SECRETS - PART EIGHTY-FIVE
*****
"Sam! Don't hold him!" Susannah instructed when she saw Sam was about to try to lift Thomas to him. "Get Connie and Marcia in here," Susannah called out loudly. They heard Dave calling for assistance. Susannah quickly rolled Thomas over on his side. She did that to make sure his airway stayed open and he didn't aspirate any saliva or vomit. "Let me have a pillow" she called to Viki. Susannah placed the pillow Viki handed her under Thomas' head so he wouldn't injure it. She then stood by, timing the seizure.
Connie and Marcia came in, along with Dave and Carl. They too just stood by. Viki and Sam both stared in horror as Thomas' body continued to shake violently.
"Susannah, do something!" Viki pleaded.
Susannah was still timing the duration of the seizure and quickly said, "We have to wait for the seizure to stop. Please try to stay calm."
Thomas' bladder released itself and a puddle of urine formed underneath him. He vomited. The seizure lasted two minutes and fifty seconds. To Viki and Sam it seemed like it had gone on for an hour. Finally, the muscular contractions and relaxations stopped and Thomas' body lay still. His breathing returned to normal. He was unconscious. Susannah noted the duration of the seizure out loud. She ordered Connie to do vitals on him and asked Marcia to get an IV setup. Susannah checked Thomas' eyes. His pupils were reacting normally. His blood pressure was normal, for him. His heart rate was slightly elevated. That was to be expected. The beat was regular. He was not presenting with any symptoms of a stroke, aneurysm or low blood sugar. Susannah gave orders to discontinue the Zyprexa. She ordered blood work done on him and ordered a cardiac monitor be placed on him. Susannah checked his pupils and listened to his heart, one more time. She told them to get Thomas cleaned up and moved to the bed.
Susannah stood up and looked over toward Sam and Viki. Sam had his arm around Viki's shoulder. They were both pale as ghosts and both were trembling. "His vitals are within normal range. He is not in any danger right now," Susannah quickly let them know. She then continued, "Thomas just had a generalized seizure . . . a tonic-clonic seizure. You may be more familiar with the term grand mal seizure."
"Has he become epileptic?" a terrified Sam asked.
"I can't make that diagnosis after one seizure. It may be an isolated event. Seizures are one of the more uncommon side effects of Zyprexa, it usually only effects patients who already have a seizure disorder. Just in case, I'm discontinuing that for the time being." Susannah turned to Marcia. "Find out who's on in neurology and cardiology." Susannah turned her attention back to Sam and Viki.
"Why isn't he awake yet?" Viki asked as tears escaped from her eyes.
"He will be shortly. He will probably be very sleepy and confused when he wakes up. He will most likely have a headache and you may notice some focal motor involvement."
"Focal?" Sam asked. He looked dazed.
"I'm sorry . . . some movement in an isolated area of his body . . . an arm or leg . . . not generalized like in the seizure he just had. He may also feel even more depressed than usual. That is all normal. Let's sit down," Susannah suggested.
"I don't wanna sit down! Just tell me what's going on with my kid!" a frantic Sam barked.
"I will. You both need to stay calm. I don't want Thomas or any of them to wake up and find you both so upset," Susannah stated gently.
Sam and Viki looked at each other with desperation in both their eyes. "Dear Lord! I had a feeling I should come back here this evening," Viki declared.
Sam took some deep breaths to try to calm himself. They were having minimal effect. He was frightened and angry that this had happened to Todd. He and Viki sat down and were ready to listen.
"I know how terrifying a generalized seizure is to see. I need you to know they usually cause no damage to the person, unless they bite their tongue during the seizure or hurt themselves falling or by banging into something."
"When Todd had pneumonia, a seizure almost killed him. His heart stopped," Viki reminded Susannah.
"Todd was in heart and renal failure then. I see no changes in the condition of Todd's heart at this point. I am going to have cardiology check him out. I have also called in a neurologist. His regular doctors are probably not here now. If it becomes necessary I will call them. He can't have a full neurological workup until he is awake and fully alert."
"So you think this may be a one time thing caused by the medication?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. It's a possibility, but it really is rare for this to happen in patients who do not have a previous seizure disorder. What concerns me is that Thomas had the sensation of a bad taste and smell. That is called an aura. That is usually more common in epileptic seizures than in ones caused by medications. Even so, that is not conclusive."
Viki and Sam's heads were spinning. They were both thinking that this was all Todd needed in addition to everything else. "How will you determine the cause?" Viki inquired.
"Most likely neurology will order an EEG and another CT scan, possibly an MRI and a PET scan."
"They didn't order those tests when he had the two seizures during the pneumonia," Sam pointed out.
