Malice

by Jennifer Jaynes

  “And you’re positive the other episodes were due to the Respira?”

  “Well, not a hundred percent. How can you be? That’s why I was calling. I wanted to see if other clinics were having the same kinds of issues.”

  “I’d imagine we’re not, but I’ll check. What does management there say?” Daniel asked.

  The other end of the line was quiet for a moment. Then: “They don’t seem very concerned. They just keep saying they don’t think the two are connected.”

  After finishing his conversation with Andy, Daniel found Mia sitting out on the deck again. Her head was bowed, and her thumbs were flying across the keyboard of her phone.

  When he stepped onto the deck, she jumped.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  She turned toward him and smiled. But her smile was odd. “Everything okay?” she asked.

  He sat down across from her. “Yeah. Just work.”

  Mia’s cell phone buzzed, alerting her that she had an incoming text. She ignored it.

  “You need to get that?” he asked, watching her closely.

  “It’s probably just my boss again. He wants me to work the late shift tomorrow night.” She smiled. The same strange smile. He’d never seen this particular expression on her face before tonight.

  A lump of anxiety filled his stomach.

  “Would you mind pouring me another glass of wine?” she asked.

  “Of course not.” He picked up her glass and slipped back in the house.

  He grabbed a new bottle from the kitchen. As he uncorked it, he watched Mia from the kitchen window. She was texting again.

  She’s just replying to her boss, he assured himself.

  But then, what was up with the peculiar smile, Daniel?

  That damn voice again. The last thing he wanted was to be suspicious of his wife after all the effort it had taken to learn to trust her. He was probably just in a weird headspace, a little unsettled because of what Andy had just told him.

  He tore his eyes away from Mia and poured wine into her glass. Then he peered down at Bruce, who was staring up at him with naked adoration, his tail thumping on the hardwood floor.

  He grabbed a treat from the cookie jar, tossed it to the dog, then joined his wife back on the deck.

  Later that night, Daniel made love to his wife under the spray of a hot shower. After they were done, they crawled into bed.

  Flipping through channels with the remote, he stopped on Jimmy Kimmel. Mia was naked, nestled next to him, her head on his outstretched arm, her nose buried in her Kindle. Her warm, bare skin against his felt luxurious.

  He studied her as she read. Her face was a mask of concentration, her dark blue eyes serious as they moved across the screen of the device. Her skin looked as smooth as porcelain. She had a thin one-inch scar above her left eyebrow, the only blemish in an otherwise perfect, unspoiled face. Her good looks are just the icing on the cake, he reminded himself, knowing that it would be dangerous to get wrapped up in her beauty. He had fallen in love with her for her personality, for what was inside.

  Not her looks.

  His thoughts returned to her texting on the deck earlier.

  She’s a liar. She lied to you tonight.

  “Dammit. Stop.”

  “Hmm?” Mia looked up at him.

  Shit. He must have said that out loud.

  “Nothing.” He smiled tiredly at her.

  She went back to reading, and he felt his body relax. He flipped off the TV and shut his eyes. The long day at work, the lovemaking, and the sound of Bruce snoring at the end of the bed were lulling him, and he was fading quickly. Any suspicions about Mia would have to wait for another day. That is, if he allowed himself to entertain them at all.

  As he dozed off, something jarred him. A light flashing from Mia’s phone on the nightstand on her side of the bed. Her phone was receiving another silent text, and he wondered for a moment if the voice might have been right.

  CHAPTER 5

  DANIEL

  AT THE OFFICE the next morning, Daniel found the information statement for Respira that Immunext had given him. He reread it, then went online and navigated to the medical trade journal website, UptoDate.com, and read more about the drug. Nothing jumped out at him as worrisome. Just to be sure, he checked his other go-to, Medscape—and again, nothing concerning.

  He went to talk to Teddy.

  He found the big man sitting behind his desk, sipping coffee and flipping through a trade journal.

  “Hey, got a minute?” Daniel asked.

  Teddy smiled. “For my favorite doctor? Always. What’s up, Danny?”

