Chapter Forty
"Lets go." Ashlee grumbled as she switched yet again from one foot to the other. They had been standing outside of Eliot's for the better half of ten minutes with no answer from inside.
"I don't see why he wouldn't be here.
I told him I was coming this weekend." Aaron spoke distractedly as Nate's voicemail once again went off in his ear.
"Maybe they had an appointment." She spoke optimistically as she leaned against the rail.
"But the whole house is empty?" He knew the other two were staying with Eliot and his feelings were starting to become wary.
"People have lives Aaron. Come on.., we'll come back later." It wasn't like lurking on the porch was doing anyone any good.
"You think something happened?
What if he ended up in the emergency?" By most peoples standards it was still early and that just set his nerves all the more.
"Tell you what..." She started down the stairs and nearly had to pull him with. "If after breakfast you still haven't heard anything we'll call the hospital for patient information.
"Alright," Aaron relented as he pulled his door open. "but I don-" His words stopped at the sounds of tires behind him.
"Who's that?" Ashlee wondered as she peered into the car that had just pulled up on the other side of theirs.
"Friends of Eliot." Aaron barely offered as Hardison opened the door and he questioned, "Where's my brother?"
"Well good morning to you too." Hardison spoke with annoyance as he walked around the car.
After the amazing night he and Parker had created the last thing he wanted was to come home and get hounded.
"Good morning." Ashlee waved despite the sarcasm.
"Ashlee that's Hardison and she's Parker." Aaron introduced as he glanced into the car where she was still stuffing something into a bag.
"Ashlee," Hardison offered a more honest greeting this time and he was met with a warm smile. "Anyway like you was asking..."
"Eliot isn't here." Parker blurted as she pushed her door open.
"Well that much I figured." He didn't know how Eliot dealt with these two, he barely knew them and they were nearly sitting under his skin. "But do you think you can manage to tell me where he is?"
"Do you hear that?
It's gotta run in the family." Hardison shared with Parker as he took in the similarities between Aaron and his brother.
"Hardison!" If there would have been a dammit in front of that he would have sworn up and down that Eliot said it and honestly that little thought unnerved him.
"Yesterday he went back to the hospital."
"Damn it!" Now that was just spooky.
"Is he alright?" Ashlee too had come around to join them.
"It's Eliot" Parker had taken on an 'are you stupid' tone so Hardison cut in. "He's gonna be fine."
"I wanna go see him." Aaron announced to Ashlee. The plan had been for her to drop him off and then she'd go her own way but it hadn't exactly gone that way.
"Aaron I'm starving." In the very least he could let her stop somewhere first.
"You can eat at the hospital." Sure they had said Eliot was fine but he wanted to see for himself.
"I'd rather eat my shoe." Her voice was dead, flat, and serious.
"Girl's got good taste." Hardison joked but apparently he was the only one that found it funny. "Listen," It was probably best to move on. "I was going over there anyway so how 'bout I just give you a ride and that way she can.. hey.. you know what.." He turned to Parker as an idea sparked. "Parker how about you go with and get everybody somethin' and that way we'll all just meet back in El's room."
"Sounds good to me." Neither Parker nor Aaron looked thrilled with that plan but Ashlee's words sealed the deal.
"Lets get going then." Aaron had to wait for Parker to grab her bag from the seat but as soon as she did he was placing himself in it.
It wasn't until the men were gone that Ashlee was asking, "You ready?"
A devious smile broke out on Parker's face as she waved her sack. "I just got to put this in the house first."
"Alright" Ashlee followed Parker up the stairs where she automatically dropped to her knees. "You forget your keys too!" It was obvious she was going to start looking for a spare. "I do it all the time! I swear Aaron's about ready to kill me for it."
"Hinnh" Parker huffed as she pulled a pin from her hair, this one was adorable. "Keys"
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As a courtesy Hardison knocked on the door but it wasn't worth much as he barged in before the announcement could alert anyone.
He was expecting to see a variation of the sight he had the last dozen times he'd walked into Eliot's room but this sure wasn't it.
Eliot and Nate were in a tangle of limbs on the bed fast asleep and for a man who barely slept and another who was always first up that was just weird.
"We should probably go." He felt like an intruder as he turned his head from the sight.
"I ain't leaving." Aaron stood at the base of the bed trying to decide if he'd wait for Eliot to wake or wake him.
It was with a deep breath and a short pause that he let out an, "Eliot get your ass up!"
