A Series of Unfortunate Events

Chapter 38

Sharon hesitated. "Andy, I… I just haven't had much practice sharing the intimate details of my health or my life. I mean I've had to recently, but it doesn't come naturally… I've been alone a long time… Andy and if I recall you did the same thing to me a couple of years ago. I didn't find out the medicines you were taking were making you dizzy, until after you fell in the bathroom!"

"That's different," Andy said, unconvincingly.

"Yeah, right! How is it different? Because you're a man? That reason is invalid, Andy and you should know that by now. Let's face it, you didn't tell me because you didn't want to worry me, which is the same reason I didn't tell you!" Sharon said and closed her eyes, against the wave of dizziness that seems to crash over her like a wave in the ocean. She wavered.

Andy steadied her, holding her close. He kissed her on the temple, "Well, then I guess we're even. Come on, Sweetheart let's get dressed. You've got goosebumps on top of goose-bumps and we need to get going if you want to give the baby her bottle. You'll have time as long as we hurry getting dressed."

"How do you always know what I'd like?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I know you well enough to know how much you love that baby and how feeding her help to settle your nerves." She smiled at him, appreciating how well he knew her, and walked beside him into the bedroom but a feeling of panic was starting to grow inside of her.

She had sooo much on her mind. Stroh the wedding, these new and disturbing symptoms that kept happening. Nevertheless, she dried off and got dressed putting on black leggings, a red ¾ sleeve sweater, and black low heeled boots. Andy put black jeans and a red short sleeve collared shirt. Andy and Sharon loved to match their clothing. It made them feel connected to each other even though they weren't always able to hold hands or be physically close to each other. Before they went out to the main part of the house, Andy helped Sharon arrange her hair into a half up half down look with sides pulled back into a barrette and bangs that dangled at her temple. Once she had a little make-up on, they went into the living room. Sharon looked over into the kitchen area and discovered that Rusty was making a bottle for Livvie." Good morning, Rusty. Thank you, for taking care of Livvie for us."

Rusty turned and gave Sharon a hug. "Morning, Mom. Of course, I'm going to take care of my baby sister. She's my responsibility too. How are you feeling this morning?" He asked looking into her eyes carefully.

Sharon hummed noncommittally and shrugged, quirking an eyebrow and smiling ruefully. "I'm okay, Rusty. Thanks for asking," she said, and turned to the baby in her bouncy chair.

As soon as Livvie saw her she started to squirm and kick her legs. So, Sharon unsnapped the straps that kept her in the bouncy chair lifted her into her arms and cuddled her. She gave her kisses, swayed back and forth with her in her arms talking soft baby talk to her in spite of the fact that Livvie couldn't hear her because she knew she could feel, the vibrations. Andy stood close by her side to catch her should she become dizzy. She reached for the bottle wordlessly and after looking at Andy for approval and getting a slight nod, Rusty handed her the bottle. Sharon looked between the two men in her life and quirked an eyebrow at them. However she didn't say anything to them about "handling " her. She just didn't have the energy

With Andy's steadying hand at her back, Sharon walked over to the rocking chair next to the window sat down and began feeding the baby.

Once she was seated, Andy moved into the kitchen and poured some coffee for himself. Once he had drained the cup he rinsed it he put it in the dishwasher and then started gathering a glass of water and Sharon's medication box. It was mostly vitamins but there were a few other meds, one being a medication to help keep her calm during the MRI. It was a low dose, but the doctor felt it was necessary. Andy was pretty sure Sharon would balk at taking it. She was suspicious of any sedation drugs, after her experiences in Cathedral City.

Andy took the meds out of the slot that said Monday and held them in his hand and handed her the water bottle. After placing Livvie's empty bottle on the side table, Sharon adjusted the baby on her lap, sitting her up against her abdomen. Livvie had finished her bottle and only needed to be burped. Sharon held her in place with her forearm and took the meds from Andy, the ones she recognized, at least and swallowed them all at once and then drank the water. "You have one more left, Sweetheart."

"What is it?" She asked suspiciously.

"It's a Valium. It's a low dose and won't be in your system long, but Elizabeth feels it will help you get through the MRI and the blood tests."

"Andy, I don't want to take any medications that will take control away from me? Haven't we been through this enough, in Cathedral City?" Sharon's voice rose and brought the rest of the family out of their bedrooms.

Eileen took Livvie, who was starting to fuss because she sensed Sharon's upset. Before she stood up, she whispered in Sharon's ear. "Honey, don't shoot the messenger. Andy's only doing what the doctor ordered."

