I Believe in You

Trial & Error

I laid in the sleeping quarters my head spinning lightly as our daughter moved around in my stomach.
"Meghan?" Devon said my name from the doorway.
"Hey, Devon." I answered but the movement made my head spin faster.
"Ugh. Come on, baby girl." I sighed trying to sit up.
"Don't try to move if it's uncomfortable." He said sitting down on the bed next to mine.
"It's just a hard day." I sighed settling back into the mattress.
"It'll all be worth it when she comes." He smiled at me.
"Yeah. It will." I nodded.
"What's up, Devon?"
He sighed and looked at me.
"I really need some advice."
I forced myself to sit up to give him my undivided attention.
"What's going on?" I asked lightly scratching my itchy baby bump.
"Priya told me that she's accepted her dream job in San Francisco but I don't think I want to move to San Francisco and I think I might have feelings for Julian." He rambled.
"The Quovadis rep?" I asked.
He nodded.
"I think the first thing you need to do is talk to Priya about San Francisco." I answered.
"See if getting on the same page with her helps with Julian."
"How do you and Conrad do it?" He sighed.
"Open communication. We want the same things and when we don't we talk it out until we find a compromise." I answered.
"I thought you'd say love." He chuckled.
"Unconditional love is the base of our relationship and we've built our foundation of mutual respect and commitment upon it with bricks of communication and trust." I smiled at him.
"What do I do about Julian?" He asked.
"The feelings for her could just be a manifestation of the troubles in your relationship with Priya. Talk to Priya and see what happens. I will tell you that if you're still having feelings for Julian, you shouldn't marry Priya. It's not fair to either of them."
"I know." He sighed looking at me.
"Meghan." Conrad said walking into the room.
Devon and I looked up at him.
"Did you know about the drug trial in the oncology wing?" He asked.
I shook my head which caused another wave of dizziness.
"Are you okay?" He asked coming over to sit with me.
"Yeah. She's making me so dizzy." I sighed leaning against him.
"I have a break coming up. I can take you home." He kissed my head.
I nodded reluctantly.
I didn't want to leave work early but I knew that I was practically useless with how dizzy I was.
"Do you know Dr. Kisic?" He asked holding me.
"Doesn't sound familiar, no." I answered looking at Devon who shook his head.
"I don't know the name." He answered.
"He's running the clinical trials. The side effects are getting worse and worse. I don't think Jessie's friend John is going to make it." He sighed.
"What does Bell say?" I asked.
"The same thing he always says. I think he's worried about a lawsuit so he'll throw Kisic under the bus in an instant when word gets out." He shrugged.
"Of course." I shook my head.
"If it means he'll hold him accountable then let it happen." Devon added.
"Honestly, I agree. No one should go into a drug trial to make money and not come out alive." I sighed.
"I can't imagine needing to do a drug trial to support you and our daughter." Conrad squeezed my shoulder.
"It's definitely a hard situation." I agreed.
I felt Conrad's pager go off. I sat back up so he could check it.
"John just passed away." He sighed.
"What is Kisic giving them?" I asked looking at my husband.
"I have no idea. I need to go check on Jessie."
"Go on. Let me know what I can do." I answered.
He leaned over and kissed me.
"I love you." He smiled.
"I love you too."
I nudged him.
I'd started feeling better and decided to get up and work with a patient.
David Brooks was an older man presenting with stomach pains and migraines.
"Mr. Brooks the stomach ache could be linked to the migraines. I'm going to order bloodwork and send you for a neurologist consult for the migraines. Once the bloodwork comes back I'll come back to discuss imagining for your abdominal issues, okay?" I smiled at him.
"Thank you, Dr. Hawkins." He smiled back.
"I'll send a nurse in to draw the blood and the neurologist in to consult once he finishes with his current patient."
I walked out and my daughter kicked my bladder.
"That's rude." I muttered touching my stomach.
"What's rude?" Nic asked walking up to me.
"How's Jessie?" I asked filling out the paperwork.
"She's on a respirator." She said grimly.
"You should be there with her not here with me."
"Conrad said you were feeling dizzy and when he went back to the sleeping quarters you were gone."
"Pregnancy is weird. She's making me dizzy and itchy and I swear I honestly have to pee all the time. She just kicked my bladder." I laughed.
She laughed too.
"I needed that." She sighed.
"Will you come sit with us? I'm sure Conrad would feel better knowing you're around us. I just really need the support." She sighed.
"Of course." I touched her shoulder.
We walked over into the hospital to where her sister was laying in a hospital bed unconscious with a respirator tube down her throat and an IV in her arm.
"Is her whole system shutting down?" I asked sitting down beside her bed.
"Seems like it. We can't get it to stop." Nic sighed emotionally.
"Have you tested for sepsis?" I asked looking up at my husband.
"She doesn't have an infection." Nic answered.
"Do we know that for sure?" I asked.
"No. We don't." Conrad admitted.
"If something in the drugs used for the trial caused an infection and she's gone sepsis?" I looked at Nic.
She nodded.
"Test her." She sighed.
An hour later Conrad was able to begin treating Jessie for kidney infection induced sepsis.
"Meghan, you saved her life." Nic hugged me.
"It was just the only thing that made sense. Sometimes you just need fresh eyes." I answered shaking my head.
"Nic, you have to remember, we barely caught it in time. She could still have severe kidney damage." Conrad reminded her sitting on the arm of the chair behind me.
"I know." She sighed looking at her sister still lying in the hospital bed.