Author Notes: Thanks to everyone who has sent wonderful reviews. You make
writing much easier! Now, on with the story ...
"Tested Hearts" Chapter 2
The medics leaped out of the ambulance as if they were beginning a ballet dance, every movement seemingly choreographed as they prepared to move Mattie into the waiting ER. Harm was the first out of the back of the bus, moving quickly out of the way as Harris and Adams quickly got the still unconscious Mattie out into the cold morning air and moving towards the automatic doors of the ER. As Jen pulled into a nearby space marked for visitors, she could see the glare of the parking lot lamps reflect off of Harm's concerned face, his hand still holding Mattie's as they took her inside. She rushed to enter right behind them as two nurses met the EMTs in the lobby area.
"This the patient you radioed in?" one of the nurses asked. She checked Mattie's pulse as Adams confirmed it, then she turned to Harm.
"Sir, are you the father?"
"Yes ... her name is Mattie and I'm Harmon Rabb. This is our friend, Jen Coates." Harm turned to indicate Jen beside him. Harris repeated Mattie's vitals to a doctor who had just rushed up to begin examining her. She glanced at Harm before turning back to examining Mattie as the group moved to an examination room down the hall from the entrance.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Doctor Gentry, and I'm going to need you to tell me very quickly what happened in a second." She waited for Harm's nod, then began giving orders to the nurses.
"All right ... let's move her to the bed ... on my mark, one, two, three ... good. Let's keep her on the O2, and somebody get me someone from Pediatrics down here. Now," she turned her head to glance at Harm and Jen who were standing as close as possible to the bed as nurses and the doctor rapidly set up monitors and continued to examine Mattie. "go ahead, Mr. Rabb."
"Doctor, my daughter lives down the hall from me with Ms. Coates here. Last night, she started feeling sick after dinner, coughing, and looking worn out. She seemed fine, though, and went to bed a little earlier than usual. Jen came by to wake me this morning when she heard Mattie fall out of her bed, and found her with a high fever, trembling, and semi-conscious. We called 911 after taking her temp, which was 103.5 according to a digital thermometer we have."
"Yep, she's still feverish, all right," the doctor replied, glancing at Harm and Jen. "Good short report, sir."
"Ma'am, we're both in the military – Navy. We work for JAG."
"The Judge Advocate General's office?"
"Yes, ma'am. What's wrong with Mattie?"
"We're going to find out, ok? I need you both to go in the hallway with one of my nurses so we can get some background in a second. Is Mattie allergic to anything?"
"No, not that we know of. She's 15, and my adopted daughter. She's been in good health, no problems."
The doctor nodded while examining Mattie's throat and ears, and then turned to the nurse. "Get me a temp, and set up an EKG. I also want a CBC with differential, and keep the saline going. We need to keep her fluids up/"
"Yes, doctor." The nurse began carrying out her instructions while Doctor Gentry pulled on her stethoscope and began listening to Mattie's chest.
"Okay. Did she finish her dinner last night? What was the meal, and did anyone else eat the same food?"
"It was chicken and rice, ma'am", Jen answered. "We both ate the same food, and I'm fine." Jen knew the doctor was considering food poisoning. Doctor Gentry seemed to read her mind, and gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm glad to hear that, Ms. Coates. Now, I assume that Mr. Rabb wasn't with you and Mattie during the meal. Did you notice anything else out of the ordinary with Mattie before she went to bed?"
"No, ma'am. She was coughing occasionally, and then her face ...started to get more and more flushed. I asked her if she felt OK, and she said she was fine." Jen stopped, not daring to look at Harm who was looking at her, she could tell. "I thought that maybe she was coming down with something, but then she said that she was going to go to bed early, and I felt a night's rest would help."
The doctor paused after listening to both Jen's recitation and Mattie's chest sounds. "Hmm. She's got watery sounds in her lungs." She took off her stethoscope and leaned over Mattie, talking to her. "Mattie? ... Mattie, can you hear me? We're going to take care of you, can you open your eyes for me?" Mattie didn't respond, except to softly moan, just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"Temp is 104, doctor. Pulse is 142, BP 110 over 75."
The doctor grunted as Harm, who was slowly being guided from the room by another nurse, worriedly asked, "Is that bad? What's going on? Why won't she wake up?"
"Mr. Rabb, please come with me," the nurse tried to take his elbow to guide him from the room – but Harm wouldn't move.
