Rydel's POV:
So far our first day and a half of "touring" has been fun. Okay let's be honest this isn't really a tour but more of a "Lets throw some shows in while Ross does press!" type of thing. Last night's show in Buffalo was amazing! And tonight we play in Scranton, PA. Ross had his GMA appearance and that went well. The only thing that's been bringing our mood down has been Kinley. Her fever hasn't decreased yet and it's slowly climbing. Fortunately it hasn't changed yet today, but since yesterday it's gone up by 1 degree and 2 since we left home. Riker is starting to get worried, we all are in our own ways. She hasn't really been eating- just cheerios, but does that really count?-, she'll drink only when she is forced, and sleeps almost all the time. She has now been starting to complain that her head hurts, meaning she has a headache. I think Riker wants to take her to the doctor when we get home and before he picks up Kenzie. We've all been keeping such a close eye on her that if she gets really sick we'll be very surprised. Mom and Vanni have been looking after on the bus while we've been on stage and says that she doesn't do much. The thing you have to know about Kinley is that she's a very active child. She doesn't like to sit still. She's constantly moving and running and playing and talking. However she can be extremely shy as well around a crowd of new people and Rocky. Other than that she has a personality larger than life and more sass than what should be allowed in a 2 year old little girl. She's exactly like we were when we were little. She dances, she sings, she performs, she is a bundle of smiles, laughs, and giggles. But seeing her like this, the complete opposite of who she is, is concerning. We were planning on going to some of the museums around the town today before the show but now that Kinley has gotten progressively worse we've decided to hang out at the venue.
Vanni's POV:
It was now 4 in the afternoon and everyone else had gone to meet and greet so I volunteered to watch Kinley. So far today she's had a quatar piece of peanut butter toast and some watered down apple juice. She has napped twice today both for 3 hours and it's only 4 p.m. She is currently awake and cuddling with me on the couch in the bus and watching her favourite Disney movie Tangled. She seemed to be happy and smiling like she was going back to being herself so I turned to her and asked, "Hey Kinley do you want to go surprise daddy and see what he does?" she nodded her head excitedly so I turned the movie off, scooped her up and took her to go get dressed. I decided to dress her in a pair of medium wash denim shorts with a brown bow belt, a plain white shirt with a lace cardigan over top. To finish off her look I curled her hair and put a flower crown on her head. For shoes she was wearing pink sandals with little bows! I must say she looked adorable. After she was ready I grabbed my phone, she got her mamoo blanket and we walked off the bus and to the meet and greet area of the venue.
We were getting closer and I could just make out the tops of their heads. "I see daddy Kins!" I said to Kinley who had her head lying on my shoulder which instantly shot up looking around for Riker. Then she saw him and started squirming trying to get out of my arms. I set her down and she went running for Riker. I almost lost her in the crowd of people but knew where she was since people would move a little bit to make room for her as she ran by. I watched till she met Riker and walked over to Stormie. "Hey" I said stopping beside her.
"Oh hello Vanni. I see you got her up and out of the bus to do something." Stormie greeted me.
"Yes I did and it was quite easy. All I had to do was mention the word daddy and she was ready." I said with a laugh which Stormie joined me in.
"Well one thing's for sure. She is a daddy's girl." "mmhhmm" I agreed.
"There's one thing I noticed when getting her dressed though."
"What's that sweetheart?" Stormie asked intrigued.
"I think she's getting a rash on her body. I found some red dots on random places on her body. Some on her back, in her elbow and knees, on her tummy, behind her neck and on her feet. I think she needs to go to the doctor." I explained my findings and concerns.
"Yes she does. Rashes can be serious. I think you should take her home now and get her to the doctor. I'll send Riker home as soon as the show is over." She stopped what she was saying to me noticing a very happy Riker walking towards us.
"Hello beautiful, hows it going?" (A.N. bonus points for you if you know this reference) Riker asked approaching us. I looked at him with sad nervous eyes not able to say anything, which he immediately sensed. "What's wrong?"
