All Fairytales End – Chapter Four
Disclaimer: I own nothing…as usual no big surprise here.
Summary:
Spoilers/Timeframe:
Rating: PG-13
A/N: Everything as for chapter one or is it two? Hah, even I don't remember anymore.
Logan was standing at the stove when he heard his computer beeping. It was the signal for an incoming call; he put the spoon down and slowly made his way to the office. Leaning heavily on his cane with each step, Logan scowled; he almost hated the stick more than his wheelchair, knowing without it he couldn't remain upright. How much longer before he regained the strength in his legs, he wondered. Sitting at the computer, he hit the return key and accepted the incoming link. Using the remote he switched off the stereo.
"Logan I'm so glad I've reached you. I have really urgent news and I'm afraid to tell you because it's not good." His doctor looked very uncomfortable and even a little distressed. The last time he'd spoken to her directly had been the day he been airlifted from Dallas City headed for Seattle.
He leaned his cane against the desk and positioned the screen so he was more visible. He didn't have any lights on in the room so he wondered if the doctor could really make him out at all. "Go ahead Dr. Lu, I'm listening." Knowing from the sound of her voice that it wasn't going to be terribly positive news, nothing could have prepared him for what she said.
"While you where here I treated you with antibiotics for the bacteria invading your system. Logan we didn't know what exactly had caused your illness, so I treated you as I thought best. I sent your blood and spinal fluid sample to a lab in Chicago. It came back inconclusive, the bacteria in the sample where actively growing. None of the treatments on the market could stop it. I asked Sam to send me another sample for testing last week. I got the full test results back today; it should have been clear Logan. I really don't know how to tell you this-" Her hands were shaking and she clenched them together tightly. He noted that she was deliberately avoiding direct eye contact with him.
"Just give it to me doc, if it's important I need to know." He adjusted his glasses and rested his palms on his thighs. He'd begun sweating; this wasn't good he could feel it. A chill raced up his spine and the little hairs on the back of he neck stood on end.
Josie looked up at him, how could she say it? There was never an easy way to tell your patient this. It was the reason she wasn't in paediatrics or neonatal. Seeing infants or children terminally ill was just too much to handle. In her residency, she had done the rounds and almost dropped out of the medical field. She always got too involved; it was extremely hard for her to remain detached and impersonal. One patient, a six-year-old little girl had died of leukaemia whilst under her care, it had almost sent her into a depression. Logan Cale's case hit her hard because he too was still young, probably not much older than herself. She had read his file, he'd been through so much already, now this. "You're terminal Logan and we don't know how to treat you. The infection has mutated. It presented like strep and meningitis but it's characteristics in the latest sample have changed. There's no known cure for what you have. We can't even identify the virus, although the lab thinks it could be a mutated strain of the Ebola virus, but we can't be sure. My field of expertise isn't bio meds but I'm going to Chicago to help work on this. As soon as I've got something I'll get in contact with you. I've sent the report to Sam, he knows what medication he can administer to try and slow the infection but Logan, I really don't know how long. I'm sorry." She tried to sound encouraging but failed dismally; she signed off. Getting out of her chair, she packed her satchel and grabbed her overcoat. Collecting her keys, she stepped out of the office and locked the door behind her. Before leaving the hospital, she dropped in on Dr. Adam Erikson.
Josie found him finishing up in the OR. "Adam, I'm going out of town for a couple weeks. I've spoken to Boss already, he okayed. I'll need you to take two of my patient's though. Can you handle that?"
"Sure thing Jo, just be careful okay. Something about this whole virus thing doesn't feel right." Adam looked at his colleague with concern. He knew her reputation for getting emotionally attached to patients; he knew this was one of those tougher deals. He'd stay out of it, let her work it through. It wasn't he's place to say how she spent her leave anyway.
"Hey, I'm a big girl. Thanks tons, Adam and I'll bring you back a some dirt." She gave him a cheeky grin and left. Adam had a crazy habit of collecting a dirt sample of every place he visited. She loved to tease him about it but since he was doing her a favor she'd bring him back a gift.
Logan sat for what seemed like an eternity after Josie signed off. He just stared at the blank monitor waiting, maybe she would call back and say she'd misread the report or the test was wrong. Was she sure it was his tests that she got and not someone else's? The tremor was only slight at first. His fingers barely wobbled but as he went to get up his legs gave way and he collapsed. Shudders race through his body, his whole frame wracked with convulsions.