"We knew the cause of them. The Baby was out and he had what is called febrile seizures. The high fever he had caused them." Susannah hated to alarm them further. However, they needed to know. "Todd has sustained many injuries to his brain in his short lifetime. Just from what records I have, there were many incidences of major trauma to his brain. There was the blow to his head that caused the hearing loss in his right ear, a concussion caused by banging his head into the wall when he was in prison, the injuries he probably sustained falling from the cliff in Ireland, the concussion he got when Téa hit him on the head with a shovel, the concussion caused by driving Téa's car off the road, another concussion when he slammed his head into the doors here at the hospital. Also, we have no idea how many injuries to the brain Todd received as a child. According to Doctor Evans' records Todd had two concussions. We don't know for sure how many times his brain may have been injured by Peter. It is possible that some scar tissue from one of those incidences can cause epilepsy to develop."
Sam and Viki were devastated. Sam took Viki's hand and patted it. He turned to Susannah. "Could it take this long for those old injuries to cause seizures?"
"Yes. It could take years for injuries to cause seizures. It's not likely the injuries from childhood are causing this, but it is not entirely impossible either."
"I don't understand. Todd has recently had MRIs and CT scans?" Viki voice was filled with desperation.
"They weren't looking for that, specifically. Even now, those tests might not reveal the problem. It is a difficult diagnosis. If the seizures continue, they might be considered idiopathic. That means no obvious cause can be found. I know it's easy to say, but please try not to get crazy over this. It may be an isolated seizure. I have stopped the neuroleptic for the time being. If it is the cause, it is unlikely he will have another seizure. Let's not borrow trouble. We'll wait and see what neurology finds and . . ."
They all turned when they heard a low moan come from Todd. After being in a postictal state for eighteen minutes, he was coming to. Todd's eyes had opened but he was not focusing on anyone. Susannah didn't think it was Todd. He seemed to be able to see. She thought perhaps it might still be Thomas.
"Thomas! Try to look at my finger. Susannah held up her index finger. His eyes moved sluggishly. He could not focus on her finger. "Can you hear me?" Susannah called out. He continued to look around, without moving his head. He did not respond to Susannah's question. He closed his eyes and fell back into a deep sleep.
"Can't he hear you?" Viki pitch was near hysteria.
"I'll be on duty all night. I'll come in to check on him later. Doctor Anderson will take over tomorrow," Doctor Wells assured Sam and Viki.
Doctor Williams, Todd's cardiologist, was still at the hospital. He came in and examined Todd. He checked the monitor. "His heart doesn't seem to have been affected by the seizure. I would like to do another echo on him in a few days just to make sure everything is all right," Doctor Williams told them. "Try not to worry. I’m sure the echo will reveal nothing new," he added.
Viki and Sam started to calm down a little. Todd slept peacefully. If it weren't for the equipment, he would appear to have just fallen asleep. Sam went out to the hallway to call Téa and Blair and let them know what happened. When he returned, Viki would go call Kevin. Both Blair and Téa insisted on coming to the hospital, as did Kevin. Sam could hear the panic in Blair's voice and the sorrow in Téa's. Kevin did not sound much better. They were all told there was no need for them to come to the hospital, as there was nothing to be done for Todd right now and he was not in any danger. Nevertheless, they all insisted.
*****
Kevin was the first to arrive. Susannah was in with Todd. He took his mother in his arms and held her tightly. "What did Susannah say? Is she sure he's not in danger?" Kevin asked.
Viki repeated what she had been told.
Téa was the next to arrive. They could tell she had been crying. "Could this be a result of what he's been through the past couple of days? Did the memory he had because of me cause this?"
Susannah, who had joined them in the lounge, assured Téa that it had absolutely nothing to do with Todd having a memory of abuse. She patiently explained about the possible causes.
It didn't take Téa long to make a connection between old brain injuries being a possible cause and her hitting Todd over the head with a shovel. "Ay dios mio! I did this to him. I hit him with a shovel. He was unconscious for a long time. He was dizzy afterward. I did this to him!"
"Téa, we don't know for sure if the seizure was caused by an old injury or if the medication caused it. Even if it is from an old injury Todd has had many, many injuries to his brain. There is no reason for you to feel responsible," Susannah comforted her. She knew Téa would not stop blaming herself.
"Can we see him?" Kevin asked.
"Yes. He's in a very deep sleep. He probably won't know you're there," Susannah cautioned.
Téa and Kevin didn't care. They just wanted to see him. Téa especially wanted to be able to watch him breath and hold his hand. She believed that he would know she was there with him.
"Téa's going to blame herself for this. You know that," Viki stated after Kevin and Téa had gone in to see Todd.
"Yes, I know," Susannah answered sadly.
*****
Téa and Kevin were both in with Todd when Blair arrived. She had been delayed because she had to wait for the nanny to come back to the penthouse. "Now what did you do to him?" Blair accused the second she saw Susannah.
"Nothing was done to Todd, Blair! He had a seizure," Sam snapped angrily.
"Oh! He just had a seizure . . . for no apparent reason he just had a seizure. Viki, what is wrong with you? How many times does Todd have to almost die in this place before you take him out of here?"
"Todd did not almost die tonight! Blair, if you can't calm down I want you to leave. You're not doing yourself or Todd any good." Viki was forcing herself to keep her voice civil.
