Chapter 21
twenty-one
GREER
“Nathalie, I really think you need to go to the doctor.” Greer sat on the edge of Nathalie’s bed. She hadn’t left her room for a week. Greer had brought her everything she needed, which hadn’t been much since she still wasn’t really eating. “You’re wasting away.”
“I’m fine,” Nathalie answered and cringed.
“You’re not fine.” Greer was going to put her foot down today. She’d been mentioning it repeatedly over the last few days, but she needed Nathalie to actually listen to her. “Even Ivy and Lachlan said you should go.”
“They don’t know any better.”
“Lachlan doesn’t know better?” Greer rolled her eyes. “I’m going to take Alaric to school, and if you’re not out of this bed, dressed, and upright when I get back, then I’m taking you in whether you like it or not.”
“Threats don’t work well on me.”
“Neither does cajoling, it seems.” Greer stood up with the thermometer in her fingers. Nathalie’s fever hadn’t really broken in an entire week. And Greer was worried, truly. Because she’d never seen someone this bad refuse any type of help before.
Greer had taken Alaric to school and was back within twenty minutes, and by the time she made it to Nathalie’s door, she knew Nathalie wasn’t up and ready. She opened the door, needing to let the room air out a bit anyway and cried out, “Nathalie!”
She was on the floor in the center of the bedroom, face down. Racing to her side, Greer put her hand on Nathalie’s cheek and then turned her over. Nathalie’s eyes fluttered and she grunted, batting Greer’s hands away, although not very enthusiastically.
“I’m fine.”
“Bullshit.” Greer tapped Nathalie’s cheek. “Open your eyes.”
Nathalie grimaced, but she did as she was told. “I’m fine,” she repeated a little more firmly this time.
“Again, I call bullshit.” But Greer couldn’t stop the smile that lit up her face. Even a little bit of this icy feistiness was welcome right now. “We’re going to the ER.”
“We don’t have to. Just call Lachlan.”
“She’s at work, taking care of your patients.” Greer breathed deeply. “Come on. I’ll help you get fresh clothes on and then we’re going.”
Nathalie moaned. “Fine.”
The fact that Nathalie wasn’t putting up a fight should have been a tip-off that something really wasn’t right. Greer should have insisted on this sooner. She pulled Nathalie upright and then helped her to stand up, immediately walking her to the bed and making sure she was stable.
“What do you want to wear?”
“Leggings and a shirt, something easy to put on.” Nathalie ran her fingers through her hair. “And a brush.”
“A toothbrush or…?” Greer asked, pausing for an answer.
“Ugh, probably both.” Nathalie waved her hand toward her dresser. “Bottom two drawers on the left.”
Greer headed over and snagged the first things she saw on the top, then she snagged underwear and a bra before bringing it all over to Nathalie. “Now, do you actually need help or are you good to do this on your own?”
“I think I can manage.” Nathalie didn’t look too sure on that, so Greer was determined that she wasn’t going to go far.
“I’ll just be in the bathroom cleaning up. Tell me when you’re done.” Greer walked away, but she left the bathroom door slightly ajar so she could hear if Nathalie had fallen again or if she needed her help. She occupied herself by cleaning the bathroom, and deep cleaning at that. It really needed it, and no one had been in there but Nathalie in the last week to even touch it.
Finally, she heard Nathalie’s voice calling for her. When she walked back in, Nathalie was dressed, though her clothing was fairly askew from where it should be. That must have taken her quite some time. Breathing deeply, Greer put her hands on her hips and handed over the toothbrush.
“Maybe just new clothes and being clean will help you feel a little better.”
“Doubtful,” Nathalie mumbled around the toothbrush.
Greer sat behind Nathalie on the bed and started with the ends of her hair, working her way upward. She found a rather large knot of hair on the back of Nathalie’s head from how she’d been lying down so frequently. Her hair really needed a good wash, too, but they could do that some other time. There was no way Nathalie was going to let Greer bathe her.
