Elmer hovered by Lona's bedside, knowing that he was probably in
the way and wasn't helping the situation any but at the same time unable to
move. Even though Hook had ordered Lona to be put in an isolation room, it
really didn't seem exactly isolated in there to him with all of the doctors
and nurses bustling in and out, garbed in the heavy suits, each one of them
seeming intent on doing something new and he was sure more painful to Lona.
He felt himself cringe as another nurse started to draw what seemed like the millionth vial of her blood. What were these people trying to do to her? Elmer was very sure that Lona needed at least a little bit of that blood to stay in her body.
"He isn't taking this well, is he?" Chris asked Hook as both of them glanced over at Elmer.
"He was the one who found her. Who would expect him to take it well? I'm surprised he isn't even more freaked than this," Hook said with a shake of his head as he headed over to his younger colleague. "Elmer?"
Elmer jumped slightly at the sound of someone saying his name before realizing that it was Hook. "Do they know what's wrong with her?"
Elmer asked anxiously as he looked at Hook for a moment before turning his eyes onto Lona once more. She hadn't moved, hadn't shown any response since they had revived her in the sleep lab. Okay, Elmer knew that it was perfectly normal for someone to be unresponsive right after suffering a cardiac arrest but it was an entirely different matter when the person in question was Lona. All he wanted was for her to open her eyes. He wouldn't care if she yelled at him for trying to flirt with her or asked for that jerk Thompson as long as she would open her eyes and he could see that she was okay.
"They're working on finding out what's going on," Hook said slowly, careful to keep his tone even, knowing that with the mental condition that Elmer was in any sign that he was more than a bit nervous could set Elmer into an even deeper panic. Hook shook his head slightly.
They all knew that Elmer had a crush on Lona but somehow, he was getting the feeling that Elmer's feelings for her might be a bit more than the crush they thought it was.
"I contacted the Department of Health and the Lewiston Police Department. They're going to go over to Dr. Thompson's house and bring him in." Chris said as she joined Hook and Elmer, looking over at Lona with concern herself, having to fight a slowly growing fear as she observed Lona's condition. She was hooked to a ventilator, had never really tried to breathe on her own after they had brought her back. There were cooling blankets over her trying to get the fever under control but as far as Chris could tell they weren't even touching it yet. And Hook had been exposed to this, whatever it was, along with Elmer. If Hook were infected.... She felt the fear start to bubble up from inside and had to force it viciously back down once more. This wasn't the time for panic and she couldn't let herself give in to fear now. She needed to keep her wits about her if she wanted to be of any use.
"Thompson? He's the one who did this to Lona?" Elmer whispered as he looked away from Lona for a moment. Thompson, he knew that guy was bad news! When he got his hands on him.... How could he do something like this to Lona, put her life in such danger?
"We don't know that he's the one who infected Lona," Hook said slowly, hoping to calm Elmer down before the police got here with Thompson.
With the look on Elmer's face, it didn't seem to bode well for Thompson's future health if he was infected and ended up in isolation with them.
"Since he just got back from Africa, though, it looks like a pretty good guess that he might have been infected with whatever this is and passed it on to Lona."
"But if you get him in here you can make him tell you what this is?" Elmer demanded. He knew that Thompson was a jerk besides being not nearly good enough for Lona. How could he expose her to something like this?
"Hopefully," Hook said slowly, not wanting Elmer to know that even if they got Thompson in there, even if he was alive when they found him,
there was a pretty good chance that he wouldn't know what the disease was.
He couldn't have been showing symptoms when Lona picked him up or she would have drug him right to the hospital and he might very well have no idea where he had been exposed. Of course, that assumed that he was still alive to question, something Hook was doubtful of if Thompson's symptoms had followed the same course as Lona's symptoms had taken.
"Chris," Hook said quietly as they moved away from Elmer, letting him go back to fretting at Lona's bedside. "I want you to tell Elmer's dad what happened, see if he'll keep an eye on Peter Rickman for me. I don't want Stegman or Brenda anywhere near him."
Chris nodded slowly, at the same time trying to think of a way that she could give this news to Louis. How could you really break gently to someone that their only surviving child had just been exposed to some strange, potentially fatal illness?
Suddenly, the monitors that Lona was attached to started to beep erratically, causing Hook and Chris to spin around.
"What's wrong with her?" Elmer demanded, staring from Hook to Lona with near panic written all over his face. They couldn't be losing her again! He didn't think he could stand to see it if.... He had tried to stay back, not wanting to get in the way but now he hurried forward,
reaching out and taking her hand in his and holding it tight. Please,
please! He couldn't loose her! "Hook?"
"Wait a minute." Hook carefully looked at the monitors once more as he noted the alarm sounds fading away. "Okay." He looked around trying to figure out what the problem might have been, noting Lona's rapidly bruising arms, before issuing orders. "Take the blood draws slower. That might be putting some stress on her."
"Is she... is she okay?" Elmer asked hesitantly as Hook moved over to join him at Lona's side.
"I want you to stay right there with her." Hook deliberately didn't answer Elmer's question, not really sure of the answer. "I need you to hold her hand for me and talk to her, try to keep her calm. Think you can do that?"
Elmer nodded, moving closer to Lona's side, reaching out and gently stroking her forehead. Hook didn't even have to ask him. If there was anything, he didn't care what, that he could do to help Lona, he would.