*****
Inside Todd's room, Téa lovingly stroked Todd's head. "Mi corazon. I love you so much. Please be all right." Téa lifted Todd's hand and held it. "Todd, I'm so sorry I hurt you. I did this to you. Can you forgive me? Oh Todd." Téa's shoulders shook as she began to weep.
Wanting to comfort her, Kevin took her in his arms. "You didn't do this to him, Téa. You heard Susannah. It could have been an injury from long before you met Todd or it can be one of the drugs he was given." Kevin held her tightly. "Téa, come on. You didn't do this to him."
"THE HELL SHE DIDN'T," Blair yelled as she walked into the room. "YOU'RE DISGUSTING! BOTH OF YOU! MY GOD! RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM!"
Susannah rushed into the room. "I want everyone out of here, NOW!" Susannah had lost patience with Blair. She knew if she ordered Blair out of the room and not Téa and Kevin, Blair would become even more volatile.
"I'm staying with my husband!" Blair insisted.
"YOUR HUSBAND!" Téa yelled back. She immediately lowered her voice and said, "Blair, you're delusional! Maybe you should be a patient in this hospital? You have no legal rights where Todd is concerned. Viki is Todd's guardian and I am his wife. As a blood relative, Kevin has more rights to Todd than you do."
"Oh you would like that, wouldn't you? You and Kevin . . . acting as Todd's concerned family . . . all the while screwing around behind his back . . . laughing at him . . . plotting to get his money."
"Blair, this is too twisted, even for you! Nothing is going on between Téa and me, except in your dirty mind," Kevin stated loudly."
"My dirty mind! Maybe you can fool Sam and Viki, but I know all about you and this slut," Blair responded. Her voice was just as loud as Kevin's.
"That's enough!" Susannah was barely able to keep herself from shouting. "I'm not fooling around here. Either you all leave now or I will have security escort you out. Do I make myself clear!" Susannah spoke firmly. "I want all of you out, right now! Wait for me in the lounge area . . . all of you!" Susannah ordered.
They all looked down at Todd as he slept. For a moment they all felt guilty for fighting in front of him. They all felt ashamed of themselves. Téa and Kevin exchanged glances. Téa stroked Todd's head one more time and headed for the door. Kevin patted Todd's leg and did the same. They both gave Blair dirty looks as they passed by her.
"Blair!" Susannah pointed to the door.
Blair heard by Susannah's tone that she would have her thrown out if it came to it. "Don't worry, baby. I won't let them get away with this," Blair called out to Todd and also walked into the hallway.
Susannah checked the monitor. There was no change. She did vitals on Todd herself. He was stable. She told Connie she would be in her office with Todd's family and gave her orders to get her immediately if there was the slightest change in Todd's status. Connie could see that Susannah was furious. Susannah was so angry she could hardly see straight. She took a minute to calm herself. She hoped none of what was just said registered in Todd's brain. Susannah headed out to the lounge area near Todd's room.
*****
As soon as she approached the lounge area Susannah heard Sam and Viki's raised voices as they admonished Blair, Kevin and Téa for their actions. "I want all of you in my office NOW!" Susannah announced. They could tell by her tone that she was furious.
"I'm not leaving Todd!" Blair declared obstinately.
"You will come to my office now or you will not be allowed access to this unit again." Susannah tried to remain calm. "I want to speak with all of you, Sam, Viki, you too. Let's go!" Susannah headed for her office. Blair gave Téa and Kevin a dirty look and followed Susannah. Kevin and Téa looked at Sam and Viki. They looked ashamed of themselves. They all followed Susannah and Blair.
"Please have a seat." Susannah pointed to the sofa and chairs in her office.
"I'll stand, thank you. I'm not planning on staying here too long. Todd needs me," Blair announced.
"You will stay here for as long as it takes. NOW SIT DOWN!" Susannah raised her voice this time.
Blair glared at Susannah as she sat down in one of the club chairs, opposite the two Téa and Kevin occupied. Sam and Viki sat on the sofa.
"What just happened in Todd's room, in fact what happens almost every time the three of you are in one room," Susannah motioned toward Téa, Kevin and Blair, "is totally unacceptable. Blair, Todd could possibly have heard what you said."
Looking daggers at Susannah, Blair defended herself. "I wasn't the only one in that room who was shouting. They are making a fool of Todd. Don't you care about that! You're Todd's doctor. You're supposed to protect him. Maybe they did this to him to get him out of the picture."
Téa jumped up from her seat. "MADRE DE DIOS! YOU ARE CRAZY. YOU DO BELONG HERE AS A PATIENT, BLAIR. YOU NEED TO BE HERE EVEN MORE THAN TODD," Téa shouted.
Kevin stood up too. "IS THIS THE KIND OF CRAP YOU'RE FILLING STARR'S HEAD WITH?" Kevin also shouted.
