CHAPTER 85
"These are her parents" Amanda said to the doctor as she greeted a very wet, and obviously
frightened Beth.
"Are you all right hon?" she asked as she gave Beth a good look over.
"I'm fine." Beth assured her as she squeezed her tight. "And so glad you are here."
"Doctor, do you know what is wrong with … our daughter?" Adam asked as he accepted a towel
from a nurse who noticed them come in out of the rain. He wiped off his face and arms as he
waited for the man to respond.
"I'm not completely sure at this time, but I am leaning toward a rare case of Kawasaki Disease."
He replied in a thick Italian accent.
"What?" Beth thought it sounded absurd.
"Kawasaki Disease normally attacks children of Asian decent, but I can see from the both of you
that is probably not the case." He began. "It is rare to find it in this part of the world, but not
unheard of. Have you been travelling with the child recently?"
"No. She's been here at the villa for almost 3 months now." Beth told him.
"Then has she been in contact with someone who might have been travelling? Someone who
may have been to Asia or Japan recently?" he asked.
Adam was at a loss. He had no idea who Cassie had been in contact with.
"There was a new guard … security guard." She added quickly to cover. "He started working at
the villa two days ago, and he is oriental."
"Then I need to see this man." He replied.
"I'm afraid he's … unavailable." Adam told him, wishing that they'd known this before he and the
others had killed all the guards. "He has left the area."
"That is unfortunate." The doctor frowned.
"You can do something for her can't you?" Beth's emotions were getting the better of her and she
could feel herself starting to panic. Adam put his arm around her shoulder lightly as they both
waited to hear his answer in an effort to calm her.
"We need your permission to start a drip of immunoglobulin. If she doesn't respond to that, then
we will have to couple it with an aspirin therapy." He began.
"Aspirin, but isn't that dangerous for a child so young." Beth replied.
"It is more dangerous if we can't stop the disease." The doctor said firmly. "I won't lie to you.
Your daughter is in serious condition. Thankfully she was brought for treatment early, but if we
can't get the fever down within a few days and stop the inflammation of her blood vessels, her
heart could become involved."
Beth choked on the thought, her hand coming to cover her mouth and her eyes widened. Adam
felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
"You have permission to do whatever you think is necessary." Adam responded when Beth
turned and buried her face in his shoulder, completely overcome with fear.
The doctor nodded. "I'll have a nurse bring the necessary papers. I'm afraid they are not in
English."
"That is fine, I speak Italian." Adam replied in the man's native language.
"You will probably want to see her, but I am afraid you will have to change out of those wet things
and put on sterile clothing before you can go in. See the nurse at the desk over there and she
will see to it." The doctor added. "And so you will be prepared. Her eyes are very bloodshot, her
mouth is starting to swell and her lips may crack if we can't keep them moistened. There is the
beginning of a rash that will spread, and her hands and feet may also begin to swell and become
reddened."
Beth wiped her face on the towel and tried to compose herself at the thought of what her
daughter was going through. "Is she in pain?"
"She is as comfortable as we can make her." He replied. "So far her heart rhythm is normal for a
child with an ordinary fever. As long as that stays constant, I believe she will have a good chance
of recovering soon. I want to do a chest x-ray to measure the size of her heart now so we can tell
if there is any change."
The doctor had to go because Cassie was not his only patient, but he told them that he would be
back shortly. Adam pulled him aside and asked him a direct question in Italian so he would not
upset Beth. "Il nostro bambino va morire?"
The man could see the concern and wished he could completely reassure them. "Tutto faremo
possiamo. Ha una probabilitá buona."
Adam nodded and thanked him before walking back to where Amanda was trying to comfort
Beth.
"You asked him if she was going to die didn't you?" Beth asked. Adam knew he couldn't lie to
her and nodded, closing his eyes briefly. "He said she had a good chance." He replied, shoving
his hands in his pockets to resist the temptation to pull her into his arms. He had to be careful to
support her but still keep enough distance so she didn't believe this was permanent.
A nurse handed them each a pair of scrubs and a mask and told them they could change in the
staff lounge. "Just lock the door behind you." She told them.
"I'll wait for you here." Adam said. No way he was going to put them in that awkward situation.
Beth nodded. Amanda handed her a brush from her purse before she walked away.
"You mind telling me what is going on?" she grabbed Methos by the shoulder and almost pushed
him against the wall.
"Amanda, stay out of it." He warned quietly.
"The hell I will. You would think that after being apart from your wife for months, you wouldn't be
able to take your hands or eyes off of her. Aside from when she about melted on the floor with
fear for that baby, you hardly touched her." She noted. "It was clear you were keeping yourself
apart from her."
