by: Halliwellgirls
I own these characters, this story, and the rest of the stories on this site. Do not copy without my permission. Thank you very much.
WARNING: SUPREMELY HIGH ANGST AND ADULT SITUATIONS, you have been warned, don't cry to me afterwards
�Also, thank God it�s Friday!� one of her best friends, Siobhan Arintero added.
Kennedi giggled, �You guys are just the funniest....� she trailed off giggling.
�O-kay how much sugar did you have for lunch, missy?� Tara asked.
�None! I had a salad!� Kennedi said, as they walked along the hallway towards the dorm room the three of them shared at Edina State University. They were college sophomores, in the middle of the first term. They also had two other best friends who attended other colleges.
Tara unlocked the door, �Give me a second to change, and we can go to dinner before we have our veg-out night.� she said, heading for her dresser.
�I am so glad we started those. It�s nice to have one night a week we can relax and have a break from school and studying.� Siobhan remarked, as she went to the phone to check their messages, �Hey we have three messages.� she pressed the play button.
�Hey, guys, it�s Ally. Call me at home immediately.� Their best friend sounded stressed. Then came the next message, �It�s me again, where are you?� and then the last, even more urgent, �Hey it�s Ally again, you�ve got to call me, it�s Madison.�
Siobhan froze, unable to move, so Kennedi raced over and picked up the receiver and dialed their best friend�s number.
�Hey, Ally, what?....What happened?....Is she okay?....O-Okay, we�ll be right here waiting.....Yes, we�re all three here....I will....Love you too, sweetie....I�m sure she�s okay....Okay....Bye hun.� Kennedi hung up with an expression of panic on her face.
�What is it?� Tara asked, who�d changed in a hurry, and come over, �What happened?�
�Madison. She-she collapsed at school-at college. She woke up, but was very confused and disorientated, and her parents are having her transferred here for care. Ally�s at home, she and her mom just left now to pick us up.� Kennedi said, sounding flustered and upset.
�Oh, my God, do they know why?� Tara asked.
�Not yet. She�s getting transferred here for tests. We�d better go out and wait, they�ll be here in ten minutes.� Kennedi said, going to turn off the bedside lamp Siobhan had turned on.
�Siobhan? Syvanni, honey?� Tara�s voice sounded behind her. Kennedi whipped around and saw that Siobhan had gone very, very white.
�I-I-I-I....� Siobhan stuttered badly.
�I know, honey.� Tara said, knowing why she was so upset. She�d lost her first best friend when she was in the seventh grade, and just the prospect of another friend getting sick or hurt made her very upset. Tara pulled her friend quickly into a hug, which she gladly returned. Kennedi came over and put her arms around Siobhan, too, and they stood there for a few moments.
* * * * * * *
Siobhan, Tara, Kennedi, and their best friend Alyson Almond raced into the hospital emergency room, followed by Alyson�s mom.
�Excuse me. We need to know if Madison Winters has arrived here yet?� Lorelai Wyatt, Alyson�s mom, asked at the front desk.
The nurse consulted her register, �She arrived about thirty minutes ago and was taken upstairs for testing. Her family is in the waiting area around the corner if you�d care to see them.� she said, crisply. Tara felt like smacking her, she seemed too unfeeling, sitting there smiling and popping her gum.
�Thank you.� Lorelai said, and the four girls followed her around the corner and down the hall a bit to the waiting room, where Alexander and Maureen Winters, Madison�s parents, were waiting with their son, Adam.
Before the four girls had all gotten in the small room, Lorelai was already hugging Maureen, �Anything?� she asked.
�Not a thing.� Maureen said, wearily, �All I know is that she collapsed during her class this morning, and that when she woke up she was disoriented and the nurse was seriously concerned, especially after she threw up her whole breakfast.�
Alyson and Kennedi had led Siobhan and Tara to chairs and sat them down, Siobhan looking as if she was about to collapse herself, �Do you want a drink of water, honey? Something to eat?� Kennedi asked her.
Siobhan shook her head, �There�s no way I can eat at a time like this.� she said.
Adam Winters stood up, �I�ll go get us something to snack on.� he volunteered and then hurried away, �I can�t stand the wait.� he could be heard muttering.
Kennedi opened her mouth to say something to Siobhan, and then closed it, pulling her friend close instead. She was about to tell her it was going to be okay, but what if it wasn�t? The nurse at Madison�s college had been deeply concerned and Madison had had to be transferred here, even though there was a hospital in La Crosse. No, this situation was definitely more dire.
Tara leaned her head on Alyson�s shoulder, and felt her friend begin to scratch her back lightly. She couldn�t help but thinking how ironic it was, that Madison wanted to study medicine and help others, but now she needed helping. Tara hoped she was going to be okay, but she had a huge dreading feeling in her gut that everything was not okay.
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