Chapter Notes:

Once again, a kind of slow chapter, but a necessary evil. I'm still working on Chapter 3, but I'll have it up as soon as I can. My job at this point is to not allow you to lose interest because of the slow beginning!! So please, I beg of you again.... hang in there!! I am horrible at naming things, so I won't even attempt naming the chapters.


Chapter 2

I ran. I ran until my lungs burned and my breath came in painful gasps. I ran through the fire that was growing in the side of my abdomen, causing me to want to double over in agony. I ran though the muscles in my legs quivered and spasmed. I ran even though every bit of my being wanted me to stop running, willed me to at least slow down, but I could not. I ran because the image of my father's body sprawled on the kitchen floor with my mother sobbing his name haunted me. I ran for help, but also from fear.

I reached Dr. Hastings house, knocking at his door like a mad man, unable to call out as oxygen refused to remain in my lungs long enough for me to form words. Finally, my commotion stirred attention within the walls and I was greeted by the kind face of his house keeper, Dorothy. She quickly rushed to the door, having already taken in my breathless, haggard appearance. "What is it child?" She asked, concern coating her voice as she pushed open the screen door, crouching next to me.

Bent over trying to alleviate the pain in my sides as well as catch my breath, I managed to croak out the words "My father" and "Dr. Hastings" between gasps.

She nodded and disappeared back within the house. I struggled to hear over my own breathing, straining for any sound that would indicate that Dr. Hastings was approaching. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, I could hear the muffled sound of the doctor's voice coming near me. I straightened myself out from my bent over stance, having regained most of the control of my breathing. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as the doctor came into view.

"Edward?" He asked, confusion showing through his face and voice.

"Dr. Hastings!" I nearly yelled as he pushed open the screen door. "Please! It's my father!" my voice ached with urgency.

"Okay, let's settle down for a moment," he said calmly. "What's happened?"

"He's passed out on the kitchen floor! He hasn't been feeling well and today... today he... today... today was worse," I stammered. "Please Dr. Hastings! Please come help us!"

"Alright Edward," he said, his voice still very calm. "I'll go take a look at him. Come on."

I nodded quickly and took off down the doctor's driveway. I hadn't gotten very far when I heard him call out my name, making me stop dead in my tracks, my feet skidding along the loose gravel.

"Edward, I'm too old to go running all the way to your house," he smiled softly. "How about we take my car instead?"

I glanced between him and the black Model T that was parked near the far end of the house. Yes, I thought to myself, a car would be handy incase we have to take him to the hospital. I turned and ran back up the driveway, my shoes slipping on the small stones beneath my feet as I tried desperately to propel myself forward as quickly as possible. I arrived at the car first and jumped in the passenger side. My body shook with agitation, annoyed with the doctor's lack of urgency for my father.

A quick glance over my shoulder told me that the elderly doctor was making his way towards his car, slowly. Oscar Hastings had been a family friend for longer than I had even been alive. He treated both of my parents since they were younger then I am now and was even the man that delivered me into this world. It wasn't often that we called on him when he was not at the hospital, but there had been a few occasions. They had always been centered around me and my pension for accidents; never for my parents.

It was this fact that made my legs twitch and fidget and kept my breathing from being able to regulate fully. I wanted desperately to scream at him to hurry up, to move faster. I needed him to understand just how bad my father looked splayed across the floor. I ached to convey the desperation and fear that consumed me. It felt as though time had some how slowed down and sped up all at once. The adrenaline in my veins widened my eyes, bringing the world around me into a strange kind of clarity. And yet, everything was a blur, an incomprehensible blur.

I had no notion of how long it had taken me to get to the doctors house; no idea of how long I waited for him to acknowledge my presence. Time was my enemy and every slow, shuffled step the doctor took was starting to literally cause me pain. I had clenched my hands into fists so tight that the whites of my knuckles boar through my skin and my fingers ached, taking the brunt of my frustrations from the moment.

Finally, the driver side door opened and, with great effort, the doctor climbed in. Every motion he did seemed to take twice as long as I thought it should, but finally we were on our way towards my father, not knowing what we'd find when we got there.

During the drive to my house I filled Dr. Hastings in with the details of my father's health for the past few days. He listened, while adding a "hmm" here and there or occasionally furrowing his brow. He drove more slowly than I wished, still not showing the urgency I longed for him to understand.