  Daniel told Teddy about Andy’s experience at the free clinic. “On top of the seizures and migraine headaches, Andy said that yesterday one child went into cardiac arrest.”

  The smile faded from Teddy’s lips. He grabbed a fidget spinner and sat back in his chair.

  “Cardiac arrest, huh? That’s not good,” he said. “But the million-dollar question is: Can they say for sure it was the Respira that caused it?”

  “Andy said the cardiac arrest happened ten minutes after the injection was administered. It was all he was given, and the kid has no history of cardiac issues.”

  “Poor kid. But if you’re asking if I think Respira is safe, my answer is yes. It’s as safe as they come. Have you looked at the information Thomas left?”

  Daniel held up the information sheet. “I was just doing that.”

  Teddy nodded. “Also, we’ve already administered close to six hundred doses and have had no reports of any serious adverse reactions.”

  At those words, the seed of concern Daniel was feeling vanished, and his shoulders relaxed. That’s all he needed to hear. As he’d suspected, Andy’s experience at the free clinic had been an anomaly.

  “Thanks, Teddy. Just playing it safe.”

  He left the office and walked into examination room six to find his first patient of the day, Suzie Jacobs, marching a rolling office chair across the room. She was a petite little thing with blonde ringlets and huge blue eyes and bore an uncanny resemblance to her mother.

  “Goooood morning,” he said in a singsong voice he reserved for his youngest patients. At the sight of him, the little girl squealed loudly, then darted to her mother and buried her head in her lap. She cautiously lifted her head and gave him side-eye. When she saw that he was looking at her, she sunk her face into her mother’s lap again.

  Daniel laughed. “What? Not happy to see me today?”

  The girl continued to hide.

  “How’s she been?” he asked her mother.

  “Great. She had a little cold a couple of weeks ago. It was better within a few days, though.”

  “Good.”

  Daniel pulled up Suzie’s record on his laptop. “Still no medications?”

  Rachel picked Suzie up and sat her on her lap. “Nope. None.”

  Daniel entered the note, then set down the laptop. He rolled his chair over to the little girl and listened to her heart and lung sounds. When he was done, he handed Suzie his stethoscope to play with.

  “Eating well?” he asked, feeling her lymph nodes.

  “More than me,” Rachel said and smiled.

  He finished his examination, then sat back in his chair. “So, I see you’re here for Respira?”

  “I’m not sure. I got this in the mail,” she said, holding the postcard out to him. “It says there’s a drug available that might be important.”

  Daniel gave her the spiel on Respira. “Not only will it protect against rhinovirus, it’s full of vitamins that will boost her immune system.”

  “Is it a liquid?”

  “No, it’s a series of three injections.”

  She seemed to consider it. “And if she gets this, you’re saying she won’t catch any colds?”

  “Well, I can’t say that for certain. No drug is one hundred percent effective. But I can tell you she’ll be less likely to get colds. She’ll also be less likely to c
atch things like pneumonia and bronchitis. Conditions that could land her in the hospital.”

  “What’s it called again?”

  “Respira.”

  “Respira,” she repeated. “And it’s safe?”

  “Absolutely.” He reached over to the counter and picked up one of the colorful information statements they were required to give to parents. “Drugs like Respira are tested rigorously before they get FDA approval.”

  “So, there’s no chance of bad side effects?” Rachel asked.

  “The odds of a bad side effect are one in a million,” he assured her. “Look at it this way: she’s more likely to get struck by lightning.” Sound bites from Immunext.

  The woman shifted her daughter to her other knee. The little girl was clutching a raggedy stuffed rabbit and cooing at it.

  “What do you say?” Daniel asked.

  “Okay. If you think it’ll be good for her to have.”

  Daniel smiled and stood up. “I’ll call the nurse in to give it to her. Like I said, it’s a three-series treatment, and the doses have to be administered two days apart. We’re opening at 7:00 a.m. for the rest of the year to accommodate our parents’ schedules, so if you need a couple of early slots for the remaining injections, let them know at the front desk.”

  Rachel nodded.

