A/N: I hope this one doesn't disappoint :D Thank you GKB and Guest reviewer (you know who you are;) for your encouraging words.
Amy stood in the hallway, her head leaning against the wall. Suddenly, the door to the laboratory opened up, and Dr. Keller emerged, a grim and serious look on her face. "Amy, right?"
Amy walked forward a step, humming a quick yes. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah—" she said, gesturing to the door she had just come through. "We're just prepping for the scan. Well, in truth, I wanted to speak with you in private."
"Me? You wanted to speak with me?" Amy asked, confused.
The doctor nodded. "Yeah, I just had a quick question. I don't mean to pry, but it's my job and responsibility to ask, as Lou's doctor. Does the cut on your sister's cheekbone have anything to do with Peter not being here today?"
Amy's lips parted, and she quickly registered the meaning of Dr. Keller's words. Taken aback, she hurriedly replied, "Oh no, no…they're completely unrelated. Peter meant to be here today, but he actually had to attend a last minute meeting in the city. That's why I'm here with Lou, taking Peter's place. He didn't…he would never hurt her. He'd never."
Dr. Keller nodded. "That's a relief. Well, I guess it's safe to assume that there's still an outside threat looming."
When Amy didn't answer, the doctor continued. "Look, I know it can be hard to speak up sometimes, for so many reasons sometimes…but you must know that I'm here, if you need anything. I can get you in touch with reliable agencies and organizations. We can keep your sister safe. So if there's anything I can do, please let me know."
Amy nodded, gratitude washing over her. "I will, I'll let you know…thank you so much."
When Lou finally emerged from the laboratory, Amy saw right away she seemed a little unhinged, slightly bothered. "Hey…did it go okay?" Amy asked hesitantly, her eyes flitting down when Lou moved a hand to her stomach.
Lou nodded then, but didn't say anything.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just feel queasy." When Amy gave her a questioning look, Lou continued, "They gave me something to drink beforehand. A contrast, they called it."
"Okay, well, did you want some water then?"
"Sure," Lou said, breathing out. "Let's just get inside first."
Once they arrived in the doctor's office, Amy handed the bottle of water to her sister.
As they both sat, Lou graciously took the water from Amy, and took a few sips, trying to get rid of the sour taste in her mouth. She felt Amy's worried gaze on her, but before she could say anything, Dr. Keller entered the room. "So, Lou, the last time we were in here…it was about a week ago, correct? How have you been feeling these past few days?"
"I've been okay…"
"But not great," Dr. Keller finished for Lou.
Lou nodded in response.
What? Seriously…? Lou had seemed fine, just fine…even today. Amy hadn't noticed anything different. What was going on with her—?
"The last time you were in…" Dr. Keller said, opening Lou's file. "...we noted that your vitals were spiking, but besides that, your pain and injuries were manageable. I take it you've been taking your pills regularly?"
Lou felt like she was on the witness stand. "Well, you know…when I need to. When the pain gets really bad, or I begin to feel weak."
"Right, but you should be taking them regularly, seeing as how much you're struggling now with your injuries. You need to take them like you did in the beginning."
Lou nodded. "Will do."
"You do know that before the scan, we found that your vital signs are still a little off." Dr. Keller said.
Her vitals are still…a little off? What…? What's going on?
"You mentioned you haven't been feeling yourself lately. How so?"
"I just…" Lou began, looking over at Amy. "Well, it's nothing new. We discussed it the last time I was here. Sometimes, I'll get these weird headaches, or my heartbeat will become irregular."
"Right. Any chest pain?"
"Sometimes," said Lou, averting her eyes again to Amy, who was looking back at her. She looked hurt, a look of betrayal on her face. Unable to look Amy in the eye, Lou nervously looked back to the doctor.
"Right. Well, it's nothing to fret over. We can definitely take care of that. I'll prescribe you something for that, and…" she said, pulling out a prescription pad. "How has your pain been lately? Specific to your abdominal injuries."
"It's just…it's been getting worse. Especially in the last couple of days. When—when it happens, I'll take the pills, but they don't always help. I don't really know what to do about it, except maybe sleep it off, or try to power through it."
Amy was listening and taking in every word that the two women were exchanging, and she felt worse and worse by the minute. Why hadn't Lou shared anything with her? Maybe it was Amy's fault…she was always so busy with work, she barely had enough time for her sister.
"Sometimes," Dr. Keller began, "It's a matter of the brand. Some work for you, and others don't. I actually have a different one in mind for you, but you must be careful with how much of it you take in. Remember to take it in moderation, no matter how tempted you may be to take more."