Hardison kept awkwardly to the side as Eliot's eyes snapped open and Nate nearly fell off the all too small bed. "What the fu.." Eliot didn't bother with finishing that thought as he rubbed at an eye with one hand and pushed his hair back with the other. "Damn Aaron.." Nate removed himself from the bed and he situated himself in it. "What's wrong with you?"
"Me? With the way you keep on visiting this place you might as well rent out the room!" Aaron shoved his brothers feet out of the way as he settled on the bottom of the bed. "I mean honestly, I get to your place this morning just to find you ain't even there. You weren't kidding when you said he could find enough trouble on his own."
Only after a significant pause did Nate realize Aaron was talking to him but he barely acknowledged it as he walked straight past Hardison and into the bathroom.
The sink was quickly made use of as he tried to wake himself with the cold water.
After Eliot's confession last night the conversation only deepened and it couldn't have been more than two hours ago that they'd actually gone to sleep.
They hadn't just talked, they had shared, and as much as he had learned about Eliot; Eliot now knew about him.
For the 30+ years Eliot had layed out for him he had returned them and a decade and it had actually been therapeutic.
Long ago he had started packing away the skeletons, had vowed to take that bag of bones to the grave, yet last night he had trusted someone enough to share most of them; had someone trust him enough to do the same.
A yawn escaped as he began searching for soap.
In all honesty he wanted to kick everybody out and go back to sleep and if it was just Hardison he would but Aaron was out there so instead he settled for wetting hair that was stubbornly sticking up.
"And I told you I ain't dealing with that right now!" Eliot's angry words greeted him as he stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later.
"I can't believe you two managed to make things worse!" Aaron's words were just as heated and they effectively let Nate know that Sarah was the subject.
"It ain't your business Aaron."
"I'm not that little kid anymore Eliot.
I've got the right to an opinion, especially about this!"
"You're right..." He hated this.
Sarah had been the same exact way when he'd been fighting with Aaron about his recklessness. "you're not a little kid anymore. So don't you think it's about time you stop looking at everything like it's so black and white?"
You could tell the words didn't sit well with Aaron but he held his tongue. "I'm gonna go help your friend with the coffee." With that he left.
"I shouldn't have said that." He threw his head back with frustration.
"Maybe he needed to hear it." Nate felt bad for him. He knew first hand how brutal it got when family started to gang up on you and he honestly felt sorry.
"It isn't his fault." It was no secret that he had a short fuse and it only got shorter with annoyance which unfortunately left him blowing up on Aaron.
"Well it isn't yours either." It had become quite clear that the Spencer family as a whole was hot headed, hot tempered, and stubborn to boot.
"Don't go there Nate." He knew Nate knew damn well how he felt about that and he wasn't in the mood to listen to that particular lecture.
"Alright" It was easily shrugged off as he moved to get the bag he'd brought with. "You want to change?"
"I want to leave," but he knew it wasn't an option so he reached behind himself to untie the flimsy gown from his neck instead.
"Shorts or pants?" Smart thinking would have had him packing an outfit for himself but the thought hadn't even come close to his mind.
"Pants"
"Long sleeve white or short sleeve blue?" Nate moved his bag as Eliot swung his legs over the side of the bed and started the tedious task of getting his pant leg over his booted foot.
"Both" His muscles were stiff from not using them and his joints sore from being pushed while damaged.
"You cold?" Lasting effects of the fever was the only reason he could think of for wanting to wear layers in the heat they were seeing.
Eliot didn't answer him as he came across the dilemma of getting a shirt on with an IV. "How are you.." but Nate didn't need to finish the question as Eliot simply pulled the device out and gave him his answer. "I can't believe you just did that." In all actuality he could but he still shook his head at it as Eliot reused the tape to cover a now bloody spot.
"I can't believe I'm still here." He was peeved as he took the second shirt and pulled it over his head.
"We'll be gone soon enough." The sooner the better for him but he didn't want Eliot to feel like he was in any way being rushed.
It was no surprise that Nate was right behind him as he stood and started to the bathroom. "You know I haven't spent this much time in Oklahoma since I left the place nearly 20 years ago."
"Is that a good or bad thing?" Nate had his own thoughts about that as he leaned against the doorway but he wanted to hear Eliot's.
Lets see there." Eliot spoke sarcastically as he pulled his toothbrush from his mouth. "The first time I see my parents in over a year and I lay their dirty laundry out for everyone to see in less than a day. Then, and on the same day may I add, I get my ass hit by a car." He knew there was still unresolved guilt about that. "Now look at all of this with Sarah."
