Author's Note: I think that as I get to this chapter it might be a good time to make clear that I'm not medically trained. I have tried my best to research the appropriate information, but I'm fully aware that that's just not the same as being a doctor so any inaccuracies I apologise for (if you are medically trained and spot something and want to let me know, I'm happy to amend accordingly). The other difficulty in writing this was that the information I was finding almost all relates to modern day treatments. I have tried to take into account that the setting is obviously some time ago so there won't be all sorts of hi-tech equipment or nurses popping up with fancy job titles and the Pevensies won't be sent off to relative support groups. Much as they might have been helpful, it just wasn't the culture at the time. For all that I'm not a doctor now though, I certainly wasn't a doctor in the 1940s so it might not be quite right on the treatment. Maybe we can assume that Edmund has been sent to quite a progressive hospital ....

Disclaimer: I don't own the Pevensies or Narnia. I'm not making any money out of them. etc. etc. etc.

Chapter Five

Lucy had never been to a hospital before. She found it made her feel small. The building was big, there seemed to be hundreds of people, all taller and older than her and the high corridor ceilings just increased her feeling of smallness. A picture of Edmund being carried away into the ambulance flashed into her mind and then all she could think of was how scared he must feel being wheeled through this alien building. At least she was with Peter and Susan and could leave if she wanted to. Edmund didn't have that luxury.

It certainly wasn't that Lucy had never seen illness and injuries before. She she'd seen that and worse after the battles they had fought in Narnia. She had never been one to stay at home and wait for the army to return much preferring to do her bit and help in any way she could. That had seemed so much different though. Healers' tents were infused with the smells of herbs and spices not the smell of chemical cleaner that came to her nose in the hospital corridors. She had been able to help in Narnia too. She had learnt how to make the basic poultices and infusions to help with the most common ailments and had learnt how to care for someone when they were sick. More than once she'd sat on one of her brother's bedsides cooling their foreheads when they had a fever. If all else failed she'd had her cordial. How she longed for that now. There was nothing she could do here. Edmund was in the care of doctors and nurses who with their medicines and machines had no use for her skills and even if they had been willing to listen to her she doubted they'd be of much use to Edmund now. It occurred to her that she'd never felt so much a child again as right at this moment.

She followed Peter and Susan through the corridors until they reached the Children's Ward. Her brother was in there. Somewhere behind those doors. As Peter rushed forward through the doors, she felt Susan silently take her hand as they followed behind him. Suddenly Peter stopped though and Lucy couldn't immediately see why because Peter was in the way. She had to move to the side to see what Peter had seen. Their mother. Crying.

Mrs Pevensie looked up and tried to wipe her face hurriedly as she saw her children standing there. Peter just seemed rooted to the spot. Lucy's eldest brother had always had an expressive face that betrayed his emotions, much unlike Edmund who firmly masked his emotions with only Peter, Susan and Lucy having any hope of reading them. Right now Peter's face showed outright fear and he seemed quite unable to make any action at all. Lucy however had no doubts over what she needed to do. She ran to her mother and flung her arms round her, Mrs Pevensie enveloping her into a hug.

Lucy was followed more sedately by Susan, who seemed to have gone very pale and exceptionally quiet. She too shared a hug with her mother.

That left Peter who was still standing in the same spot. "Peter dear.." Mrs Pevensie said gently.

"Edmund …" The question hung unasked.

"He's with the doctors."

Peter nodded to show that he had heard and blinked a couple of times as he collected himself, took a deep breath, then followed Lucy and Susan in giving their mother a hug.

"What did they say?" There was a waver in Peter's voice.

"Not a lot. They said someone would be out to talk to us once they can tell us something. We just have to wait for the moment." Mrs Pevensie smiled kindly at Peter, a hand still resting on his shoulder.

Peter just nodded again and after a moment took up the seat next to the one his mother had been sitting in. Mrs Pevensie gave an encouraging smile to her daughters, indicating that they should do the same and returned to her seat.

"Come on Lu." Susan gently took Lucy's hand and together they moved to sit too, Susan taking the seat next to Peter and Lucy following to sit beside her. As Lucy took her seat she glanced along the row and realized the order they had subconsciously arranged themselves into. Years of taking up the same positions had formed a habit that they even now they adhered to.

