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| Mac was having a hard time dealing with two restless children and worrying about her husband. They had been in the waiting room for about an hour. "Mommy, can we see Daddy yet?" Serena asked. "No, Rena, the doctor is still trying to figure out what's wrong with him." She was about to cry. They wouldn't let her sit with Harm because of the girls, but she needed to see that he was all right. Evelyn asked Mac for her cell phone. "What for, Evie?" "You can't do this by yourself. I'll call Uncle AJ." "No, don't do that!" Mac replied. "We can't make him fly all the way down here just because your Daddy's sick." "What about Uncle Bud and Aunt Harriet?" she asked innocently. She had no idea what an expense it was to fly down to Orlando. Mac shook her head. "No, baby, we can't do that either. They have children they have to take care of too. We'll be fine. Daddy will be fine, don't worry." Evelyn sighed and while Mac was dealing with Serena, she grabbed the phone from her Mommy's purse and hid it in her pocket. "Mommy, I'm going to the bathroom. It's right over there," she said, pointing to it. "Okay, honey," Mac replied. She ran to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. Evelyn found the speed dial for her Uncle AJ and hit send. "Hello?" "Uncle AJ?" "Evie! How are you, sweetheart? You enjoying Disney World?" "No, Daddy got sick." "Leave it to Harm," he muttered. "What?" "Nothing, Evie. What's wrong with him?" Evelyn took a shaky breath. "We don't know. Mommy made him go to the hospital. That's where we're at right now." "It's that bad?" he asked. "I guess so. Uncle AJ, Mommy's so scared and she can't take care of me and Serena. Can you come help her?" Chegwidden smiled to himself. "Of course, Evie. Do you know what hospital you're at?" "No..." "That's all right, I'll just call your Mom's cell phone when I get there." "Okay! I'll see you later!" With that, Evelyn hung up. She opened the bathroom stall to find Serena staring at her, with Mac holding her. "Um... Hi Mommy!" **************** Evelyn sat in a chair with her arms crossed. She had a scowl on her face because Mommy had yelled at her. She wondered what she did wrong. Uncle AJ was coming to help her, not yell at her. Mac glanced over at her daughter. Her sweet, wonderful, caring daughter. She didn't know why she had yelled at Evelyn. Maybe it was just everything happening at once... Still, it was no excuse. "Evie, come here." "I can't, Serena's on your lap," Evelyn responded, turning her head away. "Okay, I deserve that," Mac said. She laid the sleeping Serena on the couch. "She's not here anymore." Evelyn looked up. She quickly ran over to Mac. "I'm sorry I called Uncle AJ, Mommy! I thought I was helping." "You were, honey. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm glad you called Uncle AJ." "You are?" Evelyn asked, hugging her Mommy tight. "I am, Evie." *************** It felt like forever, but the doctor finally walked over to Mac. "Mrs. Rabb?" "Yes?" Mac said, not bothering to tell him she was a Colonel in the USMC. She had bigger problems to worry about. "I'm Christopher Phillips, I've been keeping an eye on your husband." Mac nodded. "I'm afraid your thoughts were valid, he was poisoned." Mac gasped. "Are you certain?" "Yes... It's some substance called Flagratol." He noted Mac's confused expression. "It's a highly controversial drug to help fight cancer. The problem is the side effects." "What are they?" she asked shakily. "Fever, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, and ultimately... death." Mac's vision blanked for a minute and a sleeping Evelyn almost fell off her lap. "Mrs. Rabb?" the doctor said in concern. "Are you all right?" "What do you think?" she said, tears falling. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. I need to get to my rounds. You can see him in a few minutes. I'll send the nurse out." "What about my children?" "I'll make sure they can get in too." "Thank you, Doctor Phillips." With a nod, the doctor left her alone. Alone... It finally hit her... She was going to lose him, this time for real! |
