Hailies Song

Chapter Seven

Rated R

"Hey," Diane said, sitting beside Marshall in the waitingroom, and handing him a cup of coffee. It was almost 10 o clock AM, They had been here for almost three hours and the doctors were still examining her. Marshall looked up, taking the styrofoam cup from her, and sitting back in his chair. "Have you heard anything yet?"

"Uh, just, that they know whats wrong with her." Marshall shrugged.

"They do!?" Diane asked quickly, eyes wide. "Well...what is it?"

"Well, I mean, they know whats wrong, but they cant tell us why yet. Theyre still looking into it, but they said they had a few ideas, they didnt want to worry us more than we already are, and I think thats best." Marshall said, sighing.

"Yeah, me too." Diane looked down at the tiled floor. "So what did they say?"

"Well, they noticed a few things, one thing they noticed was that she has ALL the symptoms of anti- cholinesterase... shes weak, she complains of headache, shes vomitting, she has cramps and her pulse is slower than a healthy persons pulse." He explained. "Basically anti- cholinesterase, means that one of the most important enzymes in her nervous system, isnt working."

"How does that happen?"

"I dont know. Thats what they wouldnt tell me, but they have their suspicions as to what she has. Theyre doing more tests to make sure. Apparently she has more symptoms than last time, and they arent getting anything from her blood sample. Whatever it is, it wont show up in her blood work, which is weird. But it just means, its not a virus. Virus' would show up in blood. Any virus I know of anyway." Marshall rolled his eyes.

"Yeah." Diane sighed. "Any sign of Kim?"

"No, I called her house a half hour ago, no one answered, maybe shes on her way." He replied. "You know whats weird though?"

"Huh?" Diane looked up from her own coffee cup, and sipped it as she listened to him speak.

"If its not a virus, how does Kim have like, the same symptoms? How did Kim catch it, and why didnt we?" He shook his head. "It doesnt make sense at all..."

"I know. That is weird..." Diane blinked. "When Kim was at our house yesterday, what happened? Did she..." Diane bit the inside of her lip, "Share a drink with Hailie, or, anything...?"

Marshall shook his head, and Diane raised an eyebrow. "Oh, well, she didnt share a drink with her, but remember the orange juice? Well Hailie didnt want it so she gave it to Kim. But they never shared a drink. Hailie didnt have any of it. Kim had the whole thing."

"Oh!" Diane nodded. "So thats why-"

"What?" Marshall looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"I dont know," She shrugged. "Hey, I'll be right back, Im gonna go use the bathroom." Diane said, standing up.

"Wait," Marshall looked up at her. "What were you gonna say?"

"I dont remember..." Diane shrugged. "I really gotta pee though!"

"Okay," Marshall watched her walk away, oddly enough in the opposite the direction of the restrooms, and get into the elevator. "Weird..." He muttered, but lost the thought as he saw Kim, standing at the nurses station, speaking to a nurse.

A minute later, she saw him, and walked over to him, sitting where Diane had been sitting not a minute before.

"Anything?" She asked, and Marshall shrugged. "Well what is it?"

Marshall explained to her what the doctor had said, and then his views on how odd it was that Kim got it from her, and him and Diane didnt.

"Your right, its not a virus." Kim shook her head. "I got like, shots last month, like a bunch of them, the flu shot, everything. So Im not supposed to be sick right now. Im supposed to be immune, to like, mostly everything."

"So its not a virus? We knew that anyway." Marshall shrugged.

"Marshall, I dont wanna worry you or anything, but I think you should know what the doctors arent telling you." Kim bit her bottom lip.

"And whats that?" Marshall asked skeptically. "Since Im sure you have a PHD in this feild." He added, sarcastically.

Kim sighed and shook her head. "Do you know how you GET anti cholesterase?"

"No, how?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

"Marshall you can only get that if your poisoned." She said. "Thats how you get it, the poison reacts to your nervous system, and kills the enzyme."

"Hailies not poisoned though, she hasnt been eating out at restaurants, shes eating soup and toast if anything for the past two weeks, and they already said it wasnt food poisoning, because it would have gone away by now. Nice try." He smirked. "Howd you figure that out anyway?"

