This might be tedious, lots of medicine, lots of what's happened with the anthrax attack. The chapter occurs over the course of days as Kori goes through the next phase of her course of GI anthrax – and of course there is a plot twist! I hope to update again very soon, we are getting back into the fun part!

Medical Definitions/slang:

Thirdspacing – when fluids collect outside the blood or lymphatic vessels, such as ankle swelling (an example of edema), anasarca (severe, generalized edema) or ascites fluid in the abdomen.

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Double Take

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Chapter 80

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Dick was exhausted but had refused to leave Kori's side unless forced by officials from national and international agencies for interviews. Rachael and Gar had gone home that first night nearly at dawn and Roy had left after his shift at 7:30 AM. Tara had taken over as Kori's one-to-one nurse, and now was now taking care of him as well as, offering emotional support and making sure he took care of himself.

No matter what the outcome would be, it was going to be a very difficult few weeks at the very least.

"Dick, not that it's comfortable, but if you could at least lie down on that horrible couch in your office, I promise I'll get you if anything changes with Kori. You know I'm with her one-to-one so I'm barely away from her bedside. You'll be no good to Kori if you're exhausted and she'll be completely sedated and on the ventilator until at least change of shift at 3 pm according to her orders."

Dick sighed and threw up his hands, noting vaguely that his right one was throbbing, not that he was concerned at all about his own well-being. "All right, I give up. Between you and the others, I've had this conversation too many times, and in reality I'm no more than thirty feet away. And I will be notified-"

"About any change in status, no matter how subtle." Tara completed his thought for him and she pulled him into a hug.

Tara couldn't help but notice the tears in Dick's eyes, even though he tried to duck his head to hide them.

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Kori couldn't be held in the ER forever and the Medical Intensive Care Unit would not be ideal due to privacy issues; by the very nature of many ICU's, rooms are divided by accordion curtains dividers. They were wonderful to open up a room to make it larger, but it could not guarantee that nothing would be overheard. At that point, the fact that Lincoln had an Anthrax patient was kept quiet.

Therefore the VIP suite on one of the cardiac floors, a 'step down unit' with telemetry that offered wireless continuous cardiac monitoring, was being transformed into a mini-ICU. By early that evening Kori was to be transferred after her seizures had stopped completely for over eight hours and her vital signs were stabilizing. If it weren't for her heavy sedation, she might otherwise be somewhat awake at that point, nearly thirty-six hours after she had returned to Lincoln's ER.

Dick was surprised that he had slept so long, waking at nearly 6 PM. Tara had taken the liberty of having Alfred bring some clothing and toiletries over for Dick earlier in the afternoon, knowing that Dick wouldn't go home to change. Dick grabbed his things and set off to the locker rooms to shower, and minutes after 6 PM he walked out in the ER feeling like a new man.

Dick walked into Kori's room.

"Look who's arisen," Tara said, "and just in time for Kori's transfer." Tara had stayed over and would be there watch over Kori's transfer.

"She's headed up soon?" Dick said, surprised.

"Kori's had a wonderful afternoon. Everything is going in the right direction. She hasn't had any seizure activity. We're continuing to videotape her, but that'll stop when we go upstairs. They aren't ready to wean her off the ventilator yet, but probably by morning they will let her to just assist. Her fever is below 100, her pressure is climbing and she's thirdspacing less."

"That's a miraculous turnaround. She looks much, much better." He leaned in and kissed her cheek and said in spite of her unconscious state, he said to her in Tamaranian, "Hello Koriand'r, I love you, I'm here with you."

"It goes to your theory that she had some immunity."

"Thank God for that."

"Absolutely. Many of the others at the G20 Summit weren't so lucky, it's all over the news."

"Really? That's terrible. I'm glad I got in here before someone tries to talk to me again."

"I am too." Tara looked over the vital signs flow chart and jotted down some values.

"Anything get in the news yet?"

"No but Ambassador Galfore left a little while ago, that may not go unnoticed. I let him know you were taking a rest but were still here, by the way."

"Oh great, to a Tamaranian, that would be a weakness."

"He didn't say." Tara smiled and shrugged.

