AWLL 2 - Book 3 - Jessica

November 24, 1988, Chicago, Illinois

"Steve?! Steve?!" I heard muffled voices say. "Are you OK? Steve!"

"Please don't kill our baby," I whispered.

"What's he saying?" I heard Kara ask.

"Something about a baby," I heard Stavros say. "Jorge! Help me get him up and back into the house."

Strong arms lifted me from the sidewalk and supported me as my friends more or less carried me into the house, my arms over their shoulders and their arms around my waist.

"What happened?" a strange voice asked.

"I think he passed out," Leila said.

"Did someone attack him?" another strange voice asked.

"I don't think so," Alejandra said. "I don't see any blood or any injuries."

"Get him on the couch," Sofia ordered the guys. "And get some blankets."

"Should we call 9-1-1?" my sister asked.

"No, Squirt," I whispered.

"Steve, what happened?" Kara asked frantically.

"Kara, let him recover a bit, please," Sofia said.

I felt blankets being put over me, and someone, I thought it was Sofia, checked my pulse. Cold glass slipped into my mouth and I recognized it as a thermometer.

"His heart rate is a bit elevated," Sofia said. "About 110. That's not dangerous."

"Sofia," Alejandra said. "He's been running five days a week and going to karate seven days a week. I bet his resting pulse is around 55 to 60. 110 is high. We really need to check his blood pressure, but none of us has the equipment."

"Temp is 35.6°C, uh, sorry, 96.2°F," Leila said. "That's a bit low, considering he was only outside for about ten minutes from the time he left with Jessica until Penny was pounding on the door."

"That's normal for him," Stephanie said. "I have the same temperature as my normal. We're always a couple degrees low."

The light-headedness slowly passed, and I went to sit up, but felt several hands restrain me.

"Stay lying down," Sofia said. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"I got dizzy, everything went black, and then I heard all of you."

"Penny was out to take Pete for a walk and saw you on the sidewalk," Sofia said. "She freaked out and ran here. She took Pete home and I'm sure she'll be back. Do you know what might have caused you to pass out? And what happened to Jessica?"

I knew. I just couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.

"You said something about a baby," Stavros said. "But I couldn't understand."

"Steve, do you think you can make it up to bed?" Kara asked. "If Stavros and Jorge help you and we take the elevator?"

"I think so," I said.

"Guys, help him," Kara said firmly. "Girls, let me deal with this, please. Elyse, I think you should come with us."

The guys helped me to my feet and steadied me as we went to the elevator. The girls went up the stairs and Jorge and Stavros rode with me and helped me to my room, where I laid on the bed. They left, and I was with Kara, Elyse, and Birgit.

"Is Jess pregnant?" Kara asked.

I nodded, "Yes."

"Why did she leave so suddenly?"

I sighed, and tears ran down my cheeks, "She only came tonight to tell me she was pregnant, that she couldn't have my baby, and that she was going to have an abortion!" I sobbed.

"Oh, my God!" Elyse gasped, then I heard her whisper to Kara, "Becky."

"Jessica is going to kill our baby!" I croaked through the tears.

"What do we do?" Elyse asked.

"I'm calling Doctor Barton," Kara said firmly. "You get in bed and hold him, please."

I felt the bed sag as Elyse got into bed and pulled me into her arms. I cried softly as I heard Kara make the call. Her voice was urgent, but muffled, and I didn't hear the entire conversation. Less than ten minutes later, Al Barton basically burst into our bedroom.

"Let me examine him, please," he said. "Syncope isn't something to mess with."

I felt Elyse move from the bed and opened my eyes to see Al with his stethoscope. He listened to my heart and breathing, then used a penlight to check my eyes. He had me sit up and listened to my breathing again, and put the stethoscope to my neck.

"Checking to make sure you don't have diminished blood flow to your brain," he said. "How long was he out?"

"I'm not sure, maybe five or six minutes," Kara said. "He was only gone for ten before Penny found him on the sidewalk. When we got to him, he was groggy."

I felt pressure on my arm as a cuff was inflated and Al checked my blood pressure.

"Probably vasovagal syncope. In layman's terms, a fainting spell. Has this happened before?"

"I think so," Elyse said. "At least a few times since he was a teenager."

"It's not uncommon in adolescents and young adults. Do you know what brought these spells on?"

"I think the first was when his girlfriend died when he was fifteen," Kara said. "I'm not sure of the other ones, but this one was because Jessica told him she's pregnant and going to have an abortion."

"What?!" Al exclaimed. "She told him this? Tonight?"

"Yes. She called this afternoon out of the blue, asked what time dinner was, ate with us, then took Steve outside and dropped the bomb on him. She left, but I don't know if that was before or after he passed out."

"If she left, knowing he was passed out..." he sighed.

"She didn't know," I said. "She sped away before I fainted."

"Do you know where she went?" he asked.

"I'd guess back to her cousin Carissa's place in Riverside," I said.

"Kara, someone needs to stay with Steve tonight. Preferably awake. If there's any breathing difficulty, or severe headache, or another bout of dizziness, or anything like that, you should call 9-1-1 immediately. I don't think he's at risk for a stroke given his diet and exercise regimen, but even very healthy people can have blood clots. I don't see ANY signs of a stroke or TIA, and I'm not trying to scare you, but keep an eye on him."

"Should he go to the hospital?"

"They'll do exactly what you're doing, and I think the risk is negligible. If you call 9-1-1 immediately, he'll be at the hospital quickly enough to give him emergency treatment. If I thought there was a serious risk, I'd send you now. I don't think there is."

"There are plenty of us here to take turns," Kara said. "We'll take care of him."

"Good. Call me if you have ANY questions, no matter what time. And call 9-1-1 if you see ANYTHING that concerns you. I mean that. Anything at all. I'm going to see if I can track down my wayward Resident and put an end to this entire sordid episode."

"Thanks, Al," I said.

"Yes, thanks, Doctor Barton," Kara said.

He left and Kara got into bed with me while Elyse went to arrange shifts with the girls. I was just so tired that I fell asleep before I even knew it was happening.