  Daniel smiled. “Sounds good. I’ll send the nurse in. I’ll see you guys in a couple of days.”

  As Daniel walked out of the examination room, he heard Rachel talking to her daughter.

  “Dr. Winters is going to give you something to make you even healthier, sweet girl. Isn’t that great?”

  Daniel frowned, feeling a pang of uneasiness. Logical or not, Andy’s phone call still haunted him.

  CHAPTER 6

  RACHEL

  RACHEL PULLED OUT of the parking lot at Healing Hands Pediatrics and headed back to Chatsworth.

  She was glad she’d decided to bring Suzie in. The medication sounded like it would be a great thing for her daughter.

  And for her.

  She thought about how irritated her boss, Jeff, had been a couple of weeks ago when she had asked to take two days off because Suzie had come down with a cold. How afraid she’d been ever since that Suzie might get sick again, and she’d be fired.

  She thought about Dr. Winters. How he’d smiled at her. Not only was he good with Suzie, he was also easy on the eyes. He wasn’t very old. Maybe ten years her senior. Somewhere in his thirties. Every time she brought Suzie in for a well-baby appointment, she tried to wear something nice. Not that she thought he’d be interested in someone like her, but stranger things had happened, right? Over the past few months, she’d wondered what it would be like to hook up with a man like him. How different her life would be if she married someone like a doctor. Someone who had the means to provide for her and Suzie.

  Not only did Rachel not have a husband, the aspiring actor who’d knocked her up had never even wanted to meet Suzie. His loss, she thought bitterly. The last thing she wanted to do was force her daughter on the guy. He’d proven he wasn’t deserving of either of them.

  Suzie began to whimper in the back seat.

  “Suzie? What’s wrong, honey?”

  “Mama! Up!” Suzie screamed.

  Rachel glanced into the rearview mirror but couldn’t see her daughter’s face because her car seat was rear-facing.

  “I can’t pick you up, sweet girl. Not right now. We have to hurry and get to Miss Martha’s. Mommy will hold you for a couple of minutes when we get there, okay?”

  As Rachel pulled onto Highway 405 North, the whimpering became louder, and Suzie’s cries to be held became almost nonstop. She pressed the gas pedal harder, hoping to get back to Chatsworth a little quicker. She stared out at the highway in front of her through her cracked windshield and tried to soothe her daughter by talking to her, then by playing each of her favorite songs from the Frozen soundtrack.

  When the cries grew into flat-out screams, panic bloomed in her chest. She swung onto the next off-ramp and parked at a Chevron gas station. She jumped out of the car and went to the rear passenger side door and yanked it open. Suzie’s back was arched, and her big blue eyes were wide with pain. Her face was beet-red, and her cheeks were soaked with tears. “Mama! Up!” she cried and opened her arms wide to be held.

  Rachel unfastened the car seat straps, then picked her up and held her tightly against her chest. “It’s okay, sweet girl,” she cooed. “It’s okay.”

  With Suzie in her arms, Rachel returned to the driver’s seat and fumbled for her phone. With her free hand, she called Dr. Winters’s office. She told the receptionist what was going on, and the receptionist placed her on hold. A minute later, a nurse named Deepali was on the line. Rachel explained what was going on.

  The nurse spoke calmly and confidently. “It’s completely normal, Ms. Jacobs. Sometimes the injection site gets tender. Does she have a fever?”

  Rachel felt her daughter’s forehead. “I’m not sure. I mean, I guess she feels a little warm. But she’s been crying so much, it’s hard to tell.”

  “Once you get home, check her temperature. If she has a fever, just alternate Children’s Tylenol and Motrin. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  Rachel got off the phone feeling a little better. She tried to soothe a crying Suzie for a few minutes, then strapped her back into her car seat. As soon as she set her down, though, the pleas and screaming started again.

  “It’s okay, Suzie. It’s going to be all right, okay?” she called behind her as she pulled out of the gas station’s parking lot and headed back to the highway. But Suzie’s screams only got louder and shriller. She drove as fast and as safely as she could, but every time Suzie screamed, Rachel felt like her heart was being ripped in two.

