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Previously in "Distracting," Katie's plan to interrogate Judy was foiled by Rick's phone call explaining his and Lily's disappearance. Meanwhile, Karen kept Katie company, allowing the two to bond a bit.
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Part 9 "Antibiotics and Bed Rest"Sammler Residence
Jessie's hunger finally forced her to emerge from the attic and head for the kitchen. She had spent the last half hour thinking about the car ride home with Judy. Judy's recent fixation on Katie definitely indicated that she knew something, which meant odds are Grace was right in thinking Lily knew as well.
Jessie honestly hoped that her parents wouldn't have to hear about her and Katie from some outside source. It would be best if she could tell them both face-to-face, so that it didn't appear as if she was trying to keep her relationship with Katie from them, like it was some horrible secret. And, if Lily and Judy both suspected something and then let it slip…
Perhaps, Jessie thought, it would be better to talk to Lily and Judy before anything disastrous occurred. Jessie resolved to ask the two to respect her privacy until she could find the right time (and the courage) to tell her mother and father.
Upon entering the kitchen, Jessie found Grace finishing a bowl of cereal. Neither girl, however, was searching for stimulating conversation. So, instead of acknowledging Grace's presence, Jessie walked over to the fridge to scavenge for dinner, while Grace silently polished off hers.
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Lily's Hospital Room
Rick left a few minutes earlier to go and talk to Grace and Zoë, leaving Lily alone in her hospital room. She felt guilty about having to send Rick off by himself to bear the news, but there was really nothing she could do. After all, she was hooked up to machines, clad only in a hospital gown, and pretty damn exhausted. She wasn't in the market for traveling.
The specialist still hadn't come by with results of her tests or news about tomorrow's barrage of scans. An MRI, a CAT SCAN—Lily guessed that whatever was happening with her health, it probably wasn't going to be fixed with antibiotics and bed rest.
Just then, Dr. Nailor knocked on the open door and entered, studying Lily's chart.
"Hi, Lily," the doctor said, looking up from the chart sporting a smile. "I'm doctor Nailor." He reached out and shook Lily's hand.
"Nice to meet you." Lily said, sitting up straighter in the bed.
"Looks like you've been having a rough few weeks."
Lily smiled weakly. "No, not the best. Any theories?"
Dr. Nailor flipped a few pages on Lily's chart and got a serious, down-to-business expression on his face. "Well, the tests we've run so far have been standard: blood, urine. We re-ran the pregnancy test, as you requested." The doctor paused. "Unfortunately, they came back negative."
Lily had expected as much after her visit with Dr. Wellman, but she still couldn't help but be disappointed.
"I'm sorry," the doctor added sincerely, before continuing. "The rest of your blood tests, both those that Dr. Wellman ran, and those that we ran earlier this evening, look fairly normal. Your white blood cell count is a bit high, which would occur with infection. However, you tested negative for mono, pneumonia, the viruses which would probably linger, causing you this discomfort. Still, I'd like to begin an IV of antibiotics to be on the safe side. That way, if you do in fact have an infection of some sort to fight off, we can clear it up quickly."
"You think that I may have a virus?" Lily asked, feeling a bit foolish for being hospitalized because of a measly virus.
"Well, not entirely. I reviewed your sonogram from this morning, and I'd like to be able to better identify the spot, for which Dr. Wellman referred you. Hence the MRI and CAT SCAN tomorrow."
"What exactly are you looking for?" Lily asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"The tests are merely precautionary, I can assure you. But, I do want to make sure that you don't have an abscess or mass of some sort. Even a benign mass could be causing discomfort and may need to be removed."
"You mean a tumor?"
"At this point, there's no way to be sure that you do in fact have a mass at
all. These are strictly precautionary
measures. There's no need to worry
now. Especially since we won't know
anything substantial until tomorrow."
Dr. Nailor smiled reassuringly.
"The thing to do now is get some rest."
Lily nodded.
"I'll have your nurse come by and hook up the IV, and then I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."
And, with that, Dr. Nailor left Lily alone in the room with her fears to keep her company. She didn't see how she'd be able to "rest," knowing the possibilities.
