Hope and Memory
by
Numb3rsfan
Chapter Two: Tests
Shirley hugged her son close to her, walking slowly so that Keith could keep up with her. Even though Keith's legs were longer and theoretically he could walk faster than she could; in his weakened state he could barely stand without assistance.
Entering in to the hospital, Shirley approached the check-in desk, glad to find that a nurse was there.
All around them in the waiting area were twenty to thirty other patients. Some had gauze wrapped around their heads, others were coughing; all quite obviously sick. Such was any hospital to be honest. The number of patients waiting to get in worried Shirley because normally hospitals worked on a first come first serve basis, so if that was the case then they were at the bottom of the list.
"Excuse me, my son needs to see a doctor." Shirley said to the nurse who just looked at her blankly for a moment.
The nurse then looked at the huge book in front of her before asking, "Do you have an appointment?"
Shirley shook her head. No Keith didn't have an appointment, which meant it was going to take a long while before any doctor could see him.
"No, but he just vomited like an explosion." Shirley said, holding Keith close to her. The nurse looked at Keith, sighed and then started to flip through the book, looking for an opening in which she could slot Keith in.
"Name?" The nurse asked.
"Uh...Partridge, Keith." Shirley said as she watched the nurse jot down Keith's name.
"Okay if you will just have a seat we will get you in as soon as we can." The nurse said, gesturing to the waiting room. Nodding her head in thanks Shirley helped Keith to the waiting room. Stopping by two empty chairs that were side-by-side, Shirley helped Keith in to one of them before sitting down next to him.
Seeing how Keith was shaking, Shirley asked if he wanted to lay down. Keith wasn't a baby, heck he wasn't even a small child but somehow he managed to curl up in to a little ball, his legs and bottom torso lying in the one chair and his head and shoulders laying on his mother's lap; the blanket still wrapped around his body.
Keith grimaced and brought both of his hands up to the sides of his face, right below his ears. Even the low whispers of those around him were quite painful to listen to. Everything sounded so much louder than they actually were. That coupled with his vision was just plain murder. Keith's eye sight, while it wasn't fading, it wasn't normal either. Sometimes it would be like he was looking through a magnifying glass and then at different times it would be like he was looking through a rippling pond; ripples playing across his vision.
Time seemed to pass slowly. Once it was a little after 8PM, and then before Keith realized it, it was already 8:50 PM. He barely heard his mother beg the nurse to get him in; barely heard the nurse tell his mother that she was sure it wouldn't be too much longer.
At 9:30 PM, Keith felt the familiar sensations in his stomach. He sat up, mouth barely open. He felt an air bubble on his lips; felt the bubble pop seconds before he lurched over, vomiting on to the white, glossy tiles that made up the hospital floor. He vomited once...twice...three times in quick succession before the nurse that had checked him in came over to him with a small, wet hand towel.
"Sorry." Keith whispered to the nurse, who gently wiped off his mouth before getting to work on the mess that was on the floor.
"That's alright, I can clean it." The nurse reassured him. She hated cleaning up puke but this teen's face was so full of remorse at what he'd done that she couldn't get mad at him.
The nurse was about to pat Keith's knee reassuringly when she looked in to his eyes. The small smile she had had on her face disappeared as she reached in to her back pocket and pulled out a pen light. Flicking it on she shone the light first in Keith's left eye, holding it there for a moment, before shining it in his right eye.
Noting the pupil size before and after, as well as the reaction of both pupils, the nurse looked at Shirley, worry shining in her eyes.
"I'll get a doctor right away." The nurse said. Rising to her feet the nurse briskly walked down the hall and through a set of doors.
Not two minutes later she came back and with Shirley's assistance the both of them helped Keith to stand. Following the nurse, Shirley and Keith went down the hall, through the set of doors and in to an examination room.
After taking a quick set of vitals, the nurse helped Keith on to the short exam bed that was in the middle of the room before she left the exam room.
