by Grady, D. R.
Treeny perked up. “You know, you’re right. And he just lost his wife, right? Well, last year, but he’s seemed awfully lonely. Your mama like Jewish boys?”
Vanessa laughed. “Obviously, ‘cause she seemed to take to him.”
“That she did. He is a cutie.”
“I heard that,” Dr. Youthers said as he entered the room next to the one they inhabited.
“So, Dr. Youthers...” She elbowed Vanessa, who collapsed into a useless heap of giggles.
“So, Dr. Deveau...” he returned and peered at them over the tops of his glasses. “Are you playing matchmaker?”
“Maybe.” She grinned. “But you are a cutie and Vanessa’s mama is one of the sweetest, most gorgeous women I know.”
“I’ll remember that,” he promised, and by the way he said it, she thought he might. She exchanged glances with Vanessa. “Now, in the meantime, rather than worrying about my love life or lack thereof, perhaps you ladies ought to be more concerned about calling your families.”
Treeny smiled at him. “Right. Thanks for handling my sister. She tends to react with emotion.”
He nodded. “I noticed that.”
“I’ll call my brother-in-law first. He can calm her down faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
And she set off to call Will.
When she glanced over her shoulder to see if Vanessa followed she saw the good doctor and Vanessa enter into what looked like could become a deep conversation. Hmmm, Vanessa’s mama and Dr. Youthers, who would have guessed? With a small smile, she located her brother-in-law’s number.
“Rachel, is Will with you?” She waited a pace before she determined if her sister had calmed down. Will hadn’t answered his phone, so she decided to take a chance and try Rachel’s cell. Big mistake.
“Treeny?” Rachel wailed and started to cry, and Treeny swallowed.
“Obviously not,” she muttered. “Yes, Rachel, I’m here, and I’m fine. This quarantine is a precaution, but I really don’t think it’s serious. Where’s Will?”
“He’s coming here to the hospital. He called me.” Her sister sniffed and Treeny thought she made an effort to calm down.
“Good. I think you need him right now. Honestly, Rach, I’m fine. This is standard operating procedure.”
“What if you get sick?” Rachel demanded and Treeny stared at the ceiling.
“I don’t know. I’m a doctor. There’s always the possibility I can get sick. But it’s minimal at best.”
“But you’re quarantined.”
“Yes, I know. I’m fine. Doctors rarely get sick. We develop pretty tough immune systems.” She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if their patient had bacterial meningitis. Her throat tightened and her heart sank at the very thought.
She was grateful Ben was away right now. Because taking this home to him, or her nieces or nephews was totally unacceptable.
“You’ve been tested, too?” Her sister’s watery voice quavered over the line.
“Yes. Both me and the nurse who assisted me with this patient. This is a precaution. Nothing more.” Fortunately she and Vanessa had taken the blood samples, and kept the lab assistant outside the room. That way only she and Vanessa had been exposed.
“Rachel?” Treeny heard Will’s voice in the background and was thankful he arrived as quickly as he had. “Honey, give me the phone a second.” She heard him say and then the clicking noises indicating that a phone exchanged hands.
“Treeny?” Will’s confident voice vibrated over the line. With him here now his steadiness would hopefully seep into her wreck of a sister.
“I’m here, Will. Thanks for coming so quickly. She’s a mess.”
“Yes, but this isn’t unusual,” Will said, and she heard the acceptance and the love and affection in his voice regardless of her sister’s idiosyncrasies. That’s what love was supposed to be like.
“I know. Please assure her I’m fine. There’s really nothing to worry about.”
“You said this is a precaution?”
“Yes. Have KC or Janine run through the procedure with her and anyone else who asks who is concerned. It’s not a big deal. At all.” She tried to stress the last part, hoping they understood it was doubtful she’d develop whatever Ms. Livingston had. They were just being careful by placing her and Vanessa in quarantine.
“If you’re sure you’re all right?” She could hear Will calming her sister even as he asked.
“Promise. The best thing you can do for me right now is take Rachel home, calm her down, and go about your lives. This is routine, I’m fine, and I’ll be home before you know it.” Didn’t she sound perky? Treeny rolled her eyes at herself.
“Okay. You sound okay,” he said, but she heard him be distracted by her sister.
Rachel’s voice came over the line. “Treeny, are you really okay?”
