Hook dropped to the ground next to Elmer and Lona, his hand
reaching out and automatically checking for a pulse, eyes widening in
surprise at how hot her skin felt under his fingertips.
"CPR, now!" Hook pulled himself to his feet as he spoke, heading for the lab phone. Something wasn't right with that fever and he was very afraid of what it could mean. "Otto, call a code down to the sleep lab,
highest level infection protocols!"
Elmer stared in shock at Lona even as Hook moved towards the phone and started issuing orders. He knew that what Hook told him to do was the right thing, that he needed to move, to do something, but his body felt numb, as if he was totally detached from it. This just couldn't be happening, had to be some sort of dream. Maybe he was under the scanner again?
"Lona?" He called her name once more, hoping for a reaction, for something to wake him up or show him that this was only a dream. His fingers pressed against her neck again but there was still nothing, no sight of life. Elmer leaned over Lona, pressing his lips against hers,
breathing into her mouth, still not wanting to believe that this was really happening. "Lona?" His hands moved down to her chest, becoming more and more sure that this couldn't be a dream as he ran his fingers between her breasts feeling for the right hand position for chest compressions. If this was a dream, then wouldn't Lona be sitting up and yelling at him at this point? "Lona?" He whispered as he started to push down on her chest,
cringing when he heard a snapping noise as he pressed down. "Hook, help me!"
"Do the breathing, help will be here in just a minute." Hook nudged Elmer slightly as he dropped down beside them once more, his hands moving to take Elmer's place on Lona's chest. "Any idea how long she was like this?"
"I just found her," Elmer whispered, watching carefully, forcing himself to focus as Hook pushed down on Lona's chest. He couldn't mess this up, had to do it perfectly if he didn't want Lona to.... No, this couldn't be.... He tried to turn his mind off, to not let himself think beyond giving her another breath after every set of compressions but he couldn't quite manage it. How long could Lona have been like this before he found her? What if it was too long and she.... Or brain damage? That could happen from oxygen deprivation, he was almost sure. What if.... Why hadn't he gone down to the lab sooner? This was his fault! He should have known something was wrong somehow and now.... He felt tears starting to form in his eyes, She wasn't getting better. Why wasn't she getting better? Shouldn't she be getting better if they were doing things right?
No, he wouldn't let himself think about that. Just breathe. Keep breathing for her.
Suddenly, there were footsteps rapidly approaching and a second later what could be aliens in some sort of space suits appeared in the doorway.
"What happened?" Chris asked Hook as she dropped to the floor beside him, her eyes wide with concern as she looked from Lona's body to Hook. Other staff members quickly moved around Lona, one of them nudging Elmer safely out of the way as they quickly started the necessary tasks to try to save her life.
"Elmer found her like this maybe three, four minutes ago. No idea how long she could have been down before that." Hook looked up as one of the protective suited nurses came in with the crash cart, as soon as it was within easy reach, grabbing the two paddles and pressing them against Lona's now bare chest. He let out a soft mental sigh a second later when he saw the erratic rhythm on the monitor. V-fib. They could treat that.
Well, he hoped they could treat it successfully anyway. At least it meant she still had a chance.
Elmer watched helplessly as the doctors and nurses moved around Lona, working on her, inserting tubes and needles, attaching things to various parts of her body. He nervously bit his lip, trying to keep from crying as he looked at her, He wouldn't know how to describe what was different to another person but there was something almost visible about the limp body, that screamed out that Lona was gone. 'Please, please'
He felt a tear starting to roll down his cheek and it was all he could do to keep from screaming out his pain now that he didn't have Lona and trying to save her to focus on.
Lona's body twitched slightly, her shoulders shrugging as the current of the defibrillator hit her. Hook glanced over at the monitor anxiously as the erratic lines twitched spasmodically. "Come on, Lona,"
he whispered under his breath, stealing a glance up at Elmer before turning intense focus on the monitor once more. He knew that lack of response to one shock wouldn't really mean anything but at the same time, the quicker that she responded, the better the odds were that she would come out of this okay. A moment later, he let out a soft sigh of relief when he saw first one and then another and another steady heartbeats running across the monitor screen.
"We got her," He said, looking up at Elmer with a smile before focusing on the others working around Lona once more. "Get the standard post arrest drugs started," he nodded to one of the nurses before turning to Chris. "Chris, we're going to need to get her into an isolation room and I need you to notify Dr. James and get someone over to Dr. Thompson's house right away."
"What's wrong with her?" Chris asked quietly.
"I don't know but Lona was fine when she left to pick up Thompson,"
Hook said in a matching quiet voice. "Whatever she has, it's likely she was infected by him. She's burning up now."
"And you and Elmer were both exposed." Chris's eyes widened as she suddenly realized that besides Lona, Hook and Elmer were the only two people in the room not properly suited. "Hook...."
