It's been a while as usual! Exams are finished so here is the next chapter! Please review and tell me what you think! Madeleine
Chapter 25
Karen was sat in the lounge reading through emails anything to distract herself from the winging baby on her lap.
"Oh Darcy you really aren't a happy bunny today are you" Karen tried to soothe her 4 month old baby but wasn't having much hope as she grumbled in her arms. Rob had taken Jess and Harry to the park for some time together and to allow Karen to settle Darcy after a morning of crying, but no luck. Karen decided a dose of calpol would help since that seemed to solve most things. It seemed to do the job and before Karen knew it she had a sleeping baby in her arms, Karen couldn't keep her eyes off her little bundle, she'd grown so much. Karen placed Darcy into her bouncer which was in the corner of the room so Karen could take the time to clean up her house, which had been ransacked by Jess and Harry earlier in the day. Karen had to laugh as she discovered Lego man buried in her plant pots on the window sill and buzz balanced on a vase on the table as well as Jess's Minnie Mouse derobed of clothes (courtesy of Harry) and thrown into Darcy's pram. Karen had just sat down after redressing Minnie and placing her on the stairs to go up when the troublesome two returned with Rob.
"Looks like you've done a good job of running these two ragged" Karen commented at the sight of her two children dishevelled from running round the park, Harry was covered in grass stains and his fringe was stuck to his sweaty head. Rob gave Karen a kiss before poking his head into the lounge,
"So little sleepy beauty calmed down in the end?"
"think she's just feeling a bit rubbish, just got her off to sleep after some calpol" as the words left Karen's mouth Harry had collected Buzz and stormed into the lounge where he screamed "to infinity and beyond"
"Seems I didn't quite wear this one out enough!" Rob commented, Karen took Buzz off of Harry as she spoke to him whilst Rob scooped up a screaming Darcy whose cheeks had gotten rather rosy.
"Please can you play something more quietly Harry, Darcy's not feeling very well sweetheart"
"What's the matter with her?" Jess asked rather concerned.
"Oh she's just a bit under the weather, don't you worry"
"She just needs lots of cuddles and love" rob said as he kissed her head, the screaming dulling in volume slightly. Karen passed Rob Darcy's blanket as daddy calmed down their little girl. Karen was too exhausted to cook and for once treated both Jess and Harry to frozen pizza and even melted some chocolate to dip strawberries and marshmallows in for dessert.
"I like the Tash Harry!" Rob teased, focusing in on the rather impressive chocolate smothering skills of Harry. They all laughed as Harry swirled his tongue around his mouth in attempt to clear it off.
"Oh come here you mucky pup"
Karen wiped his face before watching him shove a very big strawberry in his mouth covering his teeth in chocolate making them look all rotten.
"That's disgusting Harry" Jess giggled. Rob had stolen a strawberry and little Darcy had reached out and grabbed it, Karen and rob laughed quite surprised before laughing.
"Sadly Darcy you can't have these missy" Karen commented as she rescued the strawberry with great difficulty from her grip. Darcy got fidgety and fed up of being taunted by the strawberries most probably.
"I'm going to go and play with this one in the lounge" rob told Karen as he left her supervising the two terrors.
Jess was quick to join Darcy and Rob, dancing strawberry shortcake around and up her little leg making her giggle. Harry jumped on Rob's back and the pair of them began to play fight in the lounge. Darcy giggled away with her big sister who began to do "this little piggy went to market" with her little toes when she noticed Darcy's legs. Jess wasn't concerned, she was a little girl but she bounced off to her mummy in the kitchen who was washing up tea.
"Mummy" Jess practically sang,
"Yes darling" Karen turned around smiling at how sweet Jess was being
"Darcy's all spotty"
"What do you mean?" Karen looked confused
"Her legs have little spots on them" Jess described
Karen was concerned and put the tea towel down before heading to the lounge. She crouched down on the floor and looked at Darcy's little legs. She saw the spots, Jess was right.
"Oh Darcy, I think you might have chicken pox" rob heard the words and stopped playing with Harry to have a look.
"Is she ok?"
"She'll be fine, just looks scary" Karen tried to reassure herself. Karen picked up her little girl who instantly started sharply screaming.
Jess, Harry and rob all looked extremely worried, Harry and Jess stood still, frozen.
Rob took her into his arms.
"Shhh" he tried to soothe. Karen sat down with Harry and Jess
"She's just not feeling very well and she's only little" Karen wrapped her arms around her two children who collapsed into her. Darcy's screaming seized, "I think a good sleep would do the little cuddle bug some good"
Karen commented as she looked over at Darcy fighting the sleep in her partners arms.