"I did a report on it in high school," She said, narrowing her eyes. "I dont remember much but I remember all the fucking research I did on that topic. Took me weeks, but I got a B."

"Well, thats great Kim, but my daughters not poisoned." He said, shaking his head.

"Our, daughter, Marshall." Kim corrected. "Whats your problem anyway? Its easy to treat once they find it, be glad they found it now, and not after shes lying in a coffin 6 feet under." She said bitterly.

"Fuck you Kim." Marshall glared at her. "Where would she get the poison? Like I said, she hasnt eaten take out in weeks..."

"Maybe its not from take out," Kim said shortly.

"Are you trying to say that I poisoned my daughter?" Marshall said, increduously.

"No, Marshall, GOD!" Kim exclaimed, exasperatedly. "Whatever, Im going to call my babysitter, make sure the kids are okay." Kim said, rolling her eyes and standing up, walking over to the payphone across the waitingroom.

Diane was coming out of the elevator as Kim picked the reciever up, and inserted a quarter. She sat beside Marshall and looked at him, wondering what happened.

"So, Kims here?" Diane said, glancing at Kim.

"Yeah, shes being a fucking cunt." Marshall sighed, crossing his arms, annoyed at the conversation he had just had.

"Why?" Diane asked.

"Shes just..." Marshall glanced at Diane and shook his head. "Where were you?"

"In the bathroom?" Diane shrugged. "Why?"

"Because the bathrooms are down that hall," Marshall jerked his head towards the left.

"Oh, yeah," Diane nodded. "Theyre out of toilet paper up here, so I went down a floor to use that one. Why?"

"Just wondering, you've been acting weird lately." Marshall said, looking at her suspiciously.

"How so?" Diane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, for starters, you seem to know something about why Hailie and Kim are sick, and we arent, and you wouldnt tell me, you left right after, obviously to escape the conversation, and went downstairs, when there are bathrooms right there." Marshall glared at her. "You seem awfully concerned about how Hailies doing, and if the doctor figured out what was wrong yet," He added.

"Cant I be concerned?" Diane asked, standing up and looking at Marshall angrilly. "What are you accusing me of?"

"Should I be accusing you of anything?" Marshall stood up, looking down at her as she shook her head.

"Oh my god, this is so stupid. Im asking about how Hailie is because, call me crazy but I care about her, if thats a crime, sue me. And for the last time, that bathroom has no toilet paper! Thats why I left and went downstairs, and if you must know I have my period so, yes, I was in a hurry to get to the bathroom. Excuse me Marshall. And what do you mean by, SHOULD you be accusing me of anything?" She cried.

"I dont know." Marshall glared at her. "Just leave me alone."

"Gladly." Diane glared at him, and turned, back towards the elevator, pressing the button and waiting for it to come up.

"Hey," Kim said softly from behind Marshall. "Look, Im sorry about before."

Marshall turned around and shook his head. "Whatever, dont worry about it."

"I couldnt help hearing you and Diane talk..." Kim cleared her throat as they both sat down.

"Great," Marshall said, it was obvious to Kim he didnt want to talk about it.

"Look, I care about Hailie as much as you do, and this is hard for me to, Marshall." She sniffled, not because she was crying, but because her nose was stuffy. "But, not admitting that theres something going on here, isnt going to make Hailie any better. We both know that. We also both know that somethings not right here... And I just wish you would admit it."

"I know, I know Kim, but what the fuck?" Marshall sighed. "If she is poisoned, how did she get it? Diane makes all her meals, and-" His voice faded off, and he looked down.

Kim knew what he was thinking, and stood up. "Ill be right back." She said, walking back over to the payphone quickly.

"Detriot Police Station, how can I help you?" A receptionist answered the call, and Kim said quickly.

"I need to speak to Aaron Stone..."

"Please hold." The receptionist said, and Kim listened as she heard a click, and then more ringing.

"This is Officer Stone," Aaron answered the phone and Kim sighed into the receiver.

"Aaron, thank god."

"Kim? Whats wrong? Is Hailie okay?"

"No, shes not. But I need you to do me a favor..." She said, glancing at Marshall, who was leaning forward in the chair, his head in his hands, staring at the floor.