"Doctor?" She looked back at him as she and another nurse were leaning Mattie into a sitting position so that she could listen to her back with her stethoscope. "Mr. Rabb, the longer you're in here, the longer she'll be here and the longer you'll wait for information. Now, please ... you and Ms. Coates go with the nurse. We have some paperwork to fill out, and I will be out to see you as soon as I can." She spoke in a kindly way, but Jen could hear the undertow of command authority beneath her speech ...something she easily recognized from serving in the Navy. She turned to Harm, grabbing his hand, and whispering, "Come on, Harm – let them take care of Mattie." She was surprised to feel Harm's hand cold and shaking in hers.
"I can't lose her, Jen." His voice was small, and Jen's heart tore a little when she heard the worry and fear in the Commander's voice.
"You won't, sir, I promise. Mattie's tough – and you know she hasn't even begun to run out of ways to give you grey hairs, sir." That last sentence got her a small grin, and the nurse standing with them smiled, too. She took that moment to place a hand on Harm's arm, guiding him to the waiting area as Jen trailed behind them. Harm took a seat on the institutional chairs, the nurse on one side and Jen on the other.
"Now, sir ..." the nurse started to speak, arranging the papers on her clipboard -- when Harm suddenly sat very straight in his chair.
"Oh, god, Jen ... Mac! I need to call her, let her know ..." Harm started to stand up again after sitting down next Jen and the nurse with her sheaf of forms.
"It's ok, sir. I spoke with the Admiral on the way in. I told him what's happened, and he's going to speak to her, have her meet us here. Then he's coming in himself as soon as he can. He told me to tell you to hang in there for Mattie. Please help the nurse with the forms, and I'm going to go find us both some coffee, allright?"
Harm smiled gratefully at Jen, then reached over to hug her. "Thanks ... I guess I'm a little crazy right now." Jen rubbed his back gently, then whispered in his ear, "No more than usual, sir." He chuckled and released her slowly, leaving her hands for last. "Very funny. Wait till I tell Mattie how you've been treating me."
"Who do you think I get it from?" She stood up slowly, and reached down to touch his shoulder, smiled, then looked over at the nurse who was watching them and waiting patiently. "When can I get some coffee, ma'am?"
The nurse, who couldn't have been much older than Jen herself, grinned and replied, "First of all, I'm gonna give you a free injection if you call me 'ma'am' again, and the cafeteria's down that hall and to the right." Jen giggled, mumbled "sorry," then started walking in the direction she was given.
"Tested Hearts" Chapter 2
The medics leaped out of the ambulance as if they were beginning a ballet dance, every movement seemingly choreographed as they prepared to move Mattie into the waiting ER. Harm was the first out of the back of the bus, moving quickly out of the way as Harris and Adams quickly got the still unconscious Mattie out into the cold morning air and moving towards the automatic doors of the ER. As Jen pulled into a nearby space marked for visitors, she could see the glare of the parking lot lamps reflect off of Harm's concerned face, his hand still holding Mattie's as they took her inside. She rushed to enter right behind them as two nurses met the EMTs in the lobby area.
"This the patient you radioed in?" one of the nurses asked. She checked Mattie's pulse as Adams confirmed it, then she turned to Harm.
"Sir, are you the father?"
"Yes ... her name is Mattie and I'm Harmon Rabb. This is our friend, Jen Coates." Harm turned to indicate Jen beside him. Harris repeated Mattie's vitals to a doctor who had just rushed up to begin examining her. She glanced at Harm before turning back to examining Mattie as the group moved to an examination room down the hall from the entrance.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Doctor Gentry, and I'm going to need you to tell me very quickly what happened in a second." She waited for Harm's nod, then began giving orders to the nurses.
"All right ... let's move her to the bed ... on my mark, one, two, three ... good. Let's keep her on the O2, and somebody get me someone from Pediatrics down here. Now," she turned her head to glance at Harm and Jen who were standing as close as possible to the bed as nurses and the doctor rapidly set up monitors and continued to examine Mattie. "go ahead, Mr. Rabb."
"Doctor, my daughter lives down the hall from me with Ms. Coates here. Last night, she started feeling sick after dinner, coughing, and looking worn out. She seemed fine, though, and went to bed a little earlier than usual. Jen came by to wake me this morning when she heard Mattie fall out of her bed, and found her with a high fever, trembling, and semi-conscious. We called 911 after taking her temp, which was 103.5 according to a digital thermometer we have."
"Yep, she's still feverish, all right," the doctor replied, glancing at Harm and Jen. "Good short report, sir."
"Ma'am, we're both in the military – Navy. We work for JAG."
"The Judge Advocate General's office?"