When she was done, she braided Nathalie’s hair and tied it at the bottom to try and keep it from getting tangled so badly next time. Sliding off the mattress, she looked Nathalie over, and she seemed even more exhausted now than she had before.
“You ready?”
“Do I have a choice?” Nathalie asked.
“I can call an ambulance and have them haul you out of here.”
“You wouldn’t.” Nathalie glared, but it didn’t have the full effect that it normally did.
“Try me.” Greer had her fists back on her hips and glowered down at Nathalie. “So, you ready?”
“Yes.” Nathalie bit her lip and let Greer help her to stand.
Wrapping an arm around Nathalie’s back, Greer led her down the stairs and got her into the car. She left Nathalie there while she went to lock up the house and grab the car keys and a phone charger. She had a feeling this visit wasn’t going to be quick and that they might want to actually admit Nathalie overnight since she had good and truly fainted.
When they got to the emergency room, the wait was going to be a while. Greer kept trying to feed sips of water to Nathalie, but she was refusing most of them. She was so lethargic. Greer hated being in this position. It should be Lachlan or Ivy there, not her. She wasn’t prepared for this kind of responsibility, and Nathalie was her boss, not her friend.
“Greer?” Nathalie cracked open an eye and glanced at her. “You’ll need to get Alaric soon.”
Greer frowned and checked the time on her phone. “School just started an hour ago.”
Nathalie hummed and closed her eyes again. Was she full-on napping in the waiting room? How she could manage to do that was beyond Greer. She’d never be able to do that. Greer held vigil, waiting for Nathalie’s name to be called and for someone in this damn place to pay attention to her.
Didn’t she have some strings she could pull being a doctor or something?
Greer always imagined there was some way that worked. Then again, it wasn’t like Nathalie was a doctor at this hospital. Greer got on her phone and started a separate group chat with Lachlan and Ivy, keeping Nathalie out of it. She didn’t need any backlash on this.
Greer: I’m at the ER with Nathalie. I came back from dropping Alaric off and she had collapsed on the floor. Still has a high fever. Didn’t know what else to do.
She hit send after debating one more time if she should actually send the text or not. Nathalie was an intensely private person, but these two people were her closest friends. Surely they would know more than she would when it came to how to take care of Nathalie.
And Nathalie wasn’t exactly being helpful right now, not that she really could either. She was currently snoring quietly against Greer’s shoulder. She didn’t look good. Greer pressed her lips together into a tight line. She only had one other person she trusted with this information, and she just needed someone who was available right now.
Greer: I’m at the ER with Nathalie. I made her come, but I’m so scared something’s really wrong.
Greer hit send and then she stared at her phone, waiting for Kam’s three little dots to appear, the ones that would say she knew what was going to happen, that everything would be fine, that it wasn’t as serious as Greer was making it out to be.
Kam: OMG! I wish I could be there with you. That’s totally scary.
Grinning from ear to ear with a watery smile, Greer stared at the message from her best friend. She didn’t need or want details. She just had to know that Greer was scared and that was it.
Kam: Do you need me to come out there?
Lifting her hands to her face, Greer shook her head even though Kam couldn’t see her do it. She wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled a little. It wouldn’t do anyone any favors for Nathalie to wake up and see her crying.
Greer: No, I’ll be fine. I promise. Just a moment of panic.
Kam: Only a moment?
Greer: Swear it!
Greer couldn’t stop the smiling now. Kam was honestly the best friend she could have asked for. She was so happy that they’d met and that they were now stuck together until they were ghosts and haunting the world they used to once live in. They used to joke about that when they were young, but days like today made it seem that much more real.
She needed Kam in her life, and she needed to make sure that she didn’t lose sight of that. Greer shifted slightly, trying not to disturb Nathalie, but as soon as she settled, the nurse called, “Nathalie Coeur!”
Greer shook Nathalie’s shoulder to wake her up. “Hey, you’re up, tiger.”
Nathalie sighed and squinted as if trying to figure out where they were. Greer bit her lip. She was losing more and more track of what day it was by the second. Standing up, Greer helped Nathalie to her feet and again wrapped an arm around her waist as she took her toward the front desk and then followed the nurse to a small, curtained room.
