250 Jackson at the FMC 2

Mrs. Adams sat at the table with the trio which ate in silence and observed Sabrina and Ashton. "How do you two know each other?"

Sabrina glanced at Ashton, silently telling him that she will respond. Ashton smiled and gave her a barely noticeable nod in response.

"Ashton is Hunter's close friend, and he joins us on family vacations whenever we bring friends, which is often. We know each other for many years."

"You say that he is Hunter's friend, but I can see that the two of you are close.", Mrs. Adams said suspiciously. She would be blind to miss how the two of them are looking at each other.

"Yes. We are all close.", Max jumped in the conversation before Sabrina could respond.

Max saw Mrs. Adams' disapproval when Sabrina said that she and Jackson broke up, and he does not want to give that woman more ammunition to attack Sabrina. And based on Mrs. Adams' reactions so far, it appears that she is intimidated by Max. Max will use that.

"Mrs. Adams, if you want to say something, just say it. But be careful not to regret it later when you realize that your words come with consequences."

Mrs. Adams inhaled sharply. Did Max just give her the same warning she gave to Sabrina? Is he threatening her? She didn't like it.

"Dear, let the kids eat. We can talk later." Mr. Adams interjected before his wife says anything rashly.

Max watched Jackson's parents walk to the sofa and snorted. How typical. That woman is snappy, but she does not dare say her thoughts openly because it can backfire. She is lucky that her husband reminded her to behave.

Mr. and Mrs. Adams moved to sit on a sofa, and they exchanged concerned glances.

Mr. Adams is also frustrated to hear that Sabrina broke up with Jackson, they need to find a way to fix that. They need to talk to Jackson, to hear what happened, and to come up with a strategy.

He does not like that Ashton is acting so close to Sabrina, but what can they do?

Mr. and Mrs. Adams are aware that they can't afford that breakup; their business will take a huge hit!

Jackson took over a few years ago, after his father retired, but as shareholders, the lifestyle of the Adams family depends on the success of that business.

However, they can't act without thinking because getting on the bad side of Maximilian Anderson is not something they should do. They need to use this chance and leave a good impression, not to argue.

Mr. and Mrs. Adams can see that Max is protective of Sabrina and that he will not allow them to say anything against her. Ah, the connection which gave them all their riches is currently their biggest headache.

…

The door with 'Employees only' opened, and Liz made her appearance.

She is wearing her Doctor's coat with the FMC logo and has her professional neutral expression, but her eyes are glowing.

Liz can't hide the happiness from her eyes when she is working. She loves her job.

Liz noticed two older people who are sitting next to Max, Sabrina, and Ashton, and she guessed that they should be Jack's parents.

Sabrina bolted on her feet, eagerly waiting to hear what Liz found and she hopes that Liz will tell her that Jackson does not have epilepsy and that he never had one. She needs some evidence that he was deceiving her, so that she can use it against him if he tries anything underhanded.

Mr. and Mrs. Adams noticed Sabrina's action, and they stood up as well.

Liz glanced at the new faces questionably and Max confirmed her suspicion before she asked anything: "These are Jackson's parents."

Liz gave him a small nod. As Jackson's parents, she should talk to them first. "Mr. and Mrs. Adams? I am Dr. Elizabeth Williams, the neurosurgeon at the Franciscan Medical Center."

"How is Jack? Did you find something?", Mrs. Adams asked right away.

"We performed a number of tests, not all results are available yet. He is being taken to a private room, and you can see him in a few minutes. He should wake up shortly."

Mrs. Adams didn't like this last part. "Wake up?"

Liz confirmed. "After his seizure ended, the patient was violently resisting our care and we had to sedate him."

Mr. Adams frowned in displeasure. "You sedated him?"

"Yes, that is a common practice when our patient has violent tendencies.", Liz explained.

"Maybe he didn't want you to treat him.", Mrs. Adams said angrily.

Liz kept her cool. "Maybe… but he arrived at my hospital after experiencing a seizure. It is my duty to ensure he gets proper care."

Mrs. Adams took a deep breath to calm down. Jackson is already here, and he was examined, she can't change that.

"Did you call Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Schmitt?", Mr. Adams asked.

Liz confirmed. "Yes, when the patient was admitted, we found in his wallet emergency contacts. His doctor should be here shortly."

