"So, what did my dad bring you?" Elmer asked suddenly, causing
Hook to look at the younger doctor in surprise. "I'm not dumb, you know."
Elmer said when he noticed how Hook was looking at him. Why did people keep assuming he was a total idiot? He had seen his dad handing Hook several papers out of the corner of his eye and since they hadn't said anything about the papers' contents to him, he was getting more than a bit concerned. Was Lona getting worse or something? He didn't see how that could be possible but.... "Is she worse?" Elmer clung tightly to Lona's hand as he spoke, as if he could somehow keep the life in her body by force of will alone.
"Elmer...." Hook didn't want to be the one to do this, didn't want to be the one to have to tell Elmer and break his heart but at the same time he knew that Elmer deserved honesty about the situation. Elmer could act like a child, true, but he didn't deserve to be treated like one and have things hidden from him. Hook knew that the young man's feelings for Lona were much more serious than most people thought. He grinned slightly as he recalled the dinner that Elmer had asked him to arrange for Lona a few weeks before. Had Lona ever realized exactly how much Elmer loved her?
Hook certainly hoped that she had for both of their sakes.
"Hook, how bad is it?" Elmer demanded. Why did people always do this with him, treating him like he was a child that couldn't handle anything? "Hook?" He didn't care how bad the news was. Lona was going to get better! He would do whatever it took to make sure of that. He knew that Lona had never returned his feelings, maybe never could, but even if she couldn't, it didn't change the way he felt. He loved her and he was going to be there to help her and take care of her no matter what.
"Elmer.... You need to prepare yourself, okay?" Hook told the younger man gently. It never got any easier doing this no matter how long he had done it. He didn't even want to imagine how he would feel if he was in Elmer's position, if it was Chris there in that bed slipping slowly away. "Lona's very sick and at this point it just isn't looking very good.
I'm really sorry." He was sorry. That phrase has sounded totally inadequate when he used it with Natalie Rickman and it definitely sounded inadequate now. What else was there that he could say, though?
"How bad is she?" Elmer said softly. He gently raised Lona's hand a bit, kissing her fingers as he spoke. Could she feel how much he loved her? Surely if she could, it would make some sort of difference, would help her to fight to get better.
"There are some abnormalities on the EEG." Hook decided it was best to let Elmer know everything they were dealing with. Maybe that would make it easier for him if it turned out that Lona would have to be taken off of the machines. "Some areas are showing almost no brain activity while it looks like she's suffering from seizures in other areas. Lona's fever is still at 103 and nothing we're doing is bringing it down. She isn't reacting to any of the medications we've tried so far. What's especially worrisome is that she hasn't shown any sort of response since we brought her back from the cardiac arrest." Hook watched Elmer closely as he spoke, trying to see if the younger doctor was actually understanding what they were dealing with.
"I should have found her faster." Elmer whispered as he kissed Lona's fingers once more. He should have found her faster, done something better. If he had, then this wouldn't have happened.
"Elmer, it wasn't your fault. You did everything that you could for Lona." Hook walked over, putting the papers down on the bed as he laid a reassuring hand on Elmer's shoulder. "It's just whatever is making her sick hit her too fast and too hard. There wasn't anything that you could have done."
Elmer was hearing what Hook was saying but he wasn't really letting it sink in. Hook could say that things weren't his fault all he liked but it surely didn't feel that way. He should have taken care of Lona and he knew it. He shook his head firmly, trying to force the guilt away. He knew that he didn't have time to let it overwhelm him, now, though. What he needed to be doing was focusing on helping Lona to get well. Okay, Hook was saying things looked bad but Lona was a fighter. She wasn't going to slip away from this easily. They just had to find a way to help her.
As he tried to focus on what he could do to help with that, he idly reached out and picked up the papers that Hook had laid down, letting his eyes run over them, thinking they were test results. Suddenly he stopped,
eyes widening as he realized exactly what he was looking at. "Living will?" he whispered as he read in shock for a moment before looking up at Hook. "You're going to...."
"Elmer...." Hook didn't know how to explain this to him. Louis needed to be the one to handle this.
"You're going to pull the plug on her? How could you?" Anger was rapidly becoming the dominant emotion that Elmer was feeling as he glared at Hook. "NO!! I won't let you!"
