A/N: So I want to start this note by responding to one of the guest reviews for last chapter about Brittany solving every case and Santana and the team's "gross incompetence" as you so put. Brittany solved the 1st case. 2nd case, Santana came up with radiation, nothing could be done. In other words, Brittany didn't solve that case. The 3rd case, Brittany realized the diagnosis and Mike came to the same conclusion seconds after, so they both solved it; AFTER Santana found something no one else on the team found, therefore saving the patients life. Saying the rest of the team, and Santana, more specifically, doesn't do anything and are quite useless…did you seem to forget that this story starts with Brittany becoming a part of the team? It doesn't show any pre-Brittany cases during the past five years when she wasn't there. Damn, and there are also the cases I don't write about, or the everyday life that Santana and the rest of the team have to go through at work. So to say the team is useless is completely untrue, and if you have a problem with what you're reading and how I focus on cases that keep the story moving, whether from this point on I make Brittany solve every single damn one of them, then you can stop reading, it's absolutely fine. Also! Santana only having her job because of nepotism? Yes, you're absolutely right. She was totally hired because of Puck, not because she had an impressive resume and Schuester thought she would be a wonderful asset to the hospital. If your reasoning for believing that is from reading the previous chapter where Puck and Santana are talking and Brittany is listening in, then I suggest you refer back and find your own error. Maybe I went of the rail there, maybe not, but don't question how I'm writing; and I do apologize for my being rude but just don't comment about things when what you're saying isn't true.
To everyone else, I apologize for my little bitchy speech above but that review just set me off, I don't know why specifically. Nevertheless, I thank you all for your feedback and I'm glad that you're still taken with the story as we move along. Over 800 reviews, 500 follows, and 230 favorites? Hot damn, you guys! You don't know how much that means to me. It is absolutely mind blowing.
Holy shit I didn't realize how huge that paragraph was...
Here you go, Chapter 40! Mwah!
-B
June, 2015:
"Liver failure means that whatever this thing is it's spreading, despite the fact that she's frozen."
You lift your gaze from Christine's file as Mike speaks up before glancing at Quinn when she throws in her own bit, "Hepatic and heart failure could mean antitrypsinase deficiency."
"We could stick a needle in her liver. If we see fibrosis, she's right." Sebastian says and Mike nods, holding his hand out.
"And the cardio fits just as well."
Sebastian says and you glance at Noah sitting at the end of the table. Santana was with Juan outside Christine's room but Noah was now with the team listening in on your ideas. "But there is no way we can tell because we can't take her temperature. If we warm her back up we should be able to tell if she's got an infection."
"Yes, we could get a diagnosis by letting the disease run rampant until it kills her." Noah states firmly before running his hands over his head in frustration, "If it's spreading we need to slow it down even more. We've got to cool her down further."
You glance around at your team as they all exchange glances before settling their gaze on you and you shift uncomfortably before letting out a sigh and looking at Noah.
"Noah, we know you love her, okay, it's your mother of course you do. But making her colder and colder isn't a cure." You tell him slowly and he just lifts his head before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Look," Noah scowls, "We need to put more ice on her." He says and Mike closes his eyes with a shake of his head while Sebastian rubs his temples, Quinn running a hand through her short hair in annoyance.
"Putting more ice on her is just delaying our diagnosis." Sebastian says. Noah slams his hand on the table causing everyone to jump as Sebastian remains unflinching.
"This isn't your diagnosis, its Pierce's and if she thinks-"
"You're putting things in her head because you're letting your emotions get the better of you!" Sebastian throws back as Noah pushes his chair back and gets to his feet.
"It's my mother!" he shouts, grabbing the front of Sebastian's coat and lifting him to his feet.
"Noah! That's enough!" you shout, standing up. He breathes heavily as Sebastian just stares at him with narrowed eyes. Noah looks at you, "Can I speak with you for a moment?" you ask him firmly and walk towards Noah's office. "Make her colder. Fill her lungs with slurry." You tell the team while, pushing Noah's shoulder towards his office.
He lets go of Sebastian roughly before moving and you follow him, closing the door behind you.
"Okay, listen to me."
"Pierce-"
"No." you say firmly, turning on him. He straightens, holding his head up and not meeting your gaze as you poke him in the chest. "You gave me control over this case. You could've chosen anyone else but you picked me. Now it's taken me some time to actually get into my role and I won't have you sitting in with my team and messing shit up because you think you know what's best. In this moment, right now, you don't." you tell him and he glances at you.
"This is still my team."
"Not today it's not." You counter, holding his gaze. When he looks away you sigh and put your hand son your hips, glancing down. "I don't want to see you in here until we figure out what's wrong. Until we come to you." You tell him and he looks at you incredulously. "If you can't respect what I'm telling you myself, I'll go to Schuester and he'll tell you." You state and he rubs his jaw before nodding. You nod in return before leaving him in his office.
