The House in the Woods

Uncle meets the Doctor

My feet hurt, my back hurts and all I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep for at least three days. I thought that the nausea that has been plaguing me for the past two months was finally started tapering off, but it is hitting me full force right now. With all of the medical breakthroughs that are being made, why hasn't anyone come up with the cure for morning sickness?

I am looking over the latest rounds of Sara's test results, and my blood is boiling. I personally did the autopsy on Joshua Blackborne, in part because I wanted to make sure that he was really dead. I know 100% for sure that he did not escape to continue his reign of evil. While I never met him, I have seen the aftermath of his obsession with Sara for years. She does not remember it, but her case is what inspired me to specialize in neurology.

While I know that fate had a hand in the events that have occurred during the past few months, I am still feeling guilty that they were able to get their hands on her and give her the experimental drug. I have been going over everything in my mind and now I am certain that the car accident must have been a set up. Otherwise, I would have been with Sara when the scans were being done, not just looking at the pictures that were sent to me weeks later.

The impact from the accident caused me to black out for a while so I can only go from the pictures and the accident report to know how bad it was. I was on the way to the airport to pick up my husband Demetri, when a tractor trailer sideswiped us and sent up down into a ravine rolling over multiple times before landing upside down at the bottom. In a normal vehicle, Josephine and I probably would not have survived, but the reinforced hummer that I drove was totaled, but intact. The advanced roll bar system held so the roof did not cave in on us. I must have hit my head on something, maybe the window which was made of a shatter resistant material. It was cracked, but at least it did not send glass flying everywhere. I had a concussion, and some moderate brain swelling, but no broken bones. They put me in a medically induced coma for a few days to heal.

Josephine came out of it without a mark on her body, but has a fear of confined spaces because it took almost two hours before they could get her out of the car. I can break medical terminology down to layman terms for a patient, but I have no idea about the mechanics behind the child safety system that my mom had installed in my car. Basically, it brought up enforced walls to fully enclose the car seat. Something went wrong with the remote activated release system and they had to wait for Demetri to arrive and use the optical and fingerprint scanning before the cocoon would open. While everything did work out okay for Josephine, if she had been injured the delay could have been critical. From what I heard, the research staff has doubled and the main team has not had a day off since the accident trying to figure out what went wrong.

A wave of nausea pulls my thoughts back to the present and I put my hand to my stomach. The fact that the baby survived the accident and my recovery is a miracle, but we did collectively have the best medical team that could have been put together. Demetri is a pediatric surgeon/researcher, and I am neurologist and researcher. Demetri and Josephine had not even made it to the hospital before our friends and colleagues in Atlanta started reviewing my records. Our mentor from the clinic in Switzerland was on a plane within half an hour of receiving the news. Medically the accident caused no lingering effects, but did I mention that the morning sickness is still kicking my ass?

I feel a tap on my shoulder and hear, "Excuse me sugar, but I was told to come over here and that someone would be able to call the doctor that is treating the boys on the third floor."

I let out a small squeal, knowing that I am really feeling off that I did not realize that someone walked up behind me. I try to breathe through the nausea to keep from giving the gentleman a surprise that he would not see coming. I turn and take a step to the left while slowly raising my right hand in a gesture for him to wait a moment.

I guess he was impatient because he put his hand on my shoulder and turns me back towards him with a force that makes me a little unsteady on my feet, and my head started feeling dizzy. His tone is edging towards angry when he says, "I am talking to you sweetheart. I am Mr. Taylor, and my boys are on the third floor. I need for you to call their doctor so I can get an update on their condition now."

The words that he is said start registering in my mind. Did he just call me sugar and sweetheart? He is Luke and North Taylor's uncle. Normally I would be in better control of my emotions. Normally I would be more understanding and respectful of the patient's family, but this man has caught me at the worst possible moment. I look into his eyes as another powerful wave hits me and I lose it, all over him. His shirt, his pants, his shoes.

We stand there is stunned silence for a moment and then I say, "If you will wait a moment Mr. Taylor, someone will be with you shortly."

I see one of the nurses coming toward me saying, "Caroline are you okay? Sit down, before you fall down. We thought that you were in the lounge getting some sleep."

I give her my best smile to try and ease some of the worry from her face and say, "Sonya, I am okay really. Little one must not like the cream cheese bagel that I ate earlier. Could you deal with Mr. Taylor? Give him directions to the shower and maybe some scrubs to change into. Also, could you maybe call someone to get the mess that I made cleaned up?"

As I am walking away towards the bathroom I hear Mr. Taylor saying, "If that woman is sick she should not be around patients. I don't know what kind of a facility that you are running around here, but I think you need to get someone down here right now to tell me what is going on with the boys and Ms. Sorenson. If that woman is their nurse I don't want her around them."

It is almost thirty minutes later that I am able to return to the desk to retrieve my patient files. I am still repeating the mantra that my sisters love me and are only looking out for my health, instead of being pissed that they ran off to tattle to Demetri. I am a doctor, and I think I am better equipped to determine what my body needs, but instead they stand around and joke about how doctors and nurses make the worst patients. I round the corner and close my eyes and breathe deeply. Where is Fallon is and what is my daughter sitting alone, in front of Mr. Taylor.

Authors note-  I realize it was short, but I figured if I actually published something it would get me back on track.