2.8 All Symptoms Point To...

The night was quiet at Newcrest Community Hospital, which was pretty typical for such a small community. There were only four staff members on shift. One doctor, two nurses and the receptionist. Although at 3 am, all was pretty quiet. The other nurse was making her rounds, checking blood pressures and other vitals on patients.

On break, Eliza O'Brien, one of the night nurses, and Dr. Leo Riddle were standing in the front reception area sorting charts while the receptionist took a quick break.

"It's almost eerie." Eliza said to Dr. Riddle. "I can't get used to how quiet this place is."

"It's a small community hospital." Dr. Riddle replied. "Most nights are pretty tame. A few common colds, a preganancy or two. Nothing dramatic here."

"It's nothing like San Myshuno Regional," Eliza agreed.

"Well, in the city things are always going to be more dramatic." he agreed just as the front doors slid open. And they weren't prepared for what walked through them.

Cameron McGinnis came walking in with an unconcious woman in his arms. The hospital staff jumped to alert. Immediately Dr. Riddle walked to assess the patient, but all Eliza could do was stare in shock.

"Mr. McGinnis," Dr. Riddle said professionally. "My name's Dr. Riddle. What happened?"

Everyone in Newcrest knew the McGinnis family.

"We were talking and she just fainted." Cameron said calmly and matter of factly. Dr. Riddle was amazed at how in control the new Mayor of McGinnis was.

"I see." Dr. Riddle looked over at Eliza. "Eliza, we need an exam room and the patient is most likely in need on an IV."

Eliza didn't move. She seemed rooted in the spot, the patient files still clutched in her hands.

"Eliza. Eliza! I need exam room 2 prepared." Dr. Riddle looked over and she seemed to snap to attention.

"Oh, right." shaking her head Eliza turned and kead the way to the exam room. Along the way, she grabbed a few supplies from the nurses station.

As they walked, Dr. Riddle continued to ask question to Cam, who continued to answer calmly.

"What can you tell me about the patient?"

"Her name is Madeline Beavers, she's a young adult, we graduated together.... she's..." for the first time Cam faltered.

Dr. Riddle frowned as he held open the door to the exam room.

"Mr. McGinnis.... excuse me, Mayor McGinnis, all the information you can give me will help me and Miss Beavers." he said.

Cam didn't say anything else and walked past the doctor.

Dr. Riddle frowned. He understood that occasionally patient didn't want to share information because they were embarassed or uneasy about sharing with perfect strangers. But he also knew he needed as much information as possible to give the correct diagnosis.

Walking into the room, he walked around the exam table and stoor at the front of the bed. "Mr. McGinnis, I need your help to help her. Any information you have is helpful... no matter how... sensitive it might be."

Cameron gently set Madeline down on the exam table. "She's homeless... She and her family have been living out of the greenhouse in the community park. We... we were talking in the greenhouse when she fainted."

Dr. Riddle nodded. Gesturing for Cameron to step back, he brushed some hair from Madeline's face and felt her forehead. She felt warm to touch. Maybe a little too warm, he held out his hand and Eliza handed him a thermometer. Her temperature was slightly high but nothing that could account for a bactieral infection.

"Do you know the last time that Miss Beavers ate or drank anything today?" he asked Cameron handing the themometer back and placing his fingers on Madeline's pulse and looking at his watch.

"I... I don't know. I hadn't seen her since... this morning... I mean yesterday morning. She came to the house to talk to me..." he stopped.

"Her pulse is rapid. 85 BPM. " he murmurred to Eliza who jotted it down. "Blood pressure cuff."

"Is she.. going ot be alright?" Cameron asked Dr. Riddle.

Dr. Riddle strapped the blood pressure cuff onto Madeline's arm. He didn't answer immediately as he pumped the cuff tight and placed the stethoscope onto her pulse and listened for the blood pressure reading. "80 over 60." he said and Eliza jotted it down.

"Doctor," Cameron said insitently and Dr. Riddle turned to face the new Mayor of Newcrest.

"Mr...Mayor McGinnis, Miss Beavers will be fine. Let's step out into the hallway and we'll discuss it."

Cameron wrapped an arm around his stomach and placed a fist to his forehead but he nodded tightly.

He turned to look at Eliza. "Please prep an IV and we will run the routine bloodwork."