  When Rachel finally pulled up to Martha’s duplex thirty minutes later, Suzie suddenly went quiet. A chill tiptoed up Rachel’s spine, and she jumped out of the car and rushed to her little girl to make sure she was okay. When she pulled open Suzie’s door, her little face was pink and tear-stained, but she was breathing. She’d just fallen asleep. Probably worn out from all the screaming.

  Rachel looked at the clock on the dashboard. She was expected at work in twenty minutes. She wrung her hands, knowing she couldn’t just drop Suzie off at Martha’s house when she’d been so upset. What if she woke up in pain again? Disoriented, wondering where Mommy was?

  “Dammit,” she whispered to herself. She gently shut the car door, walked around the vehicle, and slid behind the wheel. Exhaling hard, she called her boss’s cell phone, hoping she’d be sent directly to voice mail. Jeff wasn’t going to be happy, especially after she’d taken those two days off last month. But she didn’t have a choice.

  Suzie came first.

  No matter what.

  While she waited for the call to connect, she couldn’t help but find it both ironic and troubling that she’d said yes to a medicine that promised Suzie would get fewer colds, then had to take off work because of it.

  “Good morning, Rachel,” Jeff answered curtly, as if he already knew what she was going to say. And he probably did. After all, why else would she be calling?

  Rachel flinched. “I’m sorry, Jeff, but I’m not going to be able to make it in today. My daughter’s sick.”

  “Really. Again?”

  She bit into her lower lip hard enough to taste blood. “I mean, she might be okay in a little while. I don’t know. If she is, I’ll be in later. I promise.”

  “Don’t bother,” he said. “Can I expect you tomorrow?”

  Oh, God. I hope so. “Yes. Definitely.”

  “Fantastic.”

  The call disconnected.

  Prick, she thought. She imagined how good it would feel to be able to tell him where he could stick his crap job. But she couldn’t afford to lose it. Not now. Not only did she have just $7.03 in her checking account until her next paycheck and a nearly empty pantry, she had a young child who needed the health insurance the
job provided. She shot Martha a quick text, telling her she wouldn’t be dropping Suzie off, then drove to her apartment.

  When she scooped Suzie out of her car seat, the little girl whimpered but didn’t wake up. Inside the apartment, Rachel grabbed the thermometer from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and went back to the bedroom and set down Suzie on the bed. She placed the thermometer under her daughter’s arm.

  Ninety-nine point one. Nothing to be worried about.

  She pressed softly on Suzie’s thigh where she’d gotten her injection, but Suzie didn’t react.

  That’s weird, she thought. If she was screaming because of pain at the injection site, wouldn’t she have at least flinched?

  Rachel settled Suzie into her crib, grabbed the baby monitor, and closed the bedroom door. Being home during the day like this without having a million things to do was unusual. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself.

  She went to the kitchen table and stared at the stack of mail—mostly bills—and her belly twisted in knots. She was in an awful financial hole and had no clue how she was going to get out of it. She thought about sitting down and calling a few of her creditors to make payment arrangements. It would be easier to do it now instead of trying to do it on work time with Jeff breathing down her neck. But the sheer thought of it exhausted her.

  She walked back to the bedroom and changed into pajamas, then picked up her daughter and lay her in bed with her. She held Suzie close and just a few minutes later escaped into the comforting arms of sleep.

  At 2:00 p.m., Suzie’s high-pitched cries shattered the silence of the small apartment. Rachel jerked awake and gathered her baby into her arms.

  “Shhh,” she cooed, standing and bouncing Suzie. The little girl’s back felt like it was on fire. Taking her temperature confirmed that her fever had crept up to 101.0 degrees.

  Rachel went to the kitchen and found the liquid Children’s Tylenol, then drew a lukewarm bath and set Suzie in the tub. She pressed cool washcloths to the back of her little girl’s neck and forehead, hoping to make her more comfortable. But Suzie’s cries quickly morphed into screams.

  “It’s okay, honey,” Rachel kept saying, tears running down her own cheeks. “It’s okay, sweetie. It’s going to be okay.”