Blair was also too furious to remain seated. "DON'T YOU DARE BRING MY LITTLE GIRL INTO THIS. I WOULDN'T WANT HER TO KNOW HOW YOU AND TÉA ARE HURTING HER DADDY," Blair shouted back.
"GET A GRIP BLAIR! YOU ARE BECOMING PARANOID. NO ONE IS HURTING TODD!" Sam added his loud voice as he leapt from his seat in anger.
"KEVIN AND TÉA ARE DEVOTED TO TODD. AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT RUNNING AROUND SNEAKING LOOKS AT HIS CHART!" Viki was next to shout. She remained seated. However, she was leaning forward and gripping the arms of the chair in fury.
"DORIAN WAS CONCERNED FOR TODD. MAYBE TÉA AND KEVIN SHOULD BE A LITTLE MORE CONCRNED FOR TODD INSTEAD OF EACH OTHER!" Blair shouted again.
"STOP IT!" Susannah yelled, more to be heard over their loud voices than out of anger. She realized that the pressure they were all under was really taking its toll. They all stopped suddenly and looked at Susannah. "I want you all to sit down and be quiet for a few minutes. I want you to take some deep breaths and pull yourselves together," Susannah ordered.
Blair started to say something, but from the look on Susannah's face, she stopped herself and sat down, like the others. After a couple of minutes they all seemed a little calmer.
Susannah began again. "I understand that you are all under a monumental amount of stress. I also understand that you all want what's best for Todd."
"Some of us do," Blair snapped sarcastically.
"Blair, if you have something to say or some concern we will discuss it, but please refrain from sarcastic innuendo," Susannah cautioned her and then continued. "I think all of you need do discuss what is bothering you and what you are feeling. You don't have to talk to me about it. I do think you really need to talk to someone. I am here for any of you now or whenever you feel the need to talk. I don't want any of you to minimize your feelings in this. Your pain counts and needs to be addressed. However, my first obligation is to Todd. It is not helpful or therapeutic in any way for him to hear you fighting near him or about him. I realize your nerves are frayed, but you all used very poor judgment when you argued in front of him that way. It is possible that he heard you. I want to say straight out that if that ever happens again, I will alert the staff not to allow the person who is responsible onto the unit."
No one said anything. They all looked a little ashamed. "I do think it might be a good idea, for the time being if you Blair, and you, Téa, scheduled times to see Todd when you know the other won't be around," Susannah suggested. Téa and Blair exchanged looks. Neither of them said a word. Susannah turned to Blair. "Would you care to discuss why you are so sure Téa and Kevin are having an affair behind Todd's back?"
Blair was taken back by Susannah's directness. "I don't think! I know!" Blair was adamant.
"You know! You don't know anything except what's in that warped mind of yours." Téa wasn't shouting. However, she did raise her voice again.
"Téa, I asked Blair a question and she has a right to answer it. I would like you to try not to interrupt each other. You will all get a chance to speak. If you like, I can give you each a pad and pen so you can jot down any comment or remark you take exception to."
Ever the attorney, Téa took Susannah up on it. Susannah went to her desk and took some note pads out of a drawer and some pens from a holder on the desk. She handed one to Téa. Sam also took one. Viki and Kevin declined. Blair took one too.
Susannah sat down and once again turned to Blair. "Blair, why are you so sure that Kevin and Téa are having an affair?"
"I walked in on them in her hotel room. They were undressed and Kevin had been in the shower." Blair turned to Viki and continued. "Viki, I'm sorry. You don't know your son at all. He always hated Todd and this is a great way to get back at him."
"I do know my son and Kevin loves Todd or at least he loves Timmy. He would never do anything to harm Todd and neither would Téa," Viki insisted angrily.
Viki didn't notice it, however Susannah did. Sam looked a little uncomfortable when Blair said that. Susannah also noticed that Sam didn't jump to Kevin's defense the way Viki did. "Kevin, what do you have to say about Blair's comment?" Susannah pressed forward.
Kevin wanted to say Blair was full of crap. He didn't. He understood what Susannah was trying to and he cooperated. "I think that Blair got the wrong impression and she is not willing to listen when we try to explain."
Susannah turned to Blair. "Would you be willing to listen to what Kevin has to say now?"
Blair was not about to tell them that she has a picture of them embracing and according to the photographer who was following them, they are together, a lot. "Yes, I'll listen," Blair finally said. They could hear from her tone that she was basically humoring them and would not believe a word they said.
"Blair," Kevin began. "On the night before the morning you saw us, Téa and I were both very upset over Todd. We both had too much to drink in the bar at the Palace. I was too drunk to even make it to a cab. Téa let me sleep it off in her room. Téa had not had time to get dressed when you got there. I wanted to take a shower. That was when I came into the living room with my shirt off and you saw me. Nothing happened."
Blair looked at him and shook her head. "How stupid do you think I am, Kevin? You and Téa have a history. You were both as frazzled as Hell when you saw me. Tell me Kevin. How's Cassie? When's the last time you went home to her? It's really coincidental that you left my cousin just about that time?"