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Sammler Residence
Back at the Sammler residence, Rick walked in the kitchen door, interrupting Jessie's sandwich construction and Grace's cereal crunching. Both girls seemed a bit surprised to see him, and both were definitely intrigued to hear where he'd been. Both he and Lily had effectually disappeared, leaving the girls to call Judy for car support and fend for themselves for dinner. Even more mysterious was the fact that neither Rick nor Lily had left a note explaining their disappearance.
"Hi, Grace. Hi, Jess," Rick greeted. He crossed the kitchen and gave Jessie a quick hug.
"Hey, Dad. You want a sandwich?" Jessie asked.
"No thanks, honey."
"The van broke down again," Grace interjected, her mouth half full.
"Yeah, Judy told me," Rick responded. "I'll try to get over there tomorrow and see what I can do."
"So where have you been? You didn't leave a note," Jessie said, looking up at her father who still had his arm around her.
"I know. I'm sorry about that. Is Zoë around?"
"She's up in her room," Grace mentioned, finishing off her last spoonful.
"Would you mind running up there and getting her for me, Grace? I have something I need to talk to all of you about," Rick said evenly, trying not to get the girls too paranoid.
"Sure," Grace said suspiciously as she headed out of the room and up the stairs toward Zoë's room.
Jessie also looked at her father suspiciously as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured himself a glass of water. "Is something wrong?" she asked. Rick walked over and gave her another small hug and a kiss on the forehead without answering. Jessie took his avoidance of her question as a sign that she was definitely right. She guessed that he'd wanted to tell all three of them together, though, so she didn't pursue her question.
Grace returned to the kitchen with Zoë in tow. They sat at the kitchen table. Rick remained standing with Jessie at his side.
He didn't know of any easy way to break the news, so he did his best to ease his way into the conversation. "I know you've been wondering where me and your mom have been this evening." Rick paused, gathering his thoughts. Grace, Zoë, and Jessie looked on expectantly. "I got a phone call today from Lil. She got sick at the radio station and ended up going to the doctor."
"Is Mom Ok?" Grace asked, understanding that the little 'family meeting' Rick had going definitely indicated that something was wrong. She just wished he'd get to the point.
Zoë looked from Grace to Rick, anxious about his impending answer.
"Well, the doctor wanted her to get some more tests, and sent us over to the hospital. So that's where we've been." Rick took a good look at both Grace and Zoë, hoping he wasn't scaring them too much. He continued, "we don't know much quite yet. I've been waiting with her for the specialist to come and give us the results. But, it looks like she's going to be kept overnight, because they want to do a few more tests early tomorrow morning."
"What kind of tests?" Zoë asked, a bit confused. She hadn't known her mother was sick at all, and now she was in the hospital.
Rick walked over and sat down at the table with Grace and Zoë. "They're doing an MRI and a CAT SCAN," Rick began.
"What are they for?" Zoë followed up.
Grace explained for him, "they're like x-rays of your organs."
Rick could see that the girls were both worried. "Your Mom's doing fine though." The tenseness of the room indicated everyone's skepticism of Rick's comment. "If you would like to come with me, I'm headed up to the hospital again to see her in a few minutes."
Grace definitely wanted to go, and Zoë seemed to want to go as well, so Rick sent them to grab their shoes and get ready. He made his way back over towards Jessie.
Without saying a word, Jessie gave her dad a huge hug.
"You're welcome to come, too. Lily would love to see you," Rick told Jessie as they ended the hug.
"Maybe I should stay here—give Grace and Zoë some time with her," Jessie answered. "Besides, someone should probably wait for Eli to get home—tell him." Rick nodded.
"I think I'm going to stay at the hospital with Lil tonight, but Judy's going to stay with you guys in case you need anything."
Jessie couldn't stand to see her father so worried. "Tell Lily I hope she feels better."
"I will."
Grace and Zoë returned, and the three packed into Rick's car and headed to the hospital, leaving Jessie alone at home.
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Next time in "Distracting," Grace, Zoë, and Rick arrive at the hospital, Judy and Rick talk privately, and Lily fills Rick in on what the specialist had to say.
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