After a moment, a doctor in a white lab coat entered the room, a folder in hand. "Good morning, I'm Doctor Reyes. I understand you have a sick boy Mrs. Partridge." Dr. Reyes began as he shook Shirley's hand.
"Yes, Keith's been under the weather for several days now. Aches, fatigue...I took him to his doctor earlier today and he prescribed some antibiotics for him. But, well...after dinner Keith started vomiting." Shirley explained.
The doctor nodded his head but didn't say anything as he took his first good look at Keith. He preformed another eye exam, shining his pen light in to Keith's eyes and noting the reaction. The reaction...or rather...lack of reaction was puzzling to Dr. Reyes. The pupils were both different sizes; one being about the size of a pen head and the other being about the size of a quarter; this coupled with the fact that they both responded sluggishly to light meant that there was something terribly wrong with Keith Partridge.
"Okay Keith, we are going to try something alright? Now, I want you to take your forefinger and touch your nose with it, then bring your forefinger back out. Alright? Do you think you can do that for me?" Dr. Reyes asked. He pulled up the small stool and sat down in front of Keith, watching as the teen raised his right index finger and slowly brought it to his face, but instead of touching his nose, his index finger went past his cheek, heading to his right ear. Okay, that was definitely not good, but the doctor needed to be sure.
"That's alright, that's alright. Let's do it one more time Keith. Forefinger to the nose and back." Dr. Reyes said. He watched Keith attempt the maneuver again and once again Keith missed his nose and headed for his right ear. Dr. Reyes sighed. It wasn't a fluke. Keith Partridge was very sick and yet...there was one more test.
"It's alright. Now Keith, there's one more test I'd like to run." Dr. Reyes said, rising from his seat and pushing the stool back towards the wall.
On the small exam bed, Keith looked totally drained. He was pale and his eyes were droopy; almost as if he wanted to fall asleep right then and there.
"But I'm so tired." He complained. He groaned when his mother came to him and helped him off of the bed with a reassuring, "It's okay sweetie, we're almost done."
Dr. Reyes made sure to keep a calm look on his face...for Keith and Shirley's sake. He eyed the yellow line that was on the floor. This test...this one finally test should tell him everything he should need to know. If his worst fears were confirmed then...well...Keith was going to be hospital bound for the foreseeable future.
"Okay Keith, see this yellow line on the floor? I want you to walk along the left side of the line, placing one foot in front of the other." Dr. Reyes said. The doctor watched as Shirley let go of her son and backed up along the line. Moments later Keith took a shaky step, and then another. On his third step his right foot bent inward, causing him to cross the line. On Keith's fifth step he actually fell; Shirley having to reach out to catch her son before he hit the floor.
When Keith fell, it really scared Shirley. She had never seen her son like this. What was wrong with him?
With eyes full of worry she looked up at Dr. Reyes who patted her back in a friendly manner. "It's alright, I've seen what I wanted to see. I am going to order a brain scan. Wait here." he said before he left the room.
Shirley hugged Keith tight. A brain scan? Oh no! Was there something wrong with Keith's brain? Images of her husband laying in his coffin during the funeral came to mind. She knew that her husband had died suddenly with seemingly no explanation but the coroners report had said that he had died from an epidural hematoma due to a fall he had taken while teaching Keith how to play baseball.
Standing up, Shirley helped Keith in to the nearest chair, knowing that just leaning against her couldn't have been all that comfortable for him. Her thoughts then began to go to her other children. While it was late, she knew that they would all want to be there at the hospital to hear the results of the tests; even the young ones.
When two nurses came in and got Keith on to a gurney, Shirley followed them along as far as the actual x ray room. Keith was scared; not of the actual x rays themselves but of the whole entire situation, but he was so tired that he could barely complain. Once Keith was gone, Shirley headed for the nearest payphone and contacted Reuben. She didn't really explain anything other than telling him that Keith was very sick and was in the hospital. She then asked if he would pick up the kids and bring them on over to the hospital. Thankfully Reuben agreed; stating that he'd be over shortly.
Hanging up the phone, Shirley returned to the waiting room to wait on the results of the x rays.