It turned out that Louise had both mono and pneumonia. Of course, the doctor spouted off a slew of medical jargon but the short of it was Louise was very sick. Mono itself wasn't super dangerous though there were risks, but the added pneumonia and Louise's medical history. Things were looking a little bleak. Tina broke down almost immediately and Gene began to stim. Thankfully, Elliot had arrived by that time leaving Hans with his mom (Rupa had served as their surrogate.) It ended up falling on Zeke to break the news to Bob and Linda. They were still waiting for a flight. Linda said something about hijacking a plane and Bob had to loudly announce she was not serious.
Louise was in Intensive Care and only allowed two visitors for fifteen minutes at a time and there had to be a two-hour break between visits. It was Tina's turn. She sat in the small hard chair beside her sister's bed. Louise was intubated and had been placed in a medically induced coma to allow her body to heal.
"Louise, you have to fight this. We cannot lose you. I don't know where you are right now but if you see the light. You can get close enough to say hi to Benj, Grandma, and Pop-Pop but then you need to come back." Tina pleaded.
In a week Rudy's life had gone to hell. Losing everybody he cared about in a matter of hours. Sylvie was alive and well, but Chloe kept making up excuses when he asked to speak with her. He had spoken with his lawyer, but Chloe had managed to delay the hearing. Saying Sylvie was shaken up from her ordeal and needed time to recover before she went through such a hearing. Rudy kind of believed her but at the same time questioned why the hearing would be too much but being forcibly moved across the country wasn't an issue.
Louise was alive but not well. According to what Tina was posting on social media, she was very sick. Having been in intensive care for days now. Based on what Tina said Louise wasn't dying but things weren't looking super great for her either. He would give anything to see her but knew Tina would never allow it and since she was pretty much constantly at the hospital. It wasn't like he could just happen when she wasn't around.
"What did I do, Pancake?" Rudy slurred taking another swig from his beer.
Being pregnant with your fifth child was hard. Being pregnant with your fifth child and essentially living in the hospital was hard. Having your twenty-nine-year-old sister fighting for her life in intensive care was hard. Tina guessed she looked like shit because twice that day nurses had asked if it was OK for her to be out of her room. Bob and Linda were there trading off being in the hospital and resting at the hotel. Gene and Zeke were around as much as they could be, but Louise being sick was hard on Gene and they would get overwhelmed easily. Zeke could handle everything as well as to be expected, but he had to work. The retirement home needed their chef and school would be starting soon, Wagstaff needed their wrestling coach. Plus, somebody needed to be there for the kids. The twins visited when the more lenient nurses were on duty. They could pass for sixteen and the nurses would feign ignorance if questioned, but Mason and Lily were too young to pass. Gene had smuggled in their tablet a few times and allowed the younger Tisdale children to say hello via Zoom. Tina patted her belly a million times a day and wondered if the baby girl growing inside of her would be able to meet her aunt.
"I got the weekend guy to cover for me for lunch and dinner, and I got all the school stuff ready for now and I know how exhausted you are. How about you go home and get some real rest?" Zeke suggested.
"The nurses do keep thinking I am a patient, but I don't know. What if something happens…" Tina trailed off.
"I will call you right away if there is any change, but you need to rest. This bare minimum rest is not good for the baby." Zeke reminded.
"I know and I know mom or dad are here all the time, but she needs me too. Louise has always needed me and if I leave… I just feel like I'd be letting her down." Tina explained.
"Well of course, Louise needs ya but if you are burnt out and sick yourself by the time she finally gets well. What good is that going to be?" Zeke questioned.
"I guess you are right." Tina agreed.
Sylvie studied her ceiling. LA itself wasn't bad, it was pretty and there were a lot of cool things to do. She assumed that most people there were nice or at least there was a decent number of good people, but there certainly was not a Lily Belcher-Tisdale. Even if by some miracles there were. Sylvie would never meet them. Her mom considered Lily to be an obnoxious tomboy and not the type they should associate with. Chloe only wanted to hang out with rich snobs who only cared about their appearance and money.
Sylvie had no idea why her mom even wanted her. In the week that she had been in LA. She had seen her mom for maybe an hour. She was always rushing off to auditions, parties, or wandering around trying to be seen by the paparazzi. Then again maybe she was home. This house was ridiculously huge and definitely way above their means, but Chloe insisted it was for the best. Sylvie wasn't exactly looking forward to inevitably being a part of LA's homeless crisis but knew she didn't have much choice. Her mom's lawyer was a bulldog and an asshole. He would take her permanently away from the parent who actually cared about her and not care because she was just another check in his banking account. She was an asset to her mother. A pretty look-alike daughter who could co-star in commercials and movies. She was tired of being nothing. She just wanted to be loved again.
