Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Working the next day was torture and pure happiness for Phineas.
His Little girl had gotten a positive report from the doctor that had rocked both of their worlds.
Their lovemaking had shown him how special their connection was.
While his entire being yearned to be home with her, Phineas enjoyed his job and the people he met.
He searched through the stacks for two new books for his Little girl. Phineas planned to read to her as often as possible. They could enjoy spicy novels together as well as the best children’s stories the library offered.
He was almost to his driveway when his phone buzzed. Tiffanie. “Hi, Princess! Did you have a good day?”
“It’s Ivan. I left my phone in the car, so I grabbed hers from her purse to call. Tiffanie collapsed at Ferguson’s Folly a half hour ago. We’re in the emergency department. She called your name before losing consciousness.”
The blood in his veins chilled as Phineas scanned the area around the car for a spot to turn around. Thanking the light traffic for permitting him to make a U-turn, he headed for the hospital, breaking speed limits all the way. He parked and ran into the emergency department.
“Hi. Tiffanie Clark is being treated. I’m her partner,” Phineas explained, controlling his panic to convince the desk attendant to allow him into the treatment area.
“We only admit one visitor in the emergency department at a time with a patient. Someone is in her room already.”
Phineas tried to understand what the hospital employee had said to him, but his brain was focused on reaching his Little girl. “Please, I need to get to her.”
“Perhaps you could call whoever is with her and you could swap places.”
Grabbing his phone, Phineas sent Ivan a message.
I’m here. They won’t let me to join you. A stupid reason about how many can be in the room.
Ivan didn’t answer. He came through the door protecting that wing of the hospital from the waiting room. “Phineas. I’m glad to see you. The doctors are running tests, trying to figure out what’s going on. She’s still unconscious. You go back and see her.”
After overhearing their conversation, the desk attendant grabbed a name tag and asked Phineas questions to fill the sticker out. “You can go on through. She’s in bed 4C.”
Phineas took two steps and froze. “Are they asking for all her health history? You know that better than I do. Stay with her, Ivan. It’s more important that the doctors have all the information they need.”
Shaking his head, Ivan met his gaze directly. Phineas could tell Tiffanie’s brother agreed that was the better way to get the most accurate background into her chart but realized how hard not seeing Tiffanie was for Phineas. “I’ll call with any updates.”
“Thank you, Ivan. Take care of her for me.” Agonizing over this decision, Phineas wrestled with his emotions. His brain understood this was the smartest way to handle the situation, but his heart rebelled, tearing him apart inside.
Ivan nodded and disappeared into the treatment area. Phineas held his phone as he paced back and forth by the windows. He sent Tiffanie every bit of mental encouragement he could. She had to be okay.
A half hour passed with no word. Phineas didn’t want to interrupt whatever was happening in that treatment room by contacting Ivan, but his worry increased as the minutes ticked past. Each time the doors opened, he looked up, hoping to see Tiffanie walking out without lingering problems.
“Fuck this,” he swore and grabbed his phone. Before he could select Ivan’s number, a doctor in a white coat and scrubs appeared in the doorway. “Phineas Green?” he requested.
“I’m Phineas,” Phineas introduced himself, stepping closer.
“If you’ll come with me,” the doctor said calmly.
Instantly Phineas’s mind raced through reasons an exception could be made. The desk clerk didn’t stop him as he joined the doctor and walked through those metal doors.
“Is she okay?” Phineas asked, hoping with every fiber of his being that the doctor hadn’t come to get him with horrendous news. He’d never forgive himself for letting her go to work without him.
“She’s good. Taking a bit of a nap, we believe. We’ve done a lot of testing. I understand she had a long day at her oncologist’s office recently. Can you tell me what they did?”
“Sure.” By the time they reached Tiffanie’s room, Phineas had walked the doctor through the visit. Entering the treatment bay to see Tiffanie lying so still on the hospital bed, Phineas’s heart ached. He rushed to her side and wrapped his fingers around her icy hand.
“Cases like this can be puzzling. Her blood sugar was below normal when she arrived. Not so critically low that would cause her unconsciousness, but dipping enough that the level could prolong whatever is happening here. She also is anemic. Her oncologist noted that and a vitamin B deficiency—nothing so urgent they needed to address or treat it instantly.”
The doctor stopped and checked the screen that showed her heart rate and oxygen level.
“Her heart is strong, but her blood pressure is struggling as well. She’s definitely dehydrated.
