Disclaimer: See the previous chapter. The only thing in this story that's mine is Sam Boscorelli.

Author's Note: Thanks for the good reviews already! That's really encouraging. A couple of things in this chapter I've gotten off and anything that didn't come from there came from ER. I'm not a doctor, so if I got something wrong, sorry!

"Bosco, it's not good." In those four words, Bosco felt his world crumble around him. "Has she been sick at all in the past few weeks?"

"She's had a cold," he started shakily. "I kept her home from school a few days last week because she was running a fever. But she seemed alright. I thought she was over the worst of it. How bad is it?"

"Well, we can't know for sure. We sent some blood upstairs to the lab for testing. We think it might be bacterial meningitis." Bosco's stomach was in his feet. He didn't know exactly what meningitis was, but he had heard of it, and he knew it could be deadly. "But we're going to have to do a lumbar puncture to be sure."

"Aren't those things painful?" said Faith from Bosco's side.

"Unfortunately yes, and it will be especially traumatic for someone as young as Sam. That's why we're going to need your help," she said, indicating Bosco. "We need you to hold her down and keep her calm. Talk to her, make her focus on you. It's going to hurt a lot, and the calmer she is, the easier it will be." Bosco simply nodded and looked over Moralis's shoulder to the trauma room, where they were wheeling an unconscious Sam to another room. He turned to follow without giving another glance to the two women.

"Doctor, can I be in there too?" asked Faith. She loved Sam too.

"Sure you can. The more people to keep her calm the better."

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, Bosco had followed Sam's gurney into a room near the end of the hallway and went to her bedside as she was hooked up to the machines that would monitor her. As he took her tiny hand in his, he reached up to gently push her shaggy bangs from her forehead. She stirred under his touch and he was greeted with her mother's big green eyes.

"Hi sweetheart," he said softly. She looked around in confusion, and rightfully so. The last time she had been awake, she was in a room full of toys, her friends, and her friend's little hamster. Now she was in a white room with cold, sterile equipment and her dad sitting by her side with an almost sad look on his face.

"Daddy?" she croaked questioningly, almost as if she didn't recognize him.

"Yeah, baby. How do you feel?"

"I don't feel good."

"That's why we're here. Doctor Moralis is gonna make you feel better, okay?"

"Okay Daddy." She turned her head to the door when it opened. "Aunt Faith?" she said.

"Hi, banana," she greeted her as she went to sit opposite of Bosco. She was followed in by Doctor Moralis and two other nurses.

"Hi Sam," said Doctor Moralis. "Do you remember me?"

"Uh-huh. When Doc and Carlos took me for a ride in the ambulance, we came here and I saw you."

"Well you'll be happy to know that I remember you too. Now, I understand that you're not feeling well."

"Uh-uh. My tummy hurts and my head hurts and everything else hurts too."

"We're going to find out why you hurt so much, but to do that, we're going to have to do a test on you that's going to hurt." Bosco admired the woman for being gentle with his daughter, and at the same time, straightforward.

"Is it gonna hurt a lot?" she asked fearfully, shrinking more into the bed.

"It might, but that's why your daddy and your Aunt Faith are here. They're going to talk to you so you don't notice it so much, okay?" Sam didn't respond. She just turned her head and looked at her dad with questioning eyes.

"She's absolutely right, sweetie," Bosco said quickly. "We're both gonna be right here with you, okay? You can do it. You'll be alright." Again, Sam didn't say anything, but this time she slightly nodded. During this time, the nurses had been prepping the tray for the spinal tap, and now it was time to prep the patient. The nurses turned Sam on her side and opened the back of her hospital gown. Faith, who had been over there, gasped when she saw Sam's back. It was covered in bright red rashes. Bosco looked at her in confusion.

"This is one of the telltale signs," Doctor Moralis said to Faith quietly. Faith nodded numbly and moved over to the other side where Sam could see her face. Doctor Moralis pulled the tray of instruments over to her and looked at Bosco and Faith to signal that they should start distracting her.

"Hey Sammi, did you get to see Danny's hamster today?" Bosco asked her.

"Uh-uh," she said, suddenly tiring. Bosco saw Moralis pick up a needle and even he flinched.

"Did I ever tell you about the pet hamster I had when I was your age?" She cried out as she felt a needle enter her back. "Relax baby, it's alright."

"Are you doing alright, Sam?" Moralis asked.

"It hurts."

"I know it does. Just hang on. It'll be over soon." Bosco looked at Moralis and visibly paled when he saw Moralis pick up an even bigger needle. She mouthed to him that he and Faith were going to have to hold her down. Bosco put one hand on her head, which was very hot to the touch, and one hand gripped her shoulder. Faith put a hand on Sam's waist, and one on her legs.

"My hamster's name was Zippy 'cause he was the fastest hamster I had ever seen. He nearly broke his exercise wheel," he continued.

"Daddy, I'm scared." She knew something bad was coming.

"Don't be scared. I gotcha." Sam let out an ear piercing scream and began sobbing harshly. She struggled to get away from what was hurting her, but she was unable to get away from Bosco and Faith's grasp.

"Just hold on," Moralis said over the child's weeping. "Just another few minutes." Bosco didn't know if he could stand another few minutes, let alone Sam. She was sobbing so hard she could barely get words out of her mouth.

"Daddy...it...daddy make it stop! It hurts! Let me go! Please daddy it hurts! Daddy!" Bosco could feel himself start to break as her pleading reached his ears. He couldn't stand to hurt her. He just wanted to yank the needle out of her and wrap her up in his arms and wipe away her tears. He had to keep reminding himself that this was going to help her, not hurt her.

"Sam, look at me," he said, bending down to look her in the face. "Do you know what color my hamster was? It was the same color as your hair. It was a little brown fluff ball." Sam was trying to focus on her dad's face, but it hurt so much.

When Doctor Moralis finally announced she was done, Sam was no longer crying. All she could do was whimper as she stared in her dad's face with a look of betrayal.

"You did great, Sam," Moralis said, coming around to look Sam in the face. "We're going to let you take a little nap now, okay?" Sam simply closed her eyes and drifted quickly off to sleep. "We should have the test results in a few hours," she said, addressing Bosco. "You can stay in here with her until she wakes up." She turned to go out the door, but then turned back. "I'm sorry I had to do this to her, Bosco. It's one of the things I hate most about my job."

"I know you had to do it, Doc. Thanks." With that, Moralis left. Bosco turned back to Sam and pulled the blanket the nurses had pulled over her tighter around her and gave her a peck on the cheek. It wasn't until he went to rub his eyes that he discovered he had been crying. Embarrassed, he quickly rubbed them away. He heard a sniff next to him and realized that Faith was still in the room. She was wiping away her own tears.

"Faith, could you call Ma for me?" he asked.

"Sure, no problem Bosco." She swiftly jumped out of her seat and walked into the hallway, perhaps also embarrassed by the tears she had shed. Bosco turned back to Sam, who was in a state of fitful slumber. He was suddenly exhausted himself. He laid his head down on the same pillow that his daughter's head was propped up on and rested his chin on her head. He closed his eyes and drifted off as well.