"The only reason I am here is because of the baby." He told her. "Once she is out of danger, I
will be out of their life for good."
Amanda stared at him in disbelief. "You are joking."
She didn't get a response because at that moment Duncan, Richie and Ellen walked up with Joe.
"How is she?" Duncan asked.
"It's not good, but the doctor says she has a good chance as long as her heart doesn't become
involved." Adam replied soberly. He started to continue, but Beth emerged from the lounge. The
bright blue scrubs were a little baggy, but he still couldn't help feel his heart skip at the sight of
her. She'd splashed water on her tear streaked face and pulled her hair back in a simple braid,
but after not seeing her for so long he couldn't help but be affected.
"I'll wait for you." She said softly as he moved passed her in the doorway.
It was then that her eyes met Richie's and she walked into his hug. She was so glad to see her
friend and knew his embrace was sincere. Holding him tight, Beth couldn't control her emotions
any longer. She started to cry and was helpless to stop.
"It's going to be all right. You're safe and Cassie's going to be all right. You'll see." Richie said
as he stroked her back and held her. "You're back where you belong with us and your safe."
Duncan had told he and Ellen about how Adam treated Beth at the villa and what his plan was,
and he'd filled Joe in briefly. All of them circled around her and tried to offer their silent support.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as she squeezed him tight before reluctantly letting go and taking a
handkerchief from Joe. "I didn't think it would be this way. You don't know how much I missed all
of you and I thought when we were together it would be a happy time."
"It will be Beth." Joe assured her and held out his arms for a proper hug. "Don't give up on him."
He whispered.
"I won't." she promised.
It was then that she realized someone was missing. "Where's Claudia? Is she on tour?"
From the expression on their faces, she knew she'd said the wrong thing.
She turned to Richie, knowing the last time she saw him they had been growing closer. She'd
hoped something real would develop. "Did something happen?"
"Claudia's gone." Amanda was the one who found her voice first. "Rick Shafer took her head."
Beth gasped. "No!" her eyes immediately found Richie's. "Oh Richie, I'm so sorry."
He nodded, but she could see he didn't want to think about it right now. He was fighting hard to
control his emotions.
"I knew he was dangerous. I've been worried he might show up at the Villa again like he did last
week." She replied, wishing she could make this all go away. "I can't believe he'd hurt someone
like Claudia."
"He won't be coming back." Duncan replied flatly. "Ever."
Beth understood what he was saying and couldn't help but feel relieved.
A nurse told them she could go see Cassie, but she paused and touched Richie's cheek. "We'll
talk later, when this is all over."
He nodded and clasped her hand briefly. "I'm glad you're safe. We missed you."
She gave a faint smile and turned toward the door the nurse indicated. Adam was standing
behind her. For a brief instant she thought she saw a flicker of jealousy in his eyes, but it was
quickly replaced by his colder gray gaze.
He pushed the door open and held it for her as they walked in.
The sight of the precious baby hooked up to monitors and tubes was almost overwhelming. She
looked so tiny and helpless.
"Cassie?" Beth whispered as she moved beside the crib. "It's Mommy sweetheart."
Adam watched as she laid her hand on the little girl's body to reassure her, carefully avoiding any
of the equipment. Cassie startled in her sleep, her little arms and legs jerking out before she
began to whimper.
"There, there sweetheart." Beth blinked back the tears and tried to put a smile in her voice to
comfort the child she could not pick up. "Mommy and Daddy are here baby. I told you he would
come. I told you he'd find us. It's all going to be ok now. You're going to get better and it's all
going to be ok."
Adam's throat constricted from the sight of the baby in such dire circumstances and the emotion
of hearing the hope in Beth's voice. He almost had to leave the room, but knew he could not.
Cassie continued to fret and wriggle, until she began to cry full out. Beth was afraid she'd hurt
herself or that the exertion might raise her fever. She looked up at Adam with her dark eyes full
of frightened tears. "I can't calm her." Her eyes pleading with him to help.
Adam moved beside the crib as Beth made room for him and he began to talk to the baby. He
stroked her soft head and let one of her curls wrap around his finger before stroking her cheek.
"Don't cry princess." He cooed. "Daddy's here and he wants you to get better."
Cassie seemed to respond a little to his voice, so he continued. "Shhhh Shhhh princess. Don't
cry. Don't cry." He repeated the soft words over and over until she'd not only stopped crying but
appeared to be sleeping soundly.
"You always were wonderful with her." Beth bit her lip as she thought about all the time they'd
lost together. "She didn't forget."
Adam frowned and turned his attention back to Cassie. This was going to be harder than he
could have imagined, but he knew that once the baby was healthy he would have to leave them.
He'd have to leave them in order to save them from the life he'd unwittingly created.