"In the very least you can say the air's clean again." It was a pathetic reassurance but humoress none the less.
"Get out of here." He was glad Nate could be amused as he pulled the door closed cause he sure wasn't.
Maybe the air was clear but it sure wasn't helping the situation.
He felt bare.
There was nothing left to claim as his own, nothing to hide behind when things got rough and it left him with a horrible feeling of vulnerability.
Sarah wasn't talking to him which whether he wanted to believe it or not would eventually lead Aaron to do the same and now Nate had the puzzle figured.
He didn't need forever anymore because he now knew what made Eliot Spencer tick.
Mystery solved.
He was going to get bored and find something new.
They were all going to leave him and once again he'd be all alone.
Nate didn't love him.
Sure he thought he did but it was really the secrets that he loved.
Eliot knew that.
He was okay with that but now that they were gone Nate was going to go looking for a new challenge... or turn back to an old one.
Aka Sophie.
She still had the charm of the unknown and that left him without work and the team too.
Pretty soon he was going to lose everything.
Again.
"Eliot you okay in there!"
"Fine!" He looked into the mirror and he didn't know the man looking back at him.
One thing he did know though was that he wasn't fine.
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"Hey Jordan!"
"Torlyn?" He was surprised to see the man in the cafeteria, he was usually locked up in his office until noon.
"I was wondering if you'd be a second set of eyes?" And just like that a decent sized file was nearly dropped in his plate.
"What am I looking at?" Flipping through the sheets showed records of about two dozen fresh injuries but they could be for just about anything.
"That hit and run victim I was telling you about, Spencer Elliott."
"All I'm seeing is broken bones, sutures, and dislocations. It's rooky stuff." Jordan honestly couldn't see why his opinion was needed.
"Except it isn't." Sean Torlyn then proceeded to open the Elliott file to the cranial section. "When he first arrived I nearly lost him to a coma."
"Well brain trauma can do that to a person." Jordan had to dig out his glasses to read further into things but he knew Sean knew that.
"That's just it though, I had multiple scans done.
I double checked my double checks just to get his brother off my back and I found no trauma to the actual brain. The swelling is new."
"How long between the initial impact and the swellings appearance?" The more he read and listened the more he understood. They were looking at effect without an apparent cause.
"Five weeks."
"What about the knee?" It was quite possible that him having swelling in multiple locations was more than coincidence.
"There hasn't been any improvement but I can't say with certainty if that's because things are worsening or because he's abusing the joint."
"Stubborn is he?"
"I don't think the man knows the definition of rest." Of course Jordan could laugh at it, it wasn't his patient.
"Is he here now?"
"I admitted him yesterday which is another thing.
His last eval I got an ultrasound done to chart the progress of kidneys that had been bruised and they looked to be shaping up well.
Then yesterday morning I get woken by a call saying I needed to come in because one of my patients is having some serious temperature spikes and that's when I come to find out he's got a kidney infection." His progression was beginning to feel pointless.
"Any bacterium in the blood?" Jordan was quickly becoming intrigued by the seeming mystery.
"No but it sure came close." Hopefully Jordan had an idea or two because he was running out.
"Scratch splitting it three different ways.
What happens if you look at the infection as a symptom instead of a diagnosis?"
"It would have to be bacterial then but that's already been ruled out." He had blood analysis to prove that.
"The infection, headaches, fevers, swelling, vomiting.
What if they're all symptoms of something more." He'd lost interest in his breakfast so he stood to discard it.
Dr. Torlyn lifted his file as he followed Jordan. "But what?" Ironically enough the brain swelling was what he was least worried about. "You name it I've ruled it out."
Jordan held the door open as they entered the hall. "I've got some time." and his interest was peaked. "Lets go take a look."
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"So I'm following this guy all over the place and you can tell he's gettin' madder by the minute."
"Mad? He was seconds away from sluggin' you!" Eliot added to his brothers story.
The mood had lightened with the girls' arrival and they were now spread out with their assorted breakfasts.
"True but I was just as close to doing the same."
Eliot laughed.
Hard, and though he knew it would annoy Aaron he soon shared why. "The man was a good 250 and at least 6' 2. You would have been good, gone, and dead."
Ashlee shook her head at the indignant look that crossed Aaron's face but it was soon shrugged off as he continued. "So he's gettin' riled, I'm ready to murder the man, and what does Eliot do?"
