Chapter Three
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'Something isn't right,' Connie said, glaring at the chart in front of her. 'There's no tumour, no fracture, no mets.' She glanced at Ethan, who was lying fast asleep in bed. 'He's certainly unwell. Inflammation is showing up in his bloods. He's lost weight, he's suffering from fatigue. I can't find any sign of cancer. Lung function is a little low, but not enough to be of major concern. I'm getting Serena to come and give him a look-over.'
'He's comfortable, at least.' Alicia said, trying to stay positive. It was hard. She'd cried in the car while eating her lunch. 'The MRI's in an hour. He's still mobile.'
'For how long, though.' Connie ran a hand through her hair, and sighed. 'He's not going to improve until we figure this out.' She checked his vitals, and frowned, again. 'He's quite warm. I want obvs every hour, please.'
Alicia nodded, her eyes showing how nervous she felt. 'David's taking him down for the MRI?'
'Jacob. David's shadowing Lofty today.' Connie replied. She took Ethan's temperature. 'I'm going to give Serena a call. You go back to cubicles, I'll get the obvs sorted. I'll keep you informed.'
Serena Campbell was the clinical lead on AAU, Holby's acute admissions unit. It was a place only slightly calmer than the ED, but tended to get more interesting cases, often sent up by Connie's team. She came down, and saw the look on Connie's face. 'If you want to transfer him, then we've got a bed free.'
'No, thank you, though. I'd rather keep him here, at least until we know what's going on.'
'Let's take a look, then. It's Dr Hardy, isn't it?'
'Ethan,' Connie said. She was only a few years younger than Serena, but felt strangely juvenile. Why couldn't she work it out?
'Ethan.' Serena said, kindly. She lead the way into the room, and picked up the clipboard. Connie laid her hand on Ethan's forehead, and murmured.
'He's a little feverish.' Connie carefully rolled the blankets back off her patient, in an attempt to cool him back. Serena was still scanning the notes.
'Have you done a scratch test?'
'Pardon?'
'For TB. It's not common, but I wouldn't rule it out. TB of the spine. There's certainly something on that scan.'
'Pott's disease?'
'Possibly. I'll page Dr Shreeve, get one sent up.' Serena looked closely at Ethan. 'How long has he had the pain?'
'Cal thinks it's a while. It's got worse and worse, but Ethan's got a high pain threshold.'
'That makes this a bit more scary then,' Serena was honest, but kind. Despite the stress of the situation, Connie relaxed a little. 'Right. Morven is coming down now with it. He's sweating quite a bit.'
Ethan was having a bizarre dream, in which he couldn't seem to get out of the traffic by the roundabout and into work. Connie kept running up to his car and shouting, and then running back to the ED. It wasn't pleasant.
He woke up, shivering, soaked through with sweat. That was becoming a regular occurrence. 'Ethan?'
It took him less than half a second to remember out where he was. Hospital? He felt the itchy gown on his skin, and tried to roll over. 'Stay still! It's Connie, Ethan.'
He didn't know what to say. He opened his eyes, and reached for his glasses, blindly not knowing where he'd put them. He felt the smooth plastic ends, and realised he was being passed them. Sliding them on, he blinked, seeing Connie and someone it took him a second to remember. Serena.
'Hello.' He said, feeling awkward. Serena smiled; Connie looked more serious. His hair was sticking to his forehead, and his gown was damp.
'How are you feeling?'
'Hot. What did the scans say?'
'No fractures, tumours or metastases. It's not cancer, if that's what you're thinking, I'm almost certain of that. Anyway, I'm still running tests. Serena's come to give her opinion. Do you know Pott's Disease? That's one theory.'
'Spinal TB?' He looked unsure, but didn't say anything. 'Really?'
'It's possible. You've plenty of symptoms. There's something on the scan, and I can see kyphosis, but I need more time. We'll do the skin test for TB, and then we'll know more.'
A knock on the door announced the arrival of Dr Morven Shreeve, and with her, the scratch test. '48 hours,' she reminded him. His shoulders drooped. 'We'll know then.'
'Thank you,' Connie said, turning back to Serena. 'I'll authorise him staying with us until the results come back.'
'I can wait at home,' Ethan said, but already, he knew he wasn't going to be able to make it out of bed, into clothes, through the ED and during the journey home. Even going to the bathroom seemed pretty daunting.
'You're quite unwell, Dr Hardy,' Serena said, gently. Connie nodded. 'I'm happy to transfer you to AAU, but obviously the ED might be preferable.'
'I'd rather you were here,' Connie said, surprising herself and Ethan. 'I'd like to know how things are going.'
'In the meantime, I'm happy to look at any results that come in,' Serena picked up her handbag. 'Even if it's not Pott's. Staying calm, resting, it's all going to be helpful.'
Ethan nodded. Despite the fact he loved his job, right then, the idea that all he needed to do was close his eyes and sleep was a responsibility he felt able to undertake. He was still in pain, but it was dull and ebbing, rather than sharp. 'When is the MRI?'
'About half an hour. Your brother's finishing soon, he'll be able to grab you some toiletries and your pyjamas. Keep drinking, if you can, it'll help keep your temperature down.' Connie checked his temperature again, and felt some relief in that it had dropped by 0.4. 'Jacob's going to take you down. Until then, you've got the task of keeping quiet.'
He smiled. 'I think I can manage that.'
Dylan knocked, and then walked in. He was frowning, trying to make sense of some paperwork. Alicia followed him, looking nervous. 'Hello, Ethan. It's important we see if you're able to walk,' Dylan explained. 'It's alright if you're stiff. It's bound to feel a bit strange. I'm going to support you. We need to record it to show the ortho team.'
Ethan nodded, feeling a little unnerved. He looked down at his legs, and willed them to work. 'Alright.'
Dylan helped him to the edge of the bed, and he prepared to stand up. His feet touched the floor, but felt strange. He tried to take a step, but his knees buckled, and he grabbed at Dylan, as his legs gave way. 'Help!' he cried, trying to stay up. Dylan managed to catch him, but his hand hit against Ethan's back. He howled, his body going limp. Alicia screamed, and Dylan panicked, trying frantically to support Ethan. Alicia jumped forward, putting her arms under Ethan's, and stopping him from falling. Dylan took his legs, and managed to lift him back onto the bed.
'He's fainted,' Dylan said, flashing his torch into Ethan's eyes. 'Shout for a nurse to get Connie, now, please. Come on, Ethan,' he urged, taking his pulse. 'Come on.'
Alicia was trying not to cry. Connie sprinted in, her eyes hard. 'What the Hell happened?'
'Orthopaedics wanted to know if he could walk. Dr Munroe and I were here, he was perfectly safe,' Dylan said. He didn't look at her. 'He couldn't walk. When I caught him, I touched his back.'
Ethan's eyelids fluttered, and he began to become aware of the world around him. His back and knees were on fire, and his stomach was churning. 'Going to be sick,' he croaked, and Dylan was fast enough to turn his head to the side. Connie very gently rubbed his upper back, as he coughed and spluttered.
'My office.' She hissed at Dylan. Ethan had finished being sick, and she carefully moved him back. 'Dr Munroe, will you stay with him, please? I need to speak with Dr Keogh.'
Alicia realised she wasn't the only tearful one when the other two had left. 'Hey,' she said, catching Ethan's hand and squeezing it. 'You're going to be alright, Ethan. Come on.'
'I can't walk,' he said, his breath shuddering. 'What do I do?'