She helped Nathalie onto the bed and flipped her feet up, but Nathalie was stiff as she moved. Nathalie winced but did finally shift herself to be sitting up more. The nurse took pertinent information about Nathalie’s name and date of birth and what exactly they were here for. Then she looked directly at Greer.
“Are you her daughter?”
“What? No.” Greer shook her head. “I’m her?—”
“She’s my friend,” Nathalie interrupted, shooting Greer a sharp look. “And she can stay for right now. Though I’d like her to leave for medical history, then she can come back in.”
Greer frowned. What the hell was that about? She’d do whatever Nathalie wanted, but she’d already come this far.
“All right.” The nurse didn’t look very pleased by that, but she nodded sharply. “The doctor will be around to see you soon, but I’m going to be back first to get an IV started.”
Nathalie grimaced. “I hate needles.”
“You’re a doctor,” Greer snorted.
“Doesn’t mean I like them in me.” Nathalie curled up a little tighter into a ball as the nurse left the small room. “But I do need the fluids.”
“Why did you tell them I was your friend?” Greer sat down in the uncomfortable chair next to the bed, turning it slightly so she could see Nathalie better and keep an eye on her.
“Because if you said nanny, she would have kicked you out instantly.” Nathalie groaned. “They don’t want to give out confidential information if they don’t have to, and they don’t want you to overhear something you shouldn’t.”
“Right.” Greer hadn’t thought about that. Then again, this was far from her world. Kam might get it, but Greer was so far removed from it that she wasn’t sure what to do. “I guess I should be more careful.”
“You should. Hospitals don’t take alternative lifestyles very compassionately.” Nathalie closed her eyes and sighed. “I need something stronger for this nausea.”
“I’ll mention it to the nurse.” Greer bit her lip and stared down at her hands. Maybe she didn’t know as much about this as Nathalie did. Then again, maybe Nathalie had been in a polycule for longer than Greer had the few times she’d been in one.
Ivy: I’m leaving work now. I’ll be there soon.
Greer stared at the phone. She hadn’t meant for them to panic and show up. But Ivy dropping everything to show up at the ER? She hadn’t expected that, especially with the struggles she was having at work and time when it came to Abagail.
Greer: It might not be that bad. We’re finally back in a room and the doctor will be in soon.
Ivy: Keep us updated.
“You told them, didn’t you?” Nathalie asked, her eyes locked on Greer’s phone.
Greer’s cheeks burned. “Yeah, I did. I thought… You don’t mind, do you?”
Nathalie shook her head. “Ivy’s my medical ad litem.”
“Ivy? Not Lachlan?” Greer frowned.
“Lachlan’s too tender-hearted. She couldn’t pull the plug on me if someone had a gun on her.” Nathalie breathed slowly. “I love her, but that isn’t her forte. She’s about creating life, not ending it.”
“Ivy said she’s on her way.”
Nathalie hummed her answer. “She would be. Lachlan will show up after work.”
Greer sat back slightly, crossing her legs and waiting. She never liked waiting for doctors, even though she understood they were busy for a reason. But still, she hated that they were stuck in this waiting game again.
“Don’t tell Alaric how bad it is.” Nathalie groaned and paled again.
After watching her carefully for the last week, Greer could tell she was trying not to throw up all over the bed. She got up and fished around in the small cabinet until she found a container that Nathalie could throw up in, not that she had much in her system to actually puke. Nathalie thanked her before taking it.
“What do you want me to tell him when they admit you?”
Nathalie sighed and closed her eyes. “I don’t know. I can’t think right now.”
“I’ll figure it out, okay? Or do you want Ivy and Lachlan to do that?”
“Ivy and Lachlan. They know him best.”
Why did that comment sting so much? Greer reached up and rubbed the center of her chest. She’d fallen in love with Alaric almost the moment she’d met him, and she’d spent the last three months loving him with everything that she had. But Nathalie didn’t see that, did she? Nathalie had been right all along. Greer would never be enough for her.