Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Contemplation Indigo ❯ Pirol Onyx ( Chapter 19 )

 

Pirol Onyx

By DRL

 

Sally Po made her way slowly along the corridor towards an interview that she dreaded with all of her stout heart. Through her own negligence she had been responsible for the near-death of the man she loved. The situation was made even worse because the man in questioin also happened to be the adored husband of one of the wealthiest, most powerful and influential men in the entire world. His Excellency Treize Kushrenada was not a man to lightly cross, and not only had she crossed him, she had almost killed his husband! Even now Wufei was by no means out of the woods. He might yet die and if he did, her feet would not touch the ground - she was certain of it.

 

`How could I have been so stupid?' She mentally chided herself, then chided herself anew for indulging in so futile a thought. After all, what was the point in crying over spilt milk? What she should be thinking about was how to put the situation to Treize so that the damage to her own career and her reputation as a physician was mitigated as much as possible, but the way she felt now she could not really care less whether she never practised medicine again. This was just as well she thought with a sardonic smile because she was sure that His Excellency would see to that personally.

 

She slowed her steps as she reached the door to one of the many plush waiting lounges that the clinic boasted. For all that it was an extremely efficient, reputable and well-equipped medical facility, Dr Steven Scrivener's clinic catered to the extremely wealthy, and the ambience, décor and amenities provided Dr Scrivener's pampered patients, and their friends and family, with all the `comforts' that their social position accustomed them to, and his exorbitant fees reflected this. The door to the lounge was closed, but a small window was let decorously into it. This window could be shuttered in the interests of privacy, but was actually uncovered.

 

She looked in and saw him, seated facing the door in an oxblood leather club chair, one leg crossed elegantly over the other, one hand resting on his knee and the other lightly clenched and pensively supporting his chin. Although he held his head upright his eyes were cast down and appeared to be fixed on a spot on the floor before him, a few feet distant. Considering the fact that he had just witnessed his husband in the throes of a violent seizure of unknown origin and seen him rushed into emergency surgery, he seemed remarkably calm. Sally was not sure quite what she expected him to do, pace the floor perhaps, or possibly break down and weep uncontrollably? Though in her experience this is what family members usually did as such times, she was sure that neither of these reactions ran true to Treize's character. Taking this into consideration, she concluded that she would actually expect him to do exactly what he was doing now.

 

As she regarded him she recalled a telephone conversation she had had with Wufei a week or so previously. On asking him how the honeymoon was going he happily replied, `lots of sun, lots of sea and lots of sex - it's perfect.' She felt her cheeks burn as she now considered Treize in the light of this statement, even though at the time it had caused her a stab of pain.

 

Suddenly he raised his eyes and they met hers as she observed him through the window aperture. Although he had obviously seen her he remained motionless in the chair, and realising that her advantage was lost, she opened the door. Her heart drummed against her ribs as she stepped into the room. Gentleman that he always was, he rose as she entered and took a step towards her, his face a mask of inscrutability, and as he towered above her, even under these circumstances she thought for the umpteenth time how regal, majestic..., and imposing a figure he cut. It was he who spoke first.

 

“Sally, what happened, where is Wufei, is he alright?”

 

She saw behind the mask then. Though his voice was superficially calm, an undercurrent of tension was readily discernable. She caught the barely controlled tremor in his voice and the quiet despair in his steely gaze, and suddenly she had no though for herself or for whatever Treize's retribution might be for what she had caused. Her only though was to offer what modicum of comfort she could to the stricken soul that stood before her. Wufei was his whole life, she knew that well enough, and she could not even imagine the hell he must have been going through during the forty or so minutes that had passed since the Chinese ex-pilot`s sudden seizure, while he waited anxiously for news. Although she and Wufei had been close friends for many years, her relationship with Treize had, until relatively recently, been tenuous to the point of non-existence, mainly due to her own obstinacy and folly. This ice had broken over the past year however, and now instead of the lofty, unassailable aristocrat that she had always perceived him as, all she now saw was a friend in great need of comfort and reassurance. Regardless of propriety she closed the distance between them and enfolded him in a warm embrace.

