Hi! :-) Thanks again for your reviews!! Here's another chapter!

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Chapter 21

When the plane finally landed, Janet couldn't wait to exit. Fortunately, the flight attendant told her she would be able to leave first with Taylor since it appeared her condition had worsened the closer they got to arriving at the Los Angeles Airport. Janet practically carried a barely conscious Taylor off the plane. The stewardess offered her a wheelchair, but Janet wanted to hold her daughter as close to her as she could. This all seemed so surreal to Janet.

The captain had notified the airport that they should have medical personnel on standby at the gate. When Janet finally made it out of the jet way, she saw the paramedics dressed in their white starched shirts and neatly pressed black pants. Their presence and somber expressions startled her and made her realize, once again, how serious Taylor's condition could be.

When Terri had arrived at the gate area, she'd noticed the medical personnel and wondered what was going on. It took only one look in the direction of Janet and Taylor to see what the problem was.

"Oh, no," Terri said quietly, as she hurriedly made her way towards the front of the check-in area.

When an airport security guard halted her progress, she told him she was a nurse and that the woman and the little girl were friends of hers.

"I'm here to meet them," she continued to explain.

Knowing he was ready to turn her away, Terri remembered her identification and produced it for his inspection. The burly man relayed the information to one of the EMTs who said Terri could come into the area that had been cordoned off.

"Janet," Terri said, when she finally reached them, "what happened?"

"I don't know, Terri," Janet said, trying to keep her focus on what was going on around her. "Taylor got sick on the plane. She was complaining that her head and neck hurt. She could barely swallow a cold beverage, and I know she's running a fever."

"She's not moving or responding too well," Terri immediately observed.

"I know. I don't know what's wrong with her, but it can't be anything serious, Terri. It just can't be."

Terri wrapped one arm around her friend's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"The EMTs know what to do. If they take her to the hospital, I'll follow in my car."

Janet's eyes widened with fright. "You think she might have to go to the hospital?"

"Well, I don't know, sweetie, but her face is very flushed and she seems distressed."

The youngest of the EMTs told Janet and Terri that they were going to move Taylor into a lounge room for airline employees so they could examine her. They followed the two men and one woman who had carefully placed Taylor on a stretcher. She had lapsed into a semi-conscious state.

As soon as they entered the room and had shut the door, they began to take her vital signs while Janet stood next to her and held her hand. She whispered words of comfort and tried to keep her daughter and herself calm. Terri remained close by. Taylor's temperature was dangerously high. When the woman pressed against her glands and her neck, Taylor half moaned and tried to push the woman's hands away.

"She's dehydrated," one of the men said. "We need to start her on an IV."

"I didn't think it was this bad," Janet said, trying to keep her tears at bay as she watched the paramedics work on her daughter.

Terri rubbed Janet's back and tried to reassure her.

"It's hard to know some times," she said. "The symptoms come and go."

Janet nodded, but her friend's words weren't of much comfort to her at the moment.

The female EMT motioned for Janet to join her in a corner of the room, where they could talk privately, away from Taylor.

"What's wrong with my daughter?" Janet asked, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"We're not sure yet," the woman explained. "We've administered some preliminary measures to try to help her feel better, but she needs to be taken to the hospital for further examination and possible testing."

"Okay," Janet said, wiping at her eyes. "Just please hurry and do whatever you have to so my daughter will be well again."

"We are. We'll let you know as soon as we're ready to transport her."

"Is it possible she could go to Wilshire Memorial?" Terri asked. "I'm a nurse there, and I think my friend and her daughter would feel more comfortable at that hospital."

Janet nodded to show her agreement with Terri's suggestion.

"Of course. It's actually the closest hospital."

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Less than an hour later, Taylor was being tended to in the Emergency Room of the hospital. She had fallen asleep in the ambulance and had not woken up. Dr. Kyle Davis introduced himself to Janet, acknowledged Terri's presence, and then proceeded to ask Janet many questions about Taylor's current symptoms and about her medical history in general.

"She's been very healthy," Janet said.

"Has she ever been hospitalized before?"

"No. Never."

He completed the history form; a thorough examination ensued.

"Her temperature is extremely high," Dr. Davis said. "We are going to have to admit her and run a battery of tests."

"Do you know what might be causing the high fever?" Terri asked, trying to maintain her professionalism while her heart was breaking for Janet and Taylor.

"From the description of the symptoms and the severity of her fever, she most likely has an infection somewhere in her body. Now, exactly what caused it and how we are going to treat it are the questions I need answers to. And I will have them once we run the tests."

Terri remained with the sleeping child while Janet went to the admitting desk to fill out the required paperwork. When they finally brought Taylor to her room in the pediatrics ward, Janet realized they had not bothered to retrieve their luggage from the airport.

"I don't have any of Taylor's things," Janet groaned, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand. "How stupid can I be?"

"Hey, it's okay," Terri said. "We were a little preoccupied," she added, motioning toward Taylor. "I called Travis, and he was able to get your luggage even though he didn't have the claim checks. I'll call him. He'll bring us whatever you need."

Janet shook her head as she helped the nurse put a hospital gown on Taylor. "That's okay."

"Are you sure? If you think she wants something tonight, Travis will bring it. No problem."

"No, it's okay," Janet said again. "Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow, and I won't have to bring her anything but some toiletries and clothes for when she's released."

But as she looked at her daughter lying so motionless and looking so small in the hospital bed, Janet had a sinking feeling she knew exactly where they would be spending the Thanksgiving holiday. And that feeling made her stomach churn. What was wrong with her precious daughter and how had she gotten so sick so fast?