Chapter Seventy One - Right in the Centre Part II
As the motorcade pulled to a grinding halt Elizabeth jumped out, racing ahead of her DS agents and Blake, she needed to see her family and nothing was going to slow her down. Her heart continued to pound against her chest walls and her breathing had not resumed to a normal rate but she continued to push past it, for the greater good.
As she reached the main entrance waiting area she spotted two DS agents waiting for her arrival, she walked towards them and flashed them a false smile.
'Madam Secretary The children are this way, in the Chapel'
'Madam Secretary, Dr McCord is this way, up on the wards'
They both spoke in unison, both exchanging awkward glances as they didn't rehearse this moment, both stood pointing in opposite directions. Elizabeth felt her body physically tear with yet another blow. She glanced behind her and looked to Blake for moral support.
'Perhaps you should let the kids know you've arrived? I'm sure Dr McCord would like to see you all together?' He tried to pick his words carefully, his own lungs full of air as he held his breath, unsure of what to say or do in this situation. Elizabeth glanced around and shook her head
'I want to see a doctor first, I need to know what's happening, I need facts' she panted and watched as the agents began to walk in the direction of Henry in the hope of finding a doctor. Elizabeth glanced behind her and noticed that Blake was hot on her heels, she then whipped her head back forward facing, watching as the agent stood waiting for the lift. Elizabeth didn't have time to wait, her adrenaline coursing through her veins, she rushed up the stairs to reach the floor level Henry was on.
'This floor Madam Secretary' the agents confirmed and got in front of her to open the doors and lead the way. Once she walked down the corridor and passed some of the hospital bays she couldn't help but glance around, her heart desperately trying to seek out Henry, she needed to see him, she needed to know he was ok.
'Arh Madam Secretary, I am Dr Nicholas, I am treating Dr McCord' She smiled as she greeting Elizabeth
'Hi, pleased to meet you Dr Nicholas, please call me Elizabeth, and it's Henry' she almost pleaded. Elizabeth disliked using her title at the best of times, but certainly not when it came to such personal matters. 'How is he? What's happening? Is he ok?' She fired off the questions as fast as they infiltrated her mind.
The doctor paused and grimaced at Elizabeth.
'I am sorry Elizabeth, I need to check that we have consent to share that information with you' She looked apologetic as Elizabeth looked like she had received a blow to the heart.
Of course she thought to herself, why had she not anticipated this. They were no longer married, she didn't even know if she was still his next of kin. Elizabeth stood in silence as she watched the doctor scroll through what she presumed were Henry's records on the computer. Her heart in her mouth as she continued waiting.
'Ok, It looks like everything is in order, it hasn't been update for a while, but I am not going to fuss of those details right now'
'Thank you' a sigh of relief refilled Elizabeth's lungs.
'It appears that Dr McCord, Sorry, Henry was inside when the explosion took place. We know that the bomb was one which contained uranium which I don't know If you are aware can be both chemically and radiologically toxic' she paused watching Elizabeth nod frantically. 'We have done some tests and whilst Dr McCord was exposed for a period of time, it appears that his exposure was borderline'
'Borderline? W, What do you mean?'
'Very high levels of toxicity from uranium can result in acute kidney failure and death, these levels normally range between 50 to 150mg, depending on the individual. We have tested Dr McCords levels four times, three of them sat at 50mg and the most recent one shows the levels have dropped to 46mg' she explained.
'Oh God' Elizabeth stumbled back with the force of the news. Blake quickly stepped forward and stood behind her, his hand placed on her back offering her a means of support as she sucked in hard trying to breathe. 'Oh my god,' her voice cracked as she cried out once more.
'Our scans have shown that there are no signs of kidney failure but we will continue to monitor with uranium biomarkers, we are administering sodium bicarbonate to maintain an alkaline urine and pushing fluids to increase urine output to stop any kidney damage occurring. If he continues to improve then I am confident he will make a full recovery and be ready to head home by the end of the day' She smiled.
Elizabeth placed her hands over her mouth, narrowing the intake of air as she continued to struggle to breathe. The relief that consumed her was tantalising, she felt that at any given moment it could be ripped away. 'Thank you Dr' she forced a smile despite the nervousness within.
'You're welcome, his room is just down there, that blue door opposite us. You can go and see him, you and the family are also allowed in, I am not sure if he is awake yet, he was sleeping when I last checked. If not, I'll be back in about half an hour to run another test,' the doctor explained before heading in the opposite direction and leaving her alone. Elizabeth's gaze was fixed on the door, suddenly so unsure of what to do, heading here she wanted nothing more than to see him, but now the opportunity arose she was thrown into the wind, her thoughts swirling around her as she remembered their reality. Should she be the one to go in? Is that what he would want?
'Ma'am' Blake called out softly, capturing her attention. He smiled attentively at her as her hurting eyes fell on him. 'Here, drink this, you forget to hydrate when you're stressed' he half chuckled as she rolled her eyes at him lightly, thankful for the brief moment of distraction. She took the cup from him and allowed the cool liquid to water her parched mouth. Her gaze returned to the blue door, the possibilities of what she would face behind that door appearing endless.
'What do I do?' She whispered, turning to Blake for answers, in need of a friend. He sighed and greeted her with a lopsided smile as he pondered the situation and the history.
'I think you want to see him, so go and see him. You know the kids are safe' he reasoned, watching as she nodded slowly, her gaze drifting back to the door to his room. Her feet slowly shifted in the direction she was looking. Her body tensed as she braced herself for the moment she would lay eyes on him.
Elizabeth approached the door, her hand gently resting upon the edge of the window as she stole a glance at his peacefully sleeping form. With watery eyes she inhaled deeply, relieved that he was peaceful, that he was there.
'Would you like me to go and stay with the kids?' Blake asked but Elizabeth shook her head
'No, I'll come now, he's sleeping, let him sleep' She words lodging in her throat as she looked at him asleep, a vision she had not seen for months. Her head desperately wanted to go in and wake him up, to touch him just to be sure that he was real, that he was here but, she didn't know how to wake him without a delicate kiss to the cheek, and she wasn't so sure he was her's to kiss anymore. 'Let him sleep' she repeated herself.
MS -
'Mom!' Jason whispered as loud as possible in the chapel as he watched her enter the room. All three kids stood and ran towards her, falling into her open arms. Elizabeth planted a loving kiss on top of each of their heads, inhaling their scents and closing her eyes to savour the moment.
'My babies' she whispered into them as she continued to cling to them all tightly. 'Are you ok?' She asked, slipping back for a brief moment to check them over.
'We're fine mom, how's dad?' Stevie asked, the fear in all of them mirroring the fear the Elizabeth held. She smiled as best she could in a poor attempt to reassure them.
'Come sit' she gestured. One by one they piled around her, placing her right in the centre of them as she continued. 'He's ok, the doctor thinks he will make a full recovery, they just need to do a few more tests and then he should be able to go home' She provided them with the comforting version, offering a mothers protection without them evening knowing.
Alison reached for her mom's hand, squeezing it tightly as she tried to deal with the events of today. With a break in her voice as she looked up helplessly at her mom, the same look Elizabeth was sure she'd exchanged with Conrad earlier that day. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on Alison, listening intently as she spoke, 'But where is home?'