"Sweetie." Heather reached over, her head gently nudging Billy's bare chest. "Billy," she whispered, waiting until his eyes opened before she continued, "Aly's calling you."
Billy sat up, his eyes now open. Aly had been a remarkably good sleeper—even as a baby. She almost never woke up in the middle of the night and, even when she did, she almost never called out for anyone.
He stood, walking quickly down the hallway, his heart beating harder, somehow he instinctively knew that something was different—something was wrong.
"Aly," he said quietly, stepping into his daughter's darkened room. "You okay, baby?" He walked over to the lamp beside her bed, reaching under the shade and quickly flipping the switch. "Aly." He repeated, his voice now tinged with worry when she didn't respond.
The lamp cast just enough soft light across her small body for him to see the slight tremors that seemed to render her incapable of speaking. Sheer terror ripped through his body and he hit his knees in an instant, his hands cupping his daughter's small face.
"Heather!" he screamed.
She appeared in the open doorway, her eyes wide with worry. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"
"Call an ambulance," Billy said quickly.
Phyllis turned over in bed, her mind trying to process the strange sound. When Aly was home, she heard every noise, her body on full alert at all hours. Somehow though it seemed her brain knew when she was alone, allowing her body to drift into a deeper, more sound sleep.
The incessant noise continued to assault her dreams and she finally forced her eyes open, now recognizing the flashing screen of her phone. She reached over, grabbing it and bringing it to her ear. "Hello," she muttered, still feeling a bit out of it.
"Phyllis."
Her eyes flew open, his tone more sobering than anything ever could have been. "Billy," she breathed, her body trembling in fear. She knew. He wouldn't call for any other reason. "Aly," she managed.
"We're on our way to the emergency room now," he said as calmly as he could. "Is Mark there? Can he bring you?"
She was already out of bed, her hands rummaging through drawers grabbing the first pieces of clothing she could find. "Is she okay? I need you to tell me she's okay."
He could hear the panic in her voice and he understood it. It was taking everything he had to keep it together. They'd taken her in the ambulance, insisting he and Heather follow them in their car. Heather was driving, presumably so that he could call Phyllis, but in truth he wasn't sure he would have trusted himself behind the wheel.
"She's okay, I think. She's got a fever—it's high and she had a seizure or something. I don't know."
Phyllis gripped the bedpost, her legs suddenly feeling weak beneath her. "I'm on my way. You tell her that. You tell her I'm on my way."
Heather pulled into the emergency room parking lot as she looked over at Billy.
"Phyllis! Phyllis!" He pulled the phone away from his ear and sighed as he saw that the call had ended.
"What is it?" Heather asked, touching his arm gently.
"She shouldn't be driving. She doesn't need to be driving when she's this upset. I know her. Someone needs to get her. She can't…If anything…" His voice broke as the thought of losing her flashed though his mind. He couldn't handle it.
"It's okay," Heather said quietly. "She'll be okay. She's just thinking about her daughter now. That's what we all have to focus on."
Billy paced outside the door. "Why can't they tell us anything? She's just a little girl. What are they doing in there?"
Heather shook her head hopelessly. Even though she was standing right next to him, she might as well have been on the other side of the world. He wasn't talking to her. He wasn't leaning on her. She wasn't what he needed or wanted. His little girl was the only thing that could bring him any comfort tonight.
"Billy!" Phyllis' voice rang out through the busy waiting room.
Heather watched as he rushed to meet her, his arms wrapping around her instantly.
"Where is she?" she asked, the tears streaming down her face as she fought to control her breath.
He cupped her face in his hands as he looked into her eyes. He found some strange comfort in having her here. She was the one person in the world that could understand how terrified he was, the one person who could understand how much he loved that little girl.
"She's still in there," he said softly. "I don't know anything yet."
"She has to be okay, Billy. She just has to be." In any other situation, she probably would have thought more about being so openly affectionate with him, but right now she needed him. He was the only thing keeping her from collapsing into a heap on the floor.
"She's gonna be okay. She will. She's strong..just like you." He locked eyes with her again. "She is."
Heather stood back, saying nothing but watching them. She knew what everyone would say—how a crisis brings people together, how the way people act when their children are sick or injured doesn't mean anything. Of course they find comfort with each other now—that's only natural, only it didn't seem to be as much about Aly as it was about them. It was the look on her husband's face when he'd been worried about Phyllis' safety on the drive over. She wasn't sure she'd ever done anything to illicit that level of passion from him.
She took a breath, stepping over to them, nothing his hands still resting on her shoulders.
"Phyllis," she said softly, "Can I get you anything? Some coffee?"
"No. No. I couldn't."
Billy shook his head. "You should let her…maybe some herbal tea. It'll help settle your stomach."
Heather glanced down to see Phyllis' fist clenched above her abdomen.
"Just everything tonight or you're not feeling well?" Heather questioned.
