Yay, so chapter three is finally finished! We worked hard on this one, so I hope you enjoy. I do think the story is going well so far—much better than the original was. Can't say how often the updates will be. Depends on a lot of things. I'm not a fast writer and I tend to take my time.
"Okay, everyone are you ready to visit Alvin?" Theodore nodded.
"Yes, Dave. We're ready." Simon answered, pushing his glasses up. Dave had insisted that they eat lunch before they left, and they had just finished.
"Let's get going then." Dave said. The two boys got up quickly and ran outside to the car as fast as their feet would carry them. "Well, that's the fastest I've ever seen Theodore run." Vinny commented.
Dave smiled. "Yeah." Before he could start toward the door himself, the phone rang.
"Go ahead and go out to the car. I'll get it."
Vinny nodded. "Of course. I'll keep an eye on them." She headed toward the door as Dave picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello. This is nurse Jessica from River City Hospital. Is this Alvin's father?"
"Yes." A horrible thought occurred to the troubled parent. "Why, what's wrong?"
"You need to come to the hospital right away."
"What's wrong with my son, Mrs. Jessica?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know. What I do know is that the doctor wants to see you as soon as possible."
"Okay…well, we're on our way. Bye." He hung up the phone. Worries plagued him as he walked outside and locked the front door. He was heading toward the car when Vinny, who was sitting in the backseat next to her boys, noticed his worried face. "What's wrong?"
Dave opened the door and sat down in the driver's seat. "That was the hospital."
"Did something bad happen to Alvin?" Theodore asked, alarmed.
"They didn't say. They just wanted us to come right away."
Theodore burst into tears, sobbing loudly and clinging to his mother. "H-he won't…die, w-will he?"
Vinny gently rubbed her small son on the back. "No, sweetie, I know Alvin. He will make it."
Dave began starting the car, he looked back to make sure that none of the neighborhood children were playing in their driveway or the street behind it. Simon wasn't buckled in yet, so he could turn around to look easier than Dave could. "Okay, Dave, go for it. I don't see anyone." He buckled himself in.
"Thank you, Simon." Dave backed out of the driveway and drove off.
They rode in silence for a while. Theodore had cried himself to sleep on his mother's lap (though he was buckled in) and Simon was staring absent-mindedly out the window.
Suddenly Vinny spoke up. "I just wish that Alvin would wake up soon."
"Me, too." Dave said, sighing once again.
"He was always getting into stuff when he was a baby. I was always worrying that he'd hurt himself, but he never did. I guess I got used to it, in a way…and now he has hurt himself...when I least expected it." A tear slid down Vinny's cheek.
"I know how you feel." Dave said. "I shouldn't have yelled at him like I did when I found that he had spray-painted the car without my permission…I should have just made him redo the paint job with my supervision. Then maybe this would never have happened."
Vinny decided not to ask about that incident. All this technology could be so confusing. What was clear was that Alvin had gotten himself into trouble, which was nothing new, and it had somehow led to his present condition. The boy was simply unpredictable; it sometimes seemed like anything could happen with Alvin around.
Simon, who had been listening despite appearances to the contrary, spoke up. "Even if Alvin had re-did the job to your car, he could still have hurt himself climbing up to the treehouse some other time. I mean, we do go up there a lot."
"You may be right." Dave acknowledged.
"Dave," Vinny said. "You drove right by the hospital." He looked back and saw that she was right.
"Oh. Hold on." Dave made a U-turn back for the building and eased into a space on the parking lot. He pulled the key out of the ignition. "Alright, everyone. Let's go."
Vinny shook the still-sleeping Theodore lightly. "Wake up, dear." The small boy opened his eyes and sat up. "Huh?"
Vinny smiled at him. "It's time to visit your brother, honey."
"Oh." Theodore responded as he unbuckled himself, mixed emotions apparent on his young face. Dave picked the boy up. Simon and Vinny got out of the car as well and the four made their way through the hospital entrance and into the lobby. Dave, still holding Theodore, stopped in front of the information desk. "I'm here to see my son, Alvin Seville?" he said to the receptionist, who looked at the computer screen in front of her for a few seconds before answering. "Room 52. That way and down the hall a ways." She pointed to her right. Dave nodded. "Thanks."
Once they got to Alvin's room, they found the doctor, Dr. James Both, waiting. "Mr. Seville? Glad you could make it. Please, sit down." The doctor motioned to a few chairs next to the wall. They sat down. Before the doctor could start, Dave asked "Is he alright?"
The doctor hesitated a second. "Well, Alvin's condition has gotten a little worse."
"My poor baby…" Vinny lamented, glancing at Alvin's small form in the hospital bed. Theodore hugged his mother from his perch on Dave's lap. "How bad is it, Doctor?" she asked, looking up at him.
"He started to open his eyes a little last night, but he's not of he coma yet, and…" the doctor paused, hesitant. "Well, we did a CT scan this morning and found that he has what we call an aneurysm in his brain. If it were to rupture, the results could be…well, fatal."
