Post by rsafan on Sept 26, 2006 8:04:11 GMT -5
Sorry about the leaving y'all hanging like that, it was a long weekend here in SA. Translated, that means the only time I saw a computer was out of the corner of my eye as I was crawling into bed in the wee hours of the morning.
Chapter 1
Bloody Rex, she was never taking his advice again. For a genius, he could be pretty dumb sometimes. ‘Got to Salem’ he’d said, ‘Take the internship’ he’d said, ‘I’ll hook you up with a few of my contacts there, you’ll never want to leave’ he’d said. Yeah right. Quite frankly, she thought he’d said too much. Getting on that plane in Chicago had been a huge mistake, as mistakes go; this was up there with the worst. And it was all his fault. She was on her way to University Hospital now; at least she hoped she was. It was just her luck to get a cab driver who didn’t know his way around Salem. He’d dropped her off at the wrong hotel, twice, then took her to the wrong building for her meeting. She’d had to call and apologise for not showing up, she’d probably lose the internship and then her dreams of working in PR would be shot.
The cab pulled up at University Hospital. She got out, thanked the driver, paid him then hurried inside the hospital. Her rush had more to do with getting away from the cab driver from hell, than with her appointment with Dr. Carver. She just hoped Rex’s ‘aunt’ would be able to help her. Stepping into the lift, she pressed the correct floor number and watched the numbers climb till they reached her floor, then stepping out of the lift, she headed straight for the doctor’s office. But before she could even knock, a passing nurse informed her that Dr. Carver was in emergency seeing a patient. Turning around, she went in search of the doctor.
“Excuse me; I’m looking for Doctor Alexandra Carver. I was told she was on this floor.” The nurse, who had just then picked up a ringing telephone nodded her head and pointed her in the right direction, mouthing ‘cubicle one’. She walked through the doors to what she assumed to be cubicle one and was brought up short when she heard the conversation topic, “It seems your body was working very hard to prevent the embryo from implanting.”
Hearing this, and assuming that the doctor was obviously with a patient, she turned to leave the room. She waited outside for the doctor. As soon as she saw her, she walked up to her, “Excuse me? Are you Dr. Carver?”
Lexie, who had just had to deliver awful news to family friends, looked up to see a young girl approaching her. She nodded but before she could speak, or excuse herself the girl spoke up.
“I’m Victoria Campbell; I have and appointment with you at 1.”
Lexie had to think about that for a while, with both Mimi and Carrie, she had forgotten all about the girl Rex had asked her to see. “Yes, I know but I’m busy with a patient at the moment…”
“Yes I know, I couldn’t help but overhear.” The look on Lexie’s face had her explaining pretty quickly, “I wasn’t eavesdropping. Well, not intentionally, the nurse told me where you were, I didn’t realize you were with a patient when I entered the room. I heard you telling that woman she may never have children again. And that you didn’t know why her body self-terminated…”
“I’m not allowed to discuss patients with you. And you shouldn’t have been listening in…”
“I know that, and I don’t want to cause any trouble but I was wondering if you performed a sonogram. Most doctors wouldn’t, well why would you when the baby isn’t there any more but…”
“Miss Campbell, you are really trying my patience. I have other people to see and the only reason I’m not going to have you thrown out of this hospital is because you’re a friend of Rex Brady’s.”
“I’m sorry, and I know it’s none of my affair, but I have a friend who came across a similar situation. She’s a resident in Chicago and if you would just listen.”
Lexie thought about this, if there was any way she could help Shawn and Mimi… Listening couldn’t harm anyone, if this girl had something relevant to say she might be able to give them some hope. “Okay, I’m listening, but I can’t give you any information about my patient.”
“I understand, believe me I understand completely and I would never ask you to do that.”
