CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Title: "Salvation: Forever and Always: Elusive Dreams"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #9 in the Salvation series. The bonds of family bring the Five-0 ohana even closer.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!
Date Written: July 15, 2012
(Sam quickly determines that Caroline's pulse is strong and that she's breathing adequately, and she doesn't seem to have a high temperature. Caroline starts to come around after a couple of minutes but her words are slurred and no one can understand a thing she is saying. The Paramedics arrive within a matter of minutes and soon have an I.V. started and have placed her on oxygen as a precaution. After receiving instructions from Mike to take her to the base hospital at Pearl, they head out the door of the Thrasher's house with Danny right behind them. Steve has Emily in her car seat and ready to go by the time the ambulance leaves the house and the McGarrett's and Thrasher's are not far behind. Sam calls Adm. Henderson and then Kono while they're on their way to the hospital and she, in turn, calls Chin. By the time the get to the base hospital, Caroline has been taken into the E.R. and Danny, who is white as a sheet and more than just a little antsy, is pacing in the nearly empty waiting room. Adm. Henderson and his wife have gone to Molokai for the weekend and Sam promises to keep him updated on Caroline's condition. Of course, Sam knew where her C.O. was, but she called him anyway to confirm, because now, since Adm. Henderson is off the island and she is second in command of the base, and the Admiral wants information on Caroline ASAP, she literally has the authority to walk back into the E.R. and order the doctors and nurses to give her a report on Caroline's condition if she so chooses. Sam does walk back into the E.R., but she stands off to the side of the area where they E.R. staff is working on her sister. Caroline is still unconscious and the doctor is checking her over as someone else is drawing blood and a second I.V. is being started. The doctor, who knows Sam as he is also the medical officer for her flight, glances up and sees her standing nearby. Issuing another set of orders to the nurses, he walks over to join Sam.)
"Cmdr. McGarrett."
"Cmdr. Larsen, I know Lt. Williams just got here, but can you tell me anything?"
"Nothing yet, but, perhaps, you can answer some questions for me. Tell me exactly what happened."
"My husband and I and my sister and bother-in-law were all having dinner with my parents, and Caroline just. . fainted."
"Was she acting more or less normally before she passed out?"
"Actually, Commander, she wasn't."
(And Sam proceeds to bring Cmdr. Larsen up to speed on Caroline's behavior over the past several weeks and ends by telling him how Caroline exploded at Danny just before she fainted. Throughout her running commentary, the doctor's expression becomes thoughtful and he is making notes on the I-Pad© he's holding. The doctor then asks a couple of more questions before telling Sam he'll give them an update on Caroline's condition as soon as possible, and excusing himself and Sam heads back out to the waiting room. Kono, Tony, Lana, and Chin have arrived and everyone is either sitting, standing, or pacing around the room. Danny immediately grabs Sam as soon as she steps into the room.)
"How is she, Sam? Is she all right?"
"They're still examining her and running tests, Danny, but they'll let us know something as quickly as they can; I promise."
(In the Emergency Room itself, Cmdr. Larsen is reviewing Caroline's medical records and he's beginning to figure out what's wrong with her. The test results that a nurse hands to him confirm his suspicions and he immediately issues some orders to the nurses and heads out to the waiting room. Danny "pounces" on the poor man instantly.)
"How's my wife? Will she be all right?"
"Your wife is doing quite well and she's going to be just fine, Mr. Williams. I have her test results back and I'm happy to tell you that Lt. Williams should be as good as new very soon. A few weeks ago, the Lieutenant was seen in our E.R. and treated for an upper respiratory infection. She was placed on steroids and, Lt. Williams, it would seem, is highly allergic to steroids and should not take them in the future."
"Are you saying that the steroids are responsible for the way Caroline's been acting recently?"
"I am, Mr. Williams. The test results I've just reviewed indicate that she is severely allergic to steroids. Once they're completely out of her system, she should be good as new."
"I've never heard of anyone being allergic to steroids before, Commander. Is this a common occurrence?"
"Not usually, Adm. Thrasher, but, obviously, it can happen. Lt. Williams' medical records go back to her birth and I was unable to find any record of her ever having taken steroids until recently. The lab results from the blood tests we ran show some odd results in her blood chemistry that can be attributed to steroid therapy."
"But our daughter will be all right once the steroids are out of her system?"
"I have no reason to believe otherwise, Mrs. Thrasher."
'Will there be any permanent damage, Commander?"
"There shouldn't be, Mr. Williams, but the Lieutenant should not, under any circumstances, take steroids again. I want to keep her here for a couple of days and make sure that all the medication is completely out of her system before sending her home, but, again, she should be just fine. She's awake and alert and asking for you, so I'll take you back to see her. We'll be moving her to a room in just a little while and then you can all see her."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This actually happened to a friend of mine back in high school although her reaction wasn't quite as severe as I have written Caroline's. (It's that "dramatic license" thing again!) I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight before revealing Caroline's diagnosis, so I talked with my friend and double-checked the information with another friend of mine who is a doctor for the sake of accuracy. Many thanks to K.P. and Dr. K! Michelle