Mrs Meadows answered the phone but struggled to hear Mrs Denver.
"The signal is terrible here; it's always the same in hospitals," Mrs Meadows told Mrs Denver.
"Just thought... I would ring to update you on Megan.... and see how the others are getting on, as I haven't heard much about them or.....spoken to anyone...much about....them," said Mrs Denver.
"They're doing ok. Olivia's got a broken leg; it's bad, but after a few months of medication and healing, it should be fine. Hannah's got a broken arm, but that should be fine in about six weeks or so, and Sarah is fine apart from having to have surgery due to internal bleeding; she had to have her womb removed, so she won't be able to have her own children and will probably be in pain for a few weeks, but after that, she should be OK or you know it's close to ok as she can be" Mrs. Meadows told Mrs. Denver.
"I'm glad….to hear that…..Olivia and Hannah are OK....I'm I'm sorry to hear about Sarah, but I'm.....glad to hear that....she's OK apart from the pain and surgery," Mrs. Denver told Mrs. Meadows.
"How about Megan? How is she? We have all been thinking of her and worried off her," Mrs. Meadows told Mrs. Denver.
"The doctors…..don't know...exactly what's going on...With her, they are still… trying to do some....tests, but unfortunately it's not...good news so far," Mrs. Denver told Mrs. Meadows.
"I'm sorry to hear that. What's going on with her, if you don't mind me asking?" Mrs. Meadows asked.
"She's been….having fits, seizures…..as the doctors call….them, they believe….that she might now have epilepsy…..or something similar; they have to do some…..more testing over the next few days, before...they can say for sure, but they…..say it's likely that it's epilepsy and that it's…..permanent," Mrs. Denver told Mrs. Meadows.
"That's terrible; I'm so sorry," Mrs. Meadow told Mrs. Denver.
"Thank….you, but it's…..not your fault; it's nobody's fault; it's just…..a terrible accident, and please tell Olivia that…..no one blames her. I know what she's like. She'll…..end up blaming herself for Megan's…..issue, and it's not her fault, and…..I don't want her upset and blaming herself," Mrs. Denver told Mrs. Meadows.
"Of course I'll tell her that, and thank you for updating me. She's been pretty worried, and she's been asking about Megan, as have Hannah and Sarah. How long do you think Megan will be in here for?" Mrs. Meadows asked.
"A few days….at least….maybe a week. how about….the others?" Mrs. Denver asked.
"As far as I know, they will probably be out in a couple of days, maybe three or four days, but I can bring Olivia to see Megan when she's released if you would like me to," Mrs. Meadows told mrs denver.
"That would.....be fine as long as Olivia's up for it and ok with it. Also, I do think you should tell her about….Megan's issue…..beforehand, just so she's aware…..of it before she visits," Mrs. Denver told Mrs. Meadows.
"Of course I will tell her, and she'll be delighted to see Megan injured or not. I'll let you know when we are leaving the room, just in case you want to postpone the visit for whatever reason," Mrs. Meadows told Mrs. Denver.
"Ok, thank…..you I've got…..to go and ring the others…..now…..and update….them," Mrs. Denver told Mrs. Meadows.
"I'll do it for you; I don't mind," Mrs. Meadows told Mrs Denver.
"Are you certain….that's….a….lot to ask of you, especially when….you have Olivia to….worry about?" Mrs. Denver asked
"And you have Megan to worry about, and with her being so badly injured, you need all your time spent on her. Olivia is ok; she's asleep at the moment, and her father is with her if she wakes up and needs to talk to anyone while I'm gone," Mrs. Meadows told Mrs. Denver.
"Thank you….so much. Tell Olivia and the other girls that we are….thinking about…..them and hope they….are feeling ok, or….you know, as ok as….possible" Mrs. Denver Told Mrs. Meadows.
"Of course I will," Mrs. Meadows told Mrs. Denver.
"Goodbye," Mrs. Denver said.
"Bye Jean," Mrs. Meadows said.
Mrs Meadows then put the phone down and called Miss Barrow. After a few minutes, Miss Barrow answered the phone.
"Is everything okay?" Miss Barrow asked.
"You might not be able to hear me; the signal's terrible, but I've just spoken to Jean, and she has told me an update on Megan." I thought I would update you to save her doing it when she's so busy with Megan," Mrs. Meadows told Miss Barrow.
"Is it bad?" Miss Barrow asked.
"I'm afraid so," said Mrs. Meadows.
"How bad is it?" asked Mrs. Barrow.
"She's having what the doctors call seizures, and she is likely to have epilepsy or something similar," Ms. Meadows told Miss Barrow.
"That's terrible. Is there anything the doctors can do to help her?" Asked Miss Barrow.
"I'm not sure; all I know is she will likely be in for 3-5 days more, if not a week, due to testing and waiting for results. Olivia's probably going to go and see her when she's released," Mrs. Meadows told Miss Barrow.
"That will be nice for them; Megan is likely worried about the others. I'm going to see if Sarah wants to visit Megan here or wait until she's recovered to see Megan; she might want a few days to rest and recover before she sees Megan, plus Megan most likely shouldn't be overcrowded with everything that has happened and everything she's going through," Miss Barrow told Mrs. Meadows.
"That's fair enough; I don't think I could stop Olivia if I wanted to, and one person visiting is probably enough at the moment, especially with her now suffering from seizures; multiple people visiting at the moment might be too much; she needs to have time to come to terms with everything, but I'll let Olivia visit if she wants to, and if Jean says it's OK; Jean seems to be sure it will help; and if it's what Megan wants, then I will allow it. I will keep you updated on Megan, and if I find out when she's getting released, I'll let you know," Mrs. Meadows told Miss Barrow.