Eliza nodded and scooted behind the bed to grab the standing IV pole.

As the two walked out of the room, Cameron glanced back at Madeline with worry. "Don't worry, Eliza is an excellent nurse despite her earlier response. Miss Beavers is in great hands."

"I'm trusting you both... Miss Beavers... is very important to me." Cameron said formally.

Dr. Riddle smiled reassuringly. "I can see that." he pulled the door closed and Cameron turne to face him.

"So you said, Miss Beavers has been living in a greenhouse. Do you know how long this has been going on?" he asked professionally.

Cameron nervously thumbed his nose. "I just found out this morning. That was what she came to talk to me about today. I went to see her after the party at my house wound down.... I guess I needed to see it for myself to believe it."

"I see..."

"Do you know why she fainted, Dr. Riddle?"

Dr. Riddle paused for a moment considering. "I can't say definitively yet, Mayor McGinnis..."

"Please, just call me Cameron."

"Ok, Cameron... Right now, all the symptoms; rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure and the fainting spell... well it points to dehydration."

Cameron covered his mouth.

"Now, we won't know until the blood test come back to rule out any other eventuality... but it's the most likely cause at the moment."

"If that is what caused her fainting spell..."

"Then she will need some fluids and some food and lots and lots of rest...But I said we will have to wait for the final disgnosis once the test come back. So I suggest you call who you need to and--"

"I'll be in the waiting room. I want to be here... in case, she wakes up."

Dr. Riddle nodded. He pointed to the small waiting area to their right. "You can wait in here or there is small room down the hall. It's got a couch if you need to crash out for a bit."

"Thanks, doctor. I'm still wide awake."

Dr. Riddle nodded and left Cam to wait.

Cam stayed in the waiting room all night. Pretty soon the sun had begun to rise and he was beginning to wonder if the doctor would ever come to tell him the results of the bloodwork. For being such a small hospital it took a long time to get answers.

As he sat in the living room, his eyes began to droop.

"Cameron." startled he looked up. His entire family stood in the door of the waiting room.

"Mom, Dad... hey what are you guys doing here?"

Adaleigh walked in and hugged her son tightly. "Of course we're here. We would have come sooner but I had to take care of Madeline's family and wait for your brother and sister to get up."

Cam smiled. "You didn't have to come but I'm glad you did."

"Of course, you're glad. Personally I wish I was still sleeping." Collin yawned irritably.

"Don't listen to grumpy. He's just annoyed that he's awake before the sun." Laura said moving in to hug her brother as well.

Cam shook his head but despite his brothers' snarky remark he knew that Laura was right. Collin wouldn't have bothered to get up much less be here if he hadn't wanted to be.

"So what have the doctors said?" Collin asked. "Do they know what's going on with Madeline?"

"Well, honestly I haven't heard. The doctors said it's most like dehydration but they are waiting on the blood work to know for sure."

"Mayor McGinnis..." a small voice said from the hallway.

Both Adaleigh and Cameron turned towards the door.

"Uh... I mean Mr. Mayor McGinnis..." Eliza finished lamely.

"Yes?" Cam said.

"Miss Beavers is waking up." she said calmly. "Dr. Riddle has the results to the bloodwork as well but Miss Beavers is asking for you."

"I'll be right there." Cam said and then he looked back at his family.

Adaleigh smiled. "Go, go, go. We'll wait right here."

Cam smiled. "Thanks."

Cam slid the door open to the exam room quietly. Madeline had rolled over onto her side and althought she was hooked up to the IV line she seemed pretty awake.

"Mads?" he asked cautiously and walked over to the rail next to her. "Hey how are you feeling?"

Madeline rolled onto her back and looked up at him. "Cam... I'm feeling fine. I want to leave though and the doctor said I can't yet."

"Well, you had a pretty bad fall..." he started tentatively.

Madeline looked down for a moment and then she looked up at Cam. "I hate hospitals," she admitted quietly.

"I don't think anyone likes them." he said reassuringly. "That's why we only come when we have to."

She sighed and sat up.

"Hey, are you sure that you should get up so quickly. The doctor thinks you fainted because of being dehydrated... when was the last time you ate or drank something?"

Madeline winced and turned her head away from Cam. "Um... I don't know... what time is it?" she asked as she looked out the small window above the sink that she could just see around the screen.

