While There's Still Something Left To Save

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abby_icon.gif elisabeth_icon.gif rebecca2_icon.gif

Scene Title While There's Still Something Left To Save
Synopsis Diagnosis is not good for Rebecca Nakako as her parents consider taking her back to Nebraska.
Date September 11, 2009

St. Luke's Hospital


It's been a long week for the Nakano family. Ken and Doris Nakano have spent nearly the entire week in the waiting room, taking only minimal time away to shower, and to eat when they can. Sleep is done on the very uncomfortable chairs that they now sit in. One arm around his wife, Ken is stoic though the lines of worry are deeply etched into his forehead. Between fits of crying, and questions, Doris' eyes are red. They both look perplexed and defeated. Their only daughter is detoxing from a designer drug that she took to try and relieve headaches they never knew existed. They hadn't even known she'd an ability until talking with Detective Harrison on the phone.

Doctor Inman has been in and out of the room, keeping them up to date on Rebecca's condition. The source of the marks on her neck, still yet unknown. Between the fits of begging for Refrain, outbursts of anger over not getting it and insistent whining and retching, Rebecca told stories of a dead Richard Myron trying to kill her.

Needless to say, Rebecca Nakano is not doing well.

Refrain is a very new drug so Inman wanted to be sure that it was out of her system before trying to MRI her head to try and determine the source of her headaches. So that's where she's been this morning. The Nakanos are waiting to hear the results.

There's no need to bring baked goods made by Abby to the hospital. Not when Liz has completely decked out her own kitchen. So Abby had pilfered some and put them in a tupperware container so that they could be brought for the Nakano's. Hospital food sucks and there's really not much choice in the waiting rooms, she knows that much. She'd met Rebecca only once - so long ago it seems - but the woman had struck a cord in the former healer and her kindness in a city that is not renown for it.

At the side of Elisabeth Harrison is the lithe bar owner, purse over shoulder, container in hand Abigail has not been in this place for a long time and the antiseptic smell of the hospital brings a certain longing with it deep in her core. On their way up brought greetings from people who remembered the blonde and her time spent helping people here. Questions of whether she was visiting or coming to work. Deflected with a smile and an assurance to stop by and talk later. It's good she has the container in her hands or else she's be doing only god knows what to keep herself from wanting to go into a room and lay her hands on someone and pray.

The asian couple in the room receive a dip of her head and a timid smiled. "Afternoon"

Although Elisabeth has been in contact every single day, several times a day most days, by phone, she's only been physically to the hospital to see Becca twice — once when she brought the woman in and waited for her parents to arrive and one other time when the patient was reported to have bruises on her throat that had no explanation. The 'Richard Myron' explanation is entirely weirding Liz out, honestly. She's sure it was a hallucination… but there are the bruises. "Mr. and Mrs. Nakano," she greets the older couple gently with a quick hug for each. "I'm sorry I haven't been by… busy couple of days," she comments. Hence why she's been on the phone with them so much — but yesterday she didn't call at all. "This is my friend Abby Beauchamp. She and Becca know one another a bit and she wanted to come by. Is there any news?" she asks gently. "Anything at all we can do for you while we're here?"

The couple stand at the duo's approach and politely bow. Ken's arm remain behind his wife, as if to hold her up. They are not old, though they are both inching towards 50, however, they look far older these last few days. Rebecca's father fighting the emotions that building inside him. Disappointment in his daughter, who has never disappointed him before. Concern for her well being, and of course, the fact that he loves her makes it almost unbearable for him. The conflict is evident on his face.

His wife, however, has no trouble showing the stress and emotion as she has a hankerchief wadded in her hand, keeping it near her face to catch the tears as they roll down her cheek.

The day that the marks appeared on Rebecca's neck, the Nakanos were sitting there and saw no one enter the room and reported as such. The incident so far is being treated as a hallucination episode, though the marks have gone unexplained.