"Riker I have to take Kinley back now. She needs to go to the doctor as soon as possible." I mumbled out trying to explain.
"What? Why?" he sounded confused.
"She developing a body rash. Rashes aren't good. Especially when accompanied by a high fever. Which by the way has gone up to 104. I just checked it before we came over here. But I have to take her back and get her looked at. It'll be better for us to take her back now get her checked and hopefully it's nothing, than wait and get her there and it be serious." He looked at me equally sad and then spoke, "Yeah you're right. I just don't want to miss anything if it is serious you know? Being here playing an awesome show when she needs me just doesn't feel right."
"Riker it'll be fine. Everything will be alright. Stay here don't worry, play a killer show, then come see us at home. If it is anything serious I'll call you right away, okay?"
"Okay. Well I gotta get back the fans are waiting. Bye babe have a safe flight and thanks for looking after her." "Riker I promised I would. I will do anything I can to protect her and keep her healthy you know that. And thanks! See you soon." He gave me a quick kiss then pulled away when we heard the crowd go "awe!!" "Oh right my fans are right there." He said with a blush starting to form. I giggled at his cuteness then he picked Kinley up and said his goodbyes.
"Bye Lady Bird! Daddy will see you very soon okay! You and Vanni are going to go home and go to the doctors for your tummy. Does it still hurt?" she nodded to him. "What about your throat and head, do they still hurt?" again another nod. "Okay well you go with Vanni and I will see you when you wake up tomorrow, okay?" "Otay. Bye daddy." "Bye Bird I love you!" she blew him a kiss as he walked away and another awe came from the crowd. We said goodbye to Mark and the others and she waved to the meet and greet line up as Stormie and I walked back to the bus to head to the airport.
Riker's POV:
I heard some screams and awes from the line waiting to meet us and at first I was confused then I saw Vanni beside mom and I knew what was going on. Then I saw her. My baby. My Bird. Kinley finally emerged out of the crowd and ran straight into my arms. I picked her up threw her up into the air caught her and gave her the biggest hug I could. She was giggling like crazy. How my Kinley normally acts. My siblings came around and we had a group hug. Our photographer Will decided it would make a cute picture so we took a picture in a group hug and a couple others with Kinley. Then I looked over to where mom and Vanni were standing and they both had a look of concern on their faces. I excused Kinley and myself and we walked over to them. Vanni then delivered the news I was dreading to get. She has to take Kinley home without me to make sure nothing is seriously wrong with her. I also learnt that she is now developing a body rash. Although I'm disappointed my baby's can't watch the show tonight my concern and love for my daughter is greater. All I want is for her to be healthy and well. So if I love her I'll let her go. I said goodbye to the both of them and returned to the meet and greet, praying my daughter will be fine, knowing more than likely she isn't. This is going to be a tough show to play.
Vanni's POV:
We had just stepped off the plane at LAX and I was looking for our meet up. Then I saw her. I ran to her as fast as I could with Kinley in my arms and all her and my carry on bags.
"VANNI!" she yelled to me.
"COURTNEY!" I yelled back embracing her in a hug. "Omg I've missed you so much!"
"Me too! Even though it's only been like 2 days." we laughed at our craziness. "How was the 2 day tour?"
"Alright. Most of it has been watching Kinley. She wasn't originally going to come but the morning we were leaving she woke up with a high fever and a stomach ache so Riker brought her with us and since then she's gotten progressively worse. That's why we're here now to take her to the doctor to figure out why she's got such a high fever and a body rash." I explained as we made our way over to the baggage claim, carrying a now sleeping Kinley. To be honest I have no idea when she fell asleep which probably isn't good, but we're heading to the doctors now to get her checked out.
We arrived at the doctors and got her in to see him right away. Sitting in the room waiting for him she was up and dancing away trying to entertain us and lighten the mood. It was helping, but I also couldn't shake this feeling that something was indeed horribly wrong and that she might not be alright. I couldn't loose her. She had to be fine. Then the doctor came in and she ran into my arms scared.