Cam glanced at the window as well. "It's about 7 am now."

"Well, I guess, it's been... a while...." Madeline murmurred.

Cam walked around to the front of her. She wouldn't look at him. Cam frowned.

"You scared me." he finally said.

"I scared myself." she murmurred back.

Cam couldn't help himself. He put his hands on her cheeks. Very slowly and carefully he leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

"You really scared me, Mads." he murmurred against her head.

She looked up at him. "I know, Cam. I'm sorry... Can you convince the doctor to let me leave?"

He looked down at her scared face. "I'll... I'll see what I can do."

Madeline stood and Cam pulled her into his arms. Resting her head on his shoulder she murmurred only. "Thanks."

The door opened and Dr. Riddle walked in. "Ah, Miss Beavers, I'm really glad to see you awake."

Madeline straightened away from Cam and held onto the standing IV. "Yes, I feel fine now. I.. I really want to leave."

Dr. Riddle smiled. "I understand, Miss Beavers. But I don't recommend it. The bloodwork came back..." he looked hesitantly at Cameron.

Madeline waved her hand impatiently. "I give you permission to talk in front of Cameron... he's..." she hesitated before finishing her sentence. "Important to me."

Dr. Riddle didn't quite know how to take that at first it seemed but then he began to explain. "Your blood test showed that you have low B-12 and folic acid, which means you are anemic. That plus low blood pressure lead to your fainting spell. We have been slowly rehydrating you through the IV but your body needs food, rest and lots of liquids for the next few days..."

Dr. Riddle hesitated again. "I can't stop you from checking out but... I don't advise it if you don't have a secure and safe place to stay Miss Beavers."

Madeline looked over her shoulder at Cam. "You told him where I've been staying?" she asked without accusation.

Cam nodded curtly. "I wanted them to know as much as possible so they could treat you properly."

She turned back to the doctor without saying anything else. "I understand your reccommendations, Doctor..." she stopped realizing she didn't know his name.

"Riddle, Leo Riddle."

"Well Dr. Riddle, I understand but I want to check out."

Dr. Riddle looked at Cameron.

Cameron looked at Madeline and then putting a hand around her waist touched her shoulder. "Miss Beavers will stay with my family and I." he said matter of factly and Madeline looked up at him in surprise.

Then she looked down at the floor again. Cam couldn't make out her face but she might have been blushing.

Dr. Riddle nodded. "That would be more agreeable. I can arrange for in home nurse visits until we are sure that, Miss Beavers has fully recovered. I'll start the paperwork and a nurse will come in the discharge paperwork and we'll get you off that IV, Miss Beavers."

He looked over at Cam. "You'll just need to provide your information to the nurse, Mayor McGinnis."

Cam nodded. "Of course."

Cam's hand was still resting on Madeline's shoulder as the doctor left the room. She looked away and then back at him. "You didn't have to do that."

"Do what?"

"Tell them I would stay with you." she murmurred.

"I didn't just say that so the doctor would let you leave, Mads. You're really going to stay with me. My mother already made arrangements for your mom and brother. You're not homeless anymore." he looked at the side of her face. He couldn't make out her expression.

"Come on, let's sit down and wait for the nurse to take off your IV."

Madeline sat without argument, though it was hard to say if that was because she wanted to or because her legs were still not sure if they could hold her.

Cam had a feeling she might fight him some more later, when she had his strength back. Cam decided right then that he needed to convince her to make this arrangement more permanent... once he could convince her that it wasn't just because of her situation that Cam loved her.
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Author's note: Ok, so here's the update. Took me a bit to get these poses to work. There are not a whole of readily available hospital poses surprisingly. I utilized Joanne-Berenice's Sick Sims 2 and Inabadromance's Hospital Pose Packs. Sandy-Sims Storytelling Pose Pack for the fainted Madeline in Cam's arms and putting in the hospital bed,  a few of the bedside poses after Madeline awakens are taken from sim-ply reality's Waiting for Baby Pose Pack, and for Cam's pensive waiting pose I used Solistair's Sitting Comfortable Pose Pack. For the different talking scenarios, and because I wanted there to be a little less animation in their talking I utilized Something Wicked Sim's Situational Talking Masterpack . I think that's everything and I really want to say thank you to all these amazing pose creators. Couldn't write the story without their help!