Hadley's Home

Chapter 11- Kidney Failure

Arizona's POV:

It felt as though my mind was a storm. Every so often I would understand my surroundings and see what was happening like a flash of lightning hitting me while the other times my mind fell into darkness. I saw Callie pull up to the emergency room and I remember getting out of the car, but I don't remember feeling it. The feeling of Hadley's limp body in my arms as I picked her up from her car seat or the feeling of her hand weakly grasping my hair.

"My tummy feels funny again." I heard Hadley whisper in my ear.

My senses as a doctor went on autopilot as I headed immediately towards a bed to set Hadley on. I didn't register that Alex had run down and was helping me. My focus was only on the shivering girl in my arms. I gently laid her on the bed and Alex started to take her vitals.

"I'm going to take her upstairs to CT and get bloodwork done."

Alex's voice drifted off in the background as I saw Hadley's eyes fill with fear and her face fall pale. I grabbed a bucket just as she buckled over and dry heaved over the bed. She weakly grabbed the bucket as she expelled her stomach contents. I gently pulled her light brown hair back and started to rub soothing circles on her back. She leaned back into my touch as she finished and closed her eyes. Her tear stain face started to regain color and a nurse came over to help clean Hadley up.

"It's okay" I whispered kissing the top of Hadley's head.

The five-year-old tried to curl up on the bed as best as she could. She looked as though her body was starting to give up on her. Her strength was minimal and running out quickly. Her hand had a tight grasp on Callie's but when Alex started to move her bed her hand fell as it was pulled from the warm hold.

"Noo." I heard Hadley whine as she tried to get the energy to pull herself up and take Callie's hand once more.

Watching her try and fail to sit up is when my mind finally woke up from the fog. The storm was starting to clear. All I was focusing on was Hadley. I had taken countless tiny humans from their parents before and hardly batted an eye. I knew that it was hard for them, but overall necessary and that they would later be reunited. But being on the other end of that treatment was hell. Because it was my tiny human being taken away. It was my tiny human using all her strength to try and get back to us. Whos tears I could still make out on her face. In that moment the doctor in me had disappeared as I just wanted Alex to make her better and return her home to Callie and me. I reached out to take her hand but as Alex pushed the bed her hand was no longer in reach. I watched her try to grab it and fail. In no more than a matter of seconds, she was gone through those doors every parent longs to run through.

"Calliope" I whispered as my head fell down.

I felt Callie's arms come around me as she held me.

"She's strong Arizona" Callie said with ironically so little strength in her words, her voice cracking on every syllable. 

A little less than an hour later Alex got us from the waiting room and took us to her room. Walking through the doors to the peds wing felt like new territory. For the first time, it felt as though I didn't belong. I suddenly wasn't the perky blonde doctor who skated down the halls on wheelie sneakers. I was a worried mother who was out of my mind fearing the worst.

"Her IV has medication for her nausea and fever, as well as something to help her sleep. I should be getting her bloodwork results back in a few hours and her CT scans back soon. I'll come back when I can update you." Alex spoke dashing back down the hall.

Callie and I both went straight to her bedside. She finally looked slightly at peace. She was getting much-deserved sleep and the color in her face was starting to look pink. I swept her sweat ridden hair from her forehead to behind her ear.

"Sleep tight bug" I whispered kissing her forehead.

Callie laid Hadley's blanket and favorite stuffed animal next to her. We both pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. As an hour past and then another we both found ourselves drifting off and fighting sleep. It was coming to be about five in the morning now.  At this point, I was getting anxious. I just wanted the results. I knew how long the bloodwork took to come back. But I wanted it to just go faster. I needed to take a walk. I paced back and forth outside the hallway for a few minutes until I felt a hand grab me from behind and spin me around.

I looked into my wife big brown eyes to see just as much anxiety as me mixed with fear, sadness, tiredness, and hope. I snapped.

"What if her kidneys have gotten worse. She meets the symptoms. What if dialysis stops working. I know what the consequences are Callie, but what are we going to do? What is Hadley going to do? Even if she gets on the transplant list and somewhat near the top do you know what the chances of her receiving a kidney are? Do you know how many families I have seen wait months and years for their child's kidneys?" I asked Callie raising my voice with each question.

"And that's only after the family members aren't a match! She's ours and we can't even help her because of stupid biology!" I yelled.

I watched a small tear trickle down Callie's face and that's when I realized my face was already stained with tears. I took a deep breath and whispered

"Hadley doesn't have that kind of time and we both know it."

Thank you all for your patience, and let me know what you think of writing in POVs instead of third person! I started writing this in third person, but it just wasn't flowing right so I tried this instead. I am honestly so happy with the way this chapter turned out! As always vote, comment, and follow!

-me_you_and_the_world