"Chris, did you find out anything?" Hook had stood as he saw the
familiar figure enter, recognizing Chris even completely covered with the
protective suit. He moved to her side before talking, not wanting Elmer to
overhear in came the news was bad. He shook his head as he glanced over at
Elmer, sitting there with Lona clinging to her hand and softly whispering
in her ear. He probably wouldn't hear anything even if they were shouting
right next to him.
"The police went to pick up Thompson but he was dead when they got there. Looks like the same thing that Lona has. They're bringing the body here now for an autopsy. Louis is downstairs helping Dr. Havens get things ready." Chris looked anxiously at Hook as she spoke, searching for any signs that he might becoming ill. Did he look a bit paler or.... No, she wouldn't let herself go there, becoming paranoid that any tiny difference could signal the beginning of the end.
Hook nodded in response to what Chris had told him. He really had expected as much after seeing the condition that Lona had been in when Elmer found her. Even though he was expecting it, though, the unwelcome news still caused feeling of frustration Thompson had been their best hope for finding out what this thing was quickly and now with him gone.... His mind raced as he tried to think of other avenues, other options that they could explore now that the Thompson route was blocked.
"How's she holding out?" Chris asked, snapping Hook back to the current situation once more. She looked around the room before her eyes settled on the EEG machine. Hook had decided to leave it attached and monitoring Lona's brainwaves for a bit longer, hoping that it might detect something, anything, that could help them. "You're doing an EEG?" Chris felt a sudden fear as she realized what might have motivated Hook to run that particular test. "You think she...." She couldn't bring herself to mention brain damage, not with Elmer in here. Even if he didn't seem to be paying attention to them, who knows what he might hear.
"It's a possibility." Hook said with a grim look on his face. He didn't even want to think about how Elmer would take it if it turned out that Lona had suffered brain damage. "There are some abnormalities but I can't say for sure right now if they're simply a reaction to the fever or if...."Hook didn't say the words but Chris understood what he was talking about. "We did a spinal tap to rule of the infection going to her brain."
Chris frowned slightly. "How did Elmer take that?" Apparently he had taken it a bit better than expected considering the fact he was apparently still functional instead of passed out cold on the ground like she would have expected.
"Better than I thought. He wouldn't let the nurse hold her,
insisted on doing it himself. Acted like the needle was going in his spine instead of hers, though." Hook frowned slightly as he recalled the procedure. Although Elmer had shown almost physical signs of pain at seeing Lona go through it, Lona herself hadn't reacted in any way to the pain of the test.
"She didn't react to it at all, did she?" Chris said with a sad look almost reading Hook's mind.
"No, and she really should have shown some sort of response. I'm keeping the EEG on her. A longer readout might give me a clue of what's going on in there. Come take a look at what it's showing so far. You might have some suggestions. Some areas there's practically no activity while others.... I wish we had another readout on her for a comparision.
Might give me an idea if this is normal for her or not. I always did say that Lona was a little strange."
"So says the man who lives in the hospital basement and claims to have seen a little ghost girl," Chris said with a slight chuckle as she followed Hook across the room to the EEG machine.
"As they approached, Elmer looked up anxiously. "Have you found out what this is yet?" He demanded. "Has Thompson told you what he did to make Lona so sick?" He looked back down at Lona's still form once more as he finished speaking. Helplessness in the face of whatever had happened to her visible in his eyes. He couldn't even put a cool cloth on her forehead because of the electrodes.
"Elmer." Chris hated to tell Elmer this, knowing that it would only upset him more but also knowing that he deserved to be treated as an adult, to know exactly what they were dealing with here. Chris went over to his side, laying a gloved hand gently on his shoulder. "Elmer, the police went to pick up Dr. Thompson but when they got there he was already dead. Apparently the same thing happened to him that happened to Lona in the sleep lab. Only he didn't have anyone to save him like you saved Lona."
"He's dead?" Elmer whispered as he looked up at Chris. Okay, the idea of a lion eating Thompson had crossed his mind a few times but he hadn't wanted the doctor actually DEAD! And if he was dead then how in the world were they going to find out what he infected Lona with and how to help her? Panic washed over him as the hit him and he felt tears starting to build once more. No, Lona couldn't die, she just couldn't!
"Your dad and I are working on trying to figure this out, Elmer."
Chris said gently. The hurt look on Elmer's face almost caused her physical pain as well. "We're not going to give up on Lona. We're going to fix this. They're going to do an autopsy on Thompson, see if that might give them an idea of what this could be and I've got a call in to the doctors that he worked with in Africa for help." She shook her head slightly as she thought of the long distance phone call. Steg and Jesse were both going to hit the roof wheen they got that bill. "You just try to stay strong for her, okay?" She reached out, gently touching Elmer's shoulder for a moment before moving away to the doorway with Hook beside her.
"I better get back out there and see if there's been any reply to my call yet." Chris said, her eyes tearing slightly as she looked at Hook.
He seemed healthy but what if.... She didn't want to leave, didn't want to waste what might be their last few remaining hours together scurrying around the hospital in a despirate search for a solution but....
"Chris, if there's anyone that I would trust to figure this thing out, it's you." Hook reached out as if to touch her face, only to be stopped by the protective covering. "You're going to do it. I believe in you."
Chris drew herself up once more. She knew that Hook's words were intended as a pep talk but they made her reach inward, tapping reserves of strength that she hadn't been sure that she had. She was going to find a way to beat this thing, she had too.