"Hello there I'm doctor Carrington. What seems to be the matter today?" he introduced himself to Courtney and I.
"Hi. This little one has had a high fever since Friday morning and it's only gotten worse since then. She has also told her dad that she has a stomach and headache and that her throat hurts. Then this morning when I got her dressed I kept finding rash spots all over her body. We then immediately flew back here."
"I'm sorry you flew back here?"
"Yes we were in New York and Pennsylvania for her father and uncles work. They're musicians and actors so we had to be out there for an appearance on GMA and then their band had to shows to play as well."
"Okay, well lets take a look. Do you mind taking her clothes off for me and showing me where her rash spots are?" I nodded and started taking her clothes off. Which proved to be easier said than done because she decided she was going to be stubborn. "Kinley, baby, we need to take this off so the doctor can see if you're sick or not." I tried soothing her.
"NO!! I WANT MY DADDY!!" she screamed and started crying. I picked her up and held her close to me as she cried and Courtney took her clothes off. Once she was undressed I sat with her on the table and the doctor looked in her ears and in her mouth. He was about to ask me something when he stopped and looked at her tummy. I looked too and noticed that her stomach was now fully covered in rash spots. He stopped what he was doing and left the room. We sat there in nervous silence that felt like forever. He then returned and gave me the scariest news I have ever heard.
"You need to take her to the hospital immediately. There are nurses and a doctor waiting for you. You must get there as quickly as possible."
"Why? What's wrong with her?" I asked now scared out of my mind.
"She may have a virus called Meningococcemia. Basically it's a bacterial infection in her blood and if not treated right away..." he paused taking in a deep breathe then conitued, "it can be fatal." Both mine and Courtney's mood dropped. I was on the verge of tears thinking this can't happen now. Not now. Not when Riker is so close to having her as his forever. I also had no idea how I was going to tell him that his youngest daughter might be slowly dying and he was on the other side of the country. We thanked the doctor and practically ran to the car getting Kinley in as fast as we could and drove to the hospital again as fast as we possibly could for being in LA traffic.
Once we arrived Courtney dropped Kinley and I off at emergency and and she went to go park. Once I got in there I was bombarded by nurses asking if Kinley was the child that doctor Carrington had called about. I told them she was, they then asked me about all of her personal information like her full name, her parents names, her current weight, if she was allergic to anything, and her birthday.
"Kinley Grace, none, 23.5 lbs, don't believe she's allergic to anything, and I don't know." I responded to their questions.
"She doesn't have parents? or a last name? and how can you not know her birthday?" One nurse questioned me about my answers.
"She's currently being adopted so nothing about her parents and last name are legal yet and I've never been told her birthday." I answered plainly.
"Okay, well who will her parents be and what will her last name be?"
"Riker Lynch and her last name will also be Lynch." I again answered plainly with no emotion.
"Thank-you" she said and then left. Which is when I realized Kinley was no longer with me. I started panicking again. Then Courtney showed up beside me and hugged me noticing I was freaking out.
"Hey, hey it'll be ok. Don't worry." she cooed.
"How can you be so sure? The doctor was terrified when he saw her stomach. These nurses swarmed me when I walked in here with her all looking frantic. What if it is fatal? What if we didn't bring her here soon enough?" Every single little thought about what could go wrong was circling inside my head.
"Vanni. Look at me." she commanded me sweetly. I lifted my head slightly till my eyes met hers. "Don't think like that. Positive thoughts. Clear your mind. How about you go call Stormie and I stay here and wait for the doctor and when the doctor comes out I'll come get you." I nodded and walked off thinking about how hard this phone call was going to be to make.
Stormie's POV:
I was standing off to the side of the stage taking pictures of my children doing their thing when my phone went off camera and my caller ID popped up. It was Vanni. I picked up, took one last look at the stage and walked off towards the bus.
