"I'm not sick." Elmer said quietly as Hook came back over to join
his father. Oh, he couldn't believe they were doing this, making such a
fuss over a tiny little temperature when her Lona was burning with fever
and not getting any better. He gently ran the cool washcloth over her hot
fingers once more. He didn't need their attention, Lona did.
"Elmer, we can't take any chances," Louis said gently as he look down at his son, trying to keep the fear from showing in his voice. His son. If anything happened to Elmer.... No, he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it if he had to bury his only remaining child. He looked over at Hook hoping for some sort of reassurance.
"Elmer, if you do have what Lona has, it looks like we might have caught it early anyway." Hook said as he reached out and patted Louis's shoulder to try and get him calmed down. If Louis freaked on them now and from the way that he was looking, Elmer was heading for a major freak-out.... "We're going to get some more blood drawn for testing, okay,
and see about upping the antibiotics, try to get this thing under control before it gets any worse."
"What about Lona?" Elmer had fear in his eyes as he looked up at them. Why hadn't they said anything about Lona? Were they just going to give up on her, decide that she couldn't be saved and leave her to die while they concentrated on him? He felt tears starting to form in his eyes as he thought of that. No, they couldn't do that! He wouldn't let them!
Before Elmer could say anything, Hook had moved to join him at Lona's side, gently patting his shoulder. "Elmer, it's okay. I swear to you that we're not going to stop trying to get Lona better, alright? We're going to take care of both of you." He shook his head slightly as he looked down at the younger doctor, not sure if Elmer really understood what he was saying or not. "Listen, Elmer. If you have what Lona has, then for some reason, it doesn't seem to be as serious in your case yet. If we can study you and figure out this thing, then it might give us a clue what to do to help Lona. You might be our best shot at saving her, okay?"
"Promise me that you're not going to give up on her?" What Hook was saying made sense but Elmer was still afraid, so afraid. If anything happened to Lona, he didn't know how he would go on, if he would even want to go on without her.
"Elmer, I swear we're not going to give up on either one of you,
okay?" Hook laughed slightly, hoping that a show of not being too worried would help to calm Elmer down a bit. "Chris is out there now looking for an answer and we're going to keep working on this from in here too. We're going to figure out what this is and fix it, okay?"
Louis didn't speak, didn't really know what he could say as Hook struggled to comfort his son. His first instinct as a father was crying out for him to demand that they do everything they could for his son despite Lona also needing care but at the same time he realized that if anything should happen to Lona, Elmer might recover physically but something inside him would be irreparably broken by the loss. He reached out and laid a hand on his son's other shoulder hoping that touch might help in a way that the words that he didn't have couldn't.
"I...." Louis started to speak but he didn't know what he wanted to say. He knew that as a doctor he should be out there with Chris trying to find a solution for this thing but as a father all he wanted to do was to stay with his son, to try to hold onto him and keep him there with them instead of....
"Dad, please help Chris or try something, anything to figure out what this is." Elmer wasn't very good at reading his father most of the time but right now his dad's face was as clear as a bell. "I'm fine." He insisted. "This isn't anything. It's just the sniffles or something.
You'll see. And Lona's so sick. If we can't find something that will help her soon...." He couldn't go on speaking, couldn't give voice to the notion that Lona might not survive. A tear ran down his cheek as he thought of that. If Lona didn't live, then he did hope that he had the disease. At least then he would be able to join her.
"Would it help for me to get her medical records?" Louis asked Hook quietly. He didn't want to leave Elmer but on the other hand if he didn't and Lona did die, would his son blame him for staying, for not trying harder to find a treatment for her? He shook his head at the thought. If only Lona would wake up for a moment and see how his boy was looking at her. It was obvious that all of them had vastly underestimated the degree of Elmer's affection for Lona.
Hook nodded. "Pull Lona's medical record and Elmer's too. If this is the same thing, I'll need both of them to look at for comparisons.
"Alright. Son?" Louis said as he laid a hand on Elmer's shoulder again. "I'm going to go and get some things that Hook needs and see if I can do anything for Chris. I'll be back in just a little while, okay?"
Elmer nodded, not trusting himself to speak as his dad headed for the door.
Louis paused at the doorway. Every fatherly instinct he had was screaming for him to turn around, to go back to Elmer and to savor every last moment that he had with his son, that these might be their last times together. He closed his eyes, blinking back tears and he ignored those thoughts and stepped through the door. It wouldn't do any good for him to stay right with his son in a panic. The best thing that he could do for Elmer now was to pull himself together and work on doing whatever it took to find a treatment, a way to save both Elmer and Lona. It was obvious to him that if Lona didn't survive, then neither would his son, at least not in the important ways.
"Okay, Elmer, why don't you roll up your sleeve? Nurse will be in in a few minutes to get that blood sample, okay?" Hook said as he patted Elmer's shoulder with a slight grin. "You want me to see if they can find some pajamas for you? They're going to bring in another bed, okay?"
"No. No bed. I'm not going to leave her. I promised that I wouldn't leave her." Hook shook his head as he saw the stubborn look in Elmer's eyes. Oh, great. If Elmer was going to put up this big of a fuss about moving a few feet away from Lona into another bed, the he hated to see what Elmer would find to argue with him about later. 'Chris, find something fast.' he thought to himself.