Elmer said when he noticed how Hook was looking at him. Why did people keep assuming he was a total idiot? He had seen his dad handing Hook several papers out of the corner of his eye and since they hadn't said anything about the papers' contents to him, he was getting more than a bit concerned. Was Lona getting worse or something? He didn't see how that could be possible but.... "Is she worse?" Elmer clung tightly to Lona's hand as he spoke, as if he could somehow keep the life in her body by force of will alone.
"Elmer...." Hook didn't want to be the one to do this, didn't want to be the one to have to tell Elmer and break his heart but at the same time he knew that Elmer deserved honesty about the situation. Elmer could act like a child, true, but he didn't deserve to be treated like one and have things hidden from him. Hook knew that the young man's feelings for Lona were much more serious than most people thought. He grinned slightly as he recalled the dinner that Elmer had asked him to arrange for Lona a few weeks before. Had Lona ever realized exactly how much Elmer loved her?
Hook certainly hoped that she had for both of their sakes.
"Hook, how bad is it?" Elmer demanded. Why did people always do this with him, treating him like he was a child that couldn't handle anything? "Hook?" He didn't care how bad the news was. Lona was going to get better! He would do whatever it took to make sure of that. He knew that Lona had never returned his feelings, maybe never could, but even if she couldn't, it didn't change the way he felt. He loved her and he was going to be there to help her and take care of her no matter what.
"Elmer.... You need to prepare yourself, okay?" Hook told the younger man gently. It never got any easier doing this no matter how long he had done it. He didn't even want to imagine how he would feel if he was in Elmer's position, if it was Chris there in that bed slipping slowly away. "Lona's very sick and at this point it just isn't looking very good.
I'm really sorry." He was sorry. That phrase has sounded totally inadequate when he used it with Natalie Rickman and it definitely sounded inadequate now. What else was there that he could say, though?
"How bad is she?" Elmer said softly. He gently raised Lona's hand a bit, kissing her fingers as he spoke. Could she feel how much he loved her? Surely if she could, it would make some sort of difference, would help her to fight to get better.
"There are some abnormalities on the EEG." Hook decided it was best to let Elmer know everything they were dealing with. Maybe that would make it easier for him if it turned out that Lona would have to be taken off of the machines. "Some areas are showing almost no brain activity while it looks like she's suffering from seizures in other areas. Lona's fever is still at 103 and nothing we're doing is bringing it down. She isn't reacting to any of the medications we've tried so far. What's especially worrisome is that she hasn't shown any sort of response since we brought her back from the cardiac arrest." Hook watched Elmer closely as he spoke, trying to see if the younger doctor was actually understanding what they were dealing with.
"I should have found her faster." Elmer whispered as he kissed Lona's fingers once more. He should have found her faster, done something better. If he had, then this wouldn't have happened.
"Elmer, it wasn't your fault. You did everything that you could for Lona." Hook walked over, putting the papers down on the bed as he laid a reassuring hand on Elmer's shoulder. "It's just whatever is making her sick hit her too fast and too hard. There wasn't anything that you could have done."
Elmer was hearing what Hook was saying but he wasn't really letting it sink in. Hook could say that things weren't his fault all he liked but it surely didn't feel that way. He should have taken care of Lona and he knew it. He shook his head firmly, trying to force the guilt away. He knew that he didn't have time to let it overwhelm him, now, though. What he needed to be doing was focusing on helping Lona to get well. Okay, Hook was saying things looked bad but Lona was a fighter. She wasn't going to slip away from this easily. They just had to find a way to help her.
As he tried to focus on what he could do to help with that, he idly reached out and picked up the papers that Hook had laid down, letting his eyes run over them, thinking they were test results. Suddenly he stopped,
eyes widening as he realized exactly what he was looking at. "Living will?" he whispered as he read in shock for a moment before looking up at Hook. "You're going to...."
"Elmer...." Hook didn't know how to explain this to him. Louis needed to be the one to handle this.
"You're going to pull the plug on her? How could you?" Anger was rapidly becoming the dominant emotion that Elmer was feeling as he glared at Hook. "NO!! I won't let you!"