**Gotta say, for some reason really enjoying this "nutty" Julie. Always find myself laughing while reading or writing entries about her. Guess that speaks to my fondness for tragedies. Or I was dropped one too many times as a kid. Could be either - bj88
Once Julie was unconscious again, Dr. Tachibana brought her parents back outside. He asked a nurse to stay in the room for the time being, while he spoke to them. And asked another to get Francis Twist on the phone.
“She’s certainly got he work cut out for her.” he thought.
Melissa had gone through another fit of tears as the hospital staff sedated her daughter. Martin remained in a stoney silence. He was capable of saving face in a crisis. Lord knows he’d managed to keep from breaking down during the whole Yvette crisis. And now Julie was going through one of her own.
“Thankfully her vitals didn’t drop off like they did last time she got too worked up. If it’s alright with you, and provided I can get Dr. Twist to come in and consult, I’d like to run some exploratory tests on Julie while she’s still unconscious.”
“What would that entail?” Martin answered since Melissa was still in a state of shock and worry over Julie.
“I’d like to start with an MRI, see if there’s anything wrong in her brain from a physical standpoint. Depending on the results, I may want to run a CT scan. Any further tests would have to be performed elsewhere, since we don’t have the necessary equipment.” Tachibana said.
“Will it harm her?”
“Not at all. MRIs are extremely effective, and one of the safest noninvasive means of mapping the brain. MRI scanners use a combination of magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the interior body.” Tachibana’s words were like French to the Stovalls, but he continued anyway.
“The scans I have in mind are functional MRIs, which measure brain activity, and an MRS, to search for metabolic irregularities. They’re all very simple to perform, and wouldn’t take more than an hour.” Tachibana explained.
He left to let the Stovalls consider his words, and come to a decision. One of the nurses motioned for him to come over to the desk.
“Dr. Twist is on the phone for you.” she said, holding out the hospital phone. Tachibana thanked the nurse before addressing Francis.
“I hope I wasn’t interrupting your dinner Dr. Twist.”
“Hardly. So, what’s happened?” she asked. Francis didn’t think it appropriate to tell him she had been busy “comforting” Martha Anderson with her wife.
While Tachibana explained the situation, Samantha and Martha began to clean up the remains of their evening. Thankfully the couch cushions were the kind that could be unzipped, and thrown in the wash. There was quite a bit of fluid over them, and the carpet.
“Don’t worry. My mom passed down a few tricks to clean carpets.” Samantha said winking. In addition to the standard “talk” she’d had, Samantha’s mother also gave her daughter a few helpful hints on how to remove unwanted stains.
“Thanks,” Martha butted her head against Samantha’s shoulder as a sign of affection. Samantha kissed the top of the werecat's head, before searching for her clothing in the pile.
“It sounds like you’ve got a good handle on things. What exactly do you need to do?” Francis asked once Tachibana finished speaking.
“Mostly, offer some support to Julie’s parents. I’m certainly not qualified to do so. And I suspect all this medical jargon is stressing them out. I’d also like your opinion on the results of the tests, provided the Stovalls agree to them.” he said.
“Do you need me there now?”
“No, Julie’s been given a sedative to keep her asleep for the night. I’ll get the night staff to keep an eye on her. But until tomorrow, there’s nothing to be done.”
“Alright, thank you for keeping me informed. Let me know what the Stovalls decide.” Francis then hung up the phone and put a paw to her temple.
“I take it things with Julie aren’t improving?” Samantha approached her wife, now back to her normal form, and dressed.
“That’s one way of putting it.” Francis said.
“Anything we can do to help?” Martha asked.
“Thank you for the offer but no. It would appear Julie’s trapped in her own fantasy world. And even the slightest mention of Eric’s name sends her spiraling. At least this time her vitals didn’t drop off like they did last time.”
“You mean she….”
“Flatlines if she gets worked up enough? Yes.” Francis answered her wife’s question. Neither Samantha nor Martha knew how to respond to the news, other than to gasp.
“And Tachibana thinks her problem might be physical?” Samantha finally found her voice again after a long silence.
“I’m starting to think so too. This can’t just be all in her head, so to speak.”
“Human perception is affected by experience, motivational state, and emotional state. While the latter seems to be a deciding factor, Julie’s physical state may prove to be the most important,” Francis thought to herself.
While all three women were somewhat upset by the news of Julie’s worsening condition, they felt better knowing Eric wasn’t beating himself up for this anymore. After seeing the way he was smiling at Cassie, and vice-versa, Martha knew Eric would be alright no matter what happened.
“Even if at some point he has to see her again, Julie won’t be raining on Eric’s parade anytime soon.” Martha thought. Which had been her greatest fear, that Eric would wind up hurting all over again. But for the first time in weeks, things seemed to be looking up for the Anderson family.