Andy moved forward and then squatted in front of her. "Honey, Elizabeth knows what you went through, she did come when we brought you back from the... from the medical center. She is just trying to help you avoid another panic attack. Don't you remember? You had one the other day when you had blood taken and it was Patrice taking it! She's gentle and you can barely feel it when she does it, you've said so yourself but that day, I thought you were going to come completely unglued. Your breathing was erratic and you went white as snow, and almost passed out. Which by the way is one of the reasons you're going through these tests today. Please, take the medicine, it's not going take control away from you, it will help you keep from losing control and will only be in your system for a couple of hours." Sharon hung her head, feeling defeated and ashamed for blaming Andy, for her doctor's decisions. She nodded and with great trepidation, she took the tiny pill and swallowed it with the bottle of water.

Andy stood up and kissed her on the lips. "Come on, Sweetheart let's go and get this over with. Then, I'll take you to breakfast before you see Dr. Joe."

Sharon nodded and stood up slowly. She kissed her family and started to leave. "Sharon would you like me to go with you and Andy?" Eileen asked.

Sharon turned to face her mother and smiled gently. "No, thank you, Mama. I would much rather know that you are in charge of Livvie, while Rusty is in class," she gave Rusty a look as if to say, 'yes, I expect you to go back to class.' Emily is also going to be out, signing up for the next semester at UCLA and Ricky is not all that baby oriented. He likes to hold her but as you've seen, he panics when she needs a diaper change," she said, chuckling at the memory of Ricky sitting holding Livvie on his lap and the look on his face when her face got red and sudden terribly rude noises came from her diaper. He had yelled "Ewwwwww, somebody help me!" As he held her away from him, arms straight elbows locked, hands beneath her armpits, dangling her straight out in front of him. Andy had rescued poor little Livvie and gone to change her, shaking his head and laughing at Ricky. Sharon had snort laughed as had her parents and she had started to get up from her comfortable place on the couch, to clean up the small dribbles on the floor. Rusty had told her to sit and rest, and he would take care of it. He had done so quickly, so as not to allow the smell to linger. Sharon shook her head as she remembered, and smiled.

"What?" Ricky asked rhetorically. "How can anything that disgusting come out of something sooo cute?"

"Oh, your messes weren't so rosy smelling either!" Sharon assured him. "You were as cute as a bug in a rug! In fact, I used to wonder the same thing. How could somebody sooo adorable, make something so disgusting," Sharon said holding his face in her hands bussing him on the cheek.

He bent down and gave her a kiss back. "Love you. Umm Mom? I.. .um, I could go with you?"

"No, thank you, darling. You need to be here for your grandparents. I'll be fine with Andy and um Patrice will be there." Sharon then turned carefully and took Andy's arm and they left

Andy saw to it that Sharon was seated in the car and then got in the driver's side and started driving. Sharon sat with her head back and her eyes closed, for most of the drive but as they got closer to the hospital her hands started to fidget. The closer they came to the hospital the more agitated the fidgeting became. Andy put his hand over hers and squeezed. Trying to give her comfort and support.

Finally, Andy parked and got out of the car. He went around to her side and opened the door. She didn't budge and he crouched down beside her. "Honey, the sooner we get in there the sooner we get it done and over with."

"Andy, I'm well aware of that, but... but I can't bring myself to get out of the car!" Sharon's voice was starting to tremble."

Andy rubbed Sharon's thigh gently. "Come on, Sweetheart."

"Andy! Are you not hearing me? I said I can't!" Sharon's voice rose into a shout as her body trembled.

He stayed calm knowing that the shouting was a manifestation of her extreme anxiety and that shouting back was not what she needed from him. "Talk to me, Shar. What's going on?" he asked gently.

"I'm... I'm scared…Andy! What if there's something wrong with me that can't be fixed? What if…"

"Sharon. We're not going to find out if we don't go in there. Look, no matter what, you're not alone! I'm with you, every step of the way and we'll deal with it together, whatever it is! You've been through a lot, Sharon in the last two months. There's bound to be some fallout from it, but listen, no matter what I won't let you out of my sight for one second. I promise and look, there's Patrice." Andy pointed towards the beautiful, leggy retired nurse, their friend, and wife of Sharon's second-in-command, Louie Provenza.

She was smiling, albeit with a look of concern. "Hey, what's going on? Is everything okay?" she asked, looking between the two of them.