"Elmer, we can't take any chances," Louis said gently as he look down at his son, trying to keep the fear from showing in his voice. His son. If anything happened to Elmer.... No, he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it if he had to bury his only remaining child. He looked over at Hook hoping for some sort of reassurance.
"Elmer, if you do have what Lona has, it looks like we might have caught it early anyway." Hook said as he reached out and patted Louis's shoulder to try and get him calmed down. If Louis freaked on them now and from the way that he was looking, Elmer was heading for a major freak-out.... "We're going to get some more blood drawn for testing, okay,
and see about upping the antibiotics, try to get this thing under control before it gets any worse."
"What about Lona?" Elmer had fear in his eyes as he looked up at them. Why hadn't they said anything about Lona? Were they just going to give up on her, decide that she couldn't be saved and leave her to die while they concentrated on him? He felt tears starting to form in his eyes as he thought of that. No, they couldn't do that! He wouldn't let them!
Before Elmer could say anything, Hook had moved to join him at Lona's side, gently patting his shoulder. "Elmer, it's okay. I swear to you that we're not going to stop trying to get Lona better, alright? We're going to take care of both of you." He shook his head slightly as he looked down at the younger doctor, not sure if Elmer really understood what he was saying or not. "Listen, Elmer. If you have what Lona has, then for some reason, it doesn't seem to be as serious in your case yet. If we can study you and figure out this thing, then it might give us a clue what to do to help Lona. You might be our best shot at saving her, okay?"
"Promise me that you're not going to give up on her?" What Hook was saying made sense but Elmer was still afraid, so afraid. If anything happened to Lona, he didn't know how he would go on, if he would even want to go on without her.
"Elmer, I swear we're not going to give up on either one of you,
okay?" Hook laughed slightly, hoping that a show of not being too worried would help to calm Elmer down a bit. "Chris is out there now looking for an answer and we're going to keep working on this from in here too. We're going to figure out what this is and fix it, okay?"
Louis didn't speak, didn't really know what he could say as Hook struggled to comfort his son. His first instinct as a father was crying out for him to demand that they do everything they could for his son despite Lona also needing care but at the same time he realized that if anything should happen to Lona, Elmer might recover physically but something inside him would be irreparably broken by the loss. He reached out and laid a hand on his son's other shoulder hoping that touch might help in a way that the words that he didn't have couldn't.
"I...." Louis started to speak but he didn't know what he wanted to say. He knew that as a doctor he should be out there with Chris trying to find a solution for this thing but as a father all he wanted to do was to stay with his son, to try to hold onto him and keep him there with them instead of....
"Dad, please help Chris or try something, anything to figure out what this is." Elmer wasn't very good at reading his father most of the time but right now his dad's face was as clear as a bell. "I'm fine." He insisted. "This isn't anything. It's just the sniffles or something.
You'll see. And Lona's so sick. If we can't find something that will help her soon...." He couldn't go on speaking, couldn't give voice to the notion that Lona might not survive. A tear ran down his cheek as he thought of that. If Lona didn't live, then he did hope that he had the disease. At least then he would be able to join her.
"Would it help for me to get her medical records?" Louis asked Hook quietly. He didn't want to leave Elmer but on the other hand if he didn't and Lona did die, would his son blame him for staying, for not trying harder to find a treatment for her? He shook his head at the thought. If only Lona would wake up for a moment and see how his boy was looking at her. It was obvious that all of them had vastly underestimated the degree of Elmer's affection for Lona.
Hook nodded. "Pull Lona's medical record and Elmer's too. If this is the same thing, I'll need both of them to look at for comparisons.
"Alright. Son?" Louis said as he laid a hand on Elmer's shoulder again. "I'm going to go and get some things that Hook needs and see if I can do anything for Chris. I'll be back in just a little while, okay?"
Elmer nodded, not trusting himself to speak as his dad headed for the door.
Louis paused at the doorway. Every fatherly instinct he had was screaming for him to turn around, to go back to Elmer and to savor every last moment that he had with his son, that these might be their last times together. He closed his eyes, blinking back tears and he ignored those thoughts and stepped through the door. It wouldn't do any good for him to stay right with his son in a panic. The best thing that he could do for Elmer now was to pull himself together and work on doing whatever it took to find a treatment, a way to save both Elmer and Lona. It was obvious to him that if Lona didn't survive, then neither would his son, at least not in the important ways.
"Okay, Elmer, why don't you roll up your sleeve? Nurse will be in in a few minutes to get that blood sample, okay?" Hook said as he patted Elmer's shoulder with a slight grin. "You want me to see if they can find some pajamas for you? They're going to bring in another bed, okay?"
"No. No bed. I'm not going to leave her. I promised that I wouldn't leave her." Hook shook his head as he saw the stubborn look in Elmer's eyes. Oh, great. If Elmer was going to put up this big of a fuss about moving a few feet away from Lona into another bed, the he hated to see what Elmer would find to argue with him about later. 'Chris, find something fast.' he thought to himself.