Chris had shed the protective suit as soon as she was away from
the isolation room. She knew that she needed to go and find Louis, to let
him know what was happening, needed to contact the local police again and
see what was going on with getting Thompson picked up, but she felt herself
slumping back against the wall instead, tears slipping down her cheeks
despite how hard she tried to resist the urge to cry. Hook had been
exposed to whatever Lona was infected with and from the look of things, the
illness definately had the potential to be fatal. Okay, Lona was alive for
the moment but she wasn't breathing on her own, wasn't responding, who knew
if the important parts of her were still even there or if the machines were
just keeping alive an emply shell? If Hook were infected.... They had
just found each other and Chris had to admit that she had been hesitent
about persuing a relationship with him at first, especially after her last
disasterous relationship but there was just something about Hook that had
quickly won her over. Now she couldn't imagine what her life would be like
without him as a part of it. If he were infected.... She was barely able
to stiffle a sob at that thought. No, she couldn't loose him, not when
they had barely had a chance to be together!
"Chris?" She heard a voice calling her name and looked up to find Louis standing there, his eyes full of concern as he looked down at her.
Louis. Just the sight of him made Chris want to cry harder. How in the world was she ever going to break this to him? When his first son had died, everyone had thought that the loss was going to kill Louis. Could he handle knowing that his only remaining child might be in danger now as well?
"Chris?" Louis said her name again, his concern growing as he reached down, helping his younger colleague to her feet. He had heard the rumors that Lona had suffered some sort of illness but no one seemed to know what was wrong with her or even if she was really sick. Louis knew that if Elmer heard that she might even have a sniffle, though, he would be right there hovering around her and making a pest of himself. Best for him to retrieve his son before he annoyed Lona too much.
"Louis, I think we need to go somewhere and talk," Chris said slowly, trying to think of how in the world she could give him this news as she motioned for him to follow her down the hallway towards the closest lounge.
"Chris, what's going on?" Louis asked as he followed beside her,
making sure to say close. The young woman looked shaky and very unsteady on her feet and Louis was more than a bit concerned that she might pass out at any moment.
"Have you heard about Lona?" Chris asked as soon as they entered the lounge and she had the door firmly shut. She drifted towards the pot of coffee as she spoke. She had a feeling that she might need a jolt of caffine soon.
"There are all sorts of rumors going around. They say that she's sick or...." Louis felt a cold chill as he thought of one think he had heard from a nursing student, that Lona was dead. No, he wouldn't even let himself thing about that rumor being true. If Lona died....
"She's definately sick," "Chris said slowly as she sipped the coffee, stil hoping that some idea for breaking the news gently would come to her. She looked up at the clock as she talked, amazed to note that it hadn't even been and hour since Elmer had found Lona and things had gone crazy. "Elmer found her about an hour ago down in the sleep lab." She closed her eyes, biting her lip as she thought of the condition that Lona had been in, the condition that Hook could be in soon if they didn't do something. "She was unconscious, not breathing, no heartbeat." She didn't open her eyes as she continued to speak, keeping her head down. She was very afraid of how Louis would take this.
Louis paled slightly when what Chris was saying started to sink in.
Cardiac arrest? If Lona had had a cardiac arrest then.... "How...." he wasn't sure that he really wanted to know the answer to the question he was trying to ask though, wanted to know if Lona was still alive or not. She was his friend as well as a co-worker and it had only been a short time since his former wife's death. He really didn't want to have to go to anymore funerals right now. Then there was how it would effect his son if Lona died. Louis had always tried to convince himself that Elmer's feelings for Lona were nothing but a crush that he would grow out of, not wanting to think that it could be serious, not wanting to think of his son getting hurt since Lona obviously didn't feel the same way. Crush or not,
though, Louis knew that Elmer would be devistated if Lona suddenly died.
He felt tears starting to sting his eyes as he thought of his son. How much more loss could that boy take? At his age, he was a little more prepared for it although loosing Emma and his son had almost destroyed him.
Elmer, though, was just so young for so many hurts.
"They were able to revive her relatively quickly." Chris looked up at Louis as she spoke now, walking over to his side and laying a hand on his shoulder. He obviously hadn't realized it yet but there was even worse news coming. "They've got her in isolation right now on life support."
"Isolation?" Louis looked at Chris in puzzlement. Why would they have Lona in isolation? He had been thinking something like a heart attack although Lona was a bit young for that but....
"She was burning up with a fever when Elmer found her. She's got some kind of wierd infection. We're not sure what yet. Hook thinks she might have been infected when she picked up Dr. Thompson at the airport."
Chris told him.
"Infection." Suddenly it was starting to sink in what was goin on,
why Chris was now looking at him with such concern. "Elmer!" Oh, my.
Elmer, she said that Elmer was the one who found Lona! No, his son couldn't....
"Elmer and Hook are both in isolation with her until we can figure out if they were infected or not." Chris said with a shake of her head and a sad look up at Louis. She was barely able to control the urge to cry as she thought of Hook possibly becoming ill and she knew that it had to be a million times worse for Louis. Elmer was all that he had left.