Lou's lips parted, her mind flashing back to her father's struggles with painkillers. "Right—I'll…I'll keep that in mind—" Lou broke off, her eyes flitting to Amy again. This time, she was looking straight at Dr. Keller, her lips parted, her brow furrowed. She seemed she was about to say something.
"Alright, so if you had any questions…" Dr. Keller trailed off, looking to Lou, and then to Amy, inviting the both of them to ask of any concerns they might have.
"Yeah, actually…" Amy began. "How long do you think it'll take for a complete recovery?"
"Well, when we started off, we had predicted a recovery time of about almost four months. And if we pick up on the treatment right now, and manage all these symptoms, it shouldn't be much longer than about five months, but again, these are just predictions. For all we know, with proper rest and care, your sister will be better much before that."
Amy nodded. "Thank you so much."
Dr. Keller scribbled out the medicines for Lou, and said she was reachable by her cell if they had anything they wanted to discuss with her, if they had any concerns or if they weren't sure how to handle something. Amy thanked the doctor a couple more times, and then both Amy and Lou headed out. They made a quick stop at the pharmacy in town and picked up the items on the prescription, and they then headed home.
It was a quiet drive home, and it was a while until Lou spoke up. "Say something, Amy…"
"What do you want me to say…?" Amy asked, her voice gentle. She herself was on the verge of breaking down, her throat felt tight and she felt the tears coming. "Honestly, what do I say to you?"
Lou said nothing.
"How do you think I felt…?" Amy said quietly, "All of a sudden finding out you're dealing with an irregular heartbeat, that you get headaches—" She broke off, upset, trying to maintain a gentle tone, though she felt like blowing up at Lou. "How long has all this been happening?"
There was silence from Lou.
"Since Sunday?"
"No. Before that."
"I was just so completely unaware, because you won't even let me in. You know, I can take worrying about you, it's not going to kill me."
They both quieted, and Amy thought a minute. "Sunday's events took an obvious toll on you."
"Amy—"
"And then Georgie got sick…" Amy looked over. "That made things ten times worse. You know, as of now, you were supposed to be fully recovered in a few months' time. That's already such a long way away, and now your recovery period has been extended, way beyond what had initially been set."
Lou sighed. "Yeah, I know…"
"You need to start taking better care of yourself."
"I'm not exactly being careless. You know that, right? Some things are just out of our control. The way I respond to stressful situations isn't exactly something I decide on."
"I know, but maybe you need to begin taking things easier."
"Easier than I already have been?"
"Yeah," Amy said simply. "You should rest more often, as much as you can."
"Look, I can't just take to lying in bed all day. What am I going to tell Georgie and Katie when they see and ask me what's going on?"
"The truth."
Lou laughed a little. "They're my children, Amy. I can't just dump that burden on them."
"Fine, then when they're in school, get as much rest as you need. Stop pretending you're okay when you're really just falling apart. It's not going to do you any good."
Lou said nothing.
The two of them were silent for a few moments as Amy pulled Jack's truck onto the Heartland property.
"I really should begin taking notes from your daughter."
Lou looked over at the mention of Georgie. "What are you talking about?"
"She's smart, she notices things. The other day, she came up to me and—and she told me there was something up with you. That you were conducting yourself differently, that maybe your head was hurting. And she was right on track, wasn't she?"
"When did she—?"
"The day he came in. It was late at night, once you'd gone to bed." Amy said, stealing a glance at Lou. "You need to start taking care of yourself. If not for us, if not for yourself, then do it for Georgie and Katie. Your kids draw strength from you, and if they see you've fallen weak, where is that going to leave them?"
Amy's words pierced at Lou's heart. She sighed, drained and exhausted.
"Look, I don't want to upset you. That's the last thing I want to do. But you need to listen, and take in what it is that I'm trying to tell you," Amy finished as the truck pulled into the yard. She put it in park, turning off the ignition.
"I hear you, Amy. I do, really…I promise."
Amy glanced over, smiling at Lou. She put a hand on her sister's. "Look, I'm here for you. You're not alone, and…whenever you need something, be it day or night…you ask. You speak up. I'll be there. Just know that I love you so much, okay…?"
Lou looked back at Amy, her eyes watering up. "Oh, Amy, you have no idea," she cried, smiling and laughing through the tears.
Amy came ahead and moved her sister against her, hugging her warmly and lovingly. She planted a kiss on Lou's temple, and said, "I think I have a pretty good idea."