"Hey." You say hesitantly.
Santana lifts her head while opening her eyes as you take a seat in the chair beside her. She stifles a yawn and forces a smile, "Hey, what are you thinking?" she asks, turning to face you more.
You pull your gaze from Christine's room across the hall and glance down the hall with furrowed brows.
"Where's Noah and Juan?"
"Noah took a much needed walk and I'm not quite sure about Juan." She says, "Why?" she tilts her head, looking at you and you shake your head, picking at a strand of fabric from the arm from the chair.
"I wanted to ask about her health the past few months." You say and Santana nods.
"Isn't everything in her file?"
"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you, and figured you could tell me about her history as well as the file, if not better." You shrug and Santana's lips twitch upwards, "Also see how you're doing." You add and Santana looks at you, shifting to cross her legs.
She puts her hand on the arm of her chair, flipping it so her palm faces up and you smile sheepishly, wrapping your hand around hers.
She takes a heavy breath while you caress the back of her hand with your thumb, "I'm doing okay." She nods, lifting her eyes to meet yours as you listen and watch her. "It's hard. I'm just…trying to be the strong one, you know?" she asks and you nod.
"You don't always have to be though." You tell her gently and she furrows her brows.
"Be what?"
"The strong one." You tell her and she slowly licks her lips, nodding. You glance around and Santana looks between your eyes. You start to lean in when Juan comes from down the hall, looking between the two of you as you pull back.
"What's going on, did you find something?" he asks, sitting down across from Santana as you look away from her and shift.
"I wanted to ask about her health the past few months."
"Isn't that in her file or something?" he asks in confusion and you nod.
"Just, answer the question, Juan." Santana rolls her eyes and Juan huffs.
"She's been fine. As fine as a sixty-three year old can be." He sighs, scratching his head, "There was that thing when I called you and it came back like a couple weeks ago."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Santana asks with a scowl and Juan narrows his eyes.
"Because you said it was just the flu the first time." He says, holding his good arm out as Santana runs her hand over her face.
"So she's been sneezing?" you ask and he nods, "What color was the sputum?"
"Sputum?"
"Snot." Santana clarifies with a huff.
"Uh, I don't look at that."
"Blood in her sputum could mean parasite. Let's assume runny nose means infection." You tell them and Santana nods. "Excuse me." You say when something hits you and get to your feet, heading for Christine's room.
"Wait, Britt." Santana says quickly, following after you. You step into the room and Sebastian looks back at you along with Quinn.
"What's up?" Quinn asks and you nod towards Christine.
"Let's flip her over." You tell them and Quinn arches her brow while Sebastian and Santana exchange looks.
"Why are we doing this?" Sebastian asks while he and Quinn turn Christine on her side, Santana standing beside you. You tilt your head. "She's bruised." Sebastian says in confusion.
"Look closer."
"It's a rash. How did you-"
"She's been sick, most likely a severe cold which in some cases you can get a rash. I figured we'd check her back before anywhere else." You explain to Santana and she nods. You step closer and Quinn and Sebastian move around, holding her on her side a different way as you and Santana look closer at her back.
"It looks like an influenza rash." Santana mumbles slowly and you nod.
"The flu shouldn't be killing her organs one by one." Quinn says.
"Dermatomyositis." Santana suggests and you glance at her with an arched brow. She clears her throat, "Just a thought." and you smile at her.
"Wouldn't speed up her heart." Sebastian says.
"An allergic reaction?" Quinn suggests and you scrunch your nose.
"Maybe it's not a rash at all. It could be an abscess." Santana says with a shrug. You nod and go to the cart off to the side, grabbing a needle. You remove it from its plastic packaging and bite the tip, pulling the lid off as you move back around to see the rash.
"If we see pus, Santana's right." You tell them before slowly pushing the needle in and pulling back on the plug. You scrunch your nose and pull the needle out.
"It's not fluctuant."
"It's clear." Santana says, "No pus."
"Which means it's vesicular." You sigh, looking at the clear liquid before putting the cap on and tossing it in the garbage.
"Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever." Quinn says.
"She has a god damn Chihuahua back home, maybe she got a tick." Santana says.
"That's treatable. Doxycycline." Sebastian says with a smile and you nod, smiling faintly at Santana as she lets out a breath.
"We allow eight hours for antibiotics to take effect, then we warm her up and shock her heart." You say, turning to leave when Santana grabs your arm, shaking her head.
"Wait, if we're wrong, restarting her heart could kill her." Santana says to you, and you wet your lips. "Run blood cultures first." She says and you furrow your brows.
"Santana, the fastest way to test is to treat. If we're wrong we'll still have time to try something else." You tell her gently and she furrows her brows, shaking her head.
"No, Brittany. You can't start her heart." She says.
"Santana-"
"You're not starting her heart." She repeats loudly and firmly, her eyes rimmed red as she swallows roughly. "Not until you're one hundred percent certain."