Only this time it wasn't quite right. Seeing her mother to Peter's right hand side jarred against her sense of familiarity. Edmund should be sitting there. She loved her mother, yes of course she did, but this wasn't how it was supposed to be. It should be the four of them, sitting together, two sons of Adam, two daughters of Eve. It brought what was happening home to Lucy in a way the whirlwind that had taken over since playing cricket in the garden that morning simply hadn't. Unceremoniously she flopped her self down in to the uncomfortable seat and buried her face against Susan's arm to hide the tears that were threatening to fall down her face.

She felt Susan move her arm from under her so that Lucy could lean into her properly and then Susan's arm reached round her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. She hugged back, putting her own arms round Susan's middle and holding on tight. Susan's other arm wrapped round Lucy, completing the embrace, Susan's chin coming to rest on the top of Lucy's head.

Lucy was struck by Susan's perfume that she could suddenly smell now that she was cuddled up close. It seemed to Lucy such a silly and insignificant thing to have noticed in the midst of their current trouble. Lucy realized that Susan no longer smelt of the mix of flowery scents that she was used to smelling on her, that she had smelt when they had held each other tight, each praying for their brothers' safe return from battle on the occasions Lucy had been forced to remain behind. Instead Lucy recognized the fancy new perfume Susan had been given for her birthday. It was pleasant enough. But it wasn't the same. Lucy had a longing growing in her suddenly for things to be the same, for familiarity, for a return to past days. Days when the four of them had sat together, each one quarter of a much greater whole.

The realization that that couldn't be sobered Lucy. It was no good wishing for that right now. The past was the past and right now, in the present, they needed to focus on one thing. Edmund. Suddenly Lucy felt much older and wiser. As much as she complained about being treated as a child by her older siblings she secretly enjoyed being doted upon and loved the freedom she had as the youngest to retain her childlike exuberance. Though Lucy knew she would always be a child at heart she realized that right now she needed to be a little more mature. Edmund needed all of her family's focus on him and that meant that Peter and Susan needed to be free to concentrate on him rather than looking after her. The thought drove her to release herself from her sister's grasp and sit up, composing herself.

Her composure didn't last too long. It was rattled by the appearance of a doctor. His white coat clearly marked him out as he came down the corridor. Lucy's feeling of being more than a child crumbled as he approached. He carried himself with an air of authority, his tall frame radiating control as he stiffly strode across the tiles. He made her feel small again. Lucy fleetingly wondered if this was how their subject had felt around Peter.

Clearly Lucy was not the only one who had seen the doctor coming, for Peter, Susan and her mother all rose beside her.

"Mrs Pevensie." The doctor paused as Mrs Pevensie nodded in acknowledgement. "Hello, my name is Dr Hisketh. I have been treating your son." Introduction made the doctor got down to business, but not before glancing at the rest of the gathering. "Are you happy for me to proceed with the rest of your children present?"

As Mrs Pevensie politely agreed with an "of course", Lucy saw a flash of annoyance cross Peter's face. It made clear that there was no way he was going to miss out on what was being said and Lucy had to agree with him.

"I'm sorry to say that Edmund is very ill Mrs Pevensie. We have done a lumbar puncture which has indicated that Dr Bader's diagnosis of meningitis was correct. We believe it to be bacterial meningitis though we will run further to tests to double check and to identify the precise bacterial cause. We are giving Edmund antibiotics to help fight the infection."

Dr Hisketh paused to let his words sink in though Lucy though it was going to take more than a few moments for them to fully register. When no comments were immediately forthcoming from those standing in front of him, Dr Hisketh continued. "Edmund is currently unconscious and I'm afraid he may remain that way for some time. We have him on a ventilator to help him to breathe. I'm happy to talk to you some more about Edmund's treatment and prognosis, but I thought that you might like to see him first?"

"Yes." Though the question was directed at Mrs Pevensie, it was Peter that answered, the word immediately jumping from his lips.

If Dr Hisketh was surprised he didn't show it, but he did wait until Mrs Pevensie too added her consent before leading them down the hall. Peter strode off with him, easily keeping pace with his stride. Mrs Pevensie glanced at her Lucy and Susan indicating that they should follow before hurrying down the corridor to catch up with Peter and Dr Hisketh, her shoes tapping along the tiles.

Lucy looked up to Susan who took a deep breath before giving what Lucy thought was meant to be an encouraging smile. Lucy however knew Susan well enough to see that she was just as frightened as she was. Nonetheless, both wanted to see their brother so hand in and they hurried down the corridor.

Author's Note: Just to let you know, I'm going on holiday for the next week so the next update might be a bit slow. I hope you'll wait it out though and I promise to get writing when I get back.