"Hello?" Marc answers his phone.
"Marc I need to speak to Wilhelmina."
"She's in a meeting."
"Now, Marc!"
"Daniel I don't know if she wants to talk to you. I'll have her call you back."
"No, Marc I need to talk to her now. It's an emergency."
"A fashion emergency? You can't decide what to wear for your rehab fashion show?"
"No, it's a real emergency. Why isn't she answering her phone?"
"It's in her office."
"Why?"
"It died, so she's charging it."
"I need you to get her, now."
"She's in a meeting."
"Marc do it, or you won't have a job."
"What is this about?"
"Stop putting your nose where it doesn't belong, just go get Wilhelmina. Now. I need to talk to her now."
"Fine," he puts his phone on hold, and goes into the conference room.
Wilhelmina is mid-sentence when he walks into the room. "Marc I'm in the middle of a meeting this had better be important."
"You've go a phone call."
"You came in here to tell me that?"
"It's an emergency."
"What kind of an emergency?"
"I don't know. I was told that if I didn't bring you the phone that I would be out of a job."
She looks at the clients sitting before her, "Excuse me I have to take this," she exits the room. She takes the phone from Marc, and heads down the hall to her office. "Who is it?" she questions.
"Daniel."
"Why didn't you say that?"
"I didn't think that it mattered."
"Marc you're an idiot," she pushes past him, and goes into her office. She pulls the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she answers.
"I think that you should come down here."
"Where are you?"
"I'm at the hospital with the baby."
"What's wrong? Is he ok?"
"He's been having bradycardic episodes. He's having some trouble breathing too. They put him back on oxygen. The neonatalogist seems to think that he's ok, but he's bringing in a cardiologist just to be on the safe side. They're going to take him upstairs for an electrocardiograph. I can handle it if you can't make it..."
"No. I'll be there, just give me fifteen minutes."
"Ok," he agrees.
Wilhelmina goes to apologize to the clients. As she exits the conference room she sees Claire waiting on her.
"Do you need something?" she questions as she heads toward the elevator.
"I need to tell you something."
"Not now Claire."
"Just listen. There is a helicopter on the roof waiting on you."
"You're kidding?"
"No, now go," she insists as the elevator doors open.
When Wilhelmina reaches the roof a silver helicopter is waiting on her. She's ushered onto the helicopter. She's barely seated when it starts moving. She reaches the hospital roof three minutes later. She jumps off the helicopter and jumps on the elevator. The ride to the sixth floor takes seemingly, forever. The doors of the elevator fly open, and she pushes through the crowd of people. She walks as quickly as she can to the N.I.C.U. She suits up, and washes her hands.
She finds Daniel hovering over the isolet that Chance is in.
"What happened?"
"I was just watching him. He was sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to disturb him. I noticed that he looked blue, and then monitors started beeping. He had an episode right before I got here too, that's when they put him back on oxygen. They drew blood, and the cardiologist should be here any minute."
"Do they think something is wrong with his heart?"
"The doctor told me that bradycardic episodes are common in preemies, but since he's just started having them they're a little bit concerned. He said it could be nothing, or it could be an infection, or it could be his heart."
"So you don't know?"
"No."
Hours later Wilhelmina finds herself sitting in a rocking chair staring at her son on the opposite side of his plexiglass prison. Daniel paces back, and forth behind her.
"Stop," she insists.
"Why don't you go home? I'll stay with him."
"No I'll wait."
The doctor joins them. "I've got good news," the doctor tells them.
"Yeah?" Daniel questions.
"His heart is fine, his lungs are fine, he doesn't have an infection."
"So what does that mean?" Wilhelmina questions.
"He's just going to have to be monitored."
"He's been being monitored hasn't he?" Daniel quizzes.
"Yes. All that it really means is that when you guys take him home the monitor is going to have to go with him."
"So what causes him to stop breathing?" Wilhelmina queries.
"He just forgets. Usually just touching him will bring him out of it."
"So are there any long term concerns with this?" Daniel asks.
"He's at a higher risk of S.I.D.S."
"But he should be ok?" Wilhelmina wonders.
"Absolutely. Just watch him. It's most likely going to happen when he's sleeping, or when he's eating."
"Thank you," Daniel gives the doctor a weak smile. The doctor leaves, and Daniel watches Wilhelmina. She stands over the isolet, with her hand on the plexiglass. She stares at Chance as he sleeps.
"Go home," he begs her.
"I'm not going anywhere. He needs me."
"You need rest."
"I'm fine," she lies.
"Wilhelmina, go. I'll stay with him. You've got to go to work in the morning..."
"No..."
"There is no reason for you to miss work. He's fine. I'm here with him, I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't want to leave him."
"You can't stay here. Go home."
"Give me one good reason."
"You're not any good to him if you're too exhausted to take care of yourself."
"I'm fine... really."
"I know that you like to be in control, but you have no control in this situation."
"I just don't want to leave him. I don't want..."
"If anything happens I'll call you."
"And send me a helicopter?"
"Just one of the perks of being a Meade."
"I'll be back first thing in the morning."
"No you won't. You're going to go home and go to bed."
"How? I can't sleep."
"Try. Take a sleeping pill."
"They don't work. I built up an immunity to them years ago."
"Then go have a nice cup of chamomile tea, and take a nice hot bath."
"I hate this."
"Hate what?"
"That I'm too tired to argue."
"Then go," he insists.