"They are running some tests." explains the man to the officer and her friend. "They want to find out the reason for her headaches before they release her to the.." there's a pause as Ken finds it very hard to say the word.. ".. rehabilitation department." The grimace is clear as the words are as hard to say as it is for his wife to hear, which causes her more grief as a muffled cry comes from behind the hanky. "We appreciate you coming by." He looks at both Abigail and Elisabeth as he speaks.

Elisabeth offers an apologetic, very weary smile. She hasn't slept in two days thanks to the serial killer case and a redeye flight this morning from Chicago, but this could not wait. "This is not her fault," she offers softly. "I know that she has been struggling with the headaches for weeks — I just didn't know they'd gotten so bad. She mentioned in passing that the painkillers weren't helping much, but I thought…" She sighs. They don't need her excuses or explanations, she supposes. "Frankly, at this point I am merely grateful at whatever it was that niggled at me so much to go there that morning," she admits quietly. "Refrain is one of the worst things I've ever seen to hit the streets." She puts a gentle hand on Mrs. Nakano. "But she's going to be okay. It'll be tough for a little while, but she's going to be okay. She's an amazingly strong woman to have dealt with the kinds of headaches she had. I hope they can find out what caused them so that they stop."

Abigail just remains, frankly, quiet for now. Headaches, plus ability. She could figure it out. She knew a few who got those from their gifts. "She's a very good woman Mister and Misses Nakano. She's getting the best care here, I can tell you that. They've taken good care of me when i've ended up here. She'll get through this and she has friends and you both to help her through it all"

"Thank you for your kind words. Both of you. We.." The admission is a very hard thing for Ken Nakano. He has always had the perfect life. At least until the bomb. Bankruptcy hit, but something like this is far worse. He begins to regret the day he took his wife and left New York, leaving Rebecca here. Though she insisted on staying, he was not very comfortable at all with leaving her here, but she wanted to finish school at Columbia.

".. never expected something like this from her. She never said a word. It's as if we don't even know her any longer."

"She used to tell us everything. Then she started this.. evolved thing she has, and she never told us. I don't know why. Then the drugs." Mrs. Nakano can't say anything more as she bursts into tears, and her husband tries to comfort her. "I'm going to insist she come back to Nebraska with us, dear." says Ken Nakano as he rubs his wife's back with his hand, slowly lowering her back to sit down again. "It's this city." he says to her.

Oh … God… Elisabeth doesn't know what to say to them. She struggles to find words, to help them. "Mr. Nakano…. " She bites her lip and then blurts out, "I didn't tell my father either. Not for more than two years after I realized what was happening to me. I was… afraid. Of what I could do. Of what it meant. Of who I was. I was afraid that my father would look at me and … not be able to see the child he raised. That he'd see a monster." The tears spring up in her eyes and Elisabeth closes them for a long moment, pressing her lips together tightly before she looks at them again. "Especially when we have amazing parents… it is so hard to realize that something about us is not what we think they would want for us. And especially when it's not something we have any ability to change… we fear that we will have disappointed. That we will … lose… your regard. Your respect." Putting a shaking hand to her mouth, Elisabeth pauses once more and says quietly, "Your love for your daughter is the only thing that will pull her through. I can't… tell you to let her stay. I can only… as her friend… tell you that she is an amazing woman. And that is entirely your doing. She's made a mistake… and she's been afraid. She needs your faith in her now more than ever."

"You should wait, before you insist." Abigails southern drawl is soft, gentle and very much in tune with the quiet of the room and this place of healing. "Wait till she's in the right frame of mind. Till she can see it as concern and not just you wanting to protect her from the world. See it as an offer to return to a safe haven instead of a demand and restrictions and rules. Mister Nakano, Misses Nakano, Rebecca sat in a conference room with me after I'd been rescued from being kidnapped. She brought me food and she brought me drink and she gave me such comfort and company when I really needed it. To this day though…" Abigail takes a step forward, hesitant.