"These are her parents" Amanda said to the doctor as she greeted a very wet, and obviously
frightened Beth.
"Are you all right hon?" she asked as she gave Beth a good look over.
"I'm fine." Beth assured her as she squeezed her tight. "And so glad you are here."
"Doctor, do you know what is wrong with … our daughter?" Adam asked as he accepted a towel
from a nurse who noticed them come in out of the rain. He wiped off his face and arms as he
waited for the man to respond.
"I'm not completely sure at this time, but I am leaning toward a rare case of Kawasaki Disease."
He replied in a thick Italian accent.
"What?" Beth thought it sounded absurd.
"Kawasaki Disease normally attacks children of Asian decent, but I can see from the both of you
that is probably not the case." He began. "It is rare to find it in this part of the world, but not
unheard of. Have you been travelling with the child recently?"
"No. She's been here at the villa for almost 3 months now." Beth told him.
"Then has she been in contact with someone who might have been travelling? Someone who
may have been to Asia or Japan recently?" he asked.
Adam was at a loss. He had no idea who Cassie had been in contact with.
"There was a new guard … security guard." She added quickly to cover. "He started working at
the villa two days ago, and he is oriental."
"Then I need to see this man." He replied.
"I'm afraid he's … unavailable." Adam told him, wishing that they'd known this before he and the
others had killed all the guards. "He has left the area."
"That is unfortunate." The doctor frowned.
"You can do something for her can't you?" Beth's emotions were getting the better of her and she
could feel herself starting to panic. Adam put his arm around her shoulder lightly as they both
waited to hear his answer in an effort to calm her.
"We need your permission to start a drip of immunoglobulin. If she doesn't respond to that, then
we will have to couple it with an aspirin therapy." He began.
"Aspirin, but isn't that dangerous for a child so young." Beth replied.
"It is more dangerous if we can't stop the disease." The doctor said firmly. "I won't lie to you.
Your daughter is in serious condition. Thankfully she was brought for treatment early, but if we
can't get the fever down within a few days and stop the inflammation of her blood vessels, her
heart could become involved."
Beth choked on the thought, her hand coming to cover her mouth and her eyes widened. Adam
felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
"You have permission to do whatever you think is necessary." Adam responded when Beth
turned and buried her face in his shoulder, completely overcome with fear.
The doctor nodded. "I'll have a nurse bring the necessary papers. I'm afraid they are not in
English."
"That is fine, I speak Italian." Adam replied in the man's native language.
"You will probably want to see her, but I am afraid you will have to change out of those wet things
and put on sterile clothing before you can go in. See the nurse at the desk over there and she
will see to it." The doctor added. "And so you will be prepared. Her eyes are very bloodshot, her
mouth is starting to swell and her lips may crack if we can't keep them moistened. There is the
beginning of a rash that will spread, and her hands and feet may also begin to swell and become
reddened."
Beth wiped her face on the towel and tried to compose herself at the thought of what her
daughter was going through. "Is she in pain?"
"She is as comfortable as we can make her." He replied. "So far her heart rhythm is normal for a
child with an ordinary fever. As long as that stays constant, I believe she will have a good chance
of recovering soon. I want to do a chest x-ray to measure the size of her heart now so we can tell
if there is any change."
The doctor had to go because Cassie was not his only patient, but he told them that he would be
back shortly. Adam pulled him aside and asked him a direct question in Italian so he would not
upset Beth. "Il nostro bambino va morire?"
The man could see the concern and wished he could completely reassure them. "Tutto faremo
possiamo. Ha una probabilitá buona."
Adam nodded and thanked him before walking back to where Amanda was trying to comfort
Beth.
"You asked him if she was going to die didn't you?" Beth asked. Adam knew he couldn't lie to
her and nodded, closing his eyes briefly. "He said she had a good chance." He replied, shoving
his hands in his pockets to resist the temptation to pull her into his arms. He had to be careful to
support her but still keep enough distance so she didn't believe this was permanent.
A nurse handed them each a pair of scrubs and a mask and told them they could change in the
staff lounge. "Just lock the door behind you." She told them.
"I'll wait for you here." Adam said. No way he was going to put them in that awkward situation.
Beth nodded. Amanda handed her a brush from her purse before she walked away.
"You mind telling me what is going on?" she grabbed Methos by the shoulder and almost pushed
him against the wall.
"Amanda, stay out of it." He warned quietly.
"The hell I will. You would think that after being apart from your wife for months, you wouldn't be
able to take your hands or eyes off of her. Aside from when she about melted on the floor with
fear for that baby, you hardly touched her." She noted. "It was clear you were keeping yourself
apart from her."
