaving for three months wasn't really a change in behaviour, more of an evolution of her pre-existing behaviour which was her protectiveness of her family and friends.
"Ok, have you been ill recently, any nausea, headaches, cold, flu?" He asked. Kris felt put out as she was unable to answer the questions on account of Leilani not living with her for a prolonged period of time.
"Not really, I mean I have had the flu a few times but it was really mild" She told him. He nodded at her.
"Anything else?" The doctor asked, feeling that there was something that Leilani wasn't telling him.
"Nope" She told him, smiling as if showing him that she was telling the truth.
"And how are you feeling today?"
"I'm ok, I've got a bit of a headache, but I woke up with that" She told him, squeezing her mom's hand slightly upon answering. Kris knew that the headache was stress related from worrying so much about Cameron and not getting much sleep.
"Are headaches a normal thing for you?" He asked her, curious as to the nature of the headache.
"Not really, my kids are very stressful at times, so I think it's just because of that"
"You have children?" He asked surprised. He obviously hadn't read her file properly, because he would have seen it.
"Yeah twins, a boy and a girl" She told him, smiling as she did so.
"How old are they?"
"Almost 7 months. They have just learned how to talk, so all I hear is 'mama' all of the time. It's really cute but extremely annoying at times" She said giggling. Kris giggled too having experienced the same thing when Leilani was little. Lani's first words were 'Momma' and 'Ant', obviously referring to her mom and aunt Jill.
"And is their dad around at all?" Obviously not knowing about her attack.
"Yeah, he's gone on a business trip for a week at the moment though" She told him, referring to Cameron but not feeling the need to tell him about the kidnapping. A nurse peaked her head into the room and handed the doctor a sheet of paper before leaving. He looked at it and frowned before looking up at Leilani and Kris.
"Bad news?" Kris asked referring to his facial expression.
"I'm afraid so" He started causing Kris to squeeze Leilani's hand in comfort and for Leilani's face to drop in worry "The massive overdose you suffered has unfortunately caused irreparable damage to your immune system, meaning that it's not as strong as it needs to be" He told them.
"What does that mean?" Kris asked. Leilani sat there silent, almost in shock.
"It means that it's going to be very easy for Leilani to become ill, possibly making a simple illness such as a common cold to become more serious"
"What can we do, how do we help?" Kris asked, her barrage of questions showing how worried she was for her daughter's health and general well being.
"I'm afraid that there isn't anything that can be done. Just accommodate her when she is ill, and if needs be, admit her to the hospital if her illness starts to become more serious" He told them, a truly sympathetic look on his face.
"So we do nothing?" Kris asked him, not fully understanding why the doctor would tell her that there was nothing that they could do.
"Take lots of vitamins, drink lots of fruit juice, but there is no way of reversing the damage that the insulin has caused. The only thing that you can do is make sure that your immune system doesn't get any worse" He told them truthfully Leilani, without an explanation, got up and left. Kris frowned, apologised to the doctor who was totally unaware of the cause of the sudden outburst, and left, trying to catch up with her daughter who was brusquely walking towards the exit.
"Leilani… Leilani wait up!" She yelled after her, but the yelling fell on deaf ears. It was raining outside, the rain fell hard slashing Leilani like knives through flesh, but she didn't feel it, didn't walk faster to avoid it, she just walked at her normal pace, blinking furiously attempting to stop the rain falling into her eyes, obstructing her view of the car, the same car her mom was running to behind her.
"Leilani?" Kris asked, approaching her cautiously "Honey… are you ok?" Leilani nodded her head, not really with it enough to answer her head. They got in the car, sighing at the warmth the enclosed space provided them, offering some sort of a reprieve from the hammering rain outside. The car ride home was silent. Kris didn't want to push Leilani into talking and Leilani was in shock . Once they got home, Leilani walked straight into her bedroom, passed a very confused looking Jill who was waiting for them to get back.
"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing how Kris was hesitant to follow her daughter.
"The doctor said that the overdose has seriously weakened Leilani's immune system" She said, plopping onto the couch next to her sister.
"What does that mean?" Jill asked.
"It means that it's highly likely that she'll become ill, and something as little as a common cold can make her seriously sick, even possibly to the point where she could be admitted" She said, placing her head in her hands.
"Oh, and she's upset at the prospect of having to go back in hospital again?" Jill asked. Kris shrugged her shoulders "It kind of makes sense though, especially after last time she was in hospital. Why don't you go and talk to her?" Jill suggested pushing Kris slightly, motivating her to get up and venture into Leilani's room. She was sat up in bed, her head leaning back against the wall, her legs stretched out in front of her and her arms crossed across her chest. Hey eyes were open and faced dead ahead. Kris walked up to the bed and sat down next to her, mimicking her position.
"I know that it's not the news we were expecting" Kris began "And I know what it means, but at least we have an explanation for if you become ill" Kris told her, telling her some of what she needed to know.
"I know momma, and I just need some time alone" Leilani said, not breaking contact with whatever it was that was so interesting on the wall in front.
"Ok honey, take as much time as you need" Kris said, getting off the bed to leave.
"It's just that… last time I was in the hospital I didn't think I'd be coming out again" She told her mom. The flood gates finally opened and she began to cry. Kris took up her previous position and held her daughter as she cried, tears streaming down her own face. She had a feeling, a bad feeling, that someone would end up in hospital, and she prayed to god that it wouldn't be her, but there are only so many miracles her god could perform, and she couldn't help but wonder is he had exhausted all miracles on protecting them from Alexia, which left none left for what she was sure was going to be a hell of a battle with Pierre.