Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mara and I headed to the table where the rest of our crew waited patiently. Poor Jasper appeared miserable. He was sweating and pale, even in the dark room it was easy to see his discomfort. I sat next to him.
“What’s wrong? You’re pale and sweating. Is your costume too hot?”
“Em, I don’t feel so good.”
I touched the back of my hand to his forehead. “You’re burning up. Let’s get you outside.” Everyone at the table jumped up and followed us out.
There were a few benches set up outside. I made him sit down. “How do we get you out of that thing?”
He shivered. “I don’t think it’s the costume. I feel so cold.”
“Fever,” Abigail said behind me.
“Agreed. I need to get him down to my place.”
“I’ll get the car,” Henry said. He talked on his radio as he walked away.
Ewan came out. “What happened?”
“Jasper isn’t feeling well. I’m going to take him down to my surgery. You all stay here. I’ve got this.”
“No,” Abigail said. “I’m coming with you.” There was no use arguing with her.
“We’ll come too,” Mara said. “Why didn’t you say something?” she asked. “You did seem grumpier than usual.”
“Thanks for that,” Jasper said. “My throat is killing me.” Abigail and I stared at one another over his head. We’d seen that symptom one too many times the last week.
“Abigail and I have this covered. The rest of you stay and enjoy yourselves. I promise to text when we figure out what’s wrong.”
“Are you sure?” Mara asked. She didn’t seem happy about not being included.
“I am. If he has what I think he does, better to keep your distance.” Though they’d been together all night.
“OK. Let us know, though,” she said. “Take care, Jasper. You make an adorable Stay Puft man.”
“Thanks,” he croaked out.
She and her dentist left.
“Henry’s here with the car,” Ewan said. “I need to stay. I gave Akif the rest of the night off to spend with his family. Actually, everyone but Henry and I have the night off.”
“No big deal,” I said. “We can handle it. Once we’re at the practice, I’ll send Henry back.”
“I’d prefer he stay with you,” he said.
“You need him more than we do. Our victims are gone, no reason for us not to be safe.”
Though I had had that weird feeling of being watched when we left, but I’d shaken it off.
“Keep in touch,” he said. Someone called for him, and he left.
By the time we made it down the mountain, poor Jasper was shaking in the back seat.
Henry helped Jasper inside and into Exam One, then insisted Abigail lock the door behind him. She did as he asked. We put on gloves and masks.
“OK. First thing, let’s get you out of this.”
“Zipper is in the back. Feels like I’m swallowing glass,” he said. “What is wrong with me?”
“We’re going to swab your throat, and we’ll have answers soon.” As soon as I unzipped the back of his costume, it was easy to see he was drenched.
“You’re dehydrated,” I said. “We’re going to get you out of these clothes and get you something fresh. And we’ll need …”
“IV fluids. On it,” Abigail said.
“It’s like she reads your mind.”
“I’m lucky that way.”
He was so pale. “Sit,” I ordered. He did on the chair in the exam room. I tossed his costume on the other chair. Then I grabbed some swabs. “Open wide,” I said.
Abigail walked in with some fresh clothes, sweatpants and a T-shirt. We had a stash in all different sizes for just-in-cases. He shivered.
“I’ll help him, you take this back to the lab.”
“Am I dying?”
“Not on my watch. It just feels like it.”
I stuck a thermometer in his ear. It was over 102.
“Do I have fever?”
“Yes, and it’s miserably high. With that costume on, you were sweating so much you’re dehydrated, which is making you feel even worse. Give me an hour, and I promise you’ll be feeling much better.”
Abigail came back with a wheelchair.
“I’m not that sick.”
“Until we get that temp down and fill you up with fluids, you do what I say. Neither of us wants to pick you up off the floor if you faint.”
“I’ve never fainted,” he said grumpily. But when he stood up, he tilted to the left. Abigail shoved the chair under him just in time. “Oh,” he said.
“Right. We’re taking you back to one of our suites, where you’ll be spending the rest of the night so we can keep an eye on you.”
“But the bakery.”
“You’re going nowhere near it. If your team can’t handle it, you’ll have to close. If it’s what I think it might be, you’re very contagious. Nothing kills a business faster than making others sick, right?”
He crossed his arms and pouted. He had a great work ethic, but this time he had to listen to me.
As we entered the back wing of the building where most of the labs and scans were, something dinged.
“You get that, I’ll put him in bed.”
She nodded.
The suites were just large enough for a hospital bed, a side table, and a few machines and IV stands. Abigail had everything set up. Finding a vein wasn’t easy. He was way too dehydrated.