"Stress. She always feels it in her stomach," Billy replied as if an old habit. He kept his eyes trained on Phyllis. "Let Heather get you some tea," he said softly, "It could be a while."
Phyllis nodded finally as she watched Heather head out towards the cafeteria.
"Come sit down." Billy took her hand and gently led her towards the chairs closest to the trauma entrance.
They both stopped short as the swinging doors opened. "Family of Aly Abbott?"
Phyllis felt her heart pounding as she gripped Billy's hand tight. She stepped beside her as she stood, staring at the doctor with terrified eyes.
"We're her parents," Billy said, his voice shaking a bit despite his efforts to put on a brave face.
"Mr. and Mrs. Abbott," the doctor began
Neither Billy nor Phyllis cared to correct him.
"I want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to get your daughter back in your arms. Right now, we're running some tests to try and determine the cause of Aly's high fever."
"What kind of tests?" Phyllis questioned, glancing up at Billy, her eyes still filled with worry.
The doctor sighed. "Well, we always want to start with the least invasive. The fact that her fever was so high gives me every indication that the seizure was in fact a febrile seizure. That's actually very good because it means we're probably not looking at any kind of epilepsy or anything neurological in nature. We will want to run some blood tests just to rule out any kind of infection. We'll take a lot at her white counts. We'll run some other simple tests—check for the flu, things like that. If all of that comes back normal, and if she's still exhibiting symptoms, then we might have to schedule a spinal."
Billy heard Phyllis' sharp intake of breath. "You really think that's necessary?" He moved his hand to wrap around her, pulling her closer to him. The fact that she needed him to be strong was helping him keep it together. He couldn't fall apart when he knew she was counting on him.
"It's hard to say," the doctor admitted with a compassionate sigh. "It all depends on the findings of these early tests. In my experience, however, it's always better to know what could happen. I don't like to spring things on people."
Phyllis let out a shaky breath. "Right. Is she okay? Can we see her?"
"Officially, No. We need her to rest and we don't allow visitors in the bays." He paused, looking quickly between Billy and Phyllis, "But unofficially—I've got a daughter about her age and I don't think a short visit will hurt anything." He smiled at their grateful expressions. "Just keep it brief, okay?"
Phyllis nodded as she quickly followed Billy into the bay.
Aly's eyes were closed as she lay in the hospital bed. Billy stopped, waiting for Phyllis to reach his side. He felt her shake with a stifled sob at the sight of her little girl hooked up to IVs and monitors. It was more than she could handle.
"She's okay," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders again. He closed his eyes as he felt her head fall against his chest. "She's okay," he repeated, realizing he needed to hear the words out loud.
"Aly," Phyllis reached out her hand, gently stroking her daughter's arm. "Aly. Baby. Mommy and Daddy are here."
Aly's eyelids fluttered before opening to look up at them.
Phyllis glanced over at Billy, her eyes brimming with tears.
"I'm sleepy," Aly whined, as she snuggled down against her pillow.
"That's okay," Billy whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "You rest. We'll be here when you wake up, okay?"
He watched as the little girl nodded slightly.
Billy glanced back at Phyllis. "Maybe we should let her rest," he said softly.
"I don't want to leave her here alone, Billy." He could hear the desperation in her voice and see the fear in her eyes. "What if she wakes up alone? What if she's scared?"
The feeling of his hand on her back brought immediate comfort to her and she leaned back against him, needing to feel his strength.
"She's not alone," he whispered, "the doctors and nurses are here—and we'll be right outside if she needs us."
Phyllis sighed, relenting as she followed him from the room. Billy took a seat not letting go of her hand as he gently pulled her down in the chair next to him.
"She told me she was tired," she said in a whisperer after they'd sat in silence for a few minutes.
"What?"
"She said it—yesterday—she said she was tired. I didn't pay any attention. I thought she'd just played hard. I didn't take it seriously. If I'd just listened to her. If I'd taken her to the doctor…What kind of mother ignores their child?"
"Stop." Billy turned and looked at her with serious eyes. He could tell instantly where this was going. This was what Phyllis did when there was no one to blame—she blamed herself. This time, he couldn't let her.
"You didn't do anything wrong," he continued. "You're a good Mom. No, You're a great Mom. I have no doubt in my mind that you did everything right. There was no reason for you to think that there was anything wrong. You're here now. I know it and she knows it. That's what matters."
"I can't lose her, Billy. I can't. She's all I have left." She stopped herself then, afraid her pain and fear would betray her closely guarded heart.
"It's okay," he whispered, gathering her into his arms and allowing himself to relax against her body as she collapsed into his chest.
"Sorry to interrupt," Heather said quietly. She'd stood in the corner for a few minutes, sure they'd pull away after a moment, but it appeared they were both quite comfortable in their embrace.
"Oh," Phyllis pulled away quickly, wiping the tears from her face with her hand. She reached for the warm paper cup. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Heather nodded. "Of course. Is there any news?"