"My relationship with Cassie is none of your business. Cassie understands why I am staying at mom's. She agrees we need some time away from each other. I know you went to her with your filthy suspicions. Let me tell you. You could have saved your breath because she didn't believe you. Cassie knows how much you hate Téa," Kevin responded angrily.
"At first, Cassie didn't want to believe you slept with Barbara either. Cassie has always given you the benefit of doubt," Blair reminded him. Kevin heard the disgust for him in her voice.
"Cassie and I have gotten past that. She knows I will always regret what happened with Barbara," Kevin claimed.
"You regret it so much that the first opportunity you have, you crawl into this slut's bed?" Blair snapped.
Susannah spoke up before Téa had a chance to respond. She saw Téa was about to explode. "I think this would be much more productive if there were no name calling. Téa, I know you are upset by what Blair just said. Do you think you can respond calmly?"
Téa trembled with anger for a second. Then she collected herself and spoke. "Blair has always had a problem with me being Todd's wife. She has resented that Todd chose to stay with me. She won't believe the truth about Kevin and me just being friends because she would love nothing better than to get me out of Todd's life. Blair cannot seem to accept that she and Todd are no longer married."
"I have always had a problem with you being Todd's wife because you are his bought and paid for wife. What's the problem, Chiquita? Wasn't five million enough for you? Are you holding out for the rest?" Blair spat out.
"You always wanted to keep stringing Todd along. You had to make sure he was always there for you, Blair," Téa accused.
"What the hell are you talking about? I never strung Todd along," Blair angrily denied.
"Yes you did! You were always showing up at the penthouse, trying to gain Todd's sympathy. You were the one who broke up your marriage to Todd, Blair. And it was long before I came into the picture. You lied to him. You sided with everyone else against him," Téa reminded her.
Téa's words stung Blair, because there was truth in them. Nevertheless, Blair still came back at Téa. "I may have lied to Todd when I got him to marry me the first time. That was because I needed the money to help my mother." Blair defended her actions before continuing. "At least I didn't out and out prostitute myself for five million . . . and it's not enough for you! You still want more. You pretend to be here for Todd . . . loving him . . . acting devoted to him and those precious little children . . . the only reason you do that is because you want it all. You want every dime that Todd has. And you!" Blair pointed to Kevin, "you want the chance to be able to laugh at him and feel you pulled one over on him. You and your whole damn family live to hurt Todd. Look what you almost did to him over Georgie."
"Blair, is that what this is about? You think Téa is here because she wants Todd's money?" Viki was incredulous. She was appalled at Blair's statement. Viki continued. "As Todd's guardian I have control over all his finances. Téa handles his business affairs, but everything passes through me. Not one cent of Todd's money has been touched since he's been in the hospital, not even for his medical expenses. What his insurance doesn't cover, I do. Téa has not taken one cent from Todd in all these months. In fact she has done a wonderful job of handling his business affairs, as you have the newspaper," Viki added, honestly.
Blair realized she was coming off the "bad guy" in this. She knew she would never get Viki, Sam or Susannah to believe that Téa and Kevin were having an affair without proof. "If I have misjudged Téa and Kevin, I'm sorry. I just don't want Todd to get hurt," Blair meant half of that statement.
"I would die before I would hurt Todd," Téa stated firmly.
Kevin wanted to say the same thing, but he knew in his heart he couldn't, not with complete honesty. He had no idea how he would feel, if confronted with Todd and not one of the children. The way he reacted to Pete still haunted him. He was not really comfortable around Rodd and while he cared very much for Tom, he realized Tom seemed to have a problem with him.
Sam had been sitting quietly throughout all of this. It wasn't that he believed Blair. Sam was still haunted by Tom's question. He saw a growing closeness between Téa and Kevin with his own eyes. He did not believe that Kevin would deliberately do anything to hurt Todd or any of the alters, but he also believed that Kevin was unhappy and lonely. He thought perhaps Kevin himself might not realize it if his feelings for Téa were growing. Sam was certain those feelings were not reciprocal. He could see how much, in every way, Téa loved Todd. He knew that if Kevin had feelings of more than friendship for Téa, she was not aware of them. Sam did not share any of these concerns with Viki. He had no real reason to suspect there was any truth in them. He didn't want to add to Viki's pain, for some vague feeling he had.
Susannah knew that they were all doing their best to calm the situation, even if they didn't all mean what they said. She decided to go on. "I understand you all have issues that need to be worked through and I will be more than happy to meet with any of you individually, if you like. Right now I want to make sure you understand that the kind of behavior you displayed in Todd's room this evening will not be tolerated again. Have I made myself clear to each of you?"
"Yes," Téa spoke up first. She looked down in shame. Then she looked Susannah in the eye and promised, "I will leave Todd's room, on my own, if any problems ever occur again."
"I will do the same," Kevin agreed.
Blair looked at them and then at Susannah. "You don't have to worry about me. If the current Mrs. Manning is in Todd's room I will be on my best behavior."