"Only my father knows what happened, what went on. And even then, lord on high forgive me, it took me so long to get the courage to tell him. Because I was afraid they'd go and just drag me back to Louisiana and never let me out of my room. That'd they'd not care what I wanted, what I needed. And i'm only twenty years old. Rebecca's a grown woman. And she had a problem and she was, it sounds like, trying to fix it on her own. We are all such independent creatures and don't like to show anything that might hint to weakness lest someone try to exploit it. Because we're taught that weakness is a bad thing, a terrible thing and something to hide. And with the things that go on in this city, it's not a surprise that she didn't tell you of her beautiful and very wonderful gift. Or the cost that came with it. The lord above knows that what we are blessed with can at times be a double edged sword and a burden to bear."

Her hands tighten around the box. "But now you know. And knowing is the key to helping. She can get help for her burden, you can take the step forward that she hasn't been able to take towards you and say 'we're here, we can help, we don't understand but we want to' and be that support that she needs as she starts back on that road to recovery. She's lost, and she needs direction. She's still your baby, she'll always be your baby, but she's afraid. Don't take her away from everything she knows, and her work unless she needs to be taken away. Sometimes.. that hurts more than helps"

Ken and Doris Nakano listen as Elisabeth speaks, almost broken-heartedly. As Abby speaks, Doris reaches out and places her hand on the woman's arm, but draws it away shortly after. Thier words are heartfelt and the Nakanos know this, however this doesn't necessarily change their minds about wanting to take Rebecca home with them. Ken is about to say something when Dr. Inman enters the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have some test results back. Enough that we think we can proceed with a treatment that could eliminate her headaches."

Both Nakanos stand to listen to the doctor, who pauses when he sees Elisabeth and Abigail. "It's okay. We don't mind if they are here. Please, tell us what you know. Can you make her better?" Which of course, is the bottom line.

"The test results are a little confusing, but we think she's suffering from a type of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. We also have reason to believe she may have a unique type of brain cancer. The test shows several spots, which are consistent with brain cancer, though it's unlike any I've ever seen before. Considering when she first had symptoms of headaches, she came in and her tests were clean, we think that perhaps the use of Refrain, while it relieved her of pain, it accelerated the growth of the cancer."

Dr. Inman is talking very hesitantly. "We can't know for certain in that regards, but right now it's the best theory we have for how this happens." Doris Nakano immediately bursts into tears at the news, as tucks her face against her husband's chest. Ken is shell-shocked to say the least. "Is it fatal?" He wants to know if his daughter is going to die.

"We.." there's a pause. ".. don't know." Inman looks from one parent to the other, even as Doris will not look at him. He ventures a glances towards the detective and the other woman in the room. "We won't know until we go in and take a look. We're going to need to operate."

Elisabeth puts a steadying hand on Mr. Nakano's shoulder, gripping gently in a show of support. She can't begin to imagine the anguish that Becca's parents are going through with her own fear for her friend so deep. She's silent, though, allowing Becca's parents to make whatever decisions they need to on this.

Cancer. unknown if it's fatal. Abigail looks to Liz, a knowing look on her own blue eyes and a hesitant lick of her lips as if she might say something. She can help. She knows what her ability is capable of, what it can do. She knows the person who has her gift.

"You won't need to operate" it comes hesitantly and she digs into her purse for her wallet, passing the baked goods to Liz so she can dig out her registration card. Her appointment was pushed back, and for now, she's still known as an evolved healer. It's passed over to the parents. "I can help her. It's a long story and it wouldn't matter but tomorrow, tomorrow I can help her. She won't need an operation and whatever mass that's there will be gone. She'll be you're daughter"

"Brain surgery?" The look on Ken Nakano's face is that of disbelief and lack of understanding. It's as if the words spoken by the doctor are not quite getting through to him. But when they do, he chokes back a sob of his own now.

"Abby?" Dr. Inman finally recognizes. "I haven't seen you in while. Unfortunately, we considered a healer, but.. without knowing what's wrong, I'm afraid to just let someone try and heal her. I did think of you. Unfortunately, with the side effects being given by the Refrain, there's no telling really what we're dealing with. We do know that the hemmorhage does need to be dealt with first, and there's medication that can help with that once we relieve the swelling. It's the cancer, or the appearance of cancer that concerns me. We need to know what's going on in there."