Miss Campbell didn’t seem to be getting on with what she had wanted to say in the first place, so Lexie prompted her, “About the Chicago case…”
“Oh yes, sorry. See, this woman had gone for in-vitro right. They did all the tests and she was a perfect candidate but like a week after the procedure she was brought in with cramps. She miscarried and the doctors couldn’t figure out what had caused the miscarriage. Until my friend, the resident, until she asked if they’d performed a sonogram. This apparently isn’t a normal procedure, one can understand why, but the sonogram was performed and it was discovered that the woman was already pregnant. Her body had terminated the younger embryo in an effort to protect the older one. Apparently, our bodies do weird things, especially when women are pregnant. So I thought maybe this woman miscarried because she’s already pregnant. The couple in there seems to be really into each other, so I figured they probably have sex on …”
“Is she right Lexie? Could that be why we lost the baby?”
Both Lexie and Victoria spun around from their positions at the nurses station to find Shawn standing there, he’d obviously heard most of there conversation and the hopeful look on his face made Lexie’s heart ache. She didn’t want to be the one to dash his hopes.
Lexie shook her head, “You know her medical history. There’s no way she could be pregnant. Miss Campbell here was just telling me of a similar case in Chicago where a sonogram helped determine the cause of the woman’s miscarriage.”
“So it could help determine the cause of this miscarriage too.”
“I know what you’re thinking. And I doubt very much if a sonogram would actually help.”
“But it could?”
Victoria’s pager went off then. “Sorry, I have to return this call.” She walked off to the payphones, leaving Lexie to explain to Shawn why Mimi just couldn’t be pregnant. “Shawn, Mimi went for tests, the both of you did. If she’d been pregnant, they would have picked something up.”
“Could you just do the sonogram please? Just for peace of mind and the knowledge that you did everything you could to find out why her body rejected that baby.”
“Of course… but don’t get your hopes up about anything.”
“I just want it done.”
Lexie nodded her head and ordered a nurse to see that the relevant equipment was made available to cubicle one within the next few minutes.
“Thank you Lexie.” Was all Shawn said before he went back in to see Mimi and inform her as to what was going to happen.
Victoria, having made the call, came back. Grabbing the bag she’d left on the desk, she made her excuses to Lexie, “Sorry about this, but I have a meeting with my potential boss in a half hour. I can’t miss it, can we reschedule?”
“Sure, is tomorrow at three alright with you? I have a gap then.”
“No problem, I’ll see you at three then.” And she was gone.
“Remind me again why we’re doing this? I thought you already said…”
Shawn grabbed Mimi’s hand and smiled at her, “to put your husband’s mind at rest.”
“Okay, are you ready?” they both nodded and Lexie started the sonogram, moving the wand over Mimi’s very flat stomach. No sign of any life, no embryo, no heartbeat, nothing. And then…”Oh my…”
Shawn’s grip on Mimi’s hand tightened, “Is that?”
Lexie moved the wand over the same spot and there it was, clear as day. A heartbeat, “I think it is. She was right.”
Mimi, still very much overwhelmed at the sight of that tiny heart beating looked at Lexie confused. “Who was right?”
“This girl, outside. I overheard her conversation with Lexie, she was talking about the same thing…”
“And that’s why you insisted?” He simply nodded at her.
“I’m going to have to book you in. I can’t understand how this never showed up on your blood work. We’re going to have to run some tests, check if everything is alright with the baby. I’ll have the nurse bring in the appropriate forms.” But they weren’t listening; they were smiling at each other.
“So, how’s your wife doing today?” They weren’t the only occupants in the elevator, but they were standing close enough for him to know she was addressing him.
“She’s doing much better thanks to you.”
“You mean?”
He nodded, “You were right, about the baby I mean. You should stop by her room if you have the time. She’d like to thank you personally.”
The lift stopped at the fourth floor, maternity. And he made to get off.
“Maybe I will.” Was all she said, then realising she didn’t know his name called after him, “By the way, I didn’t get your name.” but the doors had already closed.
“I thought as much, but Rex thought I should give it a try. It’s just that I can’t exactly go through normal channels regarding this, considering that there are no ‘normal channels’.”
