Go Baby Grow

Chapter 2 – Let It Out

Same day as Chapter 1

Amelia stood at the ER desk with an enormous smile on her face. She had woken up that day in an exhilarated mood. Perhaps I cried all the tears out, she giggled to herself. As long as she didn't read more of the USNA Parent Manual, she was convinced she'd be steady and chipper. Facing the idea of Ryder leaving was heart wrenching enough. Admitting that his time at the Academy would be as intense and challenging as the manual described was beyond her abilities for now.

"I sent a text to him this morning," she laughed as she, a nurse, and a patient intake coordinator chatted. "I wrote Received stuff from Academy. Let's talk. The rotten kid hasn't responded at all. What do you suppose that's about?"

"He hopped on that motorcycle you and Chief love so much and is headed to Mexico… Or maybe he's hungover," the nurse teased.

"Yep, passed out. Moving slow," the coordinator taunted.

Alex, who had overheard the chatter whether he wanted to or not, chimed in with a sneer, "Dude, you wrote Let's talk? Really? The kid's avoiding you. If I received that, I'd run. 'Let's talk' is almost always trouble."

"What?!" Amelia snickered as her eyes squinted and her brow hung lower.

Letting out a sound somewhere between a snort and a scoff, Alex elaborated, "You told him you had mail from his dream world, right? Then you threw down THE Mom phrase. The words that mean there's a problem."

"You're too much," Amelia chuckled. The nurse and intake coordinator busied themselves in paperwork. Knowing Amelia might glance their way for reassurance, they didn't want to meet her eye. If they did, they'd admit that Alex was correct. Amelia continued, "I wrote what I wrote. You're overanalyzing it. Ryder doesn't overanalyze."

"So you feel better about the he's on his bike headed to Mexico theory?" Karev pushed.

"I didn't say that," Amelia responded flatly.

"Oh my," the nurse gulped. Everyone followed her gaze toward the ER doors. Owen was walking in with Molly and applying pressure to her head. His face, so seldom displaying panic, was filled with fear. Howling at a high pitch, Molly's presence was immediately known by all in the ER.

"What's open?" he called out as if he was on duty. Lissa followed him and pushed the stroller with the two tiny, sleeping newborns in it. Her face was a mixture of terror, post-partum exhaustion, and helplessness. Each breath held back her tears but weakened her resolve a tiny bit.

Alex glanced at the board, "Exam One. I'm right behind you." He hurried toward the room, concerned about Molly. Following close behind, Amelia headed the same direction.

"Owen?" Amelia asked. All she needed to say was his name with a certain inflection. He knew the one word and tone was crying out for an explanation. What happened? Why did you bring her here? Is she stable?

Frantically beginning a basic neuro exam now that the instruments were at his disposal, Owen updated Karev with bullets, "Cut head open on table, three episodes vomiting, high squeals began on way over. Pupils were uneven but reactive."

Overwhelmed, Lissa inhaled in small stages then exhaled little by little. She leaned against the wall, wanting to call out for answers but not knowing the questions to ask. Amelia, wishing she could squeeze her way into the swarm around Molly, put her hand on Lissa's shoulder.

"Liss…" she began slowly. She summarized their surroundings, giving words to Lissa's angst, "There's a lot of people taking a look, the way Molly cries will communicate information. High pitch has a different meaning than low pitch or slow breathy cries. There's a chair right here. Why don't you sit down?" While Amelia explained the scene, she neglected to share details. The high pitch scream, the vomiting Owen mentioned, and the uneven pupils were concerning.

Karev, working on Molly and overhearing Amelia countered the invitation, "Let's have Mom wait in the other room, please."

Shaking her head as though her neck was full of gears, Lissa moved it slowly and jerked it from spot to spot. "No… I can't leave her," she voiced softly but as insistently as she could muster. The shaking and unsteady sounds only made Karev more certain.

He glanced up at Lissa. Firmly and clearly, he summarized, "We've got her. I promise I won't leave her side. Jane," he summoned the resident, "step out with Mrs. Hunt please."

Compassionately, Jane put an arm behind Lissa's shoulder and nudged her out the door. Together, they sat in a private room usually used to share serious news with a family. Jane handed Lissa a cup of water. As if in a daze, Lissa muttered, "Nolan… my husband. He should be here."

"He's on his way?" Jane questioned, looking down at the sleeping babies.

"No. We haven't called him," Lissa reported blankly as she stared at the wall.

"How about if I find someone at the desk to reach him? What number should we call?" the resident queried. Lissa opened her cell phone and showed Jane the contact information. After jotting it down, Jane left the room momentarily to assign the task to someone.