Two weeks had passed and there was no change in Louise's condition. The family had begun to have some very difficult conversations. About the future. What was worse was that Bob and Linda were actually considering stopping treatment. Tina knew where they were coming from. Louise was dependent on a ventilator who knows what the fevers were doing to her brain. Everybody knew Louise would not want to live a compromised life, but twenty-nine years wasn't enough. Tina was only thirty-three. That was way too young to bury a sibling. Zeke was making her come home more, but she still could not rest. She spent most nights frantically searching the internet for possible treatments. At this point she would sell everything and send Louise anywhere in the world just to save her life. Unfortunately, the overall consensus was that things just had to run their course and end however they may.
"I thought I told ya to get some sleep." Zeke commented.
"Who can sleep at a time like this?" Tina questioned.
"I know but for you and the baby, I need ya to try." Zeke insisted.
"I just want to save her Zeke. What if Luca were this sick? What if hope was dwindling every day?" Tina demanded.
"Trust me T-Bird I would be feelin' the same way. Hell, I feel this way about Louise, but sometimes people just go way too soon." Zeke explained.
"I know but this is Louise. I love you and the kids, my parents, and Gene, but I really don't know if I can live without her. She acts like she is closer to Gene, and they are definitely close but in reality, she is closest to me, and I don't want her to die." Tina sobbed.
"Tina" Zeke whispered gently rubbing her hair. What the hell was he supposed to say after that? This whole situation sucked.
"She's so strong. Why is she giving up now?" Tina sobbed.
"I dunno" Zeke replied.
Tina humored Zeke and tried to get some sleep. She ended up falling asleep due to pure exhaustion, but it was not a restful sleep. Zeke protectively wrapped his arm around her, and she snuggled close to him.
The next morning Bob and Linda called Tina and Gene over to the apartment. The family had been taking turns going over everyday watering Louise's plants, bringing in her mail, and just making the place look occupied to deter robbers. They wouldn't say what they wanted to discuss but asked they bring only their respective partners and leave the kids home. Mason was staying over with a friend, but Rupa was OK minding the twins and Lily, along with Hans. Later in the morning the entire family minus Louise were gathered around the kitchen table where they had shared so many meals. Tina loved that Louise kept the apartment, mostly how it had been when they were growing up. Bob stood behind Linda who had the seat closest to the sink. Linda had her head buried in her hands and Bob's eyes were red and puffy. Tina felt her heart drop. This was not going to be good news. Zeke tightened his grip on her hand and Elliot did the same for Gene.
"Tina, Gene. Oh God! I can't do it! You tell them Bobby!" Linda cried.
"This isn't going to be easy to hear. So, I am going to come right out and say it. Your mother and I have decided that if there is not a drastic change in Louise's condition. We are going to stop treatment and just let nature take its course." Bob explained.
"What?" Gene cried.
"You mean you are going to let her DIE?!" Tina snapped.
"If it comes down to it yes." Bob replied.
"How can you just give up on her? This is Louise!" Tina cried.
"It wasn't an easy decision but when Louise was sick the first time. When she had her cancer. She knew things could have gone south real fast and she made sure that your mother and I knew her wishes. She did research and she knew everything. She never even wanted to be intubated but we really didn't think it would get this bad." Bob explained.
"But I mean I've heard of people being taken off the ventilator and that's the push they needed to fight. It's rare but it can happen." Elliot pointed out.
"I won't let this happen! She's still fighting! I don't even care if she has massive brain damage! I'll feed her, bathe her, and change her!" Tina pleaded.
"You don't care but Louise does." Zeke gently remembered.
"How can you take their side?!" Tina snapped.
"T-Bird" Zeke whispered gently stroking her hair.
"NO! Don't touch me!" Tina hissed.
No amount of begging would change anybody's mind. Zeke, Gene, and Elliot all took Bob and Linda's side. How could they be so heartless? Louise didn't deserve to die. They had already spoken to the hospital too and since Bob and Linda had power of attorney. Tina couldn't just say different. It was crunching time. All she could do now was try and convince Louise to fight, but how did she do that? The hospital brought no hope. Louise was still the same as she had been the day before, the same as she had been on admission.
At Zeke's insistence Tina left when visiting hours ended. Which was hard to do knowing she only had one more day to save her baby sister. The kids had gone to bed and Zeke was working on some sort of event at the Delicate Doiley. Tina sat up looking through old photo albums. Pictures from their childhood. She studied every photo of Louise. The vibrant happy girl she had grown up with. Even when she was going through cancer treatment. She didn't seem that sick. Why was she giving up now?