"There will be someone to take your blood for testing up in a little bit," Chris said as Hook moved away from Lona's bedside once again,
reassured that for the moment she was stable.
He nodded. "Chris, make sure they get Thompson found fast. If this spreads, we could be in big trouble."
He felt himself cringe as another nurse started to draw what seemed like the millionth vial of her blood. What were these people trying to do to her? Elmer was very sure that Lona needed at least a little bit of that blood to stay in her body.
"He isn't taking this well, is he?" Chris asked Hook as both of them glanced over at Elmer.
"He was the one who found her. Who would expect him to take it well? I'm surprised he isn't even more freaked than this," Hook said with a shake of his head as he headed over to his younger colleague. "Elmer?"
Elmer jumped slightly at the sound of someone saying his name before realizing that it was Hook. "Do they know what's wrong with her?"
Elmer asked anxiously as he looked at Hook for a moment before turning his eyes onto Lona once more. She hadn't moved, hadn't shown any response since they had revived her in the sleep lab. Okay, Elmer knew that it was perfectly normal for someone to be unresponsive right after suffering a cardiac arrest but it was an entirely different matter when the person in question was Lona. All he wanted was for her to open her eyes. He wouldn't care if she yelled at him for trying to flirt with her or asked for that jerk Thompson as long as she would open her eyes and he could see that she was okay.
"They're working on finding out what's going on," Hook said slowly, careful to keep his tone even, knowing that with the mental condition that Elmer was in any sign that he was more than a bit nervous could set Elmer into an even deeper panic. Hook shook his head slightly.
They all knew that Elmer had a crush on Lona but somehow, he was getting the feeling that Elmer's feelings for her might be a bit more than the crush they thought it was.
"I contacted the Department of Health and the Lewiston Police Department. They're going to go over to Dr. Thompson's house and bring him in." Chris said as she joined Hook and Elmer, looking over at Lona with concern herself, having to fight a slowly growing fear as she observed Lona's condition. She was hooked to a ventilator, had never really tried to breathe on her own after they had brought her back. There were cooling blankets over her trying to get the fever under control but as far as Chris could tell they weren't even touching it yet. And Hook had been exposed to this, whatever it was, along with Elmer. If Hook were infected.... She felt the fear start to bubble up from inside and had to force it viciously back down once more. This wasn't the time for panic and she couldn't let herself give in to fear now. She needed to keep her wits about her if she wanted to be of any use.
"Thompson? He's the one who did this to Lona?" Elmer whispered as he looked away from Lona for a moment. Thompson, he knew that guy was bad news! When he got his hands on him.... How could he do something like this to Lona, put her life in such danger?
"We don't know that he's the one who infected Lona," Hook said slowly, hoping to calm Elmer down before the police got here with Thompson.
With the look on Elmer's face, it didn't seem to bode well for Thompson's future health if he was infected and ended up in isolation with them.
"Since he just got back from Africa, though, it looks like a pretty good guess that he might have been infected with whatever this is and passed it on to Lona."
"But if you get him in here you can make him tell you what this is?" Elmer demanded. He knew that Thompson was a jerk besides being not nearly good enough for Lona. How could he expose her to something like this?
"Hopefully," Hook said slowly, not wanting Elmer to know that even if they got Thompson in there, even if he was alive when they found him,
there was a pretty good chance that he wouldn't know what the disease was.
He couldn't have been showing symptoms when Lona picked him up or she would have drug him right to the hospital and he might very well have no idea where he had been exposed. Of course, that assumed that he was still alive to question, something Hook was doubtful of if Thompson's symptoms had followed the same course as Lona's symptoms had taken.
"Chris," Hook said quietly as they moved away from Elmer, letting him go back to fretting at Lona's bedside. "I want you to tell Elmer's dad what happened, see if he'll keep an eye on Peter Rickman for me. I don't want Stegman or Brenda anywhere near him."
Chris nodded slowly, at the same time trying to think of a way that she could give this news to Louis. How could you really break gently to someone that their only surviving child had just been exposed to some strange, potentially fatal illness?
Suddenly, the monitors that Lona was attached to started to beep erratically, causing Hook and Chris to spin around.
"What's wrong with her?" Elmer demanded, staring from Hook to Lona with near panic written all over his face. They couldn't be losing her again! He didn't think he could stand to see it if.... He had tried to stay back, not wanting to get in the way but now he hurried forward,
reaching out and taking her hand in his and holding it tight. Please,
please! He couldn't loose her! "Hook?"
"Wait a minute." Hook carefully looked at the monitors once more as he noted the alarm sounds fading away. "Okay." He looked around trying to figure out what the problem might have been, noting Lona's rapidly bruising arms, before issuing orders. "Take the blood draws slower. That might be putting some stress on her."
"Is she... is she okay?" Elmer asked hesitantly as Hook moved over to join him at Lona's side.
"I want you to stay right there with her." Hook deliberately didn't answer Elmer's question, not really sure of the answer. "I need you to hold her hand for me and talk to her, try to keep her calm. Think you can do that?"
Elmer nodded, moving closer to Lona's side, reaching out and gently stroking her forehead. Hook didn't even have to ask him. If there was anything, he didn't care what, that he could do to help Lona, he would.
"There will be someone to take your blood for testing up in a little bit," Chris said as Hook moved away from Lona's bedside once again,
reassured that for the moment she was stable.
He nodded. "Chris, make sure they get Thompson found fast. If this spreads, we could be in big trouble."