 

“Oh Treize, I'm so sorry.” She said as her cheek rested briefly against his chest. She felt him stiffen beneath her and heard him draw a quick, horror-stricken breath and realising that she might have given him the impression that the news she carried was bad, she quickly released him. She took a step back so that she could look up into his face, but kept hold of his hands. “Wufei is okay for the moment,” She said, hoping to allay his worst fear, `But his condition is quite serious.” He said nothing, but his eyes begged her for further details. “Here, sit down and I will explain everything.” She led him back to his chair and watched him lower himself stiffly into it before she seated herself beside him.

 

“Can I see him? I should be with him.” He said anxiously, and made as if to rise again.

 

“No Treize,” Sally said quickly and laid a quelling hand on his arm, “You have to remain here. Wufei's condition is... such that you would not be permitted to see him just at present.” She hated to be so mealy mouthed but she wanted to break it to him gently. “Listen to me. I will explain to you what happened, but I must tell you now that...” She hesitated and dropped her gaze for an instant before taking a deep breath and resuming her narrative, “...that there are some things that I didn't do and should have done, which might have prevented what just occurred.” Treize gave no response. He merely regarded her with the same uncompromising gaze he always employed. “Do you understand?” She pressed, “That means that this whole thing might have been my fault. In fact it probably was my fault.”

 

Treize merely inclined his head in acknowledgement of her words. “Please tell me what happened to Wufei.” He said evenly. Wondering whether there was any limit to the man's sang froid, she began.

 

“You no doubt recall that the result of the CT scan Wufei underwent just prior to your wedding was non-conclusive?” He inclined his head again and she continued. “Well I wasn't satisfied with that result, because I had my suspicions as to what was causing Wufei's symptoms, you know, the headaches, blackouts, nausea and vomiting...” Treize nodded once more, “...and the result neither confirmed nor refuted my suspicions.”

 

“What did you think it was?” He asked.

 

“I suspected a cerebral aneurysm.” She said, then continued in response to his raised eyebrow. “This is where a weak point in the wall of a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain bulges out and fills with blood. So long as this is all that happens, everything is relatively okay. The greatest danger is rupture. Once this happens, haemorrhaging into the brain occurs, bringing with it the risk of permanent brain damage, disability or death.” She saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly at her last words, but his gaze remained unflinching and she continued. “Most aneurysms remain undetected until they actually rupture, and this is the problem. The longer they stay undetected, the more likely they are to rupture, and the likelihood increases as time goes on. People with unruptured aneurysms have an estimated 1-2% risk of rupture each year, which is quite acceptably low, but 80-90% are not diagnosed until after they have ruptured. This is because the condition is so benign and exhibits almost no symptoms...”

 

“Until it is too late.” Treize interposed flatly.

 

“Yes.” She agreed with a heavy sigh. “Sometimes though, sufferers do exhibit symptoms. Some aneurysms occasionally bleed into the brain a little without actually rupturing, and this what I believe was happening to Wufei. The symptoms of such bleeding include headache, nausea, vomiting, neck-pain, blackouts, ringing in the ears, dizziness or seeing spots. They are called `warning leak' symptoms.”

 

“Wufei suffered with nearly all of these.” Treize said, the light of comprehension dawning in his eyes.

 

“Exactly. Dr Scrivener was not unduly worried when Wufei first started exhibiting these symptoms but unfortunately, symptoms such as these are often indicative of several other complaints, and as Wufei had recently had major eye surgery, there was a case for them being connected with that. However, as time went on and he appeared to be recovering well from the eye surgery but the symptoms continued and seemed to worsen, I began to wonder whether there might not be some other underlying cause. I spoke to Dr Scrivener about it and he also agreed that there did seem to be cause for concern. He also agreed when I suggested we run a CT scan.”

 

“Did you suspect a cerebral aneurysm at that time?” Treize asked.