Parker opened her mouth with a suggestion but Eliot quickly spoke over it. "I started whistling." The last thing he needed was Parker suggesting murder or something worse and scaring Ashlee right out of the family.
"Doo-dah none the less but it gets that jerk to turn around and right when he does.."
"El decks him." Hardison threw in as he tried to sum a story that he figured would end in much the same way as the other tales of men that peeved Eliot.
"That's what you'd think, hell that's what I thought was gonna happen but it didn't.
No, he goes and as quiet as a mouse he tells him-"
"Story time's over." Nate was the one to burst everyones bubble as he caught sight of the door beginning to open.
"I see everyone's here this morning." Dr. Torlyn's words were friendly as they entered the room.
"I'll see you later man." Hardison bid as he stood to leave.
He had been close to excusing himself anyway in favor of some sleep. "Come on Parker."
"But I want to know what he said."
"I'll tell you when you get back." Eliot was amused with her whine, in all honesty the story's end wasn't all that great.
"Alright" Her mood brightened as she remembered what was waiting for her at the house and soon Hardison was the one following her out the room.
"Spencer this is Dr. Jordan Zavarez." He introduced as he watched a petite blonde begin to pick up after what had been their morning meal.
"Doc," Eliot nodded.
His own doctor was staring between the other two and he figured it best to introduce them before someone said something to contradict the web they had weaved. "You know Nate, then that's Aaron and his girl Ashlee." He didn't see the need to say brother, if you had eyes that little fact was more than obvious and if they couldn't see it.. well Lord help him.
"It's nice to meet you." Ashlee shook both their hands and it left Eliot believing that Aaron had truly found himself a real Southern Belle.
"We're gonna get out of the way too but I'll be back around tomorrow.
I'm gonna call tonight though and you better answer." Aaron barely threatened as he grabbed the bag Ashlee had filled with their used cartons.
She waved and he gave what Eliot supposed to be a warning look before they too were gone.
"So, how are we doing so far today?" Sure he seemed up and coherent but after how he entered yesterday Sean wanted to make sure it wasn't simply a false bravado.
"Good"
"Now how are you really doing?" Jordan who had moved to the other side of the bed asked as he held up IV tubing that he was positive should still be connected.
"How long has that been out?" Dr. Torlyn was already collecting supplies to fix it as he asked the question.
"I didn't notice it was." Nate was suppressing a laugh and he felt like telling him to shut up.
So maybe he'd forgotten there was more than saline in that drip but he hadn't exactly been reminded either.
"If your infection worsens and bacteria gets in the blood stream we'll be-"
"I'll pay better mind." He was not about to get lectured, especially not about something he already knew.
"Open" Like it wasn't bad enough he had one sticking him, the other was stuffing a thermometer at him and he was starting to feel like a lab rat. "So I heard you were having some trouble with that knee."
He had thought Torlyn lacked bedside manner but Zavarez made him look like a cheery ole lad. "You ever hurt it before?"
Eliot shook his head, it wasn't like he could say something even if he wanted. "No sprains or old sports injuries?"
He glared as the thermometer was pulled from his mouth. "No nothing serious."
"101.3? Any chills or head pains?"
In all honesty he hated this guy, and Nate for just sitting there.
Any other time he was all over Torlyn but apparently Zavarez got free rein. "Yes"
"To both?"
"YES!" Now he knew he hadn't stuttered the first time.
"Is it another of those headaches?" Dr. Torlyn questioned as he finally seemed to kick it back in gear.
"It's been near constant for close to three days now." If it was up to him he'd be out but these guys were the ones in charge of making that happen so he'd tell them what they wanted to know.
"Any recent head trauma?" He could feel the lump but Jordan wanted to see how honest this Spencer's answers were.
"A few nights ago I fell from the bed." He was getting angry.
The way Jordan was going over his head he felt like he was being checked for fleas.
"That explains the headache."
"No it doesn't!" He looked to both Torlyn and Nate but apparently they were opinionless. "The headache was there before I hit my head and to be honest whicha ya ain't helping it any!"
"Ehh, we'll see about some aspirin."
It was quite obvious Eliot was about to kill him and apparently Dr. Torlyn picked up on that too because he cut in by asking, "Have you eaten anything yet?"
"Not since Tuesday." Seeing as it was now Saturday the three disapproving looks he got weren't all that surprising.
"How about the vomiting?
Did that nausea treatment help any?"