Susannah accepted them on their word. She knew the deep-seated problems between Téa and Blair were going to continue. She hoped they would at least keep their quarrels with each other away from Todd. "Now, I would like to explain to all of you what happened to Todd tonight. I want you to feel free to ask me any questions you may have as you think of them. You do not have to wait until I finish talking." Susannah had their full attention. "Todd had what we now call a tonic-clonic seizure. It is more commonly known as a grand mal seizure."
"Has Todd developed epilepsy?" Blair inquired, as Sam had earlier.
"Not necessarily. Epilepsy can't be diagnosed after just one seizure. Todd may never experience another seizure. It may be a rare side effect of Zyprexa."
"I knew he shouldn't be put on an antipsychotic drug. I told that to all of you. Are you happy now?" Blair asked as tears filled her eyes.
"Didn't you hear Susannah? That would be a rare complication of the medication. It probably isn't responsible," Sam responded. He was annoyed by Blair's insistence on blaming Susannah.
"So if it's not the medication what else can cause a seizure?" Blair probed.
"There are many causes of seizures. They can be caused by metabolic disorders like hypoglycemia, kidney or liver failure, aneurysms, lesions, cysts, tumors, scar tissue from old brain injuries, an abnormal mass of blood vessels in the brain . . . many different things. Seizures can be caused by withdrawal from some medications, especially antianxiety medication. Too low a level of minerals or vitamins in the bloodstream can trigger seizures. They can even be caused by exhaustion. Sometimes college students and medical students who do without sleep for extended periods can have a seizure. In those cases it is usually a onetime thing and never happens again. Sometimes the cause is never found."
They were all left frightened by the long list of possible causes. "Do you think Todd may have a tumor or an aneurysm?" Viki asked. She was terrified.
"No. I don't. Unfortunately, it can't be ruled out until he's had an MRI. As I told you and Sam earlier, I think there might be some old scar tissue that caused it. Todd has a history of brain injuries."
Blair jumped up. She pointed to Téa and shouted. "YOU DID THIS TO HIM. YOU HIT HIM OVER THE HEAD WITH A SHOVEL." Blair turned to Susannah, "Did she tell you that? Did she tell you how she almost killed Todd with a shovel?"
"Yes, I hit Todd over the head with a shovel. He had just kidnapped me and punched me in the face and tied me up." Téa felt horribly guilty for hitting Todd, but hearing Blair accuse her that way made her remember the terror she had felt when Todd had done that to her. She also remembered feeling rage . . . rage for everything she had been through with Todd, up to that moment. By that time Téa knew Todd was not going to hurt her. He had untied her and he had calmed down. Yes, a part of her genuinely thought it best that Todd be taken to jail and perhaps forced to get help. However, at the moment Téa hit him, she mostly felt rage. For that she felt horribly guilty and if it turned out that hitting him caused Todd to develop epilepsy, she would never forgive herself.
"Do you see? She admits it! She did this to him, Doctor Hanen."
"Blair, for God's sake," Viki spoke angrily. "We don't even know if an old brain injury caused this. Why are you so damned determined to make a bad situation worse?"
"Don't you even care that she may have done this to Todd?" Blair could not believe Viki's attitude.
"All right! Enough!" Susannah spoke firmly and stood up. "You are all upset and frightened and this is not the ideal time to discuss your problems with each other. I just want to say that it is normal for family members to sometime turn against each other under times of extreme stress. You all need to blame someone for Todd's condition. Peter and Barbara are dead. There is not much satisfaction in blaming them. You can blame God, but there's not much satisfaction in that either."
Blair thought about her earlier conversation with Starr and fresh tears spilled from her eyes. Susannah continued. "The serious illness of a family member can pull people together or rip them apart. In this case, Blair and Téa have a troubled history with each other so it very understandable that you use each other for a punching bag. Now, just because I understand where you are all coming from does not mean I will tolerate this kind of behavior. If you can control yourselves, I would like to explain more to you about what happened to Todd so it won't seem so frightening."
"I'm sorry," Téa apologized. "I want to know more about the seizure Todd had."
"So do I. I won't interrupt again," Blair promised.
Susannah continued. "There are different kinds of seizures and among those there are different categories. The distinction between partial and generalized seizures is the electrical discharge in the brain is limited to one area in a partial seizure. In that case, there may be contractions in just the muscles in a limb. In a tonic-clonic seizure, most of the brain is involved. It is a generalized seizure of whole muscle groups of the entire body, as opposed to a to a partial seizure with contractions of just some muscles. These kinds of seizures are usually not harmful to the patient unless the patient has multi seizures or what is known as status epilepticus. Status epilepticus is when seizures occur successively with no intervening period of consciousness or very brief periods in between seizures. That is not what happened to Todd just now. He had what may be an isolated seizure. It may never happen again."
"What does tonic-clonic mean?" Sam asked.
"Tonic is when the body stiffens and clonic is when the body jerks. A seizure can be limited to one or the other. Most generalized seizures are both," Susannah explained.
