AN-
I will only be uploading one chapter today. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was released to day, and my inner Potterhead is doing cartwheels with excitement. Sorry guys, but priorities... Has anyone else gotten it yet? Many thanks to everyone who took the time to PM or review, you are all awesome! My finger is better, thanks. It has not fallen off, so I am sure that is a good sign (I'm joking, but I was convinced that I was dying for about half an hour afterwards).
Carlisle, Esme and Blythe raced to the hospital. They arrived just as Amelia had her first seizure, a suspected grand mal. It pained Esme to witness her daughter undergo that total loss of bodily control. She was grateful that Amelia was still sedated from her incident in the bathroom earlier that day, at least she was unaware of what was happening to her. The ICU staff, together with Carlisle and Blythe, quickly brought the situation under control. They were surprisingly relaxed about a teenager helping them and quickly realised that she had more knowledge than they could ever dream of.
"I am worried about her heart," stated Ellie, after the others had left, "It's taken a bit of a beating."
"I am concerned as well, but I think it should hold up," replied Carlisle, frowning slightly. If Alice's vision held out, they only had minutes before the second seizure struck. He wondered how to get Ellie out of the room. Fortunately for him, Alair strode into the ICU and walked in with a big smile.
"Ellie, dear, I think I forgot to add something to the paperwork on Amelia's file. Walk with me?" The pair left the room, with Alair glancing back and winking at Carlisle. Alice had probably foreseen this complication and contacted Alair to act as a ruse.
"Esme, can you stand guard please?" asked Blythe, "when my gift works, my hands tend to glow and so does the part of the body where my hand touches."
"Not a problem, Blythe," said Esme, leaving the room and leaning against the glass wall casually. To any of the nurses, she appeared to be a mother distraught with her daughter's failing health and who just needed a minute to process it all.
"Blythe, are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to," stated Carlisle, feeling rather like he was abusing Blythe's gift.
"I would have found my way into this unit just like I did last time, without your help, Carlisle. I know this goes against Amelia's wishes, but not a snowball's chance in hell am I letting my best friend die tonight," Blythe replied firmly, eyes flashing as she recalled Alice's words, the look of pure horror on Edward's face as he read Alice's mind and saw what she had seen. Carlisle nodded, a look of determination crossing his features. No way was he losing his daughter tonight either, even if it meant somehow sneaking her out of the hospital and changing her.
Blythe stood still for a few seconds, listening to Amelia's body. She was more attuned to the human body than most, perhaps even Carlisle. This was largely due to her gift as an incredibly powerful healer. Admittedly, her vast medical knowledge certainly helped as well. The human body spoke to her, for lack of a better term. She could pinpoint the exact problem with a patient faster than even Carlisle could, allowing her gift to guide her as she did.
"It wasn't an epileptic seizure. It was non-epileptic. It's her heart - the seizure was caused by a cardiac arrhythmia. Get her onto the appropriate medication as soon as possible," Blythe's voice was low and urgent. She could hear Amelia's heart skipping a beat, a second, a third. It corrected itself, but Blythe knew that she had less than a minute before a second seizure gripped Amelia's body.
Blythe shut her eyes, letting her hands guide her to where Amelia's body seemed to pull them. She blocked out the obvious pulmonary call, before settling one hand on her heart, and a second over Amelia's kidneys. She focussed, envisioning that beautiful, four-chambered pump that circulated blood throughout the body, nestled safely in the thoracic cavity.
She could almost see the blood, rich in oxygen, being pushed from the pulmonary vein into the left atrium, before being pushed through the mitral valve and into the left ventricle, before passing through the aortic semilunar valve and into the aorta, where it was pumped to the rest of the body, and returning, in its deoxygenated state, via the vena cavae and entering the right atrium, before passing through the tricuspid valve and entering the right ventricle. From there, the blood entered the pulmonary trunk which travelled to the lungs, getting rid of the carbon dioxide and taking in the oxygen, before repeating the circuit. In Amelia's case, the blood was no way near as rich with oxygen as it should be, and her baseline carbon dioxide levels were rising slowly as the end stages of her disease approached.
