The next morning, Elwin came back to check on them again. When he decided everything was good, he dropped them off some breakfast. Sophie was eating her pancakes when it happened again.
Her heart started changing to the all too familiar rhythm. The edges of her vision darkened, and her tongue started to tingle. The tingles quickly spread to the rest of her head and body in a matter of seconds.
She spit the bite of pancake she had in her mouth out and swivled away the tray with the rest of her food. She brought her hands up to the sides of her head and whined.
Keefe turned to her. "Are you ok?" When she didn't answer, he started repeating, "Sophie. Sophie! SOPHIE! Press your button!"
She wanted to listen. Wanted to call for the nurse. But his voice was too far away now for her to follow his advice.
The darkness took over as her tunnels of sight closed off, leaving her in the suffocating black. The prickles across her body were overwhelming her. She couldn't hear anyone. See anyone. She hated it.
When Sophie woke up, doctors were crowded around. The migraine drilled holes into her skull. The bright lights disorientated her further. One of the nurses waved a juice box in her face. She pushed it away, but the box came back with the straw nearly jabbing her eye. She shook her head and frowned.
Her parents cut in front of the doctors. Grady scooped her up. His T shirt wrung in her grasp. All she could do was cry. The episodes were bad enough. But it was way too overwhelming with doctors trying to ask her a bunch of questions.
"Give her some space!" Grady told the doctors. Mercifully, they backed up.
He gently laid Sophie back on the bed. Edaline took her hand. "Can the doctors do a few tests on you?"
Sophie hesitantly nodded.
After they were done taking all their notes, they finally left the room. Her parents sat on the edge of the bed beside her. Grady holding her hand, Edaline stroking her hair.
"Are you ok?" came a squeaky voice.
Sophie turned to find Keefe hanging halfway out of his bed the best he could with all of his tubes attached to him. He seemed to be trying to crawl out.
"I'm ok," she murmured. "That just happens sometimes.
"Oh." He reached into the drawer of his bedside table. He pulled out a hedgehog sticker. "Here. I've got lots of stickers from my doctor appointments. Take one." He waved it in her direction, even though neither of their tiny arms would be able to reach. Grady reached over to be the middle man.
"Thank you," Sophie told Keefe. He grinned at her.
"Well, we were on our way over to bring you to the activity room." Edaline started. "But I'm not sure if you're still up for it now."
"I am," she assured her. She turned her head to the other side of the room before asking, "Can Keefe come too?"
Keefe's eyes lit up, but he slumped back down when Grady scratched his head and said, "I don't know if that's a great idea, Kiddo. He might not be allowed to get out of bed."
"Well, it can't hurt to ask, can it?" Edaline told him.
"I suppose not. We'll be back."
When her parents came back, they were toteing in a little red wagon. Edaline waved Keefe over, and his entire face spread with a smile.
Edaline untangled Sophie from the bedsheets and had her sit on one side of the wagon. She clipped her IV pole onto the side. Grady went to help Keefe out of the bed.
He wobbled his first couple of steps on the floor, like he hadn't been out in a long time. Grady rolled over the IV and mini heart monitor. He placed the small oxygen pack in the middle of the wagon as Keefe sat opposite Sophie.
When they arrived at the activity room, there was a craft going on. Macaroni art. The two children settled beside each other on the table.
They giggled with each other and the other kids as they made their art projects. When they finished, Sophie made a rainbow and Keefe made a cat.
The two of them were able to play with the blocks and stuffed animals for several hours before having to go back to the room. Sophie had several MRIs later in the day and Keefe had an Echo.
When they were wheeled back into the room, Elwin was already waiting there to take Keefe to his appointment. Two hours later, after Sophie had lunch, an unfamiliar doctor came to take Sophie to hers.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Heart/Broken Mind
De Todo(Human AU) Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay. As the years pass, they wind up being in the same c...