"I'll be back in just a little while and I'll see if Louis can get Lona's medical file pulled for you, see if there might be something in there that would help." Chris said in a soft tone as she reached for the door. "Try not to let Elmer drive you too crazy with his panicking, okay?
I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully with good news."
"The police went to pick up Thompson but he was dead when they got there. Looks like the same thing that Lona has. They're bringing the body here now for an autopsy. Louis is downstairs helping Dr. Havens get things ready." Chris looked anxiously at Hook as she spoke, searching for any signs that he might becoming ill. Did he look a bit paler or.... No, she wouldn't let herself go there, becoming paranoid that any tiny difference could signal the beginning of the end.
Hook nodded in response to what Chris had told him. He really had expected as much after seeing the condition that Lona had been in when Elmer found her. Even though he was expecting it, though, the unwelcome news still caused feeling of frustration Thompson had been their best hope for finding out what this thing was quickly and now with him gone.... His mind raced as he tried to think of other avenues, other options that they could explore now that the Thompson route was blocked.
"How's she holding out?" Chris asked, snapping Hook back to the current situation once more. She looked around the room before her eyes settled on the EEG machine. Hook had decided to leave it attached and monitoring Lona's brainwaves for a bit longer, hoping that it might detect something, anything, that could help them. "You're doing an EEG?" Chris felt a sudden fear as she realized what might have motivated Hook to run that particular test. "You think she...." She couldn't bring herself to mention brain damage, not with Elmer in here. Even if he didn't seem to be paying attention to them, who knows what he might hear.
"It's a possibility." Hook said with a grim look on his face. He didn't even want to think about how Elmer would take it if it turned out that Lona had suffered brain damage. "There are some abnormalities but I can't say for sure right now if they're simply a reaction to the fever or if...."Hook didn't say the words but Chris understood what he was talking about. "We did a spinal tap to rule of the infection going to her brain."
Chris frowned slightly. "How did Elmer take that?" Apparently he had taken it a bit better than expected considering the fact he was apparently still functional instead of passed out cold on the ground like she would have expected.
"Better than I thought. He wouldn't let the nurse hold her,
insisted on doing it himself. Acted like the needle was going in his spine instead of hers, though." Hook frowned slightly as he recalled the procedure. Although Elmer had shown almost physical signs of pain at seeing Lona go through it, Lona herself hadn't reacted in any way to the pain of the test.
"She didn't react to it at all, did she?" Chris said with a sad look almost reading Hook's mind.
"No, and she really should have shown some sort of response. I'm keeping the EEG on her. A longer readout might give me a clue of what's going on in there. Come take a look at what it's showing so far. You might have some suggestions. Some areas there's practically no activity while others.... I wish we had another readout on her for a comparision.
Might give me an idea if this is normal for her or not. I always did say that Lona was a little strange."
"So says the man who lives in the hospital basement and claims to have seen a little ghost girl," Chris said with a slight chuckle as she followed Hook across the room to the EEG machine.
"As they approached, Elmer looked up anxiously. "Have you found out what this is yet?" He demanded. "Has Thompson told you what he did to make Lona so sick?" He looked back down at Lona's still form once more as he finished speaking. Helplessness in the face of whatever had happened to her visible in his eyes. He couldn't even put a cool cloth on her forehead because of the electrodes.
"Elmer." Chris hated to tell Elmer this, knowing that it would only upset him more but also knowing that he deserved to be treated as an adult, to know exactly what they were dealing with here. Chris went over to his side, laying a gloved hand gently on his shoulder. "Elmer, the police went to pick up Dr. Thompson but when they got there he was already dead. Apparently the same thing happened to him that happened to Lona in the sleep lab. Only he didn't have anyone to save him like you saved Lona."
"He's dead?" Elmer whispered as he looked up at Chris. Okay, the idea of a lion eating Thompson had crossed his mind a few times but he hadn't wanted the doctor actually DEAD! And if he was dead then how in the world were they going to find out what he infected Lona with and how to help her? Panic washed over him as the hit him and he felt tears starting to build once more. No, Lona couldn't die, she just couldn't!
"Your dad and I are working on trying to figure this out, Elmer."
Chris said gently. The hurt look on Elmer's face almost caused her physical pain as well. "We're not going to give up on Lona. We're going to fix this. They're going to do an autopsy on Thompson, see if that might give them an idea of what this could be and I've got a call in to the doctors that he worked with in Africa for help." She shook her head slightly as she thought of the long distance phone call. Steg and Jesse were both going to hit the roof wheen they got that bill. "You just try to stay strong for her, okay?" She reached out, gently touching Elmer's shoulder for a moment before moving away to the doorway with Hook beside her.
"I better get back out there and see if there's been any reply to my call yet." Chris said, her eyes tearing slightly as she looked at Hook.
He seemed healthy but what if.... She didn't want to leave, didn't want to waste what might be their last few remaining hours together scurrying around the hospital in a despirate search for a solution but....
"Chris, if there's anyone that I would trust to figure this thing out, it's you." Hook reached out as if to touch her face, only to be stopped by the protective covering. "You're going to do it. I believe in you."
Chris drew herself up once more. She knew that Hook's words were intended as a pep talk but they made her reach inward, tapping reserves of strength that she hadn't been sure that she had. She was going to find a way to beat this thing, she had too.
"I'll be back in just a little while and I'll see if Louis can get Lona's medical file pulled for you, see if there might be something in there that would help." Chris said in a soft tone as she reached for the door. "Try not to let Elmer drive you too crazy with his panicking, okay?
I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully with good news."