"The only reason I am here is because of the baby." He told her. "Once she is out of danger, I
will be out of their life for good."
Amanda stared at him in disbelief. "You are joking."
She didn't get a response because at that moment Duncan, Richie and Ellen walked up with Joe.
"How is she?" Duncan asked.
"It's not good, but the doctor says she has a good chance as long as her heart doesn't become
involved." Adam replied soberly. He started to continue, but Beth emerged from the lounge. The
bright blue scrubs were a little baggy, but he still couldn't help feel his heart skip at the sight of
her. She'd splashed water on her tear streaked face and pulled her hair back in a simple braid,
but after not seeing her for so long he couldn't help but be affected.
"I'll wait for you." She said softly as he moved passed her in the doorway.
It was then that her eyes met Richie's and she walked into his hug. She was so glad to see her
friend and knew his embrace was sincere. Holding him tight, Beth couldn't control her emotions
any longer. She started to cry and was helpless to stop.
"It's going to be all right. You're safe and Cassie's going to be all right. You'll see." Richie said
as he stroked her back and held her. "You're back where you belong with us and your safe."
Duncan had told he and Ellen about how Adam treated Beth at the villa and what his plan was,
and he'd filled Joe in briefly. All of them circled around her and tried to offer their silent support.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as she squeezed him tight before reluctantly letting go and taking a
handkerchief from Joe. "I didn't think it would be this way. You don't know how much I missed all
of you and I thought when we were together it would be a happy time."
"It will be Beth." Joe assured her and held out his arms for a proper hug. "Don't give up on him."
He whispered.
"I won't." she promised.
It was then that she realized someone was missing. "Where's Claudia? Is she on tour?"
From the expression on their faces, she knew she'd said the wrong thing.
She turned to Richie, knowing the last time she saw him they had been growing closer. She'd
hoped something real would develop. "Did something happen?"
"Claudia's gone." Amanda was the one who found her voice first. "Rick Shafer took her head."
Beth gasped. "No!" her eyes immediately found Richie's. "Oh Richie, I'm so sorry."
He nodded, but she could see he didn't want to think about it right now. He was fighting hard to
control his emotions.
"I knew he was dangerous. I've been worried he might show up at the Villa again like he did last
week." She replied, wishing she could make this all go away. "I can't believe he'd hurt someone
like Claudia."
"He won't be coming back." Duncan replied flatly. "Ever."
Beth understood what he was saying and couldn't help but feel relieved.
A nurse told them she could go see Cassie, but she paused and touched Richie's cheek. "We'll
talk later, when this is all over."
He nodded and clasped her hand briefly. "I'm glad you're safe. We missed you."
She gave a faint smile and turned toward the door the nurse indicated. Adam was standing
behind her. For a brief instant she thought she saw a flicker of jealousy in his eyes, but it was
quickly replaced by his colder gray gaze.
He pushed the door open and held it for her as they walked in.
The sight of the precious baby hooked up to monitors and tubes was almost overwhelming. She
looked so tiny and helpless.
"Cassie?" Beth whispered as she moved beside the crib. "It's Mommy sweetheart."
Adam watched as she laid her hand on the little girl's body to reassure her, carefully avoiding any
of the equipment. Cassie startled in her sleep, her little arms and legs jerking out before she
began to whimper.
"There, there sweetheart." Beth blinked back the tears and tried to put a smile in her voice to
comfort the child she could not pick up. "Mommy and Daddy are here baby. I told you he would
come. I told you he'd find us. It's all going to be ok now. You're going to get better and it's all
going to be ok."
Adam's throat constricted from the sight of the baby in such dire circumstances and the emotion
of hearing the hope in Beth's voice. He almost had to leave the room, but knew he could not.
Cassie continued to fret and wriggle, until she began to cry full out. Beth was afraid she'd hurt
herself or that the exertion might raise her fever. She looked up at Adam with her dark eyes full
of frightened tears. "I can't calm her." Her eyes pleading with him to help.
Adam moved beside the crib as Beth made room for him and he began to talk to the baby. He
stroked her soft head and let one of her curls wrap around his finger before stroking her cheek.
"Don't cry princess." He cooed. "Daddy's here and he wants you to get better."
Cassie seemed to respond a little to his voice, so he continued. "Shhhh Shhhh princess. Don't
cry. Don't cry." He repeated the soft words over and over until she'd not only stopped crying but
appeared to be sleeping soundly.
"You always were wonderful with her." Beth bit her lip as she thought about all the time they'd
lost together. "She didn't forget."
Adam frowned and turned his attention back to Cassie. This was going to be harder than he
could have imagined, but he knew that once the baby was healthy he would have to leave them.
He'd have to leave them in order to save them from the life he'd unwittingly created.