Deaky's Daughter

Bad Batch

"Veronica," Turning towards the call, Veronica is met by a colleague and Lilliana's Year 1 teacher.

"Afternoon, Mr Jackson," She addresses him by his surname due to a student passing them as they continue to the staffroom, "How can I help?"

"I thought you'd like to be informed that Lily had two episodes of absence seizures in my class today once this morning and then again this afternoon after lunch."

"Twice in one day?" Veronica frowns grabbing her bag from her locker.

Lilliana has had absence seizures at school before but never more than one episode a day. It's never happened at home either except when she had a stomach bug last year and couldn't keep food or her meds down, but that was different.

"Yes. It's no real issue, I know to let her come out of it herself then if she needs to sleep it off let her sleep for half an hour, but I wondered has there been a change to her medication or not sleeping. If she's finding school stressful I can find ways to help."

"No, she's sleeping fine and school isn't a problem, I don't think it is anyway. And no change in her medication, she's been taking them twice a day as always, I watched her take hers this morning at breakfast and she came to me for the other before lunch, again I saw her take it," It worries her if Lilliana's medication isn't working it could mean increasing her dose or the number of times she takes it a day.

Mr Jackson hums to himself thinking, "Well as I said I thought I better inform you."

"Yes I appreciate it, thank you. She is due her next medications review maybe it needs increasing," She hopes she's not coming down with something either, it's the only other explanation besides a problem with her meds, "Have a good evening," They part ways and Veronica walks to collect Lilliana from Poppy's.

With John away and her needing to work late some days instead of keeping her at the after-school club, Poppy's dad agreed that she could go to theirs till Veronica finished.

The walk from Poppy's to the flat is quiet until she decides to ask Lilliana about today, "Mr Jackson tells me you had two absence episodes today. Is everything okay, sweety? You not sleeping well or are you stressed about school or something else?"

"No. I miss daddy but I'm not stressed or having bad sleep, but I had two absence episodes yesterday too, one at lunchtime on the school field and the other before bed last night."

Tutting, Veronica rubs her eyes now very worried, "Why didn't you say, sweety? You know you can tell me anything and we have to write them down."

"I know, but I just thought it was my normal episode that happens every so often. I did write them down though," She stops, pulling her seizure diary out of her backpack and hands it to her, then continuing once she picked Tiger's lead back up.

Looking the details over Veronica sighs, four episodes in two days, that can't be right, "I'll give Doctor Melrose a call when we get back. We'll sort this, don't worry."

Entering the main stairwell of the apartment building, they hear the phone in their flat ringing, "Quick," Lilliana gasps, "It's daddy."

"Okay, okay," Veronica chuckles, pushing the door open.

Lilliana races to the phone, dropping Tiger's lead, "Daddy?" She answers it with a grin, "Oh okay," She pouts handing the phone to Veronica now she's closed the door, "Dad needs to speak to you."

"Why don't you go get out of your uniform?" She encourages and takes the phone, "John?" She answers.

"Hello love. Tell Lily sorry but I need to be quick, we're coming home tonight. Brian is ill with Hepatitis B the doctor reckons so we're coming back early, he needs to be in the hospital."