"Hi Patrice, Sharon is… um… she's… having a... a moment," Andy said trying to not say anything that would be seen by Sharon as a betrayal of her situation. Sharon looked at him sharply but all she saw was a loving concern in his chocolate brown orbs. Her eyes filled with tears.

Having been present during the last panic attack, triggered by the sight of the needle when she, Patrice had come to the house to take some blood samples from Sharon for Dr. Evans. Patrice understood right away that Sharon was experiencing a PTSD moment. "Okay, Sharon tell me what you're experiencing right now, hmmm? What is it you're feeling? Explain it as if you were explaining the details of one your cases. Do you understand?"

Sharon nodded. " I... I feel like I can't get a deep breath, my eyes keep blurring, and sounds keep echoing in my ears. I fe... feel like I'm f... frozen. I can't m... move! It's as if there is an invisible cord wrapped around me. I try to tell myself to get out of the car, but my body won't cooperate and even if it did, I'm not sure my legs could hold me, even if I was able to stand up," her voice was tremulous.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do, Sharon. I'm going to go over there and get that wheelchair and bring it over. Just in the interest of safety, okay? We don't want you falling and hitting your head, we don't want Andy to have to try to catch you and maybe even lift you. I know that he did lift you and carry you out of the medical center in Cathedral city, but that doesn't mean he should have." With that statement, along with a rather pointed look in Andy's direction that made Sharon chuckle in spite of herself, Patrice went to get the chair and brought it over to Sharon's car. Andy lifted Sharon's legs out of the car and turned her so she was facing out towards him, then he put an arm around her and guided her into the chair. Her body was stiff with anxiety.

Sharon sat heavily in the chair and bowed her head, covering her face with her hands. Andy peeled her fingers away from her face. "Sharon, honey, there is nothing to be ashamed of. This is not your fault. You're experiencing a form of PTSD because of everything that has happened, especially the psych ward fiasco. Try to relax and we'll get through this together. Okay?"

Sharon nodded but when they got into the lab room and she saw Patrice assembling the vials for the blood she would be taking, the PTSD started to affect her again. She shook as Andy took her jacket off and she resisted any further attempt to get her clothes off. Her breathing became erratic and her vision became blurry. "Andy, stop! I don't want any… any… any. Oh my God! Oh, my!" She cried as she began to lose consciousness. Suddenly she passed out. Luckily she was already seated on a gurney.

Patrice instructed Andy to turn her so her head was resting on the pillow and her body was stretched out. "Sharon? Sharon, honey! Wake up," Andy said as he patted her hand. Patrice checked Sharon's vitals and rubbed Sharon's arm hard, attempting to rouse her. Failing that, she looked for and found some smelling salts and waved them under Sharon's nose. That didn't work either. Finally, she reached over and hit the call button for help. Almost instantly a doctor and nurse came in and started firing questions at them. Her name her age, what had happened before she fainted, and if she had any conditions they needed to know about.

Patrice explained the high points of what had happened to her recently and that Sharon was experiencing PTSD as a result of them and what had happened in the parking lot as well. After hearing the whole story, Dr. Jacobs went about shouting out orders for oxygen and an IV that he wanted her hooked up to, and tests he wanted to be administered and then seeing that Andy was planning to accompany his patient, attempted to make him leave but Andy stood his ground.

"Look, Doc, I may only be Sharon's unmarried partner to you but I am also her medical power of attorney and her sense of security. Also, I am her fiancé. So, I'm not going, you understand? I promised her I'd stay beside her and I'm not breaking my promise. You'll just have to accept that and work around me."

Dr. Jacobs who was the Attending Physician for the emergency room this morning, as well as the leading cardiologist for Cedars and surrounding LA area, narrowed his eyes and started to look mulish but after Patrice whispered in his ear he decided to concede. He explained his treatment plan to both Patrice and Andy since Sharon was still not really conscious enough to comprehend what he was saying. He again cited the tests that would be done and consulted with Patrice about meds that could be administered that wouldn't mess with Sharon's sensitive system too much.

While Sharon was unconscious the nurse that had accompanied Dr. Jacobs had stripped her of her clothes and put a hospital gown on her. She'd also catheterized her according to doctors orders so that a urine sample could be gotten since she was at the moment not in an emotional, physical or proper mental state to give them one voluntarily. As soon as that was done, Nurse Sara and Patrice wheeled Sharon towards the area where the tests would be administered.

Andy stayed by her side and as he stroked Sharon's hair he talked softly to her to keep her calm.

TBC...

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