"We're never one hundred percent certain." Sebastian says tell her and she clenches her jaw and shakes her head, looking between your eyes pleadingly.
You sigh and look down, "Run the blood cultures. After we get confirmation then we'll restart her heart." You say as Santana relaxes, giving you a thankful smile.
"She's wrong." Sebastian states in disbelief and you and Santana look behind you towards him as Quinn looks away. He furrows his brows, shaking his head while holding a hand out, "You know she's wrong. You can't change your mind just because a family member starts crying. They're always scared." He exclaims as you purse your lips. "And I'm sorry, Santana, for what you're going through but we're doctors and you put Brittany in charge of this case, and now you're just trying to manipulate her into doing what you would do even when it's not something you would do. You and Puck shouldn't be allowed in the same rom as us while we're doing a differential because Brittany will bend to please you both." He states loudly in frustration while you sigh.
"Run the blood cultures." You repeat you tell him and hold his stare until he leaves the room with Quinn following. You barely cast Santana a glance before running your hand through your hair and leaving her with her aunt.
You rush into Christine's ICU room with Mike and Quinn close behind you and stop abruptly, taking in the scene.
Sebastian and Dean Schuester were standing beside Christine's bed with Noah trying to get at Sebastian, Santana barely holding him back. You look back at Mike and Quinn who move to your sides and they shrug in confusion.
"What the hell is going on?" you ask, moving towards Christine. You widen your eyes and look at Dean Schuester. "You were warming her up?" you ask in disbelief.
"You weren't making the right call." Sebastian says and you narrow your eyes at him.
"You went to Schuester?" you asks. "We still don't know what this is and you just let it spread to her brain." You tell him loudly and Sebastian holds his hands up.
"I told you this would happen!" Noah shouts at him, trying to reach passed Santana to grab Sebastian.
"Puck-" Santana tries, her jaw clenched.
"This is exactly what I said would happen. It's in her brain now!" he shouts, pushing Santana's hands away from him while pacing the room angrily.
"You had no right." You tell Sebastian.
"Look, brain involvement gives us a new symptom." Dean Schuester says, his voice overpowering everyone else's. You keep your hard gaze on Sebastian as he looks down in apology. Noah stops pacing and glares at the Dean and Sebastian with his hands on his hips. Santana wets her lips while shaking her head at what the Dean and Sebastian had done, while Mike and Quinn shift next to you.
"That symptom wouldn't be there if you hadn't-"
"It's where the disease was going." Dean Schuester cuts Noah off abruptly and you shake your head, "We needed to know-"
"This wasn't your decision to make!" Noah yells, turning on Schuester, jabbing a finger towards him. Santana hisses his name and grabs his arm, pushing it down while sending him a warning look while Dean Schuester clenches his jaw. "You went behind my back, you went behind Pierce's back!"
"I was informed Doctor Pierce wanted to warm her up and it was your constant manipulation that kept her doing what you wanted." Dean states firmly as Noah takes a heavy breath, glaring at his boss.
"Pierce did what she thought was-"
"You and Santana both used guilt to make her change her mind." Sebastian snaps.
"God, will you all shut up?" you exclaim in both annoyance and frustration, "Heart, liver, rash, and now her brain." You say, your hard gaze jumping from Noah and Sebastian to Dean Schuester and Santana before landing on the only two who have managed to not make you want to rip their heads off.
Mike and Quinn exchange looks before Quinn clears her throat, "Autoimmune fits best. The crash trauma could've set it off."
"Start her on prednisone and then we'll warm her up again." You say with a nod when Santana shakes her head stepping forwards.
"Brittany, if this is something other than infection the steroids will trash her immune system." She says with a pleading look. You hold her gaze before averting yours and hear her let out a short defeated sigh.
"She's the attending, you two are the family." Dean Schuester states, "It's her job to figure out what's wrong while it's your job to spend time with the patient." He adds before leaving.
You glance up when you hear the door close and briefly make eye contact with Santana before shaking your head in apology.
"I'm sorry, I have to do what I think is right." You tell her as she clenches her jaw, looking to the side. "Santana-"
"I get it, Britt." She cuts you off and you frown at her closed off look, "Just don't be wrong." She says slowly before joining Noah at Christine's bedside.
A/N: Oh damn...Brittany standing up against Santana. My fav part of this chapter was badass Britt making a couple appearances and not taking any shit. So next update will be what, Wednesday? Don't have much to say...lmao so see you in a few, loves! Mwah!
Dermatomyositis: an uncommon inflammatory disease marked by muscle weakness and distinctive skin rash. There is not cure but periods of remission may occur. Treatment can clear skin rashes and improve muscle strength and function. (Mayo Clinic)
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: a bacterial infection transmitted by a tick which, if not treated quickly, can cause serious damage to internal organs, such as the kidney's and heart. (Mayo Clinic)
Your bit of education for Sunday ^^
-B