Somewhere, Amelia's heart was skipping a beat, several in fact, and disrupting this pattern, which caused the seizure, and would cause the second and third seizures, the ventricular fibrillation and finally the cardiac arrest that Alice had seen. Ventricular fibrillation, when the heart beat in such an uncoordinated manner that it essentially functioned like a bag of worms and depleted the heart muscle's energy sources, could be fatal. Blythe was not about to let that happen.
Her hands began to glow the golden colour that Carlisle had witnessed more than a century ago, Tuesday notwithstanding. Amelia's heart faltered for a split second. Esme snuck a glance at her daughter's room, eager to see Blythe's gift in action. It filled her with such hope, to witness the golden glow that spread from Blythe's hands and almost into Amelia, healing her heart. Amelia's heart faltered again, before stopping. A split second later, it restarted, slowly picking up its rhythm until it beat almost as well as a healthy person's heart. It was a little slower than normal, but that sluggishness would remain because of the poor quality of Amelia's lungs. The glow slowly faded, until just Blythe's fingertips were glowing, before disappearing completely. Blythe opened up her eyes.
"She will be ok now, Carlisle. Esme, it is done. You can come back in," she stated.
"Thank you," breathed Esme, hugging the teenaged healer who once again, had saved her daughter from the Grim Reaper.
"I took the edge off the pneumonia, so to speak, Carlisle. Her next chest x-ray will show a marked improvement, enough to hopefully get her out of here soon. I took care of her kidneys as well, Carlisle. I know the blood work will come back clear, but the results took a while, and their function was starting to weaken again. By the time the results from tomorrow's tests come back, it would have been too late for early intervention."
"Thank you so much, Blythe. How did you know about the kidneys? Their function has improved since Tuesday, you were right to leave them."
"The human body speaks to me in ways that I cannot describe. I think it is because of my gift. I can diagnose accurately, more accurately than just about everyone else," Blythe spoke honestly.
"More accurately than me?" Carlisle teased.
"I picked up that her kidneys were going to flare up. You didn't, Doctor Cullen. Who's the superior clinician now?" she winked playfully.
"Game. Set. Match. Blythe," stated Esme, high-fiving her.
"Hey!" protested Carlisle, feigning upset.
"What was your diagnosis, Carlisle?" queried Esme.
"Grand mal seizure. I would have picked up that it was a non-epileptic seizure during the second seizure, but the obvious signs would have occurred in the seconds before she started seizing. I missed the start of the first one, so my default diagnosis is a grand mal. I didn't even pick up the kidneys."
"Like I said, the body speaks to me. Every time Amelia is hurting, I wish I could go against her wishes and take away her pain. She's such a stubborn person," Blythe's voice was filled with fondness as she spoke, but the hint of sadness at not being able to help her friend like she was capable of did not go unnoticed.
"I could say the same about you," rasped a familiar voice. The trio turned towards the bed. Amelia had woken up. Blythe helped her to sit up and drink some water. Amelia smiled at her thankfully, before settling back into the pillows that Carlisle had replaced beneath her neck. In the midst of her seizure, it had been removed for fear of Amelia smothering herself on it. Blythe and Carlisle observed the teenager, ready to intercept any additional form of psychosis that might develop.
"What happened?" queried Amelia, "I feel so groggy. Surgery, sedative or opioid?"
"Sedative and anti-psychotic," replied Carlisle.
"You gave us quite a scare, Amelia," said Esme, coming to stand next to her daughter and smoothing her hair out of the way.
"What is the last thing you remember, Mia-bug?" asked Blythe.
"I remember Mom giving me a bath and putting me in those pink pooh bear pyjamas. When was that?"
"Early this afternoon."
"What time is it? I can't see outside. Why is it so dark in here? What happened to me?" Amelia was starting to panic, her heart rate starting to race.
"Shhh darling, it's ok. You're ok. It's just gone 8pm. It's night time. Breathe, you're alright," soothed Esme, holding Amelia as close to her as she possibly could.