It's with great hesitation that the doctor holds out a clipboard towards Ken Nakano. "She's in no condition to consent, sir."

Rebecca's father glances at Abby, then towards the clipboard. He finally reaches for it.

Sharing that glance with Abby, Elisabeth is uncertain why there is hesitance. She takes the small box of breads and muffins that Abby packed at the apartment with a puzzled look, and then Abby speaks up and outright lies. Oh … Lord…. Well…. Abby's well known enough for now, she supposes? Maybe? If the review board gets hold of the lie, though… Christ.

And then she stares at the doctor when he turns down Abby's help. "You're…." She bites her tongue in front of Rebecca's parents, barely managing to think ahead enough to enclose herself, the doctor, and Abby in the silence field as she pulls him aside. "You're shitting me, right?? Her ability has healed cancer patients before just fine!" Even Liz knows that though Abby's ability doesn't affect drugs in the system currently or psychological effects of addiction, she should be able to handle the hemorrage and cancer. Or at least… Deckard can. The ability can. "Why would you even consider turning down the help?"

"Liz" The blonde's hand comes out. "Liz, it's fine. It's not like I'm not an option down the road. He has very valid concerns. I work miracles but sometimes, sometimes my kind of miracle is not needed. Okay?" There's an apologetic look to the physician and a grim press of her lips and a nod. "I accept it. If you find you need me, call me. I'll come as soon as I can. I know I don't come around anymore and there's a reason for that, but in this case, for a friend of a friend, someone who helped, I'll do what I can to help"

Abigail looks over her shoulder to the Nakano's. 'Dr. Inman is one of the best. I've seen him work, and I can tell you that without a doubt"

Inman starts to speak to Liz when Abby responds first. He holds his tongue, understanding how hard a time this all can be. "I promise if I think you can be of use, Abby, I'll call you." he says, trying to reassure them all.

Ken Nakano's signature has always been composed, but this time the smooth lines are not so smooth as he scrawls his name on the document. He hands the clipboard back to the doctor and slowly sits back down, his wife moving with him as they leans back, exhausted in their seats.

"She's awake, and seems to be capable of holding conversation. If you'd like to visit. One at a time would probably be best, and she continues to need to be restrained until we are sure the drug has been flushed." Dr. Inman tells the couple. Ken looks to Elisabeth. "If you'd like to see her.." he offers, perhaps looking as if he's not quite ready to face his daughter just yet. His wife continues to cling to him, choking out a sob here and there as he tries his best to comfort her.

Elisabeth has had all she can reasonably be expected to handle at this moment — no sleep, serial killer's head exploding in front of her face, one partner in about as bad a shape as Liz was when she woke in the safehouse, one partner still missing, and now this. Becca. Brilliant Becca. And brain cancer. She cannot assimilate it all. She hadn't realized until pretty recently how much she'd come to rely on Abby and her willingness and ability to help when all hope was lost. Hell…. Elisabeth herself wouldn't be here right now, several times over, if Abby's ability had not been near enough to call upon. Her hand reaches up to rub her forehead, and she struggles to make sure her expression is back into neutral territory before she turns to look at the Nakanos. "I… would like that. I won't stay long, I know you want to see her." She offers an apologetic smile at the doctor and follows him toward the room. She'll keep this visit very brief.

Inman leaves Abby with the Nakanos as he leads Elisabeth towards Rebecca's door. "Under no circumstances is she to be unsecured. She is still going to massive withdrawl and I already have one orderly who has a black eye and fractured orbital bone because he bought her cute and innocent act and let her loose." Knowing Rebecca, one would think the doc was lying.

He opens the door, and there's Rebecca lying on a bed, wrists secured to the metal railings. Her hair is a mess, though it looks like she's at least had her face washed. She does have her face turned towards the window, but rotates her head when she heards the door open, a curious glance to see who's coming in. She's wearing just a hospital gown, though she's covered to her waist with a blanket. Her feet are secured to the foot of the bed. Her face is a little puffy and her eyes have dark blue bags under them. At first glance, it look like she's trying to focus her vision on whoever it is entering her room.