 

“To be honest, yes I did.” Sally confessed. “I'm sorry that I didn't mention anything to you before, but you were preparing for your wedding and... well, you were both so happy. I didn't want to worry you with anything like that at that time unless I was sure. When the results came through and were non-diagnostic, I have to admit that it stopped me in my tracks a little. I was convinced that something was not quite right and I suspected an aneurysm, but the test did not show anything unduly abnormal.

 

I left it at that for the time being, and did nothing further besides arranging for a further series of tests when you returned from your honeymoon, but I have to confess that I had a little word with Hugo before he left with you. I asked him to keep as close an eye on Wufei as he was able to without being indiscreet, and to let me know instantly if anything untoward happened. I asked him to keep watch for the warning leak symptoms. Those two weeks of your honeymoon must have been the worst two weeks of my life.” She added with a slight flush and gave an embarrassed little laugh. “I was so worried about Wufei the whole time. I'm sorry Treize, but I'm afraid I made a big mistake. I should have insisted upon further tests immediately.” She spoke the last sentence with ferocity, as though remonstrating with herself. “I should have arranged for Wufei to have a lumbar puncture as soon as the scan tests came up negative...”

 

“But you didn't because of the wedding.” Treize interposed.

 

“No.” Sally conceded with a sigh. “I didn't. Wufei was so looking forward to it and I didn't want to spoil it all for him. And to tell you the absolute truth, there was no real urgency. I suppose I was just overly anxious because..., well for stupid reasons really. If Wufei did have an aneurysm, he might have had it for years with no ill effects. It could quite possibly be congenital, or have been caused by trauma to the brain from his activities during the war. The fact is that many aneurysms remain undiagnosed, and even when they are, it is sometimes deemed best to leave them untreated than to try any invasive treatment. In fact,” She continued, “most unruptured aneurysms are detected purely by chance, or sometimes even by accident while tests are being performed for some completely unrelated condition. Only in cases where warning leak symptoms are exhibited are they diagnosed as a result of CT or MRI scans, and sometimes not even then.

 

“But not all sufferers present these warning leak symptoms?” Treize asked pensively.

 

“By no means,” Sally replied, “But Wufei did, and quite regularly and severely. There was no excuse not to have picked it up. Damn it!” She ejaculated vehemently as she brought her hand down sharply on the arm of her chair. “I should have seen it. There was no excuse.”

 

“But Sally,” Treize began, “Unless I have somehow misunderstood your import, surely `see it' is exactly what you did do. You quite properly took the necessary steps to test your theory, but events overtook you and Wufei's aneurysm ruptured before you had a chance to complete your tests. Am I not correct in this? He cocked his head quizzically at her.

 

“Well..., yes, that's right,” She admitted hesitantly, “But...”

 

“And what is Wufei's condition now?” He asked, pointedly cutting her off.

 

“Well the rupture resulted in some serious haemorrhaging into his cranial cavity. “She said, resuming her professional manner once more. “In rupture cases immediate medical attention is essential to prevent complications such as hydrocephalus and vasospasm from causing permanent brain damage. That's excess fluid around the brain and narrowing of the affected blood vessel.” She explained, once again reading his expression. “Re-bleeding is also common after an aneurysm rupture and unfortunately, since Wufei seems to have had so many warning leaks, this is even more likely. The best treatment method will depend upon several factors, such as the size, shape and location of the aneurysm and Wufei's physical condition and medical history. There is also a very good chance that he has more than one. Before any real treatment can be given beyond the initial stabilising of Wufei's condition, we need to find out what we are dealing with.”

 

“Does that mean more scans?” Treize asked.

 

“No,” She shook her head, “scans won't help us now. The scans were mainly to confirm whether Wufei actually had an aneurysm. I'd say that there's not much doubt about that now.” She added dryly. “What is needed now is cerebral angiography. A dye will be injected into Wufei's cranial blood vessels and the resulting x-ray images should give information regarding the size, shape and location of any aneurysms present. Then they will be surgically treated by the best methods available, taking into consideration the information shown by the angiography.”

 

“Can I see him?” He asked, his blue eyes gently pleading.