“I might know someone who can help you. My husband is with the Salem PD, he may be able to help a lot more than I can.” She picked up the phone and called Abe. Filling him in on the details, she listened for a while and hung up. “He says you should come around to the station anytime. He’d be glad to help where he can.”
“Thank you.”
“She couldn’t help me.”
“Not Lexie, the interview with Victor Kiriakis. You knew she wouldn’t be able to help you. It’s against hospital policy.”
“I got the internship. I’m supposed to start at the beginning of the month, which gives me like fifteen days to buy an entirely new wardrobe. Chicago and Salem styles don’t exactly mesh well.”
“I’ll get the names of a few great clothing stores from Cassie.”
“No thanks, my tastes in clothes are very far from Cassie’s seductress uniform. I’ll find my own way around, no need to worry. I also need to find a place to stay.”
“There should be vacant apartments all over Salem. You should check out the apartments close to the university, there are some great apartments there and what’s more, the rent is really cheap.”
“Money isn’t going to be a problem, my parents agreed to pay for all my living expenses till I’m properly on my feet. That includes buying the apartment of my dreams, the problem is that I need a place to stay temporarily, for a month or two till I find the apartment of my dreams.” She felt a bit guilty having her parents pay for everything, but they’d insisted, claiming it was a gift for abandoning her in Chicago when they moved off to ‘jolly old’ England. They could certainly afford it. “I’ll check out the places close to the university. Thanks for the tip.” And without saying goodbye, she hung up. It was a habit of theirs, they never said hello and never said goodbye, that way they had no endings and no beginnings. He was her closest friend, and she had trusted him with her darkest secret. She hailed a cab and asked to be dropped off at the police station, she really had to get her own car, taxis were unreliable and expensive.
Chapter 1
Bloody Rex, she was never taking his advice again. For a genius, he could be pretty dumb sometimes. ‘Got to Salem’ he’d said, ‘Take the internship’ he’d said, ‘I’ll hook you up with a few of my contacts there, you’ll never want to leave’ he’d said. Yeah right. Quite frankly, she thought he’d said too much. Getting on that plane in Chicago had been a huge mistake, as mistakes go; this was up there with the worst. And it was all his fault. She was on her way to University Hospital now; at least she hoped she was. It was just her luck to get a cab driver who didn’t know his way around Salem. He’d dropped her off at the wrong hotel, twice, then took her to the wrong building for her meeting. She’d had to call and apologise for not showing up, she’d probably lose the internship and then her dreams of working in PR would be shot.
The cab pulled up at University Hospital. She got out, thanked the driver, paid him then hurried inside the hospital. Her rush had more to do with getting away from the cab driver from hell, than with her appointment with Dr. Carver. She just hoped Rex’s ‘aunt’ would be able to help her. Stepping into the lift, she pressed the correct floor number and watched the numbers climb till they reached her floor, then stepping out of the lift, she headed straight for the doctor’s office. But before she could even knock, a passing nurse informed her that Dr. Carver was in emergency seeing a patient. Turning around, she went in search of the doctor.
“Excuse me; I’m looking for Doctor Alexandra Carver. I was told she was on this floor.” The nurse, who had just then picked up a ringing telephone nodded her head and pointed her in the right direction, mouthing ‘cubicle one’. She walked through the doors to what she assumed to be cubicle one and was brought up short when she heard the conversation topic, “It seems your body was working very hard to prevent the embryo from implanting.”
Hearing this, and assuming that the doctor was obviously with a patient, she turned to leave the room. She waited outside for the doctor. As soon as she saw her, she walked up to her, “Excuse me? Are you Dr. Carver?”
Lexie, who had just had to deliver awful news to family friends, looked up to see a young girl approaching her. She nodded but before she could speak, or excuse herself the girl spoke up.
“I’m Victoria Campbell; I have and appointment with you at 1.”