"Yes, ma'am. What's wrong with Mattie?"
"We're going to find out, ok? I need you both to go in the hallway with one of my nurses so we can get some background in a second. Is Mattie allergic to anything?"
"No, not that we know of. She's 15, and my adopted daughter. She's been in good health, no problems."
The doctor nodded while examining Mattie's throat and ears, and then turned to the nurse. "Get me a temp, and set up an EKG. I also want a CBC with differential, and keep the saline going. We need to keep her fluids up/"
"Yes, doctor." The nurse began carrying out her instructions while Doctor Gentry pulled on her stethoscope and began listening to Mattie's chest.
"Okay. Did she finish her dinner last night? What was the meal, and did anyone else eat the same food?"
"It was chicken and rice, ma'am", Jen answered. "We both ate the same food, and I'm fine." Jen knew the doctor was considering food poisoning. Doctor Gentry seemed to read her mind, and gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm glad to hear that, Ms. Coates. Now, I assume that Mr. Rabb wasn't with you and Mattie during the meal. Did you notice anything else out of the ordinary with Mattie before she went to bed?"
"No, ma'am. She was coughing occasionally, and then her face ...started to get more and more flushed. I asked her if she felt OK, and she said she was fine." Jen stopped, not daring to look at Harm who was looking at her, she could tell. "I thought that maybe she was coming down with something, but then she said that she was going to go to bed early, and I felt a night's rest would help."
The doctor paused after listening to both Jen's recitation and Mattie's chest sounds. "Hmm. She's got watery sounds in her lungs." She took off her stethoscope and leaned over Mattie, talking to her. "Mattie? ... Mattie, can you hear me? We're going to take care of you, can you open your eyes for me?" Mattie didn't respond, except to softly moan, just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"Temp is 104, doctor. Pulse is 142, BP 110 over 75."
The doctor grunted as Harm, who was slowly being guided from the room by another nurse, worriedly asked, "Is that bad? What's going on? Why won't she wake up?"
"Mr. Rabb, please come with me," the nurse tried to take his elbow to guide him from the room – but Harm wouldn't move.
"Doctor?" She looked back at him as she and another nurse were leaning Mattie into a sitting position so that she could listen to her back with her stethoscope. "Mr. Rabb, the longer you're in here, the longer she'll be here and the longer you'll wait for information. Now, please ... you and Ms. Coates go with the nurse. We have some paperwork to fill out, and I will be out to see you as soon as I can." She spoke in a kindly way, but Jen could hear the undertow of command authority beneath her speech ...something she easily recognized from serving in the Navy. She turned to Harm, grabbing his hand, and whispering, "Come on, Harm – let them take care of Mattie." She was surprised to feel Harm's hand cold and shaking in hers.
"I can't lose her, Jen." His voice was small, and Jen's heart tore a little when she heard the worry and fear in the Commander's voice.
"You won't, sir, I promise. Mattie's tough – and you know she hasn't even begun to run out of ways to give you grey hairs, sir." That last sentence got her a small grin, and the nurse standing with them smiled, too. She took that moment to place a hand on Harm's arm, guiding him to the waiting area as Jen trailed behind them. Harm took a seat on the institutional chairs, the nurse on one side and Jen on the other.
"Now, sir ..." the nurse started to speak, arranging the papers on her clipboard -- when Harm suddenly sat very straight in his chair.
"Oh, god, Jen ... Mac! I need to call her, let her know ..." Harm started to stand up again after sitting down next Jen and the nurse with her sheaf of forms.
"It's ok, sir. I spoke with the Admiral on the way in. I told him what's happened, and he's going to speak to her, have her meet us here. Then he's coming in himself as soon as he can. He told me to tell you to hang in there for Mattie. Please help the nurse with the forms, and I'm going to go find us both some coffee, allright?"
Harm smiled gratefully at Jen, then reached over to hug her. "Thanks ... I guess I'm a little crazy right now." Jen rubbed his back gently, then whispered in his ear, "No more than usual, sir." He chuckled and released her slowly, leaving her hands for last. "Very funny. Wait till I tell Mattie how you've been treating me."
"Who do you think I get it from?" She stood up slowly, and reached down to touch his shoulder, smiled, then looked over at the nurse who was watching them and waiting patiently. "When can I get some coffee, ma'am?"
The nurse, who couldn't have been much older than Jen herself, grinned and replied, "First of all, I'm gonna give you a free injection if you call me 'ma'am' again, and the cafeteria's down that hall and to the right." Jen giggled, mumbled "sorry," then started walking in the direction she was given.