 

“No, I don't...” She began, but as she read the fear and worry written in his face she relented. “I'll see. I will have a word with Dr Scrivener.” She took his hands in hers once more. “Wufei is in the best possible hands Treize, please be assured of that. Dr Scrivener has the best cerebrovascular surgeons and interventional neuroradiologists on his staff, so Wufei will be very well taken care of.” Her gaze fell to the floor. “I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to prevent all of this. That spinal tap, if I had only...” He suddenly wrenched his hands free of her grasp and sat back in his chair. She lifted her gaze to meet his once again, alarmed at the sudden violence of the gesture.

 

“Sally,” His steely, uncompromising gaze bore through her like a gimlet and his voice took on an edge as sharp as a razor. “Am I to understand that if you had performed this..., this spinal tap - it is the same as a lumbar puncture, is it not?” She nodded dumbly and he continued. “If you had performed this spinal tap or lumbar puncture, Wufei would not be in the situation he is now?”

 

“Well I...,”

 

“Yes or no?” Treize pressed sternly as she searched frantically for an answer.

 

“Well it's not quite that simple.” She said finally. “When the CT scan gave a non-diagnosis, the next step ought to have been a cerebrospinal fluid analysis - a spinal tap..., or lumbar puncture if you prefer.” She added quickly.”

 

“Which you failed to perform?”

 

“Yes.” She whispered hoarsely, and lowered her gaze again. She had been expecting this.

 

“Because Wufei was preparing for his wedding. If you had performed the test, what would have happened?”

 

“Well it's difficult to say for sure.” She replied, her voice a little stronger now that she was back on familiar, medical ground. “The spinal fluid is tested for the presence of blood and blood-breakdown products, which still may prove non-diagnostic.”

 

“Let us say that the test was positive,” Treize said, his steady gaze unwavering and his voice still keen-edged, “Then what?”

 

“Cerebral angiography,” She said. “To determine the physical characteristics of the aneurysm, as I explained earlier. Decisions would then be made as to the best methods of treatment...”

 

“...which, if I understand you correctly,” Treize interposed, “Might have meant not treating it at all.”

 

“Well yes, sometimes that is deemed the best course,” Sally agreed, “If the patient's health is poor or if the aneurysm is located in a position that would be too difficult to access to administer a coil or clip, or even for embolisation. In such cases the aneurysm is closely monitored, but left untreated.”

 

“And it could still rupture?”

 

“Yes, of course. Even a treated aneurysm can re-bleed if clipped or coiled, although the risk of this extremely low.” Treize contemplated her in silence for a moment.

 

“So the truth is,” He said at length, “Whether or not you had performed the additional test prior to the wedding, Wufei might still have ended up in this same position.” Now it was her turn for contemplative silence.

 

“Well yes,” She said, “He might have, but...” She paused as she observed his gaze suddenly soften and his icy expression melt into a warm smile.

 

“Then you have nothing to reproach yourself for, my dear,” He said, taking her hands in his and pressing them to his lips, “Nothing at all. All along you have done your best for Wufei. It was you who first suspected an aneurysm in the first place. If not for that, we might all have gone on thinking that Fei's symptoms were related to his eye condition and the after-effects of his surgery. Granted, you failed to follow up his initial CT scan with a lumbar puncture, but only out of regard for him and a desire to prevent any upset to his wedding plans. In doing so you still executed your professional duty by posting Hugo as sentry. On our return, with what I can only describe as unseemly hast, considering we had just returned from our honeymoon,” Sally blushed hotly at this, “You summoned Wufei to the hospital for further tests, and while undergoing these tests his aneurysm actually ruptured. The way I see it, it was at your insistence that Wufei was actually here at the time of the rupture, and from I have understood of your words today, this could make all the difference.”

 

“Yes,” She nodded, “The fact that Wufei was only seconds away from expert medical assistance at the time of the rupture meant that steps were taken to stabilise his condition immediately and consequently the risk of brain damage, paralysis or..., worse are greatly reduced. It was a very lucky thing that it happened now rather than a few days ago, while you were still on the yacht.”