Lexie had to think about that for a while, with both Mimi and Carrie, she had forgotten all about the girl Rex had asked her to see. “Yes, I know but I’m busy with a patient at the moment…”
“Yes I know, I couldn’t help but overhear.” The look on Lexie’s face had her explaining pretty quickly, “I wasn’t eavesdropping. Well, not intentionally, the nurse told me where you were, I didn’t realize you were with a patient when I entered the room. I heard you telling that woman she may never have children again. And that you didn’t know why her body self-terminated…”
“I’m not allowed to discuss patients with you. And you shouldn’t have been listening in…”
“I know that, and I don’t want to cause any trouble but I was wondering if you performed a sonogram. Most doctors wouldn’t, well why would you when the baby isn’t there any more but…”
“Miss Campbell, you are really trying my patience. I have other people to see and the only reason I’m not going to have you thrown out of this hospital is because you’re a friend of Rex Brady’s.”
“I’m sorry, and I know it’s none of my affair, but I have a friend who came across a similar situation. She’s a resident in Chicago and if you would just listen.”
Lexie thought about this, if there was any way she could help Shawn and Mimi… Listening couldn’t harm anyone, if this girl had something relevant to say she might be able to give them some hope. “Okay, I’m listening, but I can’t give you any information about my patient.”
“I understand, believe me I understand completely and I would never ask you to do that.”
Miss Campbell didn’t seem to be getting on with what she had wanted to say in the first place, so Lexie prompted her, “About the Chicago case…”
“Oh yes, sorry. See, this woman had gone for in-vitro right. They did all the tests and she was a perfect candidate but like a week after the procedure she was brought in with cramps. She miscarried and the doctors couldn’t figure out what had caused the miscarriage. Until my friend, the resident, until she asked if they’d performed a sonogram. This apparently isn’t a normal procedure, one can understand why, but the sonogram was performed and it was discovered that the woman was already pregnant. Her body had terminated the younger embryo in an effort to protect the older one. Apparently, our bodies do weird things, especially when women are pregnant. So I thought maybe this woman miscarried because she’s already pregnant. The couple in there seems to be really into each other, so I figured they probably have sex on …”
“Is she right Lexie? Could that be why we lost the baby?”
Both Lexie and Victoria spun around from their positions at the nurses station to find Shawn standing there, he’d obviously heard most of there conversation and the hopeful look on his face made Lexie’s heart ache. She didn’t want to be the one to dash his hopes.
Lexie shook her head, “You know her medical history. There’s no way she could be pregnant. Miss Campbell here was just telling me of a similar case in Chicago where a sonogram helped determine the cause of the woman’s miscarriage.”
“So it could help determine the cause of this miscarriage too.”
“I know what you’re thinking. And I doubt very much if a sonogram would actually help.”
“But it could?”
Victoria’s pager went off then. “Sorry, I have to return this call.” She walked off to the payphones, leaving Lexie to explain to Shawn why Mimi just couldn’t be pregnant. “Shawn, Mimi went for tests, the both of you did. If she’d been pregnant, they would have picked something up.”
“Could you just do the sonogram please? Just for peace of mind and the knowledge that you did everything you could to find out why her body rejected that baby.”
“Of course… but don’t get your hopes up about anything.”
“I just want it done.”
Lexie nodded her head and ordered a nurse to see that the relevant equipment was made available to cubicle one within the next few minutes.
“Thank you Lexie.” Was all Shawn said before he went back in to see Mimi and inform her as to what was going to happen.
Victoria, having made the call, came back. Grabbing the bag she’d left on the desk, she made her excuses to Lexie, “Sorry about this, but I have a meeting with my potential boss in a half hour. I can’t miss it, can we reschedule?”
“Sure, is tomorrow at three alright with you? I have a gap then.”
“No problem, I’ll see you at three then.” And she was gone.