Meanwhile, in the Exam Room, Karev attempted to keep his cool while Owen and Amelia were both infringing on his territory. Deep down, he wanted to shoo them away. Realistically, the chances of both Owen and Amelia leaving the room were minute. Alex knew he couldn't focus deeply on Molly's needs and argue with Owen about being in the room simultaneously, so Papa and Gamma stayed put.

"She needs a CT," Karev declared clearly. "I'll take her up. Maybe you guys can go check on Mom?"

"I'm a Board Certified Neurologist and Neurosurgeon. If she has a subdural hematoma, I want to study the images," Amelia barked.

"I'll go," Owen offered reluctantly. Exhausted from assessing and bringing Molly to the ER, sitting down was a welcome option. He wasn't sure he wanted to watch the monitor slowly display the images – standing there and waiting would be torture.

XXXXXXXXX'

"Blondie…" Nolan groaned as he answered the so-called emergency call. He knew that losing his temper about the interruption would not serve any positive purpose. Then again, not honing his analysis on the gate delays would impact the airline's bottom line.

"Mr. Tremblay Hunt, my name is Jane. I'm a doctor who works with your parents," Jane began.

"Did something happen to them? Who's hurt?" Nolan snapped. The hospital would not call unless there was a serious situation.

"Dr. Karev is with your daughter. Your wife…"

"Is my wife there? Let me speak to her," Nolan insisted firmly.

Jane handed Lissa the phone. Sounding detached from reality, Lissa began speaking as soon as the phone reached her head. "Come down here, Trems, ok? Just come," she begged without providing detail.

"What's going on, Larissa? Who's hurt?" Nolan asked evenly, hoping to keep Lissa engaged.

"Molly. Hit her head. Lots of blood. Your dad rushed to help. Come be with me," she sputtered in half sentences and was in a daze.

Owen entered the tiny room and hunched Nolan was on the line. After whispering to Jane to confirm, he nodded and requested the phone from Lissa. She held it up for him without moving her gaze. Before speaking to Nolan, he covered the mouthpiece and quietly instructed Jane, "Let's get a chaplain or social worker down here pronto." Jumping up, Jane left the room with the goal of fulfilling Owen's command.

"Nolan, it's Dad," Owen began.

"What the hell is going on, Dad?" Nolan questioned. His voice cracked slightly as he yearned for news.

"Molly hit her head. She's conscious and crying – both are hopeful signs. She is also displaying a few signs of a pediatric concussion so we're checking her out. Mom and Karev are with her in CT. We should have answers shortly," he reported. "Should I have someone come pick you up?" Right after he asked the questions, a social worker came in. Owen nodded once and motioned toward Lissa as he heard Nolan's confident response that he could drive safely.

The social worker introduced herself and stated, "I understand your baby is in CT." Lissa nodded without making eye contact. To the untrained eye, she seemed vacant, distant and blank. However, the social worker understood that her flat affect was a certain sign of an overwhelmed Mama who would not allow herself to break down.

"Can I sit with you while we wait for results?" the social worker inquired. Again, Lissa nodded. Grasping Lissa's hand, the social worker conveyed concern and empathy. Looking down at the joined hands, Lissa instantly broke into tears. Her sobs were such that her words were indecipherable. The social worker remained still and quiet, providing Lissa space to let down.

Briefly catching eyes with the social worker, Owen leaned his head toward the hall. She nodded, agreeing with Owen that his presence wasn't as necessary as it had been moments earlier. Leaning down and coming eye-to-eye with his daughter-in-law, Owen questioned gently, "Lissa, how about if I take the babies with me? Patricia would love to see them and we'll find you if they become hungry."

"Yeah… thanks," Lissa nearly moaned, clenching tightly to the social worker's hand.

"Nolan is on his way," Owen assured her. She nodded and let herself fall back against the back of the chair. She pulled her legs to her chest and grasped her arms around them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX'

Within fifteen minutes, Nolan managed to call Ryder, delegate his nearly-completed proposals, and arrive at the hospital. As he parked the Jeep, Ryder revved up beside him and stopped his motorcycle. Neither spoke and Nolan's eyes glistened. Just a bit taller than his older brother, the 'little' brother wound his arm around his 'big' brother's shoulders. Side by side, one holding the other up emotionally and proverbially, they entered the ER and headed directly to the room where Lissa waited. Being the Chief's family afforded them perks that allowed them to bypass the check-in desk and staff.

Nolan didn't think twice about his black slacks on the dusty hospital floor as he knelt down in front of his wife. He grasped her free hand and she reflexively let go of the social worker and grasped his other hand. With stunned silence, she stared into Nolan's eyes.

"Babe, everything will be fine. She's in excellent hands – hands that have saved her life before we ever knew she was our girl," Nolan recounted.

"I let her fall," Lissa stated without emotion.