"It's been working pretty well. I haven-"
"Can I ask a quick question?" Nate had been sitting to the side silently observing since their arrival but Eliot knew that look, he'd caught on to something during that time.
"Of course." Dr. Torlyn answered with a false ease.
He'd only known Nate for a little over a month but that was enough to know this question wouldn't be quick.
"What are you really looking for?" Nate's words had Eliot's attention piqued.
"Excuse me?" He knew it.
"Oh come on! You say it's a kidney infection and I believe you there, I really do but your questions so far haven't even wandered toward the general direction of kidney progression. Then you got Zavarez over there.." The man was looking at him with distaste but that was alright because the feeling was mutual. "who's obviously your second opinion but what's with the consult to begin with? What aren't you seeing?"
"Alright, I'll lay it to you straight." He was learning more about how well versed Nate was as the days went by and it was nearly as annoying as the man himself. "I've been counting but things just aren't adding up Spencer."
"Care to explain." Eliot didn't seem to know how he felt about that but Nate's opinion was clear enough for them both.
"If I had an explanation I would."
"What now?" Eliot's measured words broke through bringing focus back to him.
"We'll get some urine analysis done and I'll go back through and make sure I've covered base but right now we're going to worry about the basics." Their looks were questioning as he picked up his chart. "Breakfast. I'm not going to waste all my time on trying to fix you up if you insist on starving to death.. and if I remember correctly there's a finger over there I still need to unwrap."
Nate was still staring accusingly and Spencer had proceeded to pick at said finger.
Jordan was standing there uselessly with his nose buried deep in the Elliott medical file and he took a second to get a grip on the situation with a deep breath. "I promise we'll figure this out."
"Well it was nice meeting you." Dr. Zavarez offered simply as if they hadn't been in the middle of a serious conversation.
"If only I could say the same." Dr. Torlyn promptly steered Jordan out of the room before Nate's words could stir trouble.
"Well what did you think?"
"That guy's a real piece of work."
"About the case Jordan!" Sean reminded as he leaned against the wall.
Nate wasn't that bad once you got used to his particular brand of insult.
"Personally I think the car accident is a reasonable representative of his symptoms."
"Are you kidding me!" If he wanted that kind of answer he would have gone to Carter.
"Sean it's only been a month. Don't go looking for more when you've yet to make enough time to fix what's broken." He'd estimate another two months before things started getting back to normal for that guy.
"And exactly what course of treatment do you suggest I start with no diagnosis?" Others might be okay with it but he had never sent a patient away just because he didn't have the answer and he wasn't about to start now.
"Start by what's in front of you.
Drain the hematoma, flush the kidneys, and give it a few weeks.
If things still aren't looking up after that then that's when you start thinking outside the box."
The rest of Zavarez's words were tossed as he focused on the last three, he needed to think outside of the box.
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"Eliot?" The silence that settled was beyond eerie. "Are you alright?" He was absently pulling and playing with the band on his wrist which let Nate know his mind was occupied.
"I've been banged up before.. it's nothing new." Except what Nate was hearing as he sat next to him was new.
"The bruising and the breaks, it seems like I'm always walking around with one or the other and I'm okay with that.
It's fine by me because I know where it came from.
This whole situation is a mess but I'm good with it because I know what happened.
I was hit by a car and yeah it sucks but it's alright.
But now they're tellin' me that some of this might not be from that accident."
Even though he didn't want to name the emotion in Eliot's eyes he still recognized it. "They're sayin' that there's something wrong and they don't know why.. and that ain't alright Nate."
He wouldn't claim Eliot as such but he'd proudly say it about himself, he was scared.
They all had to deal with the fact that Eliot was injured, it hadn't been the easiest but they had done it.
He was injured and needed time to heal, they had accepted that and had put time aside for him to do it.
Injury was the name of the game but suddenly some doctor wanted to change it to illness.
Hugs weren't for him but that didn't stop him from pulling Eliot into one as he placed a chaste kiss atop his head.
His everything revolved around Eliot being hurt, plans and all but now those had to change.
Apparently Eliot was sick and in all honesty it scared the hell out of him. "It will be."
E/N: Ya'll it's been way too long but hopefully the size makes up for the wait :)
Can you guys believe that were about a day away from the start of this journey?
Yup a year of this craziness has passed and I'm still lovin' it!
That also means that my birthday's coming up so I'll probably post a celebratory chapter for my twin!
Ya'll let me know what you think.