A/N: I know. I know. You had to wait a super long time for this next chapter, but as I said this story was far from easy for me to write. I'm glad that I finally managed to get it out of my system. Thanks for the support. Keep reviewing if you like. I'm already working on some new material which should be coming pretty soon.
Chapter 7
"You remember fainting."
"Yes. I just told you that, Hannibal. Now can someone please tell me what the heck is going on here?"
"You're sick, kid."
"I have a sinus infection and strep throat and I've got medication to get rid of those infections. I'm pretty sure I don't need to be in a hospital for that."
"Well, Lieutenant, it turns out that there's more to it than just a mere infection."
"What? What are you talking about, Hannibal?"
"Right after you claimed to be fainting, you started to act weird. You were behaving like a toddler and you couldn't remember your name or anything. I let you sleep, but you still acted like a toddler in the morning. That's when we brought you in and had you examined and tested. So far the doctor hasn't come up with anything, but he would like for you to stay overnight and monitor your heart just to rule out a possible heart condition."
"A heart condition …"
"Don't worry about it just yet, kid. They didn't come up with anything so far, but they want to make 100% sure there's nothing wrong with it. The doc said you had the heart of an athlete earlier."
"Do I really have to stay here?"
"Kid, I know how much you hate hospitals but it's important that we find out what's going on with you. Murdock and B.A. can get you some food you really like and I'll play gin with you to kill the time."
Face reluctantly agreed. Hannibal asked the doctor whether it would be okay for Face to have food from the cafeteria and so he sent out B.A. and Murdock to get it for him while he played a game of gin with Face. The guys returned soon with food for their sick team mate and themselves. They sat at the small table and enjoyed dinner together. Hannibal kept a close eye on Face and was glad to see he had returned to normal again and was talking non-stop to his team mates. He was glad he asked the doctor if they could spend the night with Face at the hospital, because they still had no clue what had happened to him.
A young nurse entered the room a little while later. She came to check Face's temperature and blood pressure and also informed him that she would come in to prepare him for his test very soon. She still had her rounds to finish first and still needed to get the necessary equipment from Face's doctor. To take his mind off of things, Hannibal decided to play another game of gin.
A little while later, the young nurse entered Face's room again with all the necessary equipment for the test.
"So … uh … this test. What's this all about?"
"Worried, kid?"
"Who? Me? No, I'm not worried. Why would I be worried?"
"Well, it's perfectly normal to be somewhat worried if you don't know what's going to happen to you. Let me tell you what we'll do. Also I can assure you that you won't feel a thing. The doctor just wants to monitor your heart overnight. So, I'll be taping some of these electrodes on your chest and connect them to the heart monitor and it will monitor your heart rhythm overnight. All you need to do is lie on your back to sleep and we'll come in and check the electrodes every once in a while too to make sure they're still attached to your chest. We can make a print out and the doctor will have a look at it in the morning. If everything is okay, you can leave the hospital again in the morning."
"So I'll be out of here in the morning, huh? Well in that case, could I invite you out to a nice candle light dinner tomorrow night?"
"Lieutenant, in case you don't remember you're still sick. There's no way you're going out while you're sick. We have to find out what's going on with you."
"Your dad is right, you know. You need to get well again first. I'll write down my phone number so you can call me when you're feeling better. Is that okay with you?"
Face merely smiled his million dollar smile and the nurse quickly grabbed a piece of paper to write down her number. Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock all rolled their eyes. They were so used to Face getting the girl, but were still amazed that he even managed to do it while he was sick.
"Okay. I'd better start preparing you for the test now. Can you take off your shirt for me?"
"Sure. Yes. No problem."
She carefully taped about 8 electrodes to his chest and explained that she taped them on bones as to avoid disturbance from possible muscle activity. The electrodes were connected to the small heart monitor device which he could wear around his neck. This device would record his heart rhythm over a period of 24 hours. She also told him he wasn't allowed to wear his shirt, so the nurses could come in and check on him and the electrodes over night to make sure they were still attached properly.
"Can I bring you something else for the night?"
"Oh a bottle of water would be nice and do you happen to have an apple or something like that?"
"Yes, sure. I'll bring you an apple and a couple of bottles of water."
"Got any milk?"
"Milk?"
"Yeah. Milk. Don't tell me you ain't got no milk. What are you feeding them babies?"
"Sure. We got milk. You'd like a glass of milk?"
"No. I'd like 2 bottles of milk."