Both eyebrows shoot to Elisabeth's hairline. "Christ," she breathes softly. Shaking her head, she steps into the room and walks toward the bed. "Hey, lady," Liz says quietly as she pauses near Becca's knee. Then, realizing she's likely not wearing contacts in those eyes and certainly without glasses, the blonde steps up to her head so she can be seen. "Came by to check up on you."

There's a brief flicker of a smile that crosses Rebecca's face as she recognizes the voice. "Elisabeth? Is that you?" As the detective gets closer, Rebecca blushes as she realizes how she looks. "I didn't realize they were letting anyone see me." she apologizes up front. She pulls a little at her binds, as if momentarily forgetting she's bound. "I.. " she starts, then goes quiet again. She winces a bit at something, then glances up at her visitor. "Is everything going okay? I must be missing out on things." she assumes, her nose wrinkling up.

"Mmmmm…. I'd say the things you're missing out on aren't worth remembering," Elisabeth says mildly. She pulls a chair near to the side of the bed. "You scared me to death, Becca," she says softly. "The up side of all this is that Refrain wasn't illegal until the day after you were brought in — so hey… no charges pending," she comments. "That's a silver lining." She studies the other woman and asks quietly, "Why didn't tell someone it was getting that bad?"

That causes Rebecca to turn away from Elisabeth. "I don't like to be a bother. I figured it came with the ability. I saw a doctor but they couldn't find anything wrong." she says, her voice quiet again. She gives another struggle against her bindings. "I.. I need to get out of here. Detective Myron is trying to kill me." Rebecca turns her head back to Elisabeth and looks at her with pleading eyes. "Please. I need to be somewhere safe."

There's a faint grimace and Elisabeth says quietly, "I still wish you'd said something." She sighs heavily. "I don't know what you saw. Right now…. they're saying it's a psychosomatic response to a hallucination, Becca. But I promise you this much… I'll see if I can find someone who can help you get to the bottom of that." She too believes it to be a hallucination, but you know…. considering what she's seen in the past few months, she'd be willing to believe almost anything right now. She's not a doctor, and it's not her place to tell Becca what they've found in her head.

"God. They're never going to let me out of here." Rebecca is starting to panic. Her heart rate increases its pace as the blips that are heard go a little faster. "Please. Liz. Lemme go. My head hurts so much. I need.." she doesn't say the word, but she stuggles harder against the straps that hold her fast to the bed. "You have to believe me. He hurt my neck, he was going to kill me. He wants revenge." Her ramblings get louder as she jerks violently against her straps. "Please, Liz.. I need it. I need some." Tears begin to roll down Rebecca's cheeks. "Help me.."

Elisabeth moves cautiously and reaches out only to smooth Rebecca's hair off her forehead. "Hang on, Becca. Just hang on. I'm sorry," she whispers softly. And then she backs up to let herself out of the room without another word. Out in the hall, the blonde leans back against the wall and looks at the ceiling while the sounds pour from inside the room, tears trailing down her cheeks. She doesn't move for a long time, and then she resolutely wipes her cheeks, blows out a breath, and heads back out to the waiting room. "I'll either be by or will call tonight," she tells the Nakanos gently. "I need to go back to work, but if there is anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate." It doesn't matter that it's 'quitting time' for most people. Elisabeth still has paperwork and questions to field. She glances at Abby and says quietly, "I'll see you later on."

As Elisabeth leaves the room, Rebecca begins to thrash around on the bed. "Bitch! You're leaving me! I'm going to die and nobody gives a damn!" She shrieks and pulls hard on her binds as the bed begins to shake. A couple of nurses rush past Liz and into the room as the sounds of the woman's screams fill the hallway, muffled only by the closing of the door to her room. "Touch me with that and I will kill you!" is heard from within the room, followed by more screams then a few moments later, silence.


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