Louis struggled for control, fought to keep from screaming as images raced though his mind, of his son suffering, dying of a third grave in a row. No, this couldn't be..... "I want to see him!" He demanded as he faced Chris. He knew he had badly goofed up things with Elmer, with both of his sons, actually. There was no way that he would not be there with his son when he was facing possible death. Death. How could Elmer.
Louis closed his eyes, starting to silently pray. Please, no matter what,
he didn't want to loose his son.
"You'll have to wear a protective suit," Chris said gently,
patting Louis's shoulder as she talked. "Come on, I'll take you down there. Elmer could probably use some comfort about now. He's worried sick about Lona."
"Chris?" She heard a voice calling her name and looked up to find Louis standing there, his eyes full of concern as he looked down at her.
Louis. Just the sight of him made Chris want to cry harder. How in the world was she ever going to break this to him? When his first son had died, everyone had thought that the loss was going to kill Louis. Could he handle knowing that his only remaining child might be in danger now as well?
"Chris?" Louis said her name again, his concern growing as he reached down, helping his younger colleague to her feet. He had heard the rumors that Lona had suffered some sort of illness but no one seemed to know what was wrong with her or even if she was really sick. Louis knew that if Elmer heard that she might even have a sniffle, though, he would be right there hovering around her and making a pest of himself. Best for him to retrieve his son before he annoyed Lona too much.
"Louis, I think we need to go somewhere and talk," Chris said slowly, trying to think of how in the world she could give him this news as she motioned for him to follow her down the hallway towards the closest lounge.
"Chris, what's going on?" Louis asked as he followed beside her,
making sure to say close. The young woman looked shaky and very unsteady on her feet and Louis was more than a bit concerned that she might pass out at any moment.
"Have you heard about Lona?" Chris asked as soon as they entered the lounge and she had the door firmly shut. She drifted towards the pot of coffee as she spoke. She had a feeling that she might need a jolt of caffine soon.
"There are all sorts of rumors going around. They say that she's sick or...." Louis felt a cold chill as he thought of one think he had heard from a nursing student, that Lona was dead. No, he wouldn't even let himself thing about that rumor being true. If Lona died....
"She's definately sick," "Chris said slowly as she sipped the coffee, stil hoping that some idea for breaking the news gently would come to her. She looked up at the clock as she talked, amazed to note that it hadn't even been and hour since Elmer had found Lona and things had gone crazy. "Elmer found her about an hour ago down in the sleep lab." She closed her eyes, biting her lip as she thought of the condition that Lona had been in, the condition that Hook could be in soon if they didn't do something. "She was unconscious, not breathing, no heartbeat." She didn't open her eyes as she continued to speak, keeping her head down. She was very afraid of how Louis would take this.
Louis paled slightly when what Chris was saying started to sink in.
Cardiac arrest? If Lona had had a cardiac arrest then.... "How...." he wasn't sure that he really wanted to know the answer to the question he was trying to ask though, wanted to know if Lona was still alive or not. She was his friend as well as a co-worker and it had only been a short time since his former wife's death. He really didn't want to have to go to anymore funerals right now. Then there was how it would effect his son if Lona died. Louis had always tried to convince himself that Elmer's feelings for Lona were nothing but a crush that he would grow out of, not wanting to think that it could be serious, not wanting to think of his son getting hurt since Lona obviously didn't feel the same way. Crush or not,
though, Louis knew that Elmer would be devistated if Lona suddenly died.
He felt tears starting to sting his eyes as he thought of his son. How much more loss could that boy take? At his age, he was a little more prepared for it although loosing Emma and his son had almost destroyed him.
Elmer, though, was just so young for so many hurts.
"They were able to revive her relatively quickly." Chris looked up at Louis as she spoke now, walking over to his side and laying a hand on his shoulder. He obviously hadn't realized it yet but there was even worse news coming. "They've got her in isolation right now on life support."
"Isolation?" Louis looked at Chris in puzzlement. Why would they have Lona in isolation? He had been thinking something like a heart attack although Lona was a bit young for that but....
"She was burning up with a fever when Elmer found her. She's got some kind of wierd infection. We're not sure what yet. Hook thinks she might have been infected when she picked up Dr. Thompson at the airport."
Chris told him.
"Infection." Suddenly it was starting to sink in what was goin on,
why Chris was now looking at him with such concern. "Elmer!" Oh, my.
Elmer, she said that Elmer was the one who found Lona! No, his son couldn't....
"Elmer and Hook are both in isolation with her until we can figure out if they were infected or not." Chris said with a shake of her head and a sad look up at Louis. She was barely able to control the urge to cry as she thought of Hook possibly becoming ill and she knew that it had to be a million times worse for Louis. Elmer was all that he had left.
Louis struggled for control, fought to keep from screaming as images raced though his mind, of his son suffering, dying of a third grave in a row. No, this couldn't be..... "I want to see him!" He demanded as he faced Chris. He knew he had badly goofed up things with Elmer, with both of his sons, actually. There was no way that he would not be there with his son when he was facing possible death. Death. How could Elmer.
Louis closed his eyes, starting to silently pray. Please, no matter what,
he didn't want to loose his son.
"You'll have to wear a protective suit," Chris said gently,
patting Louis's shoulder as she talked. "Come on, I'll take you down there. Elmer could probably use some comfort about now. He's worried sick about Lona."