Tina continued to scan through the albums. She found one that was all of them as kids with their friends. Half of it was Louise and Rudy. There was Louise and Rudy at the museum when they first became friends, Louise and Rudy on the wine train, Louise, and Rudy at Rudy's birthday party. The year Louise tried to steal the bounce house. Thinking that was what Rudy wanted. She recalled the guilt Louise felt when Rudy revealed he did not care about the bounce house and that she had ruined his birthday for nothing. Right next to that one was a picture of the four of them in Rudy's backyard with the exploding bridge. Again, Louise thinking she knew what Rudy wanted. Again, her feeling bad. Ther was Louise and Rudy at Plate and Fork and a bunch more pictures of them. That's when it dawned on Tina. She knew what she had to do. She put the album back in its box and grabbed her phone.
"Tina it's almost midnight." Gene yawned.
"I know but I have something to tell you about Louise." Tina replied.
"She didn't… did she?" Gene asked.
"No, she's alive and I know how we can save her!" Tina announced.
"We have tried everything." Gene reminded.
"Not everything." Tina replied.
"OK what haven't we tried?" Gene questioned.
"Who hasn't been to see Louise? Who was furious with Louise right before she got sick? Who is the one person whose opinion Louise really cares about?" Tina asked.
"Rudy" Gene replied connecting the dots.
"Rudy! We bring Rudy in, and we make him talk to Louise. We let him apologize and I think Louise will start to fight." Tina explained.
"But I thought it had to be up to Louise?" Gene recalled.
"Surviving is up to Louise too and Rudy may just be her ticket to that." Tina replied.
"What if she's mad at us?" Gene asked.
"Then we work to regain her trust and be glad we can." Tina stated.
Rudy was surprised when he woke to Tina's call on Sunday morning. He honestly assumed he had lost the Belchers forever. Hearing Tina's plea actually brought a smile to his face. Until he remembered it was last ditch effort to save Louise's life and he was plagued by guilt. Part of him did wonder if this was some elaborate trap, but he had to take the chance. He didn't care of Louise hated him, he had to try to bring her back. He left for the hospital as soon as he got off the phone. Due to her condition Louise was supposed to have only family as visitors but Tina and Gene pulled some strings. After being given a mask and a wellness check, Rudy was buzzed into the ICU. He walked down the hallway until he came to her room. He caught his breath when he saw her. He had never seen Louise so sick before. She was in the ICU. He wasn't expecting her to be glowing with health or anything, but he also wasn't expecting her to be this sick.
"Louise's it's Rudy. I know you probably hate me, and I don't blame you, but Tina and Gene begged me to come. They are worried about you. Your parents want to stop life support and Tina can't stand that. She thought maybe you weren't fighting because of the things I said. Because you thought I hated you. Louise, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. You don't have to forgive me but please know I am sorry. I don't have any excuse for what I said. I had just lost my dad and I could have lost Sylvie. I did lose Sylvie but neither of those things were your fault and I shouldn't have blamed you. You would have been a wonderful mother. I should have never said you deserved to be infertile. I didn't know but that is still a horrible thing to say. Louise please just wake up. You can hate me but please live. Your family needs you. Please Louise just live." Rudy begged.
Sylvie woke up alone again. Her mom had run off to some stupid event she probably wasn't even invited to. She hated how empty the house was. She hated being a pawn. Her mind traveled to a story Lily had told her about her dad. How he had once run away to the Belchers, after his own parents put way too much pressure on him at a family dinner. Grandpa's girlfriend at the time was especially cruel and Rudy just felt hopeless. The Belchers were the family he wanted and now they were the family she wanted. She quickly dressed and tossed her belongings into a duffle bag and her rolling suitcase. She found one of her mom's numerous credit cards and prayed it wasn't maxed out. She took a taxi to the airport. Expensive but at least the card covered it. She tried to act casual as she walked to the service desk.
"One ticket to Seymour's Bay, New Jersey." Sylvie declared.
"Aren't you a little young to be flying alone?" The worker asked.
"Yes, but my grandfather just died, and my mom is sick. My dad is back in New Jersey dealing with funeral stuff and now my mom is too sick to fly. I need to leave today. ASAP actually." Sylvie lied.
"You poor thing. I will see what I can do." The worker replied.
Sylvie felt a little bad about lying and stealing from her mom, but dammit she was desperate. She just wanted to get back to her dad and her best friend. Her real family.
