Adopted

Chapter 75

"What's happening?" I heard PopPop say as dad scooped me up.

"Sarah, get the insurance card and her list of meds. And grab me a t-shirt, hey?"

"Brendon, what's happening?" Granny pleaded.

"Jess is sick. We have to take her to the hospital," he said. "Mom, do you have a plastic bowl or something that we can take with us in case Jess needs to throw up again?"

"Sure. I'll grab it," granny said, running into the kitchen.

Dad was holding me close to his chest.

"You're going to be okay, Jess," he said. Mom hopped into the back of our car and took the bowl from Granny. Dad placed me on her lap and buckled me in. Then he hopped into the driver seat and I passed out.

I woke up in the emergency room. I didn't recognize it though. I rolled onto my side and threw up.

"Oh," a voice said. "That, that is not great. Hey, kiddo. Can you look at me?"

I lay back and looked for the source of the voice. A doctor, or maybe a nurse, was looking me over. He checked my eyes and ears. I had oxygen going in my nose and something on my finger. When he pressed on my stomach, I threw up on the blanket. It was... really red. I started to panic.

Dad was at my side immediately.

"Hey, hey, shhh, shhh. It's going to be okay." Dad said. The nurse or doctor, whoever, took my blanket and brought a new one and a basin.

"Try to throw up into that if you have to, okay?"

I nodded.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I whispered.

"For what?"

I coughed.

"For ruining Thanksgiving," I rasped out.

"You didn't ruin Thanksgiving," Dad said.

Mom came in just then.

"Alright, insurance is all dealt with and all the forms," she said to Dad. Then she turned to me.

"How're you feeling, baby?" She asked, stroking my forehead and brushing back my hair. Everything sounded so far away.

"Jess? Honey?" Mom said. But I was enveloped in darkness.

I opened my eyes again and I saw I was in a hospital room.

"Hey there, Brown Eyes," Dad said, leaning over me. "Hey. You're doing fine. You're going to be alright, okay?"

I nodded. I felt, rather than saw, that I now had an oxygen mask on and not the cannula. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

Brendon's POV

"She's got a pretty severe case of pneumonia, And the bleeding when she was throwing up was simply a blood vessel that had weakened. We could cauterize it, but it seems to have stopped mostly on its own. The vomiting was from salmonella, which she could have picked up anywhere. Being that she has AIDS, it really doesn't take much."

"We live in LA. Could we take her home and admit her to her doctor there?"

"Well, her fever hasn't come down and seems to be creeping up. I would hate for something to happen on a flight. I'd like to wait a couple of days and see if she starts responding to treatment. My biggest concern is the pneumonia. Her lungs are very congested and we're contemplating a chest tube to drain the fluid surrounding her lungs. If any more fluid accumulates around her lungs, or any more in her lungs, we could be having a conversation about intubation. Which is not entirely off the table.