Everyone gasped. Theodore began sobbing uncontrollably. Dr. Both looked at him sympathetically. Then he looked at Dave. "Perhaps someone should take him to the waiting room. I have no more news on Alvin that is quite so bad, but still."
Dave nodded.
"I'll take him there and stay with him." Vinny said, getting up. "Come on, Theodore."
"Okay…" The boy got down from Dave's lap, still crying, and stood next to his mother. "Are you coming, too, Simon?" he asked.
Simon put a hand to his chin as he thought a moment. He wanted to hear what the doctor had to say, although he already had some idea, but Theodore needed him, too…then again, perhaps Dave did as well. If he stayed, he might be able to make Dave feel better.
As if sensing his train of thought, Dave spoke up. "It won't bother me if you do, Simon."
The chipmunk shook his head. "No, I'll stay here."
"Are you sure, dear?" Vinny asked.
Simon nodded. "Yeah..."
"Okay." She turned and led her small son out of the room.
"Please continue, Doctor." Dave said, letting out a small, worried sigh.
"Very well. There are two ways to treat an aneurysm: surgical clipping, and endovascular coiling. Coiling has a shorter recovery period, but a higher recurrence and subsequent bleeding rate. Surgical clipping, however, involves a craniotomy and is a quite a bit riskier."
"So he needs an operation, then?" Dave asked. This wasn't helping his nerves any.
"Yes. The aneurysm is big enough that we'll need to go with clipping and we'll need to do it soon. This operation requires the help of a neurosurgeon. Fortunately, we have a one here, so we won't have to wait on one or transport Alvin to another hospital. I'd like to have the operation done tomorrow." The doctor went on to explain the procedure.
Vinny sat in the waiting room Theodore once again asleep in her lap. As she lightly stroked the fur on his head, she wondered what Dr. Both was saying to Dave regarding her oldest son. She was anxious to hear what was going on with him. Every time she heard someone walk by, she looked up hoping it was Dave, Simon, or the doctor with some news. So far, she had been disappointed.
In Alvin's room, Dr. Both was just about done explaining the surgery to Dave, and was now getting the release forms out for him to sign. "Doctor, if it's alright with you I would like to talk to the boys' mother before I sign anything." Dave requested.
"Alright," he replied. "But—and I'm not trying to be rude you understand, but please don't take too long." The doctor stood up and stretched his arms a bit.
"It shouldn't." The doctor nodded in acknowledgment and left.
Dave turned to Simon, who appeared to be in a lot of thought. "Dave," he said, looking up at his adoptive father. "If Alvin has this operation…well, what if something goes wrong?"
"I take it you haven't done much research in this area?"
Simon shook his head. "Um…yeah. There's just so many subjects that it's impossible to try to learn about everything." He shrugged.
"Understandable. I only wish you had asked this before the doctor left."
"Maybe I can ask him later when you hand him back that release form."
"I don't see why not." Dave started for the door, then stopped. "I want you to wait here with Alvin, okay?" Simon just nodded. Dave smiled and left the room.
As he made his way to the waiting room, worry filled his thoughts. What if Alvin didn't make it? He honestly didn't know how he'd cope, to say nothing of Simon and Theodore. Sure, the little rascal could cause a lot of chaos, but deep down inside he knew what was right. He had proven that time and time again. When he had reached the waiting room, he saw Vinny holding Theodore in her lap. She looked up. "How is Alvin doing?" Although Vinny's voice didn't shake, Dave noticed that it looked like she had been crying. No wonder. He had come pretty close to it a few times himself. Before answering Vinny's question, he looked down at Theodore. The boy was very sensitive and Dave just didn't think it was the right time to tell Theodore the news yet. "He's asleep." Vinny said, as if reading Dave's thoughts.
Dave sat down. "The doctor says that Alvin needs an operation as soon as possible." He explained the procedure as best as he could from what Dr. Both had told him. It didn't take long. Vinny just listened quietly. "That bad?" she asked when Dave had finished.
"I'm afraid so." He paused for a few seconds. "I have the release forms for the surgery. The doctor wants us to sign them."
Vinny looked confused. "A release form?"
"It's a legal document that states that if something were to go wrong that isn't actually the doctor's fault, he won't be held responsible." Dave explained.
The chipmunk sighed. "I'm sorry, I just know so little about city life. Go ahead and sign it." Dave nodded.
"We should go pray for Alvin again, I suppose." He said when he had nodded as she began to wake Theodore up."If it's alright with you, I'll get him so he won't have to wake up." Dave offered.
"Alright." She said. Since Vinny was only taller than her three 10 year old boys by about a foot, her carrying Theodore was out of the question. Dave very carefully removed the young chipmunk from his mother's lap. He stirred, but didn't wake. Dave carried him to Alvin's room where Simon was staring out the window, once again deep in thought. He turned as he heard the door open.
Oh, and I'm not one to complain, so don't take this wrong, but last time I only got one review. Please, people, if you read this story, please review it. I want to know if people are enjoying it and I want to know ways I might improve.
Hmmmm…maybe a different approach here…click the review button. It haz cookies. XD