"Is she stable enough to move yet, do you think?" whispered Carlisle, glancing at Blythe.
"She's fine. Move her. She needs her mom," replied Blythe, moving Amelia's gown off the chair that stood next to her bed and dumping it on the hospital bed, "Mia, let go of your mom for a sec, sweetie. We're going to let you sit in your mom's lap. How does that sound?"
"Carlisle, Amelia needs to get out of here as soon as possible," muttered Alair. She had just walked back into the room, with Ellie behind her. Ellie frowned at the scene before her, but didn't comment.
"She's fine, Ellie. She's just panicking a little because she's disorientated. Being in Esme's arms is a better remedy than any medication we can give her," said Carlisle, helping Esme manoeuvre Amelia off the bed. Esme sat down on the chair with her daughter in her arms in a fluid, graceful motion. Amelia automatically tightened her arms around her mother, and she buried her head in her mother's neck, inhaling that ever so familiar scent that was so uniquely Esme. Slowly, gradually, her heart rate slowed again.
"I agree with you there, Dr Cullen. There's no better place than your mother's arms. I also agree with Alair, Amelia needs to leave the ICU as soon as possible. This environment is not helping her. I have an idea," said Ellie, exiting the room. They could hear her walking to the entrance of the ICU and leaving, her footsteps fading away down the corridor. Carlisle turned his attention back to Amelia, still distressed but a little better.
"Carlisle, doesn't your office have a window perhaps?" asked Blythe. Carlisle nodded, not quite understanding where Blythe was heading towards with her idea but accepting it nevertheless.
"There's a massive glass window that overlooks the park for the kiddies," said Alair helpfully, understanding what Blythe was trying to do.
"How far is it?" asked Blythe, unfamiliar with the hospital.
"Down a flight of stairs and through the consulting rooms. It's close to Carlisle's office, actually."
"Let's go."
"Mom, why did I get sedated yesterday?" asked Amelia, looking up from where she was eating her breakfast. She had had a peaceful night. Blythe's brainwave of taking her to a window so that she could see the skyline had helped, and she had calmed down considerably. She crinkled her nose, it didn't smell the best, but she was plodding along anyway.
"That food smells revolting," commented Esme. She was also sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing Amelia.
"It tastes worse, I kid you not."
"Scones?" offered Esme, leaning down to pick up her handbag and yanking the tupperware containers out of it for the second time in as many days. Amelia grinned and pushed her hospital breakfast to the side.
"Thanks Mom, you're the best!"
"You're welcome, Amelia," smiled Esme, observing her daughter tear into the scones as if she had not eaten in centuries. Carlisle and Dr Westsmythe were in Carlisle's office, discussing Amelia's case once again. Blythe had left shortly before midnight with Alair. She had made arrangements with Daniella, Narcisse and Amy to go to Port Angeles. In spite of her wanting to stay with the rest of the Cullens, they had made her go. Everyone was still very shaken up by Alice's vision, and Rosalie had thought it best that Blythe take her mind off what had happened, with the promise that they would contact her if any developments arose. The Denalis and the remainder of the Cullen siblings had gone hunting after the others arrived back from the hospital, at ease now knowing that Amelia was alright.
"Mom?" Amelia was waving her hands in front of her mother's eyes, "earth to Mother dearest!"
"Greetings, oh youngest child of mine," replied Esme, voice dripping with sarcasm. Amelia smiled back cheekily.
"Excellent. Seeing that I have your undivided attention, Mother, could you be so kind as to inform me as to why my afternoon was wiped out yesterday? Everyone has been avoiding that topic."
"What do you remember?"
"Like I said last night, you helping me get into my pyjamas. I think Emmett was there at some point, so was Rosalie?"
"Ok-ay. Do you remember meeting the Denali's?"
"I'm not sure. It's a bit of a blur and I'm not sure if I can separate dreams from reality. Did Kate tell me about her gift? Does it have something to do with shocking people?"
"Yes it does. What else do you remember?"
