And the Clock Goes Boom

BUZZ BUZZ

Bridget picked up her phone from the empty seat next to her. Checking the display, she saw that her younger sister had received her message to call her.

BUZZ BUZZ

"It's Brandy; I'll be right back," the blonde informed Harvey as she stood up. "Hey, Dee, hold on a moment."

Alone again, Harvey turned back to the television. HGTV now flipped from House Hunters to an episode of House Hunters International. Ben and Kate, retirees from Cleveland, discussed the first of the three homes in Belize they hoped to enjoy in their retirement. Shaking his head at the thought of watching any more of the show, Harvey closed his eyes.

How much longer can this take? I should be back there with her, but Bridget said it would be best if I didn't get in the way. Thank gawd that she's with me; I don't know how I could've handled this by myself. She and Sean...damn, I hoped the kid could serve as a friend for Whitney, protect her from her own wild impulses, but I could've never imagined this situation. And now, he might be on crutches or in a cast for up to three months. Maybe I should take a hint from the dumb show that's on and send him and his friends to the Caribbean for spring break or something.

The hairs on the back of Harvey's neck stood up. The feeling of being watched felt strong. Opening his eyes, he looked to his left but saw nothing. Then, looking to his right, Harvey saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring at him from the seats across from his, bringing a little warmth to his heart. The owner of said eyes looked to be around three or four years old. Harvey had noticed the little boy earlier when he came in with his mother and, presumably, his older brother. The older boy continued to clutch his hand, sniffling as they waited for an open examination room.

Lifting his arm slightly, Harvey opened and closed his hand in a wave while mouthing a hello. The little boy copied his actions with a grin before turning shy, burying his head into his mother's arm. Remembering Whitney at that age, Harvey recalled that shyness wasn't a trait that his little pumpkin ever exhibited. Then, feeling a tad bit thirsty, he glanced around for a water fountain. Bridget probably knows where one's located...wait. Although the little boy's attention had shifted to another person in the room, the feeling of someone watching him hadn't vanished.

Slowly turning his head to the right, Harvey saw the person. A man, located in the row of seats perpendicular to his row and directly facing Harvey's side, suddenly lowered his eyes. Wearing a blue and green plaid button-up shirt and a pair of jeans, Harvey worked to recall if the man had been in the room when they arrived. Not when we arrived and dealt with the paperwork. But he was here by the time we sat down. However, he wasn't sitting in that seat. He's moved since we took our seats. Could he have been in the bathroom? No one else is with him, nor has anyone come out to talk to him. Instead, he's just sitting there, playing with his phone. Something feels off.

"Well, that wasn't a good idea," Bridget remarked as she sat back down.

"Problem?" Harvey asked, his attention drawn away from the plaid man.

"Brandy freaked out, crying over Sean and Whitney. If I had known I would have to spend the whole time calming her down, I would've never called," Bridget said with a shake of her head. "Oh, by the way, she says hi to her 'big brother.' I'm still going to need to have a chat with her about that."

"I'm sure she'll be calling my phone next," Harvey responded, earning an annoyed sigh from his seatmate. "Did you get a hold of your parents?"

"No, I didn't. And there's no way I was giving that task to Brandy. I called Tinny, and she'll keep trying their phones. It's probably better if they hear the news from her."

Hesitating at first, Harvey asked, "No calling Beverly?"

"No. I'm not in the mood to deal with her after her attitude at Christmas. My mom can tell her."

The sound of the door opening drew their attention. A striking caramel-skinned woman in her mid-forties entered the room. Bridget stood up, alerting Harvey to the fact that Whitney's doctor had arrived. Joining her in standing up, he felt a sick feeling proliferating in his stomach as he dreaded the coming news.

"Cheryl," Bridget greeted her friend. "Harvey, this is Dr. Cheryl Fort, the hospital's most experienced ER physician."

"Mr. Diamond, you have a very lucky daughter or one blessed with a guardian angel," Dr. Fort added with a look over at Bridget.

"Doctor, how's my little girl?" Harvey questioned, his mouth dry and scratchy.

"When Whitney arrived, she presented as having a body temperature of 88.7 degrees. That falls into the higher range for moderate hypothermia. While we can't know for sure thanks to the quick thinking of Dr. Tarver, it's safe to suggest she was in the middle range for hypothermia when pulled from the water by her son."

"How are her vitals?" Bridget asked, taking the lead in the questioning.

"Upon arrival, she had a slower pulse and lower blood pressure than is acceptable. Since then, we've had to monitor her heart rate as it's become rapid, along with her breathing, and her blood pressure has risen to above-average levels."

"How is that better?" Harvey asked, perplexed.

"It's better as she's begun to warm her body temperature to a level more in line with mild hypothermia. Along with that, she's now begun to shiver uncontrollably," Dr. Fort detailed, adding further explanation at seeing Harvey's fear. "That's a positive step for your daughter, Mr. Diamond. It signals that her body is reacting at normal levels. In both moderate and severe hypothermia, the body loses the ability to recognize that it's cold."

"Have you had to resort to blood re-warming?" Bridget inquired, causing Harvey to jerk his head toward her in horror.

"No, we've been able to manage and increase her body temperature using warming blankets and warm intravenous fluids. As she becomes conscious more often, we'll have her drink warm fluids too."

"She's not conscious?"

