A series by November

Chapter 76: Seizure

Maggie began to convulse. Rogue bolted up to the bed. “Get the rails down.” She fiddled with the hospital bed, unsure how to do it.

“Don’t pick her up. Just keep her on her side.” Marie finally got the rails down and went to the hallway and called. Two nurses came running.

Shortly afterward, an exhausted-looking Dr. Varma returned. Maggie had stopped seizing and was awake but lethargic. “How long did the seizure last?” Rogue and Logan looked at each other. “Less than a minute maybe,” Logan said.

“Okay. I’m going to put her on a medicine called Tegretol to prevent more seizures. No more food by mouth until that temp comes back down. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Logan didn’t go anywhere that night. Rogue made phone calls to Dr. Pileggi, to cancel their thesis meeting the next day, and to Jubilee and Leah. Logan had called Mariah who was worried sick.

Logan was quickly becoming desensitized to the influx of nurses, lab techs, and residents in and out of the room. He sketched while Marie slept. By morning he had developed a full blown case of the sniffles and Marie badgered him to leave and get a nap. He wouldn’t leave until she told him she he was going to relieve her during the day and he had better be well-rested. In truth she was worried about the cold. Despite the fact that he only had them every four or five years, it was strange that his healing factor would allow him to be sick.

Marie was peeing for the twentieth time that day when she heard Maggie call out. “Daddy?”

“Hey baby, I’m here.” Marie said. “Daddy went home to get some sleep. How are you feelin’, baby?”

“Achy.” She was still feverish too, but her sudden alertness seemed to Marie to be a good sign.

“Aww. They’re giving you medicine to make you feel better.”

“I wanna go home.”

“Me too, Bluie. I can’t wait to take you home. But you need to be here for a while so they can make you better. I brought you some things.”

“What things?”

“Well, I brought Winnie the Pooh.” She tucked the purple Pegasus into bed with Maggie. And I brought you some crayons and paper if you’re up to coloring. And I brought you some books.”

“Can I watch Letterman?” Maggie glanced at the TV, which had been on mute all day. She was almost never up this late.

“Oh baby, it’s late.”

“But I slept all day!”

“Okay, just for a half hour. Then it’s bedtime.”

“Are you leaving then?”

“No, sugar, I’m gonna be here all night. But you need to rest to get better.”

“I have to pee,” Maggie said. Marie was relieved, knowing this was a good sign. She carried her to the bathroom and back and then after putting the bed up she sat down with Maggie in front of her, wrapped in her cooling pad and they cuddled and watched Letterman. She could feel Maggie shake with laughter though a lot of the humor probably went over her head, and it felt good. She ran fingers through her hair and wiped down her forehead and and wondered if Maggie was coming out of the woods.

After twenty minutes though Maggie leaned back on her and dozed. Marie didn’t have the heart to move her and for a long while she held her like that.

Marie slept then, they both slept even when a nurse came to take Maggie’s temperature, at midnight, then one, and still at two. At a little bit after two Maggie began to toss and turn just the way Logan did during a nightmare. Marie woke up and could tell Maggie was on fire again.

She was mumbling about horses and starfish on the walls.

Marie looked at the chart and saw that Maggie’s temp was again spiking. Dr. Varma came back. “Here, let me get out of your way,” Marie said.

“You’re fine. You being there gives comfort to the little girl, that’s good, no?” Dr. Varma opened Maggie’s eyes and shone light in them.

“You don’t think she had a mini-seizure, do you?”

“No, the Tegretol should stop that. The fever is spiking though.”

“She was so alert a few hours ago.”

“That’s not unusual. She could continue to go in and out of it for a few days yet.”

“Oh god,” Rogue said. She didn’t think she could handle another day like this.

Dr. Varma fiddled with the IV. “How are you feeling? Are you still womiting?”

“No, it’s passed, thank god.”

“You should go home and sleep. The nurses will look after her around the clock.”

“She was only three and her parents abandoned her behind a dumpster. If she wakes up and I’m not here she’ll freak out.”

The doctor shook her head tiredly, sadly. “People can be so cruel. So you adopted her? You look very young.”

“Yeah. I’m older than I look.”

“You’re a good mom,” Dr. Varma patted her arm and the sweetness of it made Marie want to sob. “I’ll be back in the morning.”

Logan woke at five and couldn’t get back to sleep. He showered and shaved and returned to the hospital. He found Marie asleep, Maggie lying between her legs.

He touched Marie’s hair and she woke up. He touched Maggie and she didn’t. She still felt warm.

“Hi. What time ‘sit?”

“A little before six. Go back to sleep.” She did.

Unfortunately the hospital came alive at six with shift change and rounds. A phlebotomist came to take Maggie’s blood and it was harder for Logan than Maggie. She was delirious again and she cried out when the needle punctured her, but then was quiet. Marie watched Logan’s jaw clench and his eyes narrow. “It’s okay, baby.” The phlebotomist thought that she was talking to Maggie, but she was looking at Logan.

“Did she sieze again?”

“No.” Marie yawned. “She was totally alert around midnight, she wanted to watch Letterman. She was talking and laughing and normal. Then she got a little delirious again.”

“How’re you feelin?”

“Fine,” Marie smiled. She managed to doze until Dr. Varma came back with a gaggle of residents for rounds. Then she slipped out of bed and went to pee again.

The second day was worse. Maggie siezed three times. They took her away for an MRI and this freaked Logan out immensely. He wanted to go in with her but Marie explained what the MRI would do to him.

Marie waited with him in Maggie’s room and he looked at her. She couldn’t define the look. Suddenly Logan was sobbing. Marie drew the curtain around Maggie’s bed, in case someone came in, and then held him close. She was too drained to cry.

“It’s okay. Let it go, love,” This only made him cry harder, and he did for a long time. He mostly hid in her hair but occasionally darted his eyes to hers to make sure he wasn’t scaring her. All he saw there was calm acceptance. She stroked his hair back and pressed kisses to his temple and hand.

He finally quieted, and she murmured “you remembering something, Logan?”

“No. She’s just so little.”

Tears sprang to Marie’s eyes. “I know. But she’s a fighter, love. She’s a fighter just like we are.”

Just then a nurse opened the room and brought Maggie back. They lifted her from the wheelchair back onto the bed. She was feverish again. Logan slipped into the bathroom to get himself under control. Some calm breaths, some cold water splashed on his face, and no one would ever know that he had been sobbing like a baby.

He returned to the room and was able to face Maggie. “Hey there Blue.” He pressed his lips to her sweating forehead. Marie heard him mumbling something to her in soothing tones. Then Maggie giggled.

An hour later Dr. Varma reappeared. “My god, woman, don’t you ever sleep?” Marie said.

“Not much. I have good news.”