Amelia sat thoughtfully, then her face drained of colour, a look of horror crossing her face. "The bathroom. I threw up. I remember screaming, I think," she whispered. She stared at the scone that she was eating and put it down, having suddenly lost her appetite, "Did I really do that?"
Esme couldn't find the words to speak. Instead, she just nodded and swallowed thickly, trying to flush out the memories of the previous day.
"Oh God. ICU psychosis?" Amelia managed to get out, scarcely able to speak over the lump that was in her throat, choking her. Esme nodded, tearing up as well. "I am so sorry, Mom," Amelia cried, bursting into tears.
"It's ok, Amelia. You weren't with us."
"You must have been so scared," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I really thought yesterday was going to be a good day. I felt so great, better than I have in months, almost like I wasn't...sick," Amelia faltered, suddenly putting two and two together, "A surge?"
Esme nodded in affirmation, shifting so that she was now seated next to Amelia. Her daughter cried into her arms. Esme realised that she'd have to tell Amelia what exactly had happened. "Alice saw you have three seizures, then your heart beating too fast, before it stopped beating altogether three times. Each time your heart stopped beating, it longer and longer to bring you back. All of us, Dad and I included, were out of the house and we didn't get the phone calls until it was too late to save you," she stated, leaving out some of the details.
Alice had told all of them earlier that morning before she left for the hunting trip that Amelia was reconsidering her immortality decision. As much as Esme wanted Amelia to become like them, she would never force her to do something she didn't want to do. It pained her to know that Amelia was so indecisive, but also respected that her daughter would come to her if she wanted to.
"What?" Amelia whimpered. The thought of putting her mother, her family, through that amount of pain was too much for her to bear. Fresh tears filled up her eyes and fell, creating a large wet patch on her mother's jersey. Esme just held her tightly and let her cry it out. When she composed herself, she handed her some tissues. Amelia wiped her face and blew her nose, before readjusting the nasal cannula. Her decision was made. Never again was she going to put her family through that hell of losing her, not while her heart still beat. She had just gotten a family, and she wasn't about to be ripped away from them. She was going to live for a very long time.
Carlisle and Dr Westsmythe were in Carlisle's speaking on the phone to Dr Anderson. Carlisle wanted Amelia at home, it was clear to everyone that ICU was starting to do more harm than good.
"She still has a raging pneumonia infection, Carlisle," argued Dr Westsmythe.
"She can continue with her IV antibiotics at home. She developed ICU psychosis, for crying out loud!" exclaimed Carlisle.
"What's her lung function like? Take a chest x-ray too and get back to me. I respect where you are coming from, Carlisle. She is not handling this hospitalisation well at all. That being said, she was coughing up blood only five days ago. Please be realistic here, Carlisle. She is very ill," broke in Dr Anderson.
"I'll request another x-ray. She is sounding better. Her lungs are definitely clearing up."
"Carlisle, let's give her a few more days to heal. Her kidneys got damaged as well," stated Dr Westsmythe.
"I don't think they will give any more problems. Preliminary results show that their function is almost normal. We took more bloods this morning, let's wait for the results. I honestly think her immune system has started fighting back."
"Carlisle, you're too close to this case. I think you need to stand down." Dr Westsmythe's voice was firm.
"Richard, I do agree with you, but right now, Carlisle is the more qualified doctor to handle Amelia's case out of the two of you. If you two gentlemen cannot reach an agreement, then I am sending a helicopter out to Forks and flying Amelia over to Rochester, and she will continue with her treatment under my care. Furthermore, if Amelia's chest x-ray is showing signs of great improvement, and her kidney function has improved as well, then I see no reason why Amelia cannot continue with her medication as an outpatient, on condition that she remains at home and comes into the hospital for testing every day for the next two weeks. No school, no extra-curricular activities, not even a trip to the shops, nothing."
"I can live with that," said Carlisle cheerfully.
"I suppose I do not have a choice," grumbled Dr Westsmythe.
"Amelia is dying, Richard. All our treatment is merely palliative, we are buying her time but in the process she is suffering. If she wants to go home, let her. Please wish her a happy belated birthday from me, Carlisle."