"Your daughter has been in and out of consciousness. That's normal in a circumstance such as this. Her body's undergone a shock to its system. Whitney's going to be highly fatigued for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Expect her to sleep for most of that period."

"What about her drowning? She stopped breathing!" her father questioned.

"Yes, are there any concerns over hypoxemia?" Bridget added, dreading any possible damage from the lack of oxygen.

"No, none at the moment. When conscious, she's responded to all our tests, and the oxygen monitor has shown strong levels. Much of this has been helped immensely by her age and strong physically fit condition. If those were different, we might have a greater level of concern," Dr. Fort reassured them.

"That's not to say that we don't have any concerns," the doctor continued. "Due to the direct contact of her lungs to the water, her chances of developing pneumonia are higher. Outside of raising her body temperature, that's a primary area we'll be monitoring."

"Did Whitney show any signs of a concussion? We're still trying to figure how she came to be on the lake, but it's likely she fell a good distance," Bridget asked and explained.

"No, no signs whatsoever. Although there are no broken bones, she does have multiple areas where bruising has started," Dr. Fort relayed. "While she hasn't been lucid enough to describe what happened, your son has helped us a little, Bridget. Sean said that he watched Whitney come over the top of the cliff, but it was in an area where there's an incline rather than a straight drop. He said that she more tumbled rather than fell straight down to the lake below. He felt that her rolling led her to be further out onto the lake as well."

"She rolled down? Okay, I know the spot," Harvey noted. "That means Sean might have been standing not too far away as she went past if he was on Deadman Drop."

"As I said earlier, you have a fortunate girl, Mr. Diamond, and Bridget has a courageous boy," Dr. Fort said with a smile toward the two parents. "As of this moment, I see no signs of any long-term issues for Whitney, but we'll keep monitoring for any. Now, we're going to keep her down here for several more hours until her temperature increases at least another few degrees. After that, we'll send her upstairs to a room, and you'll be able to visit her."

"Thank you, Cheryl. I know she's in good hands with you," Bridget said, followed by Harvey's profuse thanks. Promising to return with a further update when Whitney could be transported upstairs to a room, Dr. Fort when back to work.

Almost staggering back down into a chair, Harvey took several moments to digest all the information. Raising his head, he looked up at the still-standing Bridget.

"I-I know I said that I owe Sean my life, but I also owe it to you too, Bridget. I can never repay what both of you did for Whitney. I don't know what I would..." Harvey trailed off at the horrible thought of Whitney dying. Bridget reached out, pulling his head to the side of her body for comfort.

"I know, Harv. I know. But it sounds like Whitney will be fine with some time." Gently rubbing his head with her hand, she offered a suggestion. "I think you need to share this news with the others worried about her."

"Right, right. I better call Willow and try to reach Graham again," he said, shooting back up. "Thank you for being here with me too. I can't imagine doing this by myself."

After breaking off his grateful hug, Harvey left to make his phone calls outside. Bridget noticed then that most of the waiting room had been watching the conversation with Dr. Fort unfold. One man in a blue and green plaid shirt appeared to be watching her more intently than the others before she could wonder why Lulu came back out into the waiting room to get the young mother with her two little boys. The mother slowed down for a moment to offer her heartfelt view on the matter.

"I'm delighted to hear that your son and daughter will be alright, ma'am. They're in my thoughts."

"Um, thank you," Bridget answered, unsure how to respond to a person thinking that Whitney was her daughter. Then she struggled to stifle an embarrassed giggle as she realized that meant the young mother had the absurd notion that she and Harvey were a married couple.

"Excuse me, Dr. Tarver," a voice said, interrupting the comical idea that her sister Beverly wouldn't find funny at all.

"Oh, hi, Gail," Bridget greeted one of the hospital's clerks in Admitting.

"I just need you to fill out another form for your insurance," Gail informed her, leading her back to the desk counter. "And I wanted to say that all of us are happy to hear that your son isn't too badly hurt."

"Thanks. It's strange to be on this side of the ER. Usually, I'm rushing in to check on my patients going into labor."

"Dr. Bhandari wants to keep Sean for a few more hours until his body temperature is closer to normal. But after that, he should be fine to be discharged," Gail explained.

"Discharged?" Harvey repeated incredulously and loudly over Bridget's shoulder. "You can't be serious. He was just involved in an accident, cut his leg, broke his foot, and jumped into freezing cold water."

"Uh, sir?"

"It's okay, Harvey. That's how the hospital and insurance companies work these days. Unless there's a life-threatening reason, they won't cover a stay," Bridget responded, trying to calm him down. "I see it all the time when my patients give birth. They are routinely discharged the next morning."

"No! The kid's a damn hero. He's not getting kicked out onto the street on my watch."

"Harvey--"

"I don't care what the hospital or the insurance company says. Sean's staying overnight for observation. He already risked his life once today, and I'm not risking it again for him," Harvey declared, his voice almost a shout, plenty strong enough for everyone in the waiting room to hear loud and clear.

"Sir, that's not how it works. His parents' insurance provider won't cover the extra costs," Gail meekly tried to explain.

"Yes, I get that, so bill me. Any extra cost for his medical care, just send it to me," Harvey announced. "He saved my daughter's life. I'm Harvey Diamond; do you think money matters to me!"

"But--I--we...I'm not authorized to do that," the baffled clerk replied.

"Then find someone to authorize it," Harvey ordered. "Get Merton's money-hungry ass down here if you fucking have to!"