"I'm surprised he left Kori. I thought we'd be having to share visiting hours."

"Well at least you have privileges."

Dick rolled his eyes. "True."

"He said he was expecting General Friesian or something?"

Dick gritted his teeth. "General Ph'yzzon, another Tamaranian who was at the Summit."

"Oh, I remember... oh," Tara said. That picture of Kori and Ph'y was in the paper and Kitten made sure everyone in the ER knew about it.

"There was nothing between Kori and that man."

"Of course there wouldn't have been. She loves you."

Dick smiled and then his brow knitted. "Wait – so Ph'yzzon is fine?"

"I would imagine so if he traveled here."

"True. Must have kept up with his anthrax shots or wasn't exposed to whatever food or drink had the anthrax in it. And why did he travel here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

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It seemed that Kori was actually getting her symptoms a bit later than the other victims of this outbreak at the G20 Summit, now ruled bioterrorism. No less than six terrorist based groups had claimed responsibility.

Kori's sister, Komand'r, now considered the leader of the terrorist group the Citadel had yet to make any statement at all since the attack, nor had any member said to be affiliated with the group.

In fact, the Citadel's whereabouts had been unknown since May, although they had issued warnings up to the week of the Summit of an attack that would strike the US. This was the reason for Kori's questioning by INTERPOL. Unfortunately, this red herring was followed up by the US and international authorities thoroughly, and little extra attention was given the G20 Summit as a potential target. Although after 9/11 and the anthrax letter attacks that immediate followed, it was reasonable for the US officials to be vigilant.

However, that poor planning had already cost some attendees their lives.

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Kori was improving so quickly that overnight after her transfer the medical staff decided they should start trying to at least have her breathe with the less and less assistance of the vent, part of the weaning off process. That meant that she would take her own breaths and if she did not take them regularly, the ventilator would give her a 'gentle push' to breathe for her. If ineffective, the vent would ensure a breath was taken. Her sedation was slowly turned down as this was being done.

She was breathing fully without the assistance of the vent, but the tube remained in place to protect her airway, an important safety factor given all the extra fluid in her tissues. By morning, her sedation was titrated down a great deal and they were waking her up.

Dick was right at her side when she opened her eyes late in the afternoon, relieved and moved to tears. Kori couldn't speak because of the endotracheal tube and all Dick had time to tell her was that he loved her before their reunion was cut short as the medical team needed to reassess her completely.

Even with the sedation titrated back to a minimal maintenance dose and Kori breathing essentially on her own, she was still not fully waking and the medical team decided to leave her on the respirator for at least another twelve hours. Richard was upset, but understanding. He was looking forward to speaking with her and having her answer, but their decision was a good one as she was still not fully conscious even with the absence of the sedation eight hours later.

Kori's condition was upgraded to serious, but Dick refused to leave her and he was given a recliner to sleep in at her bedside.

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The death toll was rising sharply.

Based on information as it was being compiled by INTERPOL, it was suspected that the victims had eaten one of the canapes served to the guests, a Tamaranian delicacy made of raw goat meat, pusrudr'ii at a party at the Summit. Although there were no samples of the food or the utensils left for testing, interviews of the victim pointed to that food item. Kori had not been able to be interviewed but Diana Prince who was with her that evening at the Summit, was. Now in the US and staying with Bruce along with her sister Donna Troy, Diana had confirmed that Kori had eaten a number of the spicy goat meat canapes.

"Kori was so excited that they were being served," Diana told Bruce, Donna and Dick in a private family room next to Kori's hospital room, when she and Donna were visiting Kori, "and she had quite a few. It was the most I'd seen her eat for days." Dick gave her a sad look, feeling so guilty he had upset Kori so much she went to Paradise Island and Greece in the first place.

Diana continued, "She wanted me to try them, but to be honest, they smelled and looked, well, terrible, so I politely refused. Kori looked hurt, but I just couldn't eat them. I placated her with the promise that we would have a Tamaranian meal when I visited the Embassy as I have planned for this fall. She was so excited about that."

"She told me," Bruce said.

"She'll be all better by October, right Dick?" Diana asked.