"Chris, get someone to find Thompson fast." Hook said as they started to move Lona onto a stretcher. "If we can get to him, maybe we can find out what this is and how to treat it."
"CPR, now!" Hook pulled himself to his feet as he spoke, heading for the lab phone. Something wasn't right with that fever and he was very afraid of what it could mean. "Otto, call a code down to the sleep lab,
highest level infection protocols!"
Elmer stared in shock at Lona even as Hook moved towards the phone and started issuing orders. He knew that what Hook told him to do was the right thing, that he needed to move, to do something, but his body felt numb, as if he was totally detached from it. This just couldn't be happening, had to be some sort of dream. Maybe he was under the scanner again?
"Lona?" He called her name once more, hoping for a reaction, for something to wake him up or show him that this was only a dream. His fingers pressed against her neck again but there was still nothing, no sight of life. Elmer leaned over Lona, pressing his lips against hers,
breathing into her mouth, still not wanting to believe that this was really happening. "Lona?" His hands moved down to her chest, becoming more and more sure that this couldn't be a dream as he ran his fingers between her breasts feeling for the right hand position for chest compressions. If this was a dream, then wouldn't Lona be sitting up and yelling at him at this point? "Lona?" He whispered as he started to push down on her chest,
cringing when he heard a snapping noise as he pressed down. "Hook, help me!"
"Do the breathing, help will be here in just a minute." Hook nudged Elmer slightly as he dropped down beside them once more, his hands moving to take Elmer's place on Lona's chest. "Any idea how long she was like this?"
"I just found her," Elmer whispered, watching carefully, forcing himself to focus as Hook pushed down on Lona's chest. He couldn't mess this up, had to do it perfectly if he didn't want Lona to.... No, this couldn't be.... He tried to turn his mind off, to not let himself think beyond giving her another breath after every set of compressions but he couldn't quite manage it. How long could Lona have been like this before he found her? What if it was too long and she.... Or brain damage? That could happen from oxygen deprivation, he was almost sure. What if.... Why hadn't he gone down to the lab sooner? This was his fault! He should have known something was wrong somehow and now.... He felt tears starting to form in his eyes, She wasn't getting better. Why wasn't she getting better? Shouldn't she be getting better if they were doing things right?
No, he wouldn't let himself think about that. Just breathe. Keep breathing for her.
Suddenly, there were footsteps rapidly approaching and a second later what could be aliens in some sort of space suits appeared in the doorway.
"What happened?" Chris asked Hook as she dropped to the floor beside him, her eyes wide with concern as she looked from Lona's body to Hook. Other staff members quickly moved around Lona, one of them nudging Elmer safely out of the way as they quickly started the necessary tasks to try to save her life.
"Elmer found her like this maybe three, four minutes ago. No idea how long she could have been down before that." Hook looked up as one of the protective suited nurses came in with the crash cart, as soon as it was within easy reach, grabbing the two paddles and pressing them against Lona's now bare chest. He let out a soft mental sigh a second later when he saw the erratic rhythm on the monitor. V-fib. They could treat that.
Well, he hoped they could treat it successfully anyway. At least it meant she still had a chance.
Elmer watched helplessly as the doctors and nurses moved around Lona, working on her, inserting tubes and needles, attaching things to various parts of her body. He nervously bit his lip, trying to keep from crying as he looked at her, He wouldn't know how to describe what was different to another person but there was something almost visible about the limp body, that screamed out that Lona was gone. 'Please, please'
He felt a tear starting to roll down his cheek and it was all he could do to keep from screaming out his pain now that he didn't have Lona and trying to save her to focus on.
Lona's body twitched slightly, her shoulders shrugging as the current of the defibrillator hit her. Hook glanced over at the monitor anxiously as the erratic lines twitched spasmodically. "Come on, Lona,"
he whispered under his breath, stealing a glance up at Elmer before turning intense focus on the monitor once more. He knew that lack of response to one shock wouldn't really mean anything but at the same time, the quicker that she responded, the better the odds were that she would come out of this okay. A moment later, he let out a soft sigh of relief when he saw first one and then another and another steady heartbeats running across the monitor screen.
"We got her," He said, looking up at Elmer with a smile before focusing on the others working around Lona once more. "Get the standard post arrest drugs started," he nodded to one of the nurses before turning to Chris. "Chris, we're going to need to get her into an isolation room and I need you to notify Dr. James and get someone over to Dr. Thompson's house right away."
"What's wrong with her?" Chris asked quietly.
"I don't know but Lona was fine when she left to pick up Thompson,"
Hook said in a matching quiet voice. "Whatever she has, it's likely she was infected by him. She's burning up now."
"And you and Elmer were both exposed." Chris's eyes widened as she suddenly realized that besides Lona, Hook and Elmer were the only two people in the room not properly suited. "Hook...."
"Chris, get someone to find Thompson fast." Hook said as they started to move Lona onto a stretcher. "If we can get to him, maybe we can find out what this is and how to treat it."