 

She shuddered at the thought of what that would have meant. Trowa's yacht was equipped with a helipad and helicopter (Quatre had spared no expense for his husband's birthday present), and there was an experienced helicopter pilot amongst the crew, but had Wufei's aneurysm ruptured while they were still cruising, it might well have spelled disaster of a very final kind. It was for this reason that she had been so anxious during Wufei's absence, but it was not the professional anxiety of a physician for her patient, but the natural anxiety of a woman for the man she loved.

 

“Lucky that it didn't happen on the yacht,” Treize said, “But definitely thanks to you that Fei was actually here when it did happen. “Whatever the eventual outcome Sally, I thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart. It seems as though I am once again in your debt, a debt that I can never repay.”

 

“You're very welcome Treize,” She replied hoarsely and she swallowed the lump that rose to her throat. “I only hope that everything works out okay.” She blinked rapidly as tears pricked at her eyes and threatened to fall, and to disguise the action she made a show of consulting her wristwatch and rose from her chair. “I'd better go and see how things are going. You'd better stay here for the moment, so that we'll know where to find you if we need you, but I will speak to Dr Scrivener about letting you see Wufei.”

 

“Thank-you.” Treize replied. He had risen also. “I had better telephone to let the others know what has happened, but...” He was interrupted by a knock at the door which startled them both with its suddenness. As they both turned towards it, it swung slowly open and the handsome face of Trowa Barton appeared.

 

“Can I come in?” He asked.

 

“Trowa!” Treize exclaimed in surprise, “Yes, of course. What brings you here?” He asked as Trowa stepped gracefully into the room.

 

“Quatre.” He said with an apologetic smile which he extended to both of them, as if that explained everything. At their bemused expressions he continued. “I was in a meeting at work when my secretary bustled in and handed me a note telling me that my husband was on the phone and that it was urgent. Half crazed with worry in case something had happened to him, I excused myself and rushed to the phone. 'Go to the hospital and find Treize,' he said after reassuring me that he himself was fine, `something has happened to Wufei, I can feel it.' So I disbanded the meeting and here I am.”

 

Sally struggled to stifle a smirk. She could imagine Trowa immediately falling in with Quatre's wishes without cavil or demure, regardless of any other prior commitments. “He didn't come with you?” She asked as she schooled her features.

 

“No,” Trowa said thoughtfully, “I wondered about that myself. I asked him, but he said `no, it's you he needs, not me. I'll come later'.” He gave a small shrug and spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

 

How clever Quatre Winner was, Sally thought to herself. Trust him to realise that while Treize would ultimately need the support of all his friends, what he needed right now was not the gushing sentimentality of Quatre himself, but the solidly logical, dependability of Trowa. Trowa, who could keep everything in perspective and would prevent Treize from descending too far into his own dark, despairing thoughts as he waited to hear which way things would go with Wufei. Trowa, who could be relied upon not to give way under a tide of emotion if the crux ever came, even if Treize did so himself. Trowa, who would always do `the right thing'. It was a shrewd and timely move. She had been reluctant to leave Treize on his own, even though he seemed outwardly to be coping. Such men as Treize tended to internalise, and beneath a façade of composure could conceal a dormant volcano of seething, festering emotion, ready to erupt and sweep away all in its torrent of fiery lava. Now she could leave him with Trowa with a light heart, knowing that he would be perfectly fine, whatever happened.

 

“Well Quatre was quite right,” She said gravely, taking a step towards the door, and Trowa, “Something has happened to Wufei. I need to get back to the Neurology unit to see if there are any developments, but Treize will fill you in on what has happened.” She moved towards the door but stopped before exiting. “Thank-you for coming Trowa.” She said sincerely, and she hoped that the look she gave him, filled with the intense gratitude she felt, showed him exactly how vital his presence was. “Treize,” she turned her head to look at him with a reassuring smile, “I will be back as soon as I can.” She turned back to Trowa and as he stepped aside to allow her egress, she caught his hand and pressed it warmly. “Look after him Trowa.” She said, in a voice meant only for his ears. Then she left the room and hurried off down the corridor.

 

 

 

 

 

8