Riker's POV:
We were in the middle of Cali Girls when I saw mom answer her phone look at me and walk off. By the look on her face I knew the phone call was from Vanni about Kinley and I desperately wanted to know what was going on. Thank goodness the show was almost over.
Once we finished the show including the encore I handed my bass over to my tech and ran off to find mom. I found her in the bus sitting on the couch with red eyes. She had been crying. Oh no this can't be good. "Mom..." I barely spoke. She turned her head towards me and small tears started coming down her cheeks again. She then stood up and pulled me into a hug. I hadn't noticed till now that I was also crying. "Mom what is it? What's wrong with her?" I asked my voice shaky and trembling. "They don't know for sure, but they think it's something called meningococcemia and its a bacteria that takes over your blood stream. Unfortunately if not caught early enough it can be fatal." I honestly couldn't hold anything back. I broke down and started crying. Bawling my eyes out. "Riker honey you need to go. Get on a plane and be with her and Vanni. Vanni is terrified. Go comfort them. I'll talk to Allison see if she will keep Kenzie for a little bit longer until this thing with Kinley passes." I nodded and walked back to where my clothes were and put 2 shirts and 2 pairs of pants in my backpack along with my computer, phone charger, and my other necessities. I walked to the front of the bus where the rest of my family had joined us and Rydel was the first to get up and give me a hug. I hugged her back tightly and then the rest joined the hug. After we pulled away I said goodbye till they come home and my dad drove me to the airport. The ride was silent. All I could think about was my daughter and how I should have gone back with her. I thought up all the worst possible scenarios as well. Ones where she wouldn't make it, well actually those were the only ones I could think of. For some reason I couldn't think of any where she would live even though that's the only thing in the world I wanted right now. My dad parked the car once we got to the airport and we found the quickest flight to LA. At the gate he said goodbye and I went on my way to be by both of my girl's sides.
The whole flight I didn't sleep one bit. Normally I sleep the whole time, but nope I was too busy worrying about Kinley and what was happening with her. From what my mom had told me about her conversation with Vanni about what the doctor had said was pretty vague and I'm pretty sure she left out a few details. Honestly I would be happy if she did leave out specific details because knowing more would make me worry more. When the plane landed at 11:30 p.m. I got off as fast as I could then ran through the airport trying to get to a cab. Once I got one I asked him to get there quickly since I needed to be there for my 2 year old daughter. He happily sped down the freeway and LA city streets to get me there nice and fast. Once I paid him. I ran through the emergency doors and looked around for someone who could be helpful to me. Just as I was about to walk up to the front desk I saw Courtney out of the corner of my eye, just sitting on her phone, looking tired and worried. I made my way over to her then made myself known.
"Oh hey Riker. Vanni's is just in with Kinley now. I think the doctor said something about not being able to treat Kinley with the medicine she needs to be treated with till you give consent. Vanni has been calling you nonstop so Kinley can get the medicine but your phones been off." she informed me on the events so far concerning my daughter.
"Thanks Court. And yeah I've had my phone off ever since I boarded the plane and just forgot to turn it back on. Where are they?"
"Here I'll show you." She stood up and started walking down a series of hallways and then came to a stop in front of a door. "They're in here." she directed, then she left.
I took a deep breath then slowly pushed the door open and entered the room. There on the bed, in a small white hospital gown, tubes sticking out of her arms, and oxygen hooked up to her nose laid my sweet Bird. I held back the tears as I approach her and Vanni. I had to be strong for both of them no matter how much it hurt me to see my baby in so much pain. I placed a hand on Vanni's shoulder and she jumped startled by my touch, but soon after she flung herself into my arms and cried. She wept and I held her close to me, comforting her as she cried, knowing that the last 8 hours have been hell for her. When she could finally pull herself together enough to talk to me the first that she said was, "We need to get the doctor in here right now so she can get her medicine, otherwise it might get too late to treat." My heart sank and I was pretty sure it had also stopped for a moment. Before either Vanni or I moved the doctor walked. Confused by his presence since we never called him, I was about to ask who notified him, but then I saw it, Courtney. Courtney was standing outside the door watching. I mouthed 'thank-you' and she nodded then walked off again.