"When Todd's body appeared rigid for the first few seconds that was the tonic part?" Viki shuddered from the memory of it as she asked that.
"Yes. The clonic part is when his muscles started to contract and relax about twenty seconds later," Susannah answered.
"Are you sure he isn't in any danger now?" Téa asked.
"Yes. This reaction is normal post seizure reaction. He may sleep for quiet some time and he may remain a little confused and out of it for up to twenty-four hours. Most likely he will be more alert in a few hours. Hypoglycemia has been ruled out. His blood sugar is normal. When the rest of his blood work comes back we will know if there is anything there that could have caused a seizure. He is showing no symptoms of any metabolic imbalance or renal failure."
"But his kidneys are not completely normal," Kevin reminded Susannah.
"As of his last blood test, just day before yesterday, Todd's renal functions were still only slightly elevated. He is not in renal failure. He also isn't presenting with any symptoms of a brain lesion, tumor or aneurysm. He will have another MRI and an EEG. He is not in danger now, so they will probably be scheduled for tomorrow. He needs to be alert enough for Doctor Anderson to assess him properly," Susannah stated.
"Will you put him to sleep for the MRI?" Sam knew that Todd would not be able to tolerate being confined to a tunnel for that long and Llanview Hospital did not have an open air MRI.
"Most likely, yes, unless we can get an adult alter who can tolerate the test without being sedated or at least not heavily sedated," Susannah responded.
"What happens in the brain to cause a seizure?" Kevin asked.
"A seizure is basically an electrical malfunction of the neurons in the brain. Most of them fire at the same time. Seizures result from this electrical misfiring. During a seizure, nerve cells in the brain that normally transmit electrical impulses become unstable and fire erratically. The nerve cells suddenly go abnormal and they discharge together. What happens then is that normal brain function ceases and the seizure is the manifestation of that electrical storm in the brain."
"You can give him something . . . I mean there are drugs to stop the seizures?" Kevin stated.
"Yes. There are anticonvulsants. We don't give them after one seizure, unless there are other symptoms to strongly indicate there will be more seizures."
"Do those drugs have terrible side effects?" Téa asked anxiously.
"Most drugs have some unpleasant side effects. There is nothing very severe with most of the anticonvulsant. If it becomes necessary to start Todd on an anticonvulsant, it would most likely be carbamazepine or phenytoin. You may have heard of them as the brand names Tegretol and Dilantin. If Todd has to go on an anticonvulsant, we will go over the side effects in detail."
"Will he be in pain when he wakes up?" Viki asked.
"He will probably have a headache and he may experience some muscle soreness. Some Tylenol should help with either of those two."
"If Thomas wakes up, will he remember having the seizure?" Sam inquired.
"No. He may remember how he felt just before it, but once the actual seizure was in progress he became unconscious."
"So, the seizure itself wasn't painful to him?" Sam needed to hear that it wasn't.
"No, not in this case. There are other kinds of seizures that patients can feel, but not one that immediately goes into tonic-clonic."
"Do some seizures start off in a different way and then turn into the kind Todd had?" Téa wanted to learn all she could about this.
"Yes. A seizure can start as a partial seizure, where just one limb is involved and progress to a complex partial, where there is some loss of awareness and finally to a generalized seizure where the person becomes unconscious and most body parts are involved. The progression can be very rapid. Sometimes, only the simple partial seizure happens or only the complex partial, which is the kind most epileptics have. There are also myclonic seizures with rapid jerking of a body part. Myclonic seizures involve unusual neuron discharges in the motor cortex, a region of the brain that controls movement and it causes a slight involuntary jerking of the arms and legs, often early in the morning, but those are more rare." Susannah looked at all of them. She wanted to make sure she was not overwhelming them with facts.
Susannah continued. "There are also absence attacks which used to be called petit mal seizures. In an absence seizure the person kind of spaces out for a few minutes. That kind of seizure doesn't usually suddenly appear in adults." Susannah sighed. "In this case it is possible that the child alters may be susceptible. Their central nervous system is that of a child's. There are also other categories of seizures, and even if someone has a tonic-clonic seizure the first time and has another seizure it can be one of the other kind." Susannah could see that they had all just about had it. If she continued, she would she would be telling them more than they could process right now.
"I'm going to check on Todd. I think it would be a good idea if we all took a break for a few minutes. Why don't you all go get some coffee or something or just relax in the lounge for a few minutes? Then you can see Todd before you leave. Téa, Blair," Susannah called to them. "Please decide between yourselves who goes in first. I don't want you in there together," Susannah instructed.
Blair and Téa looked at each other. They said nothing.
"I think I'll take Susannah up on that idea about getting a cup of coffee," Kevin announced. He turned to Viki and Sam. "How about it . . . Mom . . . Sam? You both look like you could use a break."
Viki turned to Susannah. "If there had been any further problem they would have called you?"
"Yes, absolutely, even if there had been a slight change. Todd is probably still in a deep sleep. Go have that coffee and try to relax," Susannah suggested to Viki. She then left for Todd's room.
