Hold My Hand (Sequel to Saved: Adopted by Brendon Urie)

Chapter 13

Abby slept a good three hours after her seizure. She was groggy when she woke up and disoriented, but otherwise seemed alright. Brendon had been back at her side for hours by then, but he did appreciate the walk his mother made him go on.

"How are you feeling?" Brendon asked Abby, once she seemed more awake.

"I - I don't know," she said. "My head feels weird."

"Weird, how?" He asked.

"Fluffy," Abby said.

"Your head feels... fluffy?" He asked.

Abby shrugged. It was the best she could think of to describe it.

Brendon didn't push it. He smiled at her, kissed her head and let her relax. 

Nurses came in and out, checking her vitals and removing ice packs that had been placed around Abby as her fever climbed. She still had a fever, it hadn't broken yet, but she was under 104°, and for that, Brendon was grateful.

Abby slept on and off throughout the day. Brendon tried not to worry too much, but the seizure had put him on alert. By dinner time, Abby had been asleep longer than she'd been awake. Brendon was worried but his mom tried to keep him sane by reminding him Abby needed the sleep with the fever and whatever infection she was battling.

When her dinner came, Brendon woke Abby up. Already he could tell her fever was coming down, though still high. He managed to get her to eat a little but she fell asleep in the middle of eating and Brendon was content she ate enough.

He tried to get his parents to go home, but they wouldn't, so the three of them settled in for the night. Brendon had already asked Zack to get the dogs.

Around midnight, Brendon, who had fallen asleep sitting up, was woken up by a whimpering sound. He looked over at Abby and saw she was drenched in sweat and looked uncomfortable. He took her hand and gently smoothed her hair.

"Abs, Abs, wake up sweetie," he said. Abby's eyes opened.

"Dad, I'm cold," she said.

"Yeah. I think your fever broke. You're drenched in sweat. I'll get a nurse to come check, okay?" He whispered. She nodded.

Brendon went out and spoke to the nurse and they came back. The nurse checked Abby's temperature and said her fever had, indeed, broken. She shooed Boyd and Brendon out of the room while Grace and the nurse helped Abby change into a clean and dry gown.

"PopPop and I will go home later and bring you some PJs, okay?" Grace said to Abby. Abby nodded and lay back on her pillow, which had also been replaced. She was still tired and it was the middle of the night, so she fell asleep again.

Abby felt a lot better when she woke up in the morning.  Her head felt clearer. And she had to pee. Again.

"Dad?" She said, tapping Brendon's head, which was on her bed. He woke up instantly.

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" He asked.

"Dad, I have to pee," she smiled.

Brendon smiled at her as well. Grace and Boyd had woken up as well and Grace got up to help Abby in the washroom.

Once they were done, Brendon brought Abby back to her bed and climbed up on her bed with her and held her in his arms. Abby started tracing his skeleton hand tattoo.

"What's on your mind, Abster?" He asked.

"I'm just thinking," Abby said.

"About?" Brendon pressed.

"How I can feel when I need to pee, and how long it might be before I can walk again," she said quietly.

"I have no doubt you will, but let's make sure we take things slow. Okay?  Let's make sure you heal properly," he said, kissing her head.

Boyd and Grace went back to the house to get some decent sleep. Now that Abby was definitely out of the woods, they felt comfortable leaving her and her dad for a few hours.  They'd also packed some things to keep Abby occupied and some pyjamas so she could get out of the hospital gowns.

When they returned, Abby and Brendon weren't in the room. Not sure where they'd gone, Boyd and Grace decided to sit and wait for their inevitable return.

Abby was laughing when Brendon brought her back into her room.

"Where did you two get to?" Grace asked as Brendon helped Abby get back in her bed.

"We went to the cafeteria for lunch," Brendon said, covering Abby up.

"And then we sat outside," Abby smiled.

Grace smiled at her granddaughter as her son tucked his daughter in to bed. The urine culture had shown a pretty bad UTI and Brendon knew Abby needed rest as well as stimulation. So, he'd taken her downstairs for lunch, they'd sat outside for a while and now he was insisting she take a nap. Abby had grumbled but at the end of the day, she knew she needed the rest.

Over the course of the next few days, Abby started feeling better and the hospital was ready to discharge her.

Physiotherapy had been told that Abby could feel when she needed to use the bathroom and they said they'd work on more strengthening exercises on her legs. Brendon was encouraged to let her use the pool as much as possible. The buoyancy would help Abby move her legs without too much resistance, but yet, providing some resistance.

Abby was back at school the Friday after the Thanksgiving break. Things seemed to be settling down a little.

Brendon watched as Abby worked at her physio exercises. He swam with her almost every day. They'd known they were looking at months of recovery. But Abby seemed to be improving and she clearly noticed because she was in much better spirits than she'd been when they'd returned home from Chicago.

There were still a few unanswered questions, but Abby's attitude had improved. She was learning how to help herself in the washroom but still needed a hand from time to time.

Abby worked with even more intensity now that she could feel when she needed the washroom. She was eager to get her feet and legs moving again.

Brendon worried she might wind up disappointed, but he watched and encouraged her. He wanted her to heal as fast as possible, too. But he wouldn't push her. He was still in awe of her resilience though.