The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.
AN: I'm sorry for the delay. Between working every day, the holidays, and getting things ready on JBNP for the Leah spotlight in January, I just haven't had time to update like I've wanted to. Thanks for being patient. As soon as I get the next chap back from my pre-readers, I'll post it.
Relief. It was an idea Leah had forgotten about in the last 24 hours. A feeling that she didn't think was possible anymore in her life. Too many things had changed and she didn't know what the final outcome would be.
But her dad was going to be okay. He had survived a heart attack that could have been the end of his life, causing him to leave his family alone—even though his priorities had seemed wrong she understood now how torn he was. Caught between the tribe and his family; the secret he was charged to maintain.
"Where's Seth?" Sue asked.
"Umm…I think he's phased," she answered with a small frown. "Jared—I had him take Seth outside. He was close, mom."
Sue grimaced. "So, what next?"
Leah shrugged. Her first day as a wolf hadn't been normal. Not that you could define turning into a giant wolf as normal. But she got the idea from Quil's earlier conversation that after phasing you spent time training and learning the routine.
"The guys will work with him a bit. Get him calmed down and I'm sure he'll be here soon, Sue," Quil answered.
"You're sure?"
"Of course, your kids have strong wolf genes. Honestly, I think grandpa's wishing he had married a Clearwater instead of a Swan or made my dad marry you. I bet once he phased all that anger he had will be gone and before you know it, he'll be his sunny self."
"He's right, mom. I don't feel as on edge as I felt before. Jared said you need the anger to phase and the first one's always the hardest—it takes the most."
Sue nodded. Their conversation interrupted by a tech wheeling a cart with Harry on it. The man lying there looked so different from the person they had seen only a couple of hours ago.
His color no longer pale or ashen; instead it was a healthy russet-color with slight blooms of pink in his cheeks and lips. The light in his eyes present; though the clearness of them was ruined by the effects of the medications given during the procedure.
His first words confirming his acute intoxication, "Wasn't it Jared in Leah's bed this morning, not Quil?" His brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to remember the earlier events of the day.
"Dad!" Leah cried out exasperatedly.
"Harry," Sue chastised at the same time. "I hardly think this is the time to be discussing the particulars of who was at breakfast this morning."
"Humph. A man can't even know what's going on underneath his own roof now days."
Sue leaned over and kissed his forehead, "Not today you can't. Most important thing today and the next few is being stress free."
"Where's Seth?"
"He'll be here soon, dad," Leah promised and gave him a hug.
She watched as he winced a bit from her embrace, "Sorry, dad. I forgot that you'd be sore."
"It's fine, baby girl. Nothing a few days rest won't cure."
A throat clearing broke their family moment apart. Leah and her mom turned toward the door where a woman in ceil blue scrubs and a white lab coat stood. The two of them sat down on the folding chairs provided while Quil stood awkwardly in the corner.
"I think I'll leave for a few minutes. Maybe see what's keeping Seth, 'kay?"
"Thanks, Quil," Sue replied.
Quil left the room, closing the door softly behind him. They waited for someone to say something. The silence uncomfortable and Leah fidgeted. Her enhanced senses were tuned into her surroundings. The buzz of the fluorescent bulbs, hard-soled shoes clicking in the halls, drawers being slid open and closed, and the steady heartbeats and breathing of the room's occupants.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Kady. I was one of the physicians who performed Harry's heart cath. You must be his wife," she clarified with Sue, holding her hand out for Sue to shake.
"Sue," her mom replied. "And that's our daughter Leah. Our son Seth isn't here at the moment, but he should be soon."
"Of course, nice to meet you, Leah," Dr. Kady greeted, nodding her head once. "Harry, do you remember when we talked to you earlier?"
He shook his head. "Not really. Everything's fuzzy."
"That's usually a result of the medications we give you during the procedure. If it's alright with you—I'd like to re-discuss our findings and the interventions we performed."
"That sounds fine."
Dr. Kady walked over to a large white board that had a picture of the heart and blood vessels covering it. Using a marker, she began to talk, "Harry had very common blockages that we tend to see in patients who present with an acute coronary syndrome." She pointed to one vessel and drew a circle around it, "This was the smallest occlusion we found. It's the left coronary artery and it was 50% blocked. We did use a balloon to break up the plaque and then placed a stent to help the vessel stay open."
The three of them nodded in understanding and she continued by circling two other spots lower down on the same vessel but where it began to branch off. "These were two areas that were nearly blocked. The uppermost portion of the left anterior descending was 75% blocked and this lower area was 90% blocked. We used the same technique with a balloon and stents placement."
"You're very lucky to be alive, Harry," she explained as she turned back to face the three of them. "Had your daughter not have been as responsive in starting CPR and your wife with activating EMS; I believe we'd have a much different story. It's even more essential that we step-up what we're doing for you."
The spike of fear in the air made Leah wrinkle her nose. It seemed unpleasant feelings and emotions—smelled similar to how they felt. It made her wonder what the scent of joy or excitement was like.
"I see from your records that you've been on lisinopril and simvastatin for your blood pressure and cholesterol for four months now because of your heart attack and the stents we've placed; we're going to have to add a couple of more things. The first one we'll add is metoprolol—it's a heart protective medication and then we'll add some aspirin and clopidogrel to prevent you from having issues with a blockages forming in the stents."
"Wait," Sue interrupted. "Four months? He's been on medication for four months."
Dr. Kady clicked open the computer terminal and perused Harry's records. "Yes, it looks like it was started by Dr. Hill in early August. His blood pressure and cholesterol levels have been borderline for several years according to Dr. Hill's assessment and of course, there have been concerns about Harry's weight, diet, and activity, particularly after starting the medication."
Sue gazed at Harry and gave him a look. Leah cringed when she saw her mom's fierce gaze. It was a look she was familiar with and was glad it wasn't currently aimed in her direction.
"Harry? So, not only what we discussed last night, but your health, too? Neither of these things was important enough for me to know?"
Dr. Kady cleared her throat again, "While I understand your frustration, Sue. It's impossible to change the past; instead we must look to the future and how things will need to change. First off, Harry—you'll be here for at least two, if not three days. We need to make sure your blood pressure and heart rate are stable with the new medications. Secondly, I've ordered a dietician consult. Your heart disease puts you at more risks than just another heart attack—diabetes, stroke, kidney disease—are just a few. Lastly, cardiac rehab. They'll start working with you here in the hospital and you'll continue to come to outpatient therapy for the next few weeks, perhaps longer."
"Wow."
Leah's simple word summed it up. This was going to change more than just her dad's life—it was going to change everyone's. It was the only way to keep him motivated. If they couldn't support him; how would he be able to make these drastic changes?
"It's quite a bit to take in, but we don't expect everything to happen overnight. That's why we employ a team approach and use the same education manual so everything you need to know or could have questions about is in one place. Do any of you have questions?"
"No, I don't think so," Harry replied, looking to Leah and Sue for confirmation.
As she watched the doctor walk out of the room, she couldn't decide whether she was grateful that she wasn't alone anymore. She had phased along with her brother. Her mom now knew the truth about the pack. And then her dad's health scare meant major changes for his lifestyle. Adjustments were going to be happening in the Clearwater house whether they were ready for them, or not.
FF_8756144_22 12/29/12 1:51PM