I hadn't waited for the car to fully stop before I jumped out and ran towards the house. I yanked the front door open and hurried to the kitchen, where I had left my parents. I hoped to find my father sitting at the table, looking as though nothing had happened at all. Or, even waiting there with a look of disapproval on his face, telling me I had over reacted by getting the doctor. However, that was not the case. The scene I was greeted with was much like the one I had fled; my mother still cradling my father's head in her lap, tears streaking down her face as she repeatedly sobbed his name.

I came to my mother's side by my father's limp, pale body and whispered, "Mother?"

Startled, she looked at me, her Kelly green eyes, even more vibrant from her tears, were clouded over. "Edward," she choked out. "Where's Dr. Hastings?"

"He's here mother," I paused, letting my eyes fall back on to my father's unmoving form. "He... he's..." I fought to find the correct words, the proper words, but my mind had shut down and was no longer functioning the way it should. So instead, I said what I was truly thinking. "He's old and slow, but he's here."

Silence filled the air between us as we waited for the doctor to finally make his way in to where we were. His slow, shuffling steps telling us exactly how many more seconds we would have to wait until we had someone qualified to tell us what was happening to my father.

Neither of us looked up when Dr. Hastings entered the room, afraid of what his initial reaction to my father's appearance might tell us. However, this didn't prevent me from noticing the doctors breath catching as he gazed down at my father's still form. Damn my overly keen perception. No relief had come from the doctor's presence.

"Elizabeth," he spoke softly. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Slowly my mother raised her head up to meet his eyes, leading me to believe that she too had caught his change in breathing pattern at the appearance of my father. "We can talk here." She said, placing a hand over mine.

Dr. Hastings eyes flicked between my mother and me before he resided to continue on, much to his dismay. "How many days has he been feverish?"

"A few," she said quietly

"Any bloody noses?"

The question caught my mother off guard and she blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend the question. "Excuse me?"

"Bloody noses," he repeated. "Were you aware of any he may have had?"

"No, I..." she stopped. "I don't know," she answered breathlessly

"Any red splotches on his chest or back? Marks that weren't there before?"

"No. Um," confusion washed over her face again as she looked from me to the doctor. "I... I don't know," she sobbed out.

"Hmm," was his only reply.

Desperate for some answers and unable to contain myself any longer I rose to my feet. With more menace then I meant to have in my voice I said, "What is it? What are you thinking?"

Shocked by my assertiveness, he took a step back before answering. "There has been a small outbreak of Typhoid Fever in the area. I'm not sure if this is another case or not, but I would rather take him to the hospital just in case."

"Typhoid!" My mother exclaimed, her hand rising to her throat as her breathing started to come in gasps.

"Now Elizabeth," he said calmly. "I'm not sure. Let's try not to panic until we know if there's something to panic about. We can take him in my car." His attention moved from my mother to me. "Edward, can you carry him?"

I was barely aware of my head nodding "yes". My body was numb and paralyzed as the word "Typhoid" echoed through my mind. At some point I bent down and awkwardly lifted my father, his feet still dragging along the ground, as I was not strong enough to carry him properly. I don't fully recall doing this, nor do I remember putting him the back seat, or even the car ride to the hospital. I can't recall when they took him away or when my mother began to sob into my chest. I was sleepwalking through a nightmare that I was desperate to awaken from.


End Notes:

1. In my research on Spanish Influenza I found out that it was commonly misdiagnosed due to the fact that unlike most strains of influenza it affected 20-40 year olds more then the usual victims of influenza outbreaks (children and the elderly) and dengue, cholera and typhoid were the three most common misdiagnosis. So Dr. Hastings wasn't a complete idiot. All the traits that the Dr. asked about were common in Typhoid but not in Spanish Influenza.
2. Chapter 3 will not only give us what little bit of information I could get on Spanish Influenza, but it also gives us the introduction of Carlisle! Paging Dr. Cullen.... so please come back for Chapter 3!!
3. As for Chapter 2, in my research I couldn't get a conclusive answer as to how common it was to use an ambulance. And it was in the beginning when cars were starting to become more affordable and common place. I would conclude that the Masens would probably have their own car, but Elizabeth probably wouldn't know how to drive it and I couldn't even begin to guess if it were common for a 17 year old to know how to drive a car then. So it was the mixture of not knowing all those things why I had the Dr. drive. However, Dr. Hastings was always intended to come to house and misdiagnose Edward's dad... I just didn't know how I wanted to get him from the home to the hospital. I'm aiming for as close to accuracy as possible!!
4. Thanks for coming back and reading this if you are returning, I hope you'll please come back for Chapter 3 !! If you are new to the story... please come back as well! Once I get past the slow beginning and get to the parts that made me HAVE to write this story it should get a lot better (i hope!!)