Turning to Téa and Blair, Viki asked, "Would either of you care to join us in the cafeteria?"
"Yes. I'll go along," Téa spoke up.
"Uh . . .Téa. Before you go, can I speak with you for few minutes," Blair requested.
They all looked at Blair.
"Don't worry. I don't want to talk about anything we just discussed. It's about Starr," Blair assured them. They heard a slight annoyance in her voice at being suspected of wanting to cause trouble again.
"Is something wrong with Starr?" Blair heard panic in Téa's voice.
"No. Can I please just talk to you for a few minutes, alone!" Blair made sure to add as she looked at the others in the room.
"Sure," Téa answered. Téa turned to Viki, Sam and Kevin. "I'll meet you down there in a little while."
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Kevin offered.
"Don't worry! Téa won't need her bodyguard with her," Blair called out sarcastically.
"Come on, honey." Viki put her arm through Kevin's. "Let's go." They headed to the cafeteria, leaving Téa behind with Blair.
"Is Starr okay?" Téa asked.
Blair could hear genuine concern in Téa's voice. "Yes, physically, Starr is fine. She's having some trouble with Todd being in the hospital for so long. She has been very upset. She's been keeping it to herself."
"Just like Todd," Téa stated. She shook her head.
For a moment, Blair felt a kinship toward Téa. She saw that Téa knew Todd and Starr very well and had immediately come to the same conclusion that she herself had, earlier. Starr did have a tendency to keep what she feels buried inside, just like her daddy. "Yes, in that way Starr seems to be a lot like Todd. I was able to get her to talk about her feelings. She had been imagining the worst things. She thought Todd was dead and we were keeping it from her."
"Mi estrella. My poor baby. Blair, she doesn't still believe that?"
Blair saw the tears in Téa's eyes as she asked that. "No . . . at least I don't think so. I had been trying to protect her. I told her very little about what was wrong with Todd. I shouldn't have done that. She is old enough to realize that her father is very sick. She also realized I was keeping things from her. So she imagined the worst." Blair took a deep breath. "Téa, Starr thought you stopped coming to see her because you didn't like her anymore."
Téa was horrified. "You won't let me see her, Blair!"
"Calm down. I told her that. I explained that I had a problem with you. I told her that I told you not to come around and that it had nothing to do with you not liking her. I told Starr you still loved her."
Téa believed Blair. She was very surprised that Blair would have admitted that to Starr. But then again, Téa knew that Blair loved Starr more than life and would do anything to keep her happy.
Blair hated like Hell to say the words. She did anyway. She said them for Starr. "Téa, will you come over to the penthouse and visit Starr?"
Téa's heart leapt for joy. She was going to get to see her little girl again. "Yes! Oh yes! Of course I will. When do you want me to come?"
"How about tomorrow, around four in the afternoon? That's when Starr gets home from school?" Blair didn't miss the look on Téa's face. She realized that Téa had missed Starr as much as she did when she had been kept from Starr. For a second Blair felt guilt for having kept them apart. Then she remembered it was Téa who was instrumental in taking Starr away from her in the first place and it is Téa who is playing Starr's father for a fool.
"Four will be fine. I'll be there." Téa jumped at the opportunity. Téa then asked, "What does Starr know about Todd's illness? I don't want to say the wrong thing."
"She knows Todd is not himself. She knows he is sad and sick because he has to remember some bad things his father did to him. She knows he sometimes has to get shots and blood tests. She also knows that Todd doesn't want her to see him like this. I told her children aren't allowed in the part of the hospital Todd is in."
Téa was making mental notes. She didn't want to confuse Starr by saying the wrong thing. "Blair, not that my opinion means anything to you, but I think you told Starr exactly the right things and I am glad that she was able to handle what you told her."
"Thanks," Blair answered, only half begrudgingly. "So, I will see you tomorrow at four, at the penthouse?"
"Yes. Perhaps I can take Starr to the park or . . ."
Blair cut her off, "I would like you to stay in the penthouse with her, for the time being. Is that a problem?"
"No. No problem," Téa quickly answered. She didn't care where she got to see Starr. All she could think was, 'I'm going to see my Starr again.'
"Téa, since you want to go for coffee, is it all right if I go see Todd first? I would like to get home. I told Starr her daddy needed to see me. I didn't say why. I want to tell her Todd is okay."
"Sure. You go ahead. I'll go catch up with Viki and Sam." Blair started to leave the room. "Blair," Téa called out to her. Blair turned around and faced Téa. "Blair, there is nothing going on between Kevin and me."
Blair looked at her. "I’ll see you tomorrow," Blair said coldly. She left Susannah's office and headed for Todd's room.
Téa was still scared to death for Todd, but she felt happiness and joy bubbling up inside her. "I get to see my little girl. Tomorrow I get to see my Starr," Téa said out loud.
TO BE CONTINUED
COPYRIGHT 1999/RS
COPYRIGHT 1999 R/S
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