Chapter 3 / Don't Let Her Die
"How are you feeling now, Jason?" the doctor inquired when Jason opened his eyes.
"Fine," Jason muttered, looking around the hospital room as he lay in the bed. "I wish everybody would quit all the fuss. Sue's the one to worry about."
"You just fainted!" Dr. Abigail said.
"That's no reason to worry-people faint all the time," Jason returned.
"Jason!" Connie exclaimed half reproachfully. "Now you're being ridiculous!"
"I want to go see Sue," Jason persisted.
"Not now," Dr. Abigail ordered. "You need rest."
"I'm not tired now," Jason argued. "I can't go to sleep. So I might as well sit with Sue."
"Jason, listen to the doctor," Connie told him.
"But I have to be with Sue," Jason insisted. "She'll wake up soon, and ask for me. You're not going to tell her I can't go to her, are you, doctor?"
"If she asks for you, then yes, you can go to her," Dr. Abigail consented. "But if she wakes up and asks for you while you're sleeping, we'll just tell her you're sleeping."
"Don't tell her I fainted, doctor," Jason said.
"I won't," the doctor promised. "You go to sleep, Jason."
"But she might ask for me-"
"Connie, let's let Jason alone to go to sleep." Dr. Abigail ignored Jason's attempts to get up.
"All right," Connie agreed, leaving with the doctor.
"He loves that girl and won't rest until she is better," Dr. Abigail told Connie in the hall.
Connie sighed. "I know."
"Jason?" they heard Sue call from her room, followed by a hoarse cough.
"Will you go to her?" Dr. Abigail requested. "Just tell her Jason's sleeping."
"All right." Connie stepped into Sue's room and smiled at the sick little girl.
"Sue, Jason's sleeping. He's tired," Connie explained to Sue.
"Oh. When he wakes up will you ask him if he can come here?"
"I'm not sleeping, Sue, and I'll come to you," Jason said, coming into the room.
"Jason!" Sue cried happily. She coughed.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"My head still hurts, and I'm tired and cold," she replied.
"You'll get better soon," Jason said.
"I like to have you here with me. If you're not tired, can you stay with me even if I go to sleep?" she requested.
"Yes, I will, Sue," Jason replied, smiling at her delighted face.
Connie cleared her throat and glanced at Jason.
"I'm just going to step outside for a minute, Sue," added Jason.
"All right," the young girl said sleepily.
"What is it?" Jason asked, knowing Connie had brought him out for a reason.
"You just told her you would stay with her! The doctor says you need rest," Connie scolded.
"She asked me if I wasn't tired, and I'm not," Jason replied honestly.
"I'll tell her you need rest." Connie turned around and started to walk into Sue's room, but Jason caught her hand.
"Connie, look, I'll get some rest right now while you stay with her. Tell her I'll only be an hour at the most and she'll go right to sleep," Jason implored.
"All right," Connie grinned.
"Jason?" Sue called from her room.
"Sue, Jason's a bit tired, so he's going to sleep a little and then come back to you," Connie explained.
"All right," Sue said.
"But I'd like to stay with you; is that all right?" Connie asked.
"Yes," agreed Sue, dropping off to sleep.
"It's amazing how that girl can go to sleep so fast," Connie murmured with a smile.
…
"It's been an hour, Connie, is Sue awake?" asked Jason, coming into the room.
"Not yet," Connie replied.
"Then I'll just stay with her so I can be with her when she does. Connie, do you want to call her foster parents?"
"I guess we should," Connie agreed.
"Their last name is Adams," Jason recalled, "But I'm not sure what their number is."
"I think I might be able to find out what is it," Connie said with a smile.
"How?" Jason asked, puzzled.
"Oh, Jason," Connie laughed, "you don't think I've spent all those years with your dad and not learned anything?"
Jason had to laugh despite his intense worries.
"Jason?" whispered Sue.
"I'm here, Sue," Jason said. "How are you feeling?"
"Freezing." Sue coughed and pulled the covers up around her shoulders.
"Is the extra blanket helping?" he asked.
"A little. I'm just tired right now. I want to go back to sleep," yawned Sue.
"All right. It's almost noon; do you want some lunch?" Jason asked.
Sue coughed. "No, I'm not hungry, just tired." She sneezed.
"All right, you go to sleep." Jason tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled at the sick girl.
"Jason, let's go get lunch," Connie suggested.
"I'm not hungry," Jason told her honestly. "You go get lunch for yourself and maybe I'll eat later."
"But, Jason, you have to eat something," Connie argued.
"I want to stay with Sue," Jason insisted.
"All right," Connie sighed, leaving the room.
"Is she sleeping?" Dr. Abigail asked, entering the hospital room.
"Yes, she fell asleep a few minutes ago," Jason replied.
"You don't look so tired anymore, Jason," the doctor noted. "That hour of sleep really helped."
"I don't feel so tired," Jason added.
Dr. Abigail eyed Jason's pale face. "Has Connie gone for lunch?"
Jason nodded. "I know what you're going to say, and I'm just going to tell you that I'm not hungry."
"You should try to eat something," Dr. Abigail urged.
"I'm fine," Jason argued.
"You're always 'fine', aren't you?" sighed the doctor.
"Yep," Jason said, gazing at the sleeping little girl at his side.
…
Connie kept her eyes on Jason as she swung her purse over her shoulder.
"I'm going home, Jason," she said softly. "You should go too."
"You go ahead," Jason replied absently. "I'll stay with Sue a little while longer."
"Jason," she protested firmly, "it's 8 p.m.!"
"That's fine," Jason said.
"Jason," Connie shot back, her green eyes serious. "You haven't been listening to anyone ever since Sue got sick, even the doctor. It's time to go home and get some sleep so you won't have to be in bed all tomorrow when you could be with Sue."
She had succeeded. Jason released Sue's hand and stood up. "You're right," he sighed. "I'll go home."
"I think Sue's waking up," Connie pointed out. "Tell her first."
"Jason?" Sue whispered. "Connie?"
"We're here," said Connie.
"How are you feeling, Sue?" Jason asked.
"Better," she replied weakly, coughs following.
Jason smiled. "I have to go now, Sue," he told her. "But I'll come back tomorrow morning, okay?"
"Okay," the twelve-year-old girl answered, coughing and closing her eyes.
"Come on," Connie urged Jason.
"It'll be good to get in bed," sighed Jason, following her.
…
Jason was awakened that night by the phone on his nightstand. His hand absently reached for it and pressed the button.
"Hello?" he answered sleepily. "Yes…" Jason was wide awake now. "What?! I'll be right over!" He rolled over to the edge of the bed and got up so fast he almost fell on the bed. He was grabbing random clothes from the closet when the phone rang a second time.
"Hello?" he replied.
"Jason, it's Connie," said the voice on the other end. "Sorry to call you at 2 a.m., but I couldn't sleep. I decided to go to the hospital to be with Sue, and I wanted to know if you were coming."
"Yeah," Jason said hurriedly, fear choking his voice. "The hospital just called. Sue's a lot worse, and they asked me to come right away. So meet me there…right now?"
"Right now!" Connie agreed, hanging up.
Jason slammed the phone on the nightstand and sat down again on his bed. He put his head in his hands and implored, "Oh, God, please don't let Sue die!"
~TBC~