"Well hello there. I am doctor Carlyle and I'm assuming you're the father. Is that correct Mr.??"
"Oh yes that would be me and I'm Riker, Riker Lynch."
"Okay Mr. Lynch. Here's what's wrong with your daughter. We've done blood clotting tests and a skin biopsy. We had to do both procedures due to this virus being very serious just to make sure we were correct on our theory. She is currently fighting off the meningococcemia bacteria by herself, however her body is not in anyway strong enough to do it, so we will need to give her antibiotics through her vein, that's what this tube is for- I got them to set it up so that when you got here and gave consent we could start treatment right away. We will also be giving your daughter intravenous fluids which will control the amount of fluids your daughter will be receiving while on the antibiotics. So that she will be given the right amount. Everything will be monitored here and she needs to be kept away from other people. So the only people I will be allowing into this room are yourself, Miss. Latimer, a select few nurses and myself. If you have any other question don't be afraid to come find me and ask. You are very lucky Mr. Lynch that you caught this so quickly. It could have been a lot worse, but in 3 days time she should be back to being a little girl. Now I have one last question, Do you consent to me giving your daughter the antibiotics?"
"Yes of course! and thank you so much for everything. It means so much to me." I said to him as he started to send the antibiotics Kinley needed to fight and kill off the bacteria infecting her small body into it. When he was finished he left the room and I turned to Vanni.
"Thank-you. Thank-you so much babe for bringing her here. For taking her to the doctor. For staying by her side when she needed you most. Thank-you for enduring pain you should have never had to of felt at our age. Thank-you for being the best girlfriend ever!" I told her in the most sincere voice I could muster up when really all I wanted to do was cry. I took her cheeks into my hands and kissed her. When we broke apart I spoke again, "go home. Go rest. Go take a shower, do some yoga, hang with Courtney, anything that will clear your mind of the events of today."
"No. I want to stay. I want to be right here for you. I know you need me now so that you can be here for her. There's no way I'm leaving you now." she protested against me.
"No baby I want you to go home. Get some rest then come visit us tomorrow cause that's when I'll need you the most." This time she didn't argue. She just picked up her bag then gave me a hug and a small kiss on the cheek. She then turned to leave the room. "Hey." she turned to look at me before opening the door, "Don't forget Court." I smiled at her. She giggled then said she wouldn't and goodnight before she disappeared.
I turned to my sleeping daughter and started thinking about how I never thought in a million I'd be here for my 2 year old daughter, praying for her to pull through and beat this life threatening virus. I sat down in the chair next to her bed and turned my phone on. I immediately got over 50 missed calls from Vanni, 20 from my mom, 6 from my dad, 12 from Rydel and one from Allison. I decided to ignore them knowing that if I talked about it I would break down and cry. Instead I went to Twitter. I decided to tweet out what was going on:
rikerr5: Hey party people! Right now things aren't going so great. So I would be greatful for your support.
rikerr5: My daughter Kinley is fighting a battle within her blood and she has a chance of not making it so if you could keep her in your thoughts and prayers you'd be the best!
Minutes later my phone blew up with Twitter mentions. Most of them super positive and encouraging. Then I noticed it. They made a hashtag for her and got it trending within the 3 minutes of me posting about her condition. Her hashtag was #KickItKinley which I thought was adorable. I decided to tweet one more time before I should try to get some sleep,
rikerr5: Thanks for the hashtag party people and don't worry she will kick it! #KickItKinley
With that I logged off for the night and closed my eyes to try and sleep.
---------------------------------------------------------Hello everyone!
Yay I'm updating again!! Well here you go! I hope you enjoy!
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