As Asha came through the door she sensed something was wrong, turning she saw Logan lying on the floor seizing. Her heart went straight to her throat and she froze for a millisecond while panic coursed through her. Her level head and practicality over rid the momentary panic and she raced to his side. Dropping to her knees and clearing away all the nearby obstacles, she cradled his head in her lap. "Tell me what to do?" Her voice was calm, despite the fear in her heart.
Logan struggled to get out the word but they seemed to be jammed in his throat. "Ca… C… C… all Sa…m." He's breath was coming in short gasps and his lungs felt incredibly tight. He seized for a few seconds more before blacking out.
When he stopped moving, Asha checked to make sure he was still breathing. It was very shallow but at least he was still breathing. Searching for his phone, she picked it up and dialed with impatient fingers. Clenching her fists, she waited for the line to be answered.
A voice greeted her after the fifth ring, "Good morning, Dr Carr's office."
Asha kept from stamping her foot in frustration, why couldn't she just get straight through. Crossing her fingers, she prayed he was in and that he would know what to do. "I need to speak to Sam, it's an emergency." She tried to keep the hard edge from her voice but she mustn't have succeeded, the woman on the line "harrumphed", at least she put her through.
"Dr Carr speaking."
"Sam, Logan's collapsed, he's unconscious, what do I need to do?"
"First, slow down. Do you think you can bring him in?"
"I'm on my own here, Doc. I could manage to get him there but in one piece, that's doubtful. Besides I don't think it's wise to move him, do you?" Asha tried to hide her annoyance; sometimes doctors could be so textbook. Anything outside their normal routine through them for a loop.
"I'll be over soon as I can." Sam hung up; he was just about to leave the hospital when a nurse from administration showed up.
"This came through for you this morning." She handed him a folder. The cover sheet read "Attention Dr Sam Carr, Final Test Results - Urgent. Signed Dr Josie Lu". Sam grabbed the file and fished for his keys, he muttered a thank you to the nurse and hurried down the hall. He would read the report on the way to the drug dispensary. No doubt, he would need to stock up before racing off to Logan's.
Asha stood over Logan, watching him intently. She'd managed to haul him as gently as possible to the sofa. Pulling him up in a sitting position she'd been able to drop him onto the sofa, then lay him out straight. Satisfied that at least he was in a more comfortable place, she'd raced to the kitchen to turn of the burner before the porridge became charcoal. It had been to late to save anyway, the sides already a crusty brown and the bottom was probably black. Lifting the pot, she sniffed, yep burnt all right. Not charcoal yet but close enough, definitely not edible. Shoving the pot in the oven, she went back to check on Logan, she'd dispose of the muck later.
Logan felt a gentle cool hand touch his forehead. It was so soothing against his burning skin. It was a feather light touch just whispering over his heated face. His angel. Maybe she'd returned to him after all. Everything in his world had been perfect when she was around. Her smiles, her eyes, her voice, he could have the worst day but cope just knowing that she would be there to share dinner with him at night.
"Logan, Sam will be here soon. Logan, can you hear me?"
That wasn't Max's voice, it had a softer tone to it, and it was missing the no-shit edge. There was a citrus slightly fruity smell invading his nostrils, Max always smelled of jasmine. Asha, Asha was here. It was Asha watching over him, she was the one cradling him and cooling his burning fever. Max was the one who had abandoned him. The one, who hadn't contacted him in over three months, left him dying in hospital without a word. He'd forgiven her for disappearing those long months before because she had reason to. Now he wasn't so sure he could do so again, at least not so easily.
"How is he?" Sam asked as Asha ushered him through to the lounge. Logan lay stretched out on the sofa. He's face bathed in sweat and his brow knotted with tension. Even in his unconscious state, his face exposed his pain, he's jaw was clenched and his lips drawn in a thin line, his eyelids welded shut. Everything about his body screamed its fury. There was a war waging inside; a battle that his defenses were fighting fiercely to win.
Asha stood back giving Sam room to work, he pulled on a pair of gloves and held a protective filter over his nose. She watched as he took Logan's temperature, blood pressure and listened to his heart. She thought she'd stopped breathing as she read Sam's features. It wasn't good. Doctor's only looked like that when it was really bad news. When they had to tell you that the one you loved was dying. The tears started before she'd even registered what Sam was saying to her. She searched blindly behind her for a vacant chair; falling into it she started quaking uncontrollably as the sobs started.
