Lona yawned slightly as she opened her eyes, surprise hitting her
for a moment when she saw Elmer there, snuggled into her arms. her head
pressed against his chest so she could hear the steady beating of his
heart. She sat up slightly, softly kissing his forehead before sliding out
of the bed. She still felt a bit shaky when she thought of what had
happened the night before, of how close Elmer had came to death. An alarm.
She was going to get an alarm to go on the lab door. Or maybe two alarms?
Something to make sure that this would never happen again, anyway. Lona gently patted Elmer's shoulder before pulling on her shoes. Surprisingly,
she was more than a little bit tempted to lay back down with Elmer for a bit. He had drifted off to sleep in her arms the night before, somehow convinced that he really was safe. She shook her head as she thought of how frightened he had been before she had been able to calm him. Okay,
Elmer could drive her seriously crazy at times but seeing him that scared had affected her. She stopped as she approached the door, honestly wanting to go back to bed but she knew she had to get in touch with Louis to let him know what happened.
As she stepped into the monitoring area, she was surprised to see that Elmer's father was already there, apparently having a serious conversation with Hook. "Louis?" she called as she approached.
Louis looked at Lona for a moment, not really knowing what to say to her, especially after what he had just seen with Lona in bed with his son. Okay, Hook had said she was doing it to keep Elmer calm but.... An awkward silence hung between the two doctors as Louis tried to think of what to say. Elmer would be furious if he asked if Lona had honorable intentions towards his son. "Hook told me about last night." He finally said. "What happened?"
"I don't really know." Lona shook her head as she glanced at the door before looking through the glass at Elmer still fast asleep. "We were doing the same experiments we've done a million times. I nodded off for a few minutes though and when I woke up, Elmer was gone. I'm definitely getting an alarm for that door." She said firmly. Or maybe two alarms to be doubly secure.
"Elmer's never sleepwalked before." Louis said. "Is there something with the experiments that could have....." If Lona's sleep experiments triggered whatever had happened to Elmer, Louis was definitely vetoing using his son any further as a test subject.
"I don't see how," Lona said with a shake of her head. "I was just monitoring him with the EEG. There's nothing about that that could have triggered sleepwalking. The only thing I can think of maybe is some sort of bad dream. We might find out more when he wakes up. If he remembers, that is. He was really shaky last night." Lona didn't speak this aloud but deep down she hoped that Elmer didn't remember the happenings of the night before, not after how much they had frightened him.
No way did she want to see him go through that again.
"You're sure he's alright?" Louis demanded as he looked through the glass at his son. Elmer seemed alright from here but appearances could be deceiving.
"He'll probably have some good bruises this morning but nothing worse." Hook shook his head slightly, barely believing how luck Elmer had been. "The problem we need to look at though, is what in the world to do about Steg. You know he's going to delight in spreading that rumor all over the hospital."
"Steg? What sort of rumor is he...." Lona stopped as it suddenly occurred to her exactly what Steg might be saying. No, how could anyone,
even Steg, be that cruel?
"He met me at the elevator this morning and told me Elmer tried to kill himself by jumping off the roof last night." Louis said with a shake of his head. He really should have known better to put any faith in what Steg had to say but the other doctor had managed to skillfully hit the buttons that would send him straight into a panic.
"He what? No, Elmer wouldn't do that!" Lona said in an insistent tone, watching Elmer for any signs that he might be starting to wake. She definitely didn't want him to hear any of this. He had been so badly panicked when they had found him, thinking people would think he tried to commit suicide. If he heard what Steg was saying..... Suddenly Lona thought of something and stood still, slowly working it over in her mind.
"Lona?" Louis called her name, drawing her back to the reality of the sleep lab once more.
"How did Steg know Elmer was on the roof?" Lona said slowly. "We brought Elmer down here to get him rewarmed because we knew what conclusions people might jump to. How did Steg find out? I know that no one saw us. Hook, was his car in the parking lot when you checked it?"
"I don't think so." Hook said slowly. Steg's Jag was pretty distinctive now due to the various vandalizations that it had suffered.
"So he was gone before we found Elmer. Which means the only time that he could have seen him is if he ran into Elmer while he was sleepwalking. And if that's what happened, then why didn't Stegman raise a finger to help him?" Lona felt rage building now, remembering how frightened and cold Elmer had been when they found him. If Stegman had seen him on the way to the roof, then he could have easily prevented all of that, could have spared Elmer that terror if he was even a tiny bit of a human being. "Why didn't he do anything to help?" She repeated.