Billy shook his head. "They're still running tests. We got to go in and see her for a minute."
"Hopefully they'll have some answers soon," Heather breathed, turning her attention towards Phyllis, "Do you need me to call Mark for you?"
"Mark," Billy said flatly. "Right. Did you call him? I was hoping he'd drive you here. I really didn't want you driving yourself tonight."
"I called him, "Phyllis said, a little embarrassed to admit the state of her relationship, "He was in the middle of a meeting so I left word with his secretary. She said as soon as he came out, she'd let him know to come and meet me here."
Billy's eyes widened in amazement. "She couldn't interrupt him?"
"It's a really important deal," Phyllis explained. "I'm sure he'll be here soon."
"I'm sure he will." Billy reached out and squeezed her hand supportively.
All three turned at the sound of the door.
"Hey." Phyllis stood, walking over towards Mark who entered the room and stood still. "We were just talking about you."
Mark nodded, half heartedly pulling her into an embrace. "Have they told you anything yet?"
"No. We're still waiting." Phyllis watched him for a moment as he glanced around the room. "You okay? Did you need something?"
"I was just looking for somewhere I could plug in the laptop," he said. "Work doesn't stop you know."
Phyllis blinked, then turned and walked towards the window to look in on her daughter. She didn't have the time or the energy to waste on Mark tonight.
"Mr. and Mrs. Abbott?"
Billy and Phyllis both stood, meeting the doctor before he fully entered the waiting area.
The doctor smiled as he looked at them. "Good news," he said reaching out to clasp Billy's shoulder. "Aly's influenza swab came back positive. Her blood work all came back clean and within normal levels. We're going to keep her here for a little longer, get another bag of fluids in here, but after that you can take her home. All she'll need is rest, plenty of fluids, and some over the counter fever reducer."
Phyllis leaned against Billy for fear her body would betray her. The relief that flooded through her was almost overwhelming.
"Thank you," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. She watched as Heather approached Billy and wrapped her arms around him.
She stepped back a bit as she glanced over at the doctor who smiled before leaving the room. Making her way towards Mark, she noticed he was already packing up the laptop in his bag.
"The flu?" His tone was sharp and irritated. "I walked out on a multi-million dollar deal to come play hand holder because your daughter had the flu?"
"I.." She felt tears sting her eyes. His words were harsh but not entirely unexpected. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "When I called, I didn't know what was going on. I thought it could be something really serious. I needed someone here with me."
"Yeah. I thought it was serious too. That's why I walked out on such an important meeting."
"I wouldn't have called if I'd known it was something this simple," she whispered, "I'm sorry…"
"Phyllis."
She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard Billy's voice and felt his presence coming up behind her.
"Is everything okay over here?"
"It's okay, Billy."
"Good," he said seriously, "Because it sounded like you were over here being asked to apologize for your daughter not being sick enough for you to warrant your boyfriend's support? And I was hoping that wasn't the case because what kind of arrogant, selfish, insensitive asshole would say something like that to a mother who just spent the last few hours in the hospital with their child?" His eyes flashed in anger at Mark.
"It's okay Billy. Really it is. Mark's just leaving. He had to walk out on a really important meeting to come here." She looked back at Mark. "You can go," she said quickly, "I'll call you later."
Billy pulled the bedroom door closed before climbing into bed beside Heather.
"It feels like this night has gone on forever, huh?" Heather sighed as she snuggled up against him.
"Yeah," he sighed, "I wanted to thank you for being okay with Phyllis staying here tonight. Both of us really wanted to be with Aly and she really wanted to have both of us here."
Heather nodded. "Sure. It's for Aly. She's what's important."
"That's what it is you know." Billy had been focused on keeping Phyllis calm tonight. Any free moment he'd had that hadn't been consumed with worrying about Aly had been spent worrying about Phyllis, but that didn't mean he'd missed the looks on Heather's face. "I know you're felt a little pushed aside tonight."
"Billy," Heather interrupted. She hated feeling jealous of the attention he gave his ex-wife when their daughter was in the hospital. What kind of a person does that?
"No really. I want you to understand. I care about Phyllis. I can't pretend that I don't, but I'm not with Phyllis. I'm with you. Tonight—I just needed to be there for her. She doesn't have anyone else."
"She has Mark."
"He's an ass," Billy said without any hesitation. "Anyone can see that. I hate the idea of him being there—of him being around my daughter. I absolutely hate it."
Heather thought for a moment. "Have you talked to Phyllis about it?"
Billy sighed. "No. Not yet, but I'm going to. After tonight, I feel like I have to. She deserves better than him. She deserves someone that loves her, someone that knows how wonderful she is, how special she is. She deserves someone that knows how lucky they are to have her in their life."
"You mean Aly, right?" Heather looked at him, watching his expression—the somber reality becoming all too clear.
"Yeah," he lied. "He should be so lucky to have her in his life and he doesn't even recognize it."