Right As Rain (Complete)

Chapter 5

Please comment. The only way I know what you are thinking is if you tell me :)

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Maelee

"What you have is left ventricle hypokinesis," I tell Noah. Jessica and Hudson have arrived and are keeping him company in the recovery room until I can get him admitted to my floor. "The left side of your heart isn't pumping blood like it should."

My boss, a world-renowned cardiologist, confirmed my diagnosis and concluded that Noah has dilated cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction of twenty-three percent. It was a lot of medical symptoms to say things aren't good.

Jessica scoots to the edge of her metal chair at Noah's side. "Why did this happen?" she asks. The room is quiet and everyone waits for me to answer.

I explain the common causes of dilated cardiomyopathy, including infection, stress, drug and alcohol abuse, and kidney failure. Unfortunately –and fortunately–, Noah doesn't fall into any of these categories, leading me to believe his condition is genetic. I sigh and finally admit I don't really know what happened, but I won't stop until I find it out. "You may be here a while," I say. "Is there anyone I can call? Your parents, maybe? Getting some family history may help."

Noah looks at Hudson who is already answering. "His dad is on the way. He's coming from Dublin so he won't make it 'till morning. Is that okay?"

Ultimately, Noah will likely need surgery and he will need his family. Dr. Holt recommended we implant a cardiac defibrillator immediately. Without knowing the reason behind his crash, I argued against it, calling it premature.

I nod. "We are getting a room cleared for you on my floor," I tell Noah. "It should be ready soon. Can I get you anything until then?"

"When can I eat?" he asks, patting his stomach. He turns his head towards Jess and grins. "Jessica's fries aren't going to hold me much longer."

At the restaurant, Noah proudly took a handful of Jess' fries and ate them in one gulp. She was a bit miffed he had taken food from her, but quickly got over it. Not many take food from Jessica Lawson's plate and live to tell the tale, leading me to believe they may be closer than I originally thought.

Ashley brings me the tablet to review Noah's labs. They are better than I expected. His blood sugar is stable and –suspiciously– his EKG is perfect.

"Ashley, who did this EKG?" I ask without looking up, reviewing his cardiac pattern.

"I did," she says, looking over my shoulder. "Do you see something I don't?"

I look again, trying to find an abnormality, but see nothing. "No, it's perfect." I turn back to Noah, waiting patiently for an answer about food. "Your blood sugar is stable so I'm going to monitor it and say you can eat whenever you like."

Noah throws his head back into his pillow and breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank God! I never even saw our damn waiter. I hope you didn't leave him a tip!" he tells Hudson.

A tip... shit! "Jess, did you remember to pay at the restaurant?" I ask. I can't believe I never got my check.

Jess bites at her fingernails. "It wasn't exactly at the forefront of my mind," she says.

I run my fingers against my scalp under the pile of hair I've secured to the top of my head with an elastic band. My head already hurts today.

Hudson clears his throat and sits forward in the chair. "I took care of it," he says, putting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. His eyes meet mine briefly, but he quickly looks away.