Problems after a scan concern us because difficulties can arise from kidney problems after the dye or even an allergic reaction. ”
“But you don’t believe any of those are to blame,” Ivan guessed from the doctor’s report.
“I actually think this was triggered by everything. This avalanche of possible concerns that hit together following a course of chemo, even though those meds stopped a month ago, could provoke this. Think of this unconsciousness like Tiffanie’s body and mind forcing her to slow down and heal.”
“So, what can be done?” Phineas asked. Guilt flooded his mind. Had he caused this by making love to Tiffanie last night?
“We’re doing it. She’s getting fluids to address her dehydration and to flush out any toxins from her kidneys, which show no adverse reactions, and vitamins, iron, and glucose.
We’ll monitor her closely, but my guess is she’ll wake up in a few hours, feeling better than she has for months.
This was a dramatic way to get help, but an effective one. ”
“You don’t suspect she did this on purpose…” Ivan said, bristling.
“Not at all. The human body is an incredible machine. She’s not in control right now. We need to fix her ride,” the doctor said, putting that last word in air quotes, “so she can take over and drive her body again.”
“Thank you for helping her. She’s incredibly important to many people.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. Michelle, her nurse, will be in and out to check on her and monitor her blood sugar. She’ll alert me immediately if Tiffanie’s status changes.”
“Can we both stay with her?” Ivan asked.
“Of course. We need information from the two of you,” the doctor said, setting Phineas’s mind at ease. Wild horses couldn’t have pulled him back to the waiting room.
Phineas followed the doctor out of the room. “I have to check, Doctor. Could intimate activity have caused this?”
“Like vigorous sex?” the doctor asked bluntly.
“Yes.”
“Not a chance. Unless you were in a sauna for two hours going at it, you didn’t cause this,” he assured Phineas. “From today on, start her on a regular dose of electrolytes. If she sweats, give her a small glass to revitalize her afterward.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Relieved, Phineas headed to Tiffanie’s side.
“Everything alright?” Ivan asked.
“Yes. Sorry, I needed to ask something personal.”
“You didn’t hurt her. She was floating on air all morning. I’ve never seen her happier.”
Phineas nodded. Ivan’s words reassured him a lot. Her brother knew her better than anyone else.
“It kills me to see her so still.” Tears flooded his eyes. Phineas didn’t give a rat’s ass about having another person witness his emotional response to the precious woman who appeared so pale in the hospital bed. The beeping of the machines underlined the seriousness of her collapse.
Ivan’s powerful hand wrapped around Phineas’s shoulder and squeezed firmly. “You heard the doctor. She’s stable. I’m surprised she didn’t need help before now. Perhaps she knows deep inside you’re here to make sure she’s okay.”
“She means the world to me, Ivan.”
“And that’s exactly what you’re going to give her. She needs to rest and rebuild so you two can enjoy the life you’re building together. If I’m lucky, I’ll find my own Little girl. I’ll admit, seeing the two of you has pushed me to focus on filling that empty space in my world.”
Phineas lifted his chin in acknowledgement of the personal information. He could see Ivan preferring that role in a relationship. He was calm, quiet, and powerful. A Daddy a Little girl could rely on and trust.
“Did you know?” he asked, nodding at Tiffanie.
“Not a topic a brother and sister usually discuss. But yeah, I suspected. A look at the books you selected for her confirmed my guess. She told me a reader at the library had checked one out so many times the novel was falling apart. I don’t suppose you’d share that person’s name?”
“Sorry. Just like doctors protect health information, librarians are sworn to secrecy,” Phineas said, smiling for the first time since arriving at the hospital.
“Please tell me she’s not eighty.”
“Mid-thirties, I would guess.”
A grin curved Ivan’s lips. “There’s hope, then. I’m going to camp out in the fiction stacks of the library.”
“I will share that she’s signed up as an exhibitor for the Blue Ribbon Knowledge Fair,” Phineas said, giving him a bit of information. Several women who fit into that age range were participating in the event. Phineas hadn’t revealed how to identify her too easily.
“Damn. That puts pressure on me to come up with a carving so cute a Little girl couldn’t stay away from my table.”
“I have confidence in you.”
Ivan walked to a chair and carried the lightweight furniture over next to the hospital bed. “Sit and relax. This may take a while.”
Nodding his thanks, Phineas sank down on the padded seat and wrapped his hand around Tiffanie’s. She could take all the time she wanted. He would wait.