Rob took her up to bed which didn't take long, he kissed her cheek and left her to sleep. He returned to find all three of them cuddled up on the sofa watching Alice in Wonderland. Karen went to make herself a cup of tea, she felt exhausted. Today had definitely been a difficult mummy day. The kettle finished boiling as a highly disturbing high pitched scream resonated through the house, karen spilt the sugar she was pouring into her cup. Karen caught rob in the hall who was equally worried, they followed the sound upstairs to their distraught baby.
Rob scooped her up attempting to soothe her in his arms, he gently rocked her as karen gently brushed her little hand and noticed how cold it was.
"You really aren't feeling very well Darcy"
"Maybe she's hungry?"
Rob suggested.
"I mean she needs some energy fight off whatever this is"
Karen sat down in the rocking chair and attempted to feed her but Darcy refused. Karen looked to Rob, her face full of anxiety. Rob took her back in his arms as she was suddenly sick.
Karen quickly picked up the baby cloth and wiped down rob's arm and attempted to clean up Darcy a little.
"Rob she's really scaring me now" Karen's words frightened rob, Karen had, had two children already her words suggested this wasn't normal. As rob lay her down on the changing table to change her, her little body began to shake uncontrollably.
"Oh my god, I think she's having a seizure" rob explained panicked. Rob was the calmer of the two of them and quickly rang for an ambulance. Karen felt helpless. Darcy was so ill and they didn't know what was the matter.
"They're on their way" Darcy had stopped shaking and Karen was gently rocking her in her arms but she screamed and screamed. Karen's tears fell down from her chin landing on Darcy's baby grow.
They'd arrived and rob had rushed down to answer it, Jess had been comforting Harry with a hug in the lounge whilst their mummy and rob were upstairs panicking over Darcy. Jess poked her head round the door as Rob guided the paramedics up to the room.
"Is she ok?" Jess asked, her voice full of fear. Rob choked up as he stopped and turned around to explain to the two of them.
"Darcy's very sick and the doctors are going to look after her"
"Will they make her all better?" Harry asked sweetly.
"I promise they will" rob bent down and gave them both a reassuring hug, truth is he needed the love of these two to get him through his fear, his 4 month old baby was so ill.
"Right will you two pop your shoes and coats on"
"Why?" Harry replied
"Because mummy's going to go to the hospital with Darcy and I'm going to drop you two with Auntie Emma ok"
"But I want to come with you" Jess replied, very uncharacteristically of Jess.
"I know you do but I need you to be my big brave girl and boy so that I can look after mummy and Darcy, will you promise me you can do that"
"I promise Rob, do you promise she'll be ok" they replied. Rob simply squeezed them.
"Right I'm going to go help mummy, you two get ready and wait in the lounge and don't leave the room." Jess and Harry did as they were told as Rob raced up the stairs to see his little girl being placed into Karen's arms all wrapped up in a hospital blanket having been medicated.
"She had another seizure rob" karen cried. Rob dropped to his knees his arm around karen.
"We think it may be meningitis, we need to get her to hospital fast"
"I'm scared rob"
"I know, but she's going to be ok. She's a Scotcher. You need to be strong for our little girl, you go with her and I shall meet you there. I'm going to take Harry and Jess to Emma's." Karen was a wreck, rob wasn't really entirely sure he was fit to drive but he needed to be there for everyone especially his little girl.
The sirens sounded and the ambulance rushed off.
"Was mummy crying?" Jess asked clearly very scared.
Rob felt like he couldn't lie to them.
"She's very worried about Darcy, they think she's very poorly" Jess and Harry's faces depicted the word sadness, Harry even broke down in hysterical tears. Rob simply hugged him.
"I know it's hard bud" rob tried to suppress his tears but it was hard
"But she's in the right place for them to make her better" Harry was such a sweet brother as was Jess a sister.
"Come on you two lets get going" rob carried Harry to the car and Jess followed. He arrived at Emma's with Harry now not wanting to leave rob and he rapidly knocked on the door. Emma answered quickly the sounds of giggling children juxtaposed the solemn looks on the fisher Scotcher clan.
"Rob? Harry, what's the matter? Where's karen?" Jess instantly warmed to her auntie wrapping her arms around her waist.
"It's Darcy, we don't know what's wrong" rob was really struggling now in the company of Emma.
"Aye I'll watch these two for as long as you need me to, you go be with Karen and Darcy. Let me know once you know anything"
"Thanks em"
"Come on Harry, rob's got to go. It will all be ok I promise" Emma took in a very upset little boy and worried little girl as Rob watched on from the car before driving away rather quickly to the hospital, he knew the state he was about to find Karen in.
He parked up badly and ran for the a and e department.
"Darcy Scotcher?" The secretary looked straight at him. No words. Intentionally being difficult.
"She was taken with suspected meningitus!"
The secretary still did nothing.
"I'm her dad, she's only a baby! Please tell me where she is!" The secretary was clearly having a bad day but that was nothing on rob and Karen's. A lovely man about rob's age who happened to be stood behind rob in the queue, waiting to check in his 7 year old little boy with a suspected broken arm, piped up on Rob's behalf.