She was going to get an alarm to go on the lab door. Or maybe two alarms?
Something to make sure that this would never happen again, anyway. Lona gently patted Elmer's shoulder before pulling on her shoes. Surprisingly,
she was more than a little bit tempted to lay back down with Elmer for a bit. He had drifted off to sleep in her arms the night before, somehow convinced that he really was safe. She shook her head as she thought of how frightened he had been before she had been able to calm him. Okay,
Elmer could drive her seriously crazy at times but seeing him that scared had affected her. She stopped as she approached the door, honestly wanting to go back to bed but she knew she had to get in touch with Louis to let him know what happened.
As she stepped into the monitoring area, she was surprised to see that Elmer's father was already there, apparently having a serious conversation with Hook. "Louis?" she called as she approached.
Louis looked at Lona for a moment, not really knowing what to say to her, especially after what he had just seen with Lona in bed with his son. Okay, Hook had said she was doing it to keep Elmer calm but.... An awkward silence hung between the two doctors as Louis tried to think of what to say. Elmer would be furious if he asked if Lona had honorable intentions towards his son. "Hook told me about last night." He finally said. "What happened?"
"I don't really know." Lona shook her head as she glanced at the door before looking through the glass at Elmer still fast asleep. "We were doing the same experiments we've done a million times. I nodded off for a few minutes though and when I woke up, Elmer was gone. I'm definitely getting an alarm for that door." She said firmly. Or maybe two alarms to be doubly secure.
"Elmer's never sleepwalked before." Louis said. "Is there something with the experiments that could have....." If Lona's sleep experiments triggered whatever had happened to Elmer, Louis was definitely vetoing using his son any further as a test subject.
"I don't see how," Lona said with a shake of her head. "I was just monitoring him with the EEG. There's nothing about that that could have triggered sleepwalking. The only thing I can think of maybe is some sort of bad dream. We might find out more when he wakes up. If he remembers, that is. He was really shaky last night." Lona didn't speak this aloud but deep down she hoped that Elmer didn't remember the happenings of the night before, not after how much they had frightened him.
No way did she want to see him go through that again.
"You're sure he's alright?" Louis demanded as he looked through the glass at his son. Elmer seemed alright from here but appearances could be deceiving.
"He'll probably have some good bruises this morning but nothing worse." Hook shook his head slightly, barely believing how luck Elmer had been. "The problem we need to look at though, is what in the world to do about Steg. You know he's going to delight in spreading that rumor all over the hospital."
"Steg? What sort of rumor is he...." Lona stopped as it suddenly occurred to her exactly what Steg might be saying. No, how could anyone,
even Steg, be that cruel?
"He met me at the elevator this morning and told me Elmer tried to kill himself by jumping off the roof last night." Louis said with a shake of his head. He really should have known better to put any faith in what Steg had to say but the other doctor had managed to skillfully hit the buttons that would send him straight into a panic.
"He what? No, Elmer wouldn't do that!" Lona said in an insistent tone, watching Elmer for any signs that he might be starting to wake. She definitely didn't want him to hear any of this. He had been so badly panicked when they had found him, thinking people would think he tried to commit suicide. If he heard what Steg was saying..... Suddenly Lona thought of something and stood still, slowly working it over in her mind.
"Lona?" Louis called her name, drawing her back to the reality of the sleep lab once more.
"How did Steg know Elmer was on the roof?" Lona said slowly. "We brought Elmer down here to get him rewarmed because we knew what conclusions people might jump to. How did Steg find out? I know that no one saw us. Hook, was his car in the parking lot when you checked it?"
"I don't think so." Hook said slowly. Steg's Jag was pretty distinctive now due to the various vandalizations that it had suffered.
"So he was gone before we found Elmer. Which means the only time that he could have seen him is if he ran into Elmer while he was sleepwalking. And if that's what happened, then why didn't Stegman raise a finger to help him?" Lona felt rage building now, remembering how frightened and cold Elmer had been when they found him. If Stegman had seen him on the way to the roof, then he could have easily prevented all of that, could have spared Elmer that terror if he was even a tiny bit of a human being. "Why didn't he do anything to help?" She repeated.