"Thank you. Sarah will be glad to hear that Megan is as okay as she can be. I'll tell her about Megan and make sure she's aware of what's happening and what's going on with her, so then she knows," Miss Barrow told Mrs. Meadows.
"I'm sorry, but I've got to go and ring Lottie and update her as well," Mrs. Meadows told Miss Barrow.
"I don't mind doing it; Sarah's asleep right now, and she's ok for the minute, and you need to talk to Olivia and give her time to be ready to see Megan," Miss Barrow told Mrs. Meadows.
"Only if you're sure," said Mrs. Meadows.
"Yes, I'm sure," said Miss Barrow.
"Ok, thank you." Mrs. Meadows then puts the phone down and goes back into Olivia's room.
"Is everything ok, dear? You were gone a while, and I nearly sent a search party for you," Mr. Meadows joked, trying to lighten the situation.
"I had to speak to Jean and then update Deirdre as well," Mrs. Meadows told Mr. Meadows.
"I can see on your face that it's bad news. How bad is it?" Asked Mr. Meadows.
"Megan's having seizures, as the doctors call them, and it's looking very likely she will now have epilepsy or something similar, but the doctors won't know for sure until they have done a few more tests on her," Mrs. Meadows told Mr. Meadows.
"That's awful; how are her parents holding up?" Asked Mr. Meadows.
"They seem to be ok, but I can tell they were worried, and rightfully so," said Mrs. Meadows.
"Of course, can the doctors do anything to help Megan?" Asked Mr.
"I'm not certain, but it's not looking good; it's also most certainly permanent, and she's doing a gap year, which will give her time to have the tests and try to come to terms with everything that has happened. I also think it might be best for Olivia to have a gap year as well; that way she can focus on getting better and healing and don't have to worry about her grades and her work until she's better, so at least Megan will have Olivia here as well, and she won't be alone on her gap year," Mrs. Meadows told Mr. Meadows.
"Yes, that is one good thing; at least she'll have company, and they can start together next year. And that will mean that they can all go together next year and be there as planned," Mr. Meadows told Mrs. Meadows.
Olivia started to wake up as the clock struck 10 a.m.
"How are you feeling?" Mrs. Meadows asked.
"I'm fine; have you got any updates on Megan yet?" Olivia asked.
"I have, but unfortunately, it's bad news; she has quite a bad brain injury," Mrs. Meadow told Olivia.
"How bad?" Olivia asked, tears starting to stream down her face.
Mrs Meadows got up, sat in a chair next to Olivia's bed, and held her hand.
"It's ok, sweetheart; we will work out how to deal with it and how to cope, then we can help," Mrs. Meadows told her.
Olivia then looked up at her mother.
"What's wrong with her? What's the injury?" Olivia asked.
"Due to the cave accident, she has been left with a brain injury, and it's very likely it is permanent. The doctors believe she will have epilepsy or something similar; she's been having fits or seizures, as the doctors call them," Mrs. Meadow told Olivia.
Olivia didn't know what to say or how to react.
"No one blames you; don't worry, Jean even told me to tell you it's not your fault and that no one blames you; it was just a tragic accident." Mrs. Meadows told Olivia
"Maybe if you had found her before me, then she wouldn't be as badly injured as she is now," Olivia told her mother.
"Olivia, Megan probably would have still been injured as badly as she is anyway, as it seems she fell farther underground than anyone else, so it likely wouldn't have made any difference." Mrs. Meadows told her.
"Your mother is right; you could have been hurt worse, which no one wants, including Megan. I know it's sad that Megan is now injured and how bad it is, but no one wishes you were hurt instead. It will take time to process and come to terms with Megan's new injury if it is permanent, but we will be here to help you and Megan, and we also believe it's best if you take a gap year this year to be able to focus on healing and getting better so that you don't have to do that and struggle with work, and also that way both of you will have time to meet and talk during your gap year," Mr. Meadows told Olivia.
"Yeah, you're right; can I see Megan when she is released? I understand if I can't for a little while." Olivia asked.
"Of course you can." Jean said you can go whenever you're released if you would like to. Mrs. Meadows told her
"That would be great as long as Megan and her mom are ok with it, and then I definitely want to go and see her," Olivia told her mother.
Not long later, a doctor
"My name is Doctor Hinchcliff, and I am going to change your cast to a proper cast so your leg can heal properly. Also, you'll be on crutches for 8–12 weeks to heal. Then you'll need to wear a leg boot for a further 4-6 weeks, and then after that everything should be healed and fine. You will need regular check-ups here every 2 weeks to make sure your leg is healing okay, but as long as everything goes to plan, you should heal fine. At the moment, it's looking like you can be released the day after tomorrow," Doctor Hinchcliff told Olivia.
"Ok, thank you," said Olivia.
Doctor Hinchcliff then changed Olivia's cast and sent a nearby nurse off to get some crutches from a different room to prepare for The day after tomorrow, they soon returned with the crutches.
Olivia talked to her parents until late, then she fell asleep.
Her parents fell asleep not long later, glad Olivia could finally go home soon and start to get back to her normal life as best as she could.
They knew life would never be completely the same, especially with Megan likely having a permanent injury, but they would deal with it and get back to as normal a life as they could.