"No. No, you didn't," Nolan insisted with gentleness. "You were right there. She monkeyed up the chair and nearly crashed onto the floor, but you stopped the chair from crashing to the floor. This isn't your fault, Larissa. You didn't do this."

With her bottom lip quivering, she fell into Nolan's chest and resumed crying. Ryder and the social worker quietly introduced themselves, and the social worker stood so Ryder could sit. With Nolan in front of her and Ryder beside her, Lissa was enveloped in love. One hand strayed toward Ryder blindly and squeezed his leg.

In a moment of levity, Lissa chuckled and asked through her tears, "Are you wearing leather pants?!"

Blowing air toward his forehead, Ryder incredulously replied, "Yeah. What about it?"

"They're leather," she laughed as she glanced at Ryder and then looked at Nolan. "Leather, Ryder Blake Hunt. Leather. Chose a look: bad boy on a motorcycle or hero pilot in the Navy." The three laughed together, coping by respite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Not knowing about the chaos at the hospital, Olivia sighed heavily and checked her phone for the time. Where is he?! She wondered. Owen had promised that he would pick her up from school and start teaching her how to drive. Having passed the permit test by the skin of her teeth, she'd made Owen promise that he would never reveal her score to her brothers. Following two gifted scholars was far from enjoyable for a girl who preferred to dance, sing, create, and wonder. Olivia's charming and captivating free spirit provided her with a unique identity that seldom had a need to compete with Nolan and Ryder. Since birth, she was the entertainer and performer. She was the flighty artist and bold dreamer. The one who happily lived as if walking on clouds.

Texting Owen for the second time, she became more desperate and whiny: Daddy? Remember? Driving lessons. You promised. I'm waiting for you. Did you forget me?

Owen had just left the twins with Patricia and other staff who wanted to admire the babies. In the elevator on his way to check on the status of the CT, Owen felt the indicator on his phone vibrate. He read Olivia's message and his shoulders sagged. With a frown, he closed his eyes and raised his hand to his face. What could he type in a text that would adequately cover the present situation? After a few attempts, he settled on, Emergency in ER. Didn't forget you Livs. Been trying to peel away. The elevator door opened and he hit 'send.' His words gave no instruction about who would pick her up, nor any clarity about how to proceed. Olivia noticed that immediately. Besides, his reply infuriated her. Wasn't she ever more important to him than that stupid hospital?

Pushing her fingers firmly on the phone screen, she typed out, Now what?

Just a minute, honey. BRB, Owen answered. He wondered momentarily if writing BRB was cool or completely ridiculous. Either way, he reasoned, she knew what it meant.

"What's the finding?" Owen inquired as he entered the CT booth where Amelia, Derek, Karev and Arizona studied the images. Seeing the number of doctors doubled caused his heart to skip a beat. Peering through the window, he saw Molly being held by a nurse. The instant Molly spotted him, she reached out toward him. While the experts conferred, Owen stepped to the doorway and received Molly in his arms.

"Don't let her fall asleep," Derek ordered. Owen nodded but took in a slow breath of concern. Derek wanted her awake to assess whether or not she was able to maintain consciousness. His method was one of many used to determine concussions in small children.

"Concussion?" Owen inquired as he rubbed Molly's head that rested on his shoulder.

"We're not sure. Likely not, but we need a clearer and closer image," Amelia detailed. "She became fussy and we had to stop."

Arizona turned to Owen with a sympathetic smile and soft eyes. "I know the waiting is troubling," she affirmed as if Owen were a patient and not a doctor. Sometimes even doctors needed to hear the basics.

"Any more vomiting?" Owen wondered aloud.

Shaking her head, Arizona's voice perked up and disclosed, "Nope and her fontanelles are amazing – no dents or deformities. She polished off a hefty snack without trouble. The key signs all point to hope." Reading out toward Molly and her papa, Arizona rubbed the babies back and stated the obvious, "The crying has calmed down, too. No more squealing."

Completely engaged in the analysis, Derek mentioned, "My call is observation overnight. Butterfly the lac, and repeat CT in two hours. If she's able to eat again in an hour, we can let her rest as long as she's monitored."

"Better to have her here," Alex agreed. "Just in case. Does she have special toy or a blanket? It'd help to have those here."

"We can run home and bring them back," Amelia reported factually, obsessed by the images. Clicking through the various slides and analyzing each one for the third time, she wanted to be certain nobody was missing a subtle sign of trouble.

Tilting his head and peering down at his granddaughter, Owen's soothing voice spoke to Molly. "Miss Molly, how about if Papa finds you some special bandaids for that owie?" He kissed the top of her head and announced to the others that he was taking her to the ER to butterfly the lac. Arizona suggested he meet them in Peds and headed off to formally admit Molly.