“I can do that,” Abigail said. She handed me the iPad with the results.
“Strep,” I said.
His eyes went wide. “What? How?”
“It’s going around town,” I said. “You’re one-on-one with the public. I’m not surprised.”
“Hurts,” he said. He pointed to his throat.
“I have something for that. Like I said, give us an hour. You’ll feel much better. But you need to rest.” Abigail set up the IV, while I found the antibiotics and pain relievers. I added a throat spray to my basket. We’d have to order more, since we were nearly out.
Sure enough, an hour later, he was calm and could barely stay awake.
“You’re staying here tonight. Once we have your fluids back up, we’ll see how it goes. You can get some sleep.”
By the time we’d finished, it was only nine-thirty. I was beat. But also anxious. “I’m going to change. Feel free to take the guest room,” I said.
“I’m going to stay back here with him,” she said. “In case he wakes up and needs something.” She was a great nurse and an even better friend.
“Do you have a change of clothes? I have a feeling you’re going to get cold.”
“I do. I keep some here in my desk.”
I should have known. Abigail was always prepared.
A half-hour later, I was free from the hairdo and makeup. I felt much better in my favorite unicorn pajamas. These were the ones I’d gotten for Christmas last year. My friends encouraged silliness. It was good for me.
I sat down at my desk and jumped when the front door buzzer went off. I glanced at the screen. From what I could see, it was a woman. I pushed the speaker. “Can I help you?”
“Please, I’m hurt,” she cried out. I recognized the voice. It was Isobel.
I ran for the door, and Abigail came sliding into the lobby. She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.
We opened the door.
Isobel’s face was covered in mascara, and she sobbed as she stumbled inside.
“What happened?”
“I tripped and hurt my ankle,” she said.
“Here,” I said. “Sit down.” We were in the lobby, but no one was here but Jasper and us. It didn’t matter where I treated her.
Abigail rushed away. She came back with everything I needed for an exam. She was a wizard that one.
I gently probed the right ankle. It was swollen and already turning a myriad of colors.
Abigail handed her some wet wipes for her face. Under the makeup and mascara a red mark was on her cheek.
“What happened?” I asked as I carefully pulled off the booties she wore. “Did someone hit you? Was it Baird?” I had no tolerance for that sort of thing.
“No. I told you, I fell. Really, I did. But he was so angry. I was scared. He would never hurt me, but he started smashing things in the caravan. I just ran. He kept saying, I did it all for you. I did it all for you. I don’t know what he means.”
“If he touched you, we need to report him,” I said. “Men can’t be allowed to hurt women like that. I know you feel protective of him …”
“I feel the same way about abusers. It wasn’t like that.
It was more he was upset with himself. I really did trip on the steps of the caravan, and my face hit the door knob on the way out.
I swear, he didn’t touch me. I think I scared him.
I just ran down the mountain, and … then I slipped again, and twisted my ankle. I thought I broke it.”
“Good news is that I don’t think that’s the case, though we’ll take a scan of it to make certain.”
“It really hurts,” she said, as I touched her ankle.
“We’ll get you cleaned up and put some ice on it.”
I touched her cheek, and she winced away again. It did look like she hit something, there were no fingerprints or knuckle marks.
At least, there is that.
“I can’t believe how clumsy I was. But I just wanted to get away. I feel bad in a way. He had too much to drink, and he was upset over seeing Robert and his men.”
She wiped her nose, then continued, “I swear, he would never hurt me. I know that, but my stupid shoes were wet, and I slipped on the steps. My brother always said they were a death trap, and he meant to fix them. I remembered what you said—if I needed anything—and I couldn’t think of where else to go. ”
“You came to the right place,” Abigail said. “The doc will have you fixed up in no time.”
Thunder boomed outside, and we all jumped.
“I made it just before the rain,” she said. “I’m sorry. I really am to come so late. My mind—”
“As Abigail said, you made the right choice. Let’s get you fixed up.”
By the time we finished with the scans, and taped up her ankle, it was nearly midnight. We put her up in one of the surgery suites for the night.
“The beds are more comfortable than they look, and it’s a good idea to keep that foot up. We’ll also ice it off and on,” I said.
“I hate being so much trouble to you two.”
“It’s not trouble, it’s our job,” Abigail said. “Besides, you’re not our only patient tonight. But you are safe here and have a warm place to sleep.”
“Thank you. What a mess I am.”
“You’ve been through so much. You deserve a bit of a wallow,” Abigail said.
I hid my grin. While she wasn’t much of a talker, she did know exactly what to say to patients.
Once Isobel was settled, I left them and headed back to my office.