"Asha, listen to me. Doctors at this very second are working on an effect treatment. I'm going to get in contact with Logan's doctor as soon as I can. We're still not a hundred percent sure what this thing is. I can't promise that a cure will happen in time but we have to have hope. Look at me." He forced her to meet his eyes. "We have to make sure Logan fights okay. If he thinks that there's no hope, he'll give up and the virus will win. He has to hang in there, anything to give us more time." He waited for his words to sink in. Sam sighed in relief; at least she'd stopped sobbing. The tears still fell down her face but she was silent and there was hope in her eyes, even if it was only a tiny flicker, it was there. And for now it would be enough.
"Josie, I think I've got something." Miranda yelled excitedly. "Quick, come look." If she took any longer making her way across the lab, Josie was sure her friend was going to start bouncing off walls. This had to be good.
Studying the sample under the electron microscope, she waited. Nothing interesting happening, what was the big deal? "What's with you, Mira. Don't get me worked up okay. I've been working sixteen hours straight and spent the last couple hours driving here, I'm not in the best mood to mess about." Her friend gave her a wounded look. "Okay I'm sorry I was snappy, really I am, Mira. I appreciate you working with me on this." She have her a grateful hug, "but time's a critical thing here, I'm not going to lose this guy."
Miranda gave her a cheeky grin, "you sound definite about that. You're not breaking any codes here are you?" She dodged Josie's punch. "Hey I'm kidding. Look again okay, when I add this just watch." Josie leaned in to look through the microscope and watched as Miranda added a solution to the sample.
"Whoa what did you add?" Josie shot a look at Miranda. "Spill girl, you know something tell me."
"Well when I first tested the samples I thought it was odd that one was totally infested with active bacteria and the other was relatively clean.
"I had both samples broken down, plasma, blood cell, bacteria and any other junk identifiable…" The phone nearby interrupted any further comment. "One sec." She turned to pick up the nearby handset. "Miranda Rousell, speaking. Okay I'll be right there." She gave Josie an apologetic look. "Big boss wants to see me. I'll be right back."
Josie tried to figure out on her own what Miranda had been trying to tell her. Picking up her friends notes she started to read. Unknown sample; stem cells, unidentifiable blood type, virus and bacteria present but not active, big question marks scribbled afterwards. Logan Cale; O positive blood type, the strange virus activity multiplying and corrupting healthy cells, no trace of streptococcus bacteria. Her pager interrupted her thoughts. Glancing at the message she froze, "Run Jo, get out now. Mira."
Thinking a million thoughts in that split second, she swept up the samples and shoved them in a sealed container. Grabbing Miranda's notes, she stuffed them into her coat and frantically collected her bag. Running out the emergency exit, she overrode the alarm by entering Miranda's access code. Panic welling up inside she ran as fast as she could to her car and gunned the engine. Peeling out of the car park, she never looked back. Please, just make sure Miranda's okay. Her friend had never sounded so desperate and commanding.
Back at the lab, the men had almost turned the testing laboratory into a trash pile. Miranda and her supervisor stood watching helplessly at one side. The cold scary looking guy approached them. "Someone else was here. Tell me who." White glared at the two scientist, he noticed that the woman look notably nervous. "This is a matter of national security, withholding information is a federal offense."
Miranda said a silent prayer for Josie and answered, "She was here before but I don't know where she's gone."
White just threw up his hands in frustration. "Do you know anything? The blood sample you were testing is from very dangerous person. We have to find them."
Miranda looked confused, "but the man is dying, he's no threat to anyone but himself at the moment."
White almost grinned. Renfro had told him that she planned on taking out Eyes Only using X5-452. Who would have thought, the bitch actually came through this time. Congratulations Renfro, you actually did your job right for a change. "Where were the results sent to besides Dr Adam Erikson?"
Miranda shifted uncomfortably, her supervisor nudged her and gave her a pointed glare. "Dr Carr in Seattle." The man signaled to his group and they all filed out. Leaving Miranda and her supervisor amidst the mess they used to refer to as their laboratory. Obviously, they had already traced the sample from Roland County Hospital in Dallas to Chicago. It was only a matter of time before they figured out it Dr Josie Lu that requested the test. Not Dr Erikson, who was the hospital specialist. Get out of here Josie, just forget about this one okay. It's not worth the risk, you have no idea what you're involved in.