"Seriously! His baby is ill,you clearly don't have children and therefore don't know the fear and pain he is going through. A tiny baby is stuck on a hospital ward needing her dad!" The secretary was taken aback and quickly consulted the computer.
"Paediatric ward. Left at the end of the corridor"
Before rob rushed off he turned around to thank the guy
"Thank you"
"Don't mention it, I hope she's ok"
"Thanks and your son too" rob raced off down the corridor, his worry still present but his franticness vanished after bumping into the kind sweet man in the corridor, he couldn't help feeling like there was some sort of bond there. He felt like he now was in the frame of mind to be there for Karen to put her first rather than his own panic. He reached the room to find karen hunched over the bed Darcy lay in, her face red and blotchy, the tears still rolling.
"How is she? Have they said anything?"
"Rob" Karen's whole body language changed at hearing and seeing Rob, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest as she mumbled.
"They've taken some tests and we are just waiting for the results." Rob kissed her head before squeezing his little girls hand and gently stroking her head.
"She's a fighter Karen, she's going to get through this. Whatever it is" Karen gently rubbed his back, giving him the support he had just shown to her.
"What about Jess and Harry?" Karen asked.
"I can't lie, they're both really worried. Harry wouldn't let me leave him once we got to your sisters, but they know she's in the right place" Karen felt so guilty, as though somehow this was all her fault. She felt like a failed mother.
The doctor knocked on the door and Karen and Rob's heads turned around immediately.
"We've got the results back and we can confirm that Darcy does have bacterial meningitis, we've already started treatment not wanting to waste anytime. So the anti-biotics will continue through the intravenous, her signs are stable at the minute but with her being so young we shall keep a close eye on her. From what we can see the virus has been caught in the early stages"
"Jess" Karen whispered voluntarily.
"I'm sorry," Karen looked up before explaining
"My eldest daughter, she's 9 noticed the rash on Darcy's legs"
"Well I'd say that's given her a real fighting chance" Karen had a tear trickle down her cheek, one of sadness and pride.
"How long till we know she's going to be ok?" Rob asked.
"We should begin to know based on how she's reacting to the anti-biotics this evening but in worse cases which I don't think Darcy is" the doctor tried to reassure.
"Babies of her age have been known to be in for a week" the doctor left Karen and Rob who were hoping and praying that Darcy responded well to treatment, that she would get better!
"I should phone the kids" Karen said still all her attention fixed on Darcy's limp body. Rob simply kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand before watching her leave to call her sister.
"Karen, how is she?"
"She's... She's got bacterial meningitus"
"Seriously"
Karen was finding it really hard to talk about it and Emma was simply shocked.
"We've just got to see how she responds to the anti-biotics"
"She'll get better karen, she's a fighter like her mummy. You have to stay positive! What ever happens isn't your fault though karen, none of it" she knew her big sister too well.
"I just feel like I've let her down" Karen couldn't fight back the tears anymore.
"Listen to me, you're the most amazing mummy to all three of them. Darcy's lucky to have you. Please stop blaming yourself, it's noone's fault" Karen composed herself, finding strength from her sister.
"Do you want to speak to Jess and Harry?"
"Yeah, need to explain we won't be back tonight"
"They're both sat down watching movie and eating ice cream. Honestly, I'm happy to have them till everything's better"
"Thanks em" Karen loved her sister so much they had always been so close.
"Mummy" the little voice echoed through the phone,
"Hello sweetheart, are you ok?" Karen asked her little girl.
"We're ok mummy, don't worry about us. We know Darcy's poorly and she needs you at the minute" Karen had a fresh set of tears fall down her face.
"You always make me so proud you. Even the doctor thinks you're clever noticing Darcy's rash. Listen to me, mummy and rob won't be back tonight"
"Darcy's still poorly" Jess added in to show she understood, she seemed to expect it.
"She is but she's had lots of medicine and we are hoping she's going to be looking like she's on the mend soon. So you need to look after Harry for me and rob while we aren't there"
"I'll give him lots of cuddles and read him a story before he goes to bed. I'll read him the cat in the hat"
"He likes that one! Ok sweetheart sounds like auntie Emma's spoiling you both with ice cream and movies so I shall leave you to get on with it. I love you lots, does Harry want to speak to me?" Jess called Harry over.
"I'm ok mummy! I love you" he was suddenly distracted "woody's on woody's on" he changed as he passed the phone back to Jess. Karen found comfort in knowing that they were both ok while they weren't with them.
"I love you both lots and shall call you first thing in the morning"
"I love you mummy, give rob a hug from me and Darcy a get well soon kiss"
"I will."
The line went dead and Karen found herself leaning against the wall, she felt like everything around her was moving on as usual and yet she was stuck in the hospital with its own time system with her baby fighting for her life. Why did this have to happen to them? Why Darcy?