"I hope so, I mean, she should be, she is improving, and October is weeks away..." Dick couldn't stay involved in the conversation, not wanting to show how upset he was, and not wanting to stay away from Kori's side.

"Dick, go back to Kori," Diana said.

Donna touched his elbow, "Come on, I'll walk with you, I want to let her know we're here."

"She knows we're here, that's for sure. She's been waking up spontaneously and as soon as the tube is out and she can talk-"

"She'll tell you just how much she loves you, Dick. She really does."

"Thank you, Donna. I really needed to hear that. I'm glad you were there for Kori... I didn't mean to put her through so much... and it's nice to meet you, just I wish the circumstances were different..." Dick shut his eyes, doing his best to not break down.

Donna had just met him, but felt that she knew Dick so she gave him a hug and he held onto her like a life line. "I know."

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The press couldn't help themselves once they had confirmation that Kori had anthrax. Galfore going in and out of the hospital, Kori's public presence at the social events surrounding the G20 Summit, a leak from two or more 'unnamed but confirmed hospital sources'.

So again Kori and Dick were in the middle of a human interest story. But this one was much, much bigger – it was truly an international one – but luckily Kori remained unaware of the maelstrom for the moment.

With the 24 hour news cycle, the hospital had a huge 'Satellite City' of satellite trucks and news vans. Whereas the anthrax attack was the number one news story, the American officials were unscathed having apparently not eaten the tainted food, so the fact that Kori Anders, a Tamaranian-American citizen was very sick from anthrax from attending the G20 Summit was big news. And to the local Washington social scene and to a certain extent elsewhere, of special interest, she was the same Kori Anders who was the former Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, who was linked romantically to Dr. Dick Grayson.

But the dark twist here was that the likely perpetrator of the bioterrorism attack was her estranged sister, Komand'r, known as Blackfire, the leader of the terrorist Citadel.

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Kori continued to improve overnight as Dick held vigil. Nurses were in every 30-60 minutes to check her, probably out of courtesy than real need at this point, and she was sleeping comfortably. Her thirdspacing – her ascites and anasarca – continued to improve although she was far from normal. It was nice to see more of her beautiful features return on her face, but Dick was just so happy she was alive.

Dick got some sleep again overnight and by morning, Kori was awake and more alert. After trying to anticipate some questions and professing his love, as expected, the medical team swooped in to assess her and Dick was asked to step out.

Kori's medical status had good and bad findings but basically there was nothing shocking. She had things related to her underlying weight loss and malnutrition such as skin breakdown that could become bed sores even from only a short period of time in bed. On the other hand she was in general bouncing back quickly as far as her white blood cell count, indicating that she was fighting the infection well. That would be likely from her underlying partial immunity from antibodies in her system from the anthrax vaccine she received annually up to about age 12 or 13. Had it not been for the previously mentioned nutrition compromise, she may have had little effect from the anthrax, but it was hard to say. From a medical standpoint, Kori was upgraded to fair condition.

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Kori's throat was terribly sore from being intubated for that long, but when she was extubated, the tube was removed easily and there was little indication of trauma and no sign of infection. She was confused from waking up in the hospital with no recollection of why she was there and she had so many questions. That was not terribly unusual given how sick she was and her high fever.

Being so ill made sense to Kori as well, that it was why she was foggy about how she ended up in the hospital so she did not worry or get upset. What she didn't realize remember was what had happened earlier than that.

"I contracted anthrax when I was in Greece? Why was I there?"

The medical staff needed to explore this and what they found was troubling.

Kori's mental status was abnormal. While most things were normal – she was not delusion, she was at her normal level of intellect, and otherwise at baseline, Kori had no recollection of things from approximately the beginning or middle of June. She had amnesia of roughly two and a half months. Was it her dissociative disorder or part of the effects of the anthrax and meningitis? Would it be temporary or permanent?

This would have a great deal of impact of her personally and on her relationship with Dick. On the one hand, it freed Kori from all the terrible memories from that difficult times with Dick. On the other hand, he'd have to explain it to her again, and she was just learning to live with it, when at this point they had seemed to be beginning to get past their problems and the healing and forgiveness had begun.

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To be continued...

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Thank you for reading, and reviews are always appreciated.