Mr. Adams was happy to see that, but Mrs. Adams was not pacified. She wanted to know what Jackson went through. "What kind of tests you performed?"

Liz was surprised by this question. Usually, people want to know the condition of the patient and don't care how the diagnosis was done. "We performed tests that checked the patient's brain activity and other changes in his body. The caller of 9-1-1 mentioned epilepsy, but we did tests for different conditions that can cause seizures."

"Can you be more specific? What other tests? EEG? CAT? MRI? SPECT? …", Mrs. Adams was listing different types of tests and scans.

Liz's surprise swelled further. The way Mrs. Adams spoke extruded confidence, and she knew so many things that Liz suspected how Mrs. Adams is an expert in the area of medicine. That is not in the files Max gathered about Jackson's family, but it does not mean that the woman didn't learn on her won. "Are you a medical professional?"

Mrs. Adams lifted her chin proudly. "No. I am the mother of a person who has epilepsy for many years. As a caring mother, of course, I know about the condition, how it's diagnosed and treated."

Liz was happy to hear this because it seems that Mrs. Adams is familiar with Jackson's alleged epilepsy. "So, you are aware of Jackson's condition?"

"Of course, I am."

Liz nodded in approval. "Can you tell me about his history? How often he has seizures? When did Jackson have his first seizure? When was his last one? Do they vary in strength and duration?"

Liz was ready with a notepad and a pen in her hands, to take notes.

Mrs. Adams hesitated. "That is not up to me to disclose."

"The more I know, the better treatment I can provide.", Liz tried to reason with the woman. Secretly, Liz hoped that Mrs. Adams will tell her about Jack's previous seizures (if any).

Mrs. Adams refused to talk about it. "There is no need for you to treat Jack. His personal physician will be here shortly. You can talk to him and he will take over."

Liz exhaled. Well, she can't force a woman to speak. Liz put the notepad and the pen back in the pockets of her doctor's coat and turned her attention to the food on the table. Max, Ashton, and Sabrina finished some, but there is still selection available. And she didn't eat yet.

Max gestured to Liz to help herself.

She grabbed a sandwich and a box of chocolate milk and put a banana in her pocket.

Mrs. Adams concluded based on Liz's behavior, that she is familiar with the trio. Do they know each other from before?

"Miss…", Mrs. Adams called Liz.

"Dr. Williams.", Liz corrected Mrs. Adams.

Mrs. Adams forced a smile. "Dr. Williams. You didn't tell me what tests you performed on my son."

Liz wondered, why is this woman so persistent? "I assure you that the tests we performed are non-invasive, and all of them were according to standard procedure for a patient who experienced a seizure. You can go and see your son now. The nurse will show you to his room."

Mrs. Adams pressed her lips into a line. She was about to say something when Max stepped in…

"Mrs. Adams, is there a problem?"

Mrs. Adams glanced at Max and smiled while cursing him internally. Why does he meddle so much? "No, there are no problems."

Mr. Adams ushered his wife in the direction Liz gestured. Liz opened for them the door with 'Employees only' sign and there was a nurse is waiting for them.

Liz returned to the table in the waiting area and started working on the sandwich. Jackson is still under anesthesia, and she has time to eat in peace.

"Did you find anything?", Max asked Liz.

"Not all test results are back.", Liz responded.

Sabrina wanted to know only one thing: "Did Jack have a real seizure?"

Liz thought for a second before responding: "Based on the strain on his muscles, the seizure was real. However, his brain function is normal."

Sabrina didn't understand. "What does that mean?"

Liz explained: "The probability of him having a seizure today due to abnormal activities in the brain that are associated with epilepsy is close to zero. Many things can cause seizures, and at this point, I don't know what caused the episode. But, as I said, not all results are back. We took a blood sample and I got a swab from his mouth. Toxicology should be done within half an hour. Once I have all the data, I can tell you more."

"You are saying that Jack does not have epilepsy.", Sabrina continued probing.

"That is not what I said. I said that this seizure was not due to epilepsy. Let's talk about this once I have all the results.", Liz said and took a bite of the sandwich.

No one was pleased with this outcome. But what can they do? Liz can bend the rules here and there to give them an advantage in exposing the truth behind Jackson's epilepsy, but she can't fake the results.

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