"Two … bottles?"
"The big guy is a big kitty. Can't be without milk. Makes him mellow."
"Shut up, fool."
"Hmmm. I'll see what I can do for you, sir."
She returned a little while later carrying a tray with bottles of water and 2 bottles of milk and also Face's requested apple. She wished the guys goodnight and left the room.
The guys all got settled in the small hospital room. Hannibal decided to play another game of gin with Face to keep his mind off the test. Murdock decided to watch cartoons and B.A. enjoyed his milk. Soon Hannibal ordered his men to get some rest, but also wanted one of them to keep the watch and keep an eye on Face.
"And you need to get some rest now, kid."
"Rest. How in the hell am I supposed to rest with all these things attached to my body. I can't even move."
"Stop complaining, Face. If you lie down on your back, you'll be able to get some sleep."
"I can't sleep like that, Hannibal. And the nurses will be in here constantly to check on me and I'm cold. Why can't I just wear my t-shirt."
"Stop whining, will you. Just close your eyes and sleep already."
"But Hannibal …"
"We could also do this the hard way, Lieutenant. I could call in that cute nurse and have her give you an injection with a sedative. If you prefer that …."
"No, no. I'll try."
Hannibal decided to keep first watch, so B.A and Murdock could get some sleep. Face somehow had managed to fall asleep. Hannibal kept a close eye on his condition. A nurse came in during the night shift to take his pulse and check the electrodes.
"He's doing okay. He's sleeping peacefully."
Face slept peacefully through the rest of the night while either B.A. or Murdock were on watch. He only woke up in the morning when a young nurse was once again taking his pulse and checking the electrodes.
"Hiya, kid. Slept well?"
"Yeah. I think so. What time is it?"
"It's 8 am already, Facey. You missed all of the cartoon shows already."
"How much longer does this take?"
"He ain't sick no more, Hannibal. He's back to whinin' already."
"Haha. Very funny."
"Lieutenant, I was under the impression that you were a smart guy. You're quick, Face. Do the math. You'll need to stay here until tonight to find out what the results of the test are."
"I don't want to be stuck in this room for another day."
"Stop complainin', fool. You ain't goin' nowhere for now."
"Look on the bright sight, muchacho. You get another day of rest and you're surrounded by beautiful ladies. What more would you want?"
So to keep Face occupied for the rest of the day, the guys made sure he had the food and drinks he loved and Hannibal played cards with him for most of the day. Finally evening came. One of the nurses on duty came in to remove the electrodes from Face's body and she informed the guys that she would bring the device over to the doctor so he could have a look at the printout. All they could do now was wait for the final verdict. Face was starting to get really nervous by now.
"Relax, kid. There's nothing you can do about it now. Besides, I'm sure the doc will know how to treat you."
It didn't take too long before the doctor entered the room.
"Ah. Mr. Peck. I see you're doing better already."
"Huh. Yes."
"Gentlemen."
"Do you have the results of the test, doc."
"Yes, I do. The printout shows no abnormalities whatsoever in the heart rhythm of your son. On the contrary, he has the heart of an athlete."
"Well I do try to keep in shape."
"So then what caused him to act like this, doc? I need to know what's going on here. I can't have this happening to him again."
"Well, we turned your son inside out and can't find anything physically wrong with him. The only logical explanation would be that he had a bad reaction to the prescribed medication for the sinus infection."
"A bad reaction to the meds?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever taken them before, Mr. Peck."
"No. I can't say that I did."
"There are a couple of documented cases stating some of the symptoms Mr. Peck had and all of the patients claim they started suffering from the consequences after the intake of the medication. So, I'm afraid he's allergic to this type of medication and therefore suffered from a bad allergic reaction. I'll put this information into his medical file."
"Don't worry, doc. We'll make sure he never touches that stuff again. You can bet on it."
"So. Can I go home now?"
"Yes, Mr. Peck. I don't see why not. Oh and Mr. Peck …"
"Yes?"
"I think you'd like to know that I just passed Miss Hudson in the hallway."
"Miss Hudson?"
"Yes. She was the nurse on duty last night when we started to prepare you for the test. I think she's quite eager to go out with you after you've been released. I wouldn't worry about your son, sir. He's in quite capable hands with Miss Hudson and he's also had plenty of rest so I'm sure he's gonna be fine."
Face already wore the biggest smile and Murdock and B.A. both had to laugh.
"Looks like you have a change of babysitter tonight, kid."
THE END