Ronan: To the Moon and Back

38. That's What Crazy Is...

TW: panic attacks and hospital reality.

If the next day after the dark room incident was like any normal -or Rae's version of normal- day, maybe it would have all been fine. Maybe she'd have time to actually process that Louis kissed her. Kissed her soft and sweet, held her like he's been holding her since they met; delicate yet firm. Except Ronan falls ill the day after.

Raelyn gets a phone call later that night, her heart stopping for a few moments when she sees it's the Hospice calling. They inform her how sick Ronan is, suddenly coming down with pneumonia. When she arrives at the hospital around three in the morning, Ronan's already running a dangerously high fever, settling in around 40• Celsius.

The universe likes to throw her family a curve ball, catching them abruptly off guard and striking out. It happens early Monday morning, when the sun itself is still sleeping. Rae spends the rest of the night at the Hospice, singing Ronan to sleep and lightly stroking her fingers along his warm forehead. She woke with a start from her usual nightmare, immediately noticing something wasn't quite right. Ronan stared at his sister, unblinking, immobile, and Rae felt her heart drop to her feet.

"Ronan?" Rae called out cautiously, fearing the worst, getting up and leaning over her brother.

He was still breathing, she could see the raise and fall of his chest, but his eyes. His eyes were blank; like somebody just came and wiped them clean. Vacant. She calls his name again, waving her hand in front of his face with no response, not even a flutter of his eyelashes. It was then, did she notice his right arm and leg twitching, as if invisible strings were only attached to that one side. This took all of five seconds before Rae hurriedly slams her palm against the red button on the wall, requesting for a nurse, a doctor, anyone to come to the room.

***

That was Ronan's first of many seizures. It happened again in the afternoon, that Monday night and sporadically throughout the next few days. The Doctor and nurses hook him up to an EEG, a fancy alien looking neurology device. Many small metal arms attached to small wires and wrapped securely around her brothers head. It was to monitor his brainwave activity, to find the cause of the sudden seizures; if they're just due to his sickness or something new developed.

"Itchy. It's itchy." Ronan complains when he's in between new medication IVs.

Rae gently grabs his hands to prevent him from rubbing them against the cap. "I know, bud. But it's helping the doctors."

Ronan just pouts, then falls asleep ten minutes later. Raelyn stays up hours after, and when she finally falls into a light sleep, she's startled awake, paranoid of missing another seizure and calling the nurses. MaryAnn shows up in the evening and tries to convince her daughter to go home and rest. Rae stays put and helps her mother when she can. She doesn't notice her scratched up, red, welting chest until her mum points it out. 

It's then does MaryAnn force Rae to go home, with the threat of stealing and hiding her camera. Rae only naps for three hours, ignores her mothers advice to rest and instead, takes the night shift at work with Liz. Kari shows up, explaining she had gotten a call from MaryAnn expressing her concerns for her daughter.

"You need to go home and sleep." Kari tries, grabbing a tray of food from Rae and handing it off to Liz, who looked about ready to fight Rae for it.

"I'm fine. I've still got to work and function." Rae replies, turning away to grab the coffee pot. She refills cups of coffee around the diner.

"Can't function on three hours, babe." Liz chides, after Rae returns the pot. "Jasper's 'bout ready to kick you out. Gonna force you to take vacation and withhold your checks."