*****
“Okay, this is going to be a little cold,” she said as she squeezed the gel onto Mimi’s stomach.“Remind me again why we’re doing this? I thought you already said…”
Shawn grabbed Mimi’s hand and smiled at her, “to put your husband’s mind at rest.”
“Okay, are you ready?” they both nodded and Lexie started the sonogram, moving the wand over Mimi’s very flat stomach. No sign of any life, no embryo, no heartbeat, nothing. And then…”Oh my…”
Shawn’s grip on Mimi’s hand tightened, “Is that?”
Lexie moved the wand over the same spot and there it was, clear as day. A heartbeat, “I think it is. She was right.”
Mimi, still very much overwhelmed at the sight of that tiny heart beating looked at Lexie confused. “Who was right?”
“This girl, outside. I overheard her conversation with Lexie, she was talking about the same thing…”
“And that’s why you insisted?” He simply nodded at her.
“I’m going to have to book you in. I can’t understand how this never showed up on your blood work. We’re going to have to run some tests, check if everything is alright with the baby. I’ll have the nurse bring in the appropriate forms.” But they weren’t listening; they were smiling at each other.
*****
It was almost three when she walked through the hospital doors again the next day. The lift doors were closing and she had to run to catch it in time, just as they were about to close in her face, a hand shot out causing the doors to reopen. She got in; smiling thankfully at the man whose wife had miscarried the day before. What did one say to a person who had just lost their child?“So, how’s your wife doing today?” They weren’t the only occupants in the elevator, but they were standing close enough for him to know she was addressing him.
“She’s doing much better thanks to you.”
“You mean?”
He nodded, “You were right, about the baby I mean. You should stop by her room if you have the time. She’d like to thank you personally.”
The lift stopped at the fourth floor, maternity. And he made to get off.
“Maybe I will.” Was all she said, then realising she didn’t know his name called after him, “By the way, I didn’t get your name.” but the doors had already closed.
*****
“I’m sorry Victoria, but I can’t help you. I really wish I could but hospital policy.”“I thought as much, but Rex thought I should give it a try. It’s just that I can’t exactly go through normal channels regarding this, considering that there are no ‘normal channels’.”
“I might know someone who can help you. My husband is with the Salem PD, he may be able to help a lot more than I can.” She picked up the phone and called Abe. Filling him in on the details, she listened for a while and hung up. “He says you should come around to the station anytime. He’d be glad to help where he can.”
“Thank you.”
*****
“So how did things go?” She’d barely left the hospital when her phone rang, knowing immediately who it was, she didn’t even bother to greet. Well, he hadn’t either.“She couldn’t help me.”
“Not Lexie, the interview with Victor Kiriakis. You knew she wouldn’t be able to help you. It’s against hospital policy.”
“I got the internship. I’m supposed to start at the beginning of the month, which gives me like fifteen days to buy an entirely new wardrobe. Chicago and Salem styles don’t exactly mesh well.”
“I’ll get the names of a few great clothing stores from Cassie.”
“No thanks, my tastes in clothes are very far from Cassie’s seductress uniform. I’ll find my own way around, no need to worry. I also need to find a place to stay.”
“There should be vacant apartments all over Salem. You should check out the apartments close to the university, there are some great apartments there and what’s more, the rent is really cheap.”
“Money isn’t going to be a problem, my parents agreed to pay for all my living expenses till I’m properly on my feet. That includes buying the apartment of my dreams, the problem is that I need a place to stay temporarily, for a month or two till I find the apartment of my dreams.” She felt a bit guilty having her parents pay for everything, but they’d insisted, claiming it was a gift for abandoning her in Chicago when they moved off to ‘jolly old’ England. They could certainly afford it. “I’ll check out the places close to the university. Thanks for the tip.” And without saying goodbye, she hung up. It was a habit of theirs, they never said hello and never said goodbye, that way they had no endings and no beginnings. He was her closest friend, and she had trusted him with her darkest secret. She hailed a cab and asked to be dropped off at the police station, she really had to get her own car, taxis were unreliable and expensive.