“Rach, honestly, the nurse who is sequestered with me, Vanessa, and I just tried to hook up her mother with the doctor who you talked to—”
“You were matchmaking?” She grinned at the hope in Rachel’s voice.
“Yep, so you still think you need to take care of me?”
“No, you sound like you’re in fine form.”
“I am. Go home, kiss your kids, and make your family something for supper. I’m great,” Treeny said and turned in time to see her patient begin to seizure.
Chapter 31
“What do you mean she’s not here?” Ben asked again.
Rachel wrung her hands and looked teary-eyed, while Will thrust a hand through his hair.
“She’s in quarantine,” Will repeated and Ben stood staring at his cousin, unable to register that thought.
“For what? Why? When?”
“She didn’t say why she was quarantined, just that it was standard procedure. They ran a series of tests on the patient and on Treeny and the nurse with her. She and the nurse were in high spirits, but just as Treeny was telling us she was wonderful, the nurse yelled something about seizures and Treeny told us she loved us and hung up the phone.” Rachel spoke fast and low.
He stared, and then grappling for a chair, slumped into it. “She ...we can’t call her?”
Will shook his head. “She’s not answering her cell phone. And we don’t have the number for where she is.”
Ben ran a hand over his hair, as his heart galloped way too fast. He knew he was young to have a heart attack, and his physical condition might prohibit such a thing, but that organ felt abused at the moment.
“How can being a doctor be so dangerous?”
“She said the likelihood of her actually getting sick isn’t high. Most doctors have excellent immune systems, and she told us not to worry.” Rachel spoke in a defeated sort of way. Her tone didn’t help raise his spirits, for sure.
“This is routine, she said.” Will sounded calm and in control. Ben couldn’t think of anything to say.
He stared at them, nightmarish horrors speeding through his brain like a stealth bomber. She’s going to be okay, some voice blared in his mind, but he wasn’t listening.
“What if she contracts the same thing?”
Rachel moved to his side and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We’ve been through this already, Ben. I had a meltdown, but honestly, she said she’s fine.”
“We have to trust that Treeny knows what she’s doing. She’s a trained medical professional.” Although Will looked a little pale around the edges, he continued to handle the situation. That was pure Will and Ben was never more grateful for his cousin than at this moment.
“I get back from my assignment, eager to see Treeny... I’ve only been gone four days.”
“We know, but this just happened today. First thing this morning, but we’re trying to hold on. She told us over and over she was fine. We have to believe her.”
Ben could tell by the intersecting dried tear paths over Rachel’s cheeks that today had been hard on her. Knowing Rachel like he did, he didn’t doubt she had a meltdown,
which would have added to Treeny’s stress.
But knowing Treeny as he did, she would have known to call Will, which was why Rachel was acting so calmly now. This pair had a relationship that made others strive for what they shared. They really did complete each other.
He couldn’t complete Treeny if he couldn’t even keep her safe. How could she have been exposed to something deadly? Was what she’d been exposed to deadly?
Ben realized he was in near panic mode. SEALs do not panic a little voice reminded him. He had to get out and work off some of this excess energy. The only way for him to do that was to go for a run. He stood abruptly, almost knocking Rachel off the chair arm.
He caught her and said, “I need to go for a run. I’m taking my phone. If she calls, I want you to call me, okay?”
Will and Rachel nodded. He saw their clasped hands whiten around the knuckles. Ben tried to swallow his fear, but it seemed to have ensnared him in its tightest grasp, and he couldn’t shake loose. His heart pounded as bile rose into his throat.
What if he lost Treeny?
Treeny scrubbed the last of the soap off her arms and hands, rinsed, and turned to take a towel. Her head spun, and she sincerely hoped the cause was fatigue and not anything related to whatever kept sending their patient into seizures and muscle spasms like she’d never seen before.
Dr. Youthers had watched and called aid from the next room, but it was all she and Vanessa could do to relieve the woman. Fearful of prescribing medication without a proper diagnosis, she and Dr. Youthers had conferred multiple times.
In the end, they thought it best to leave the woman. A medicine might not help, but could prove disastrous to her condition. So she and Vanessa had watched helplessly as the next seizure wracked their patient’s body.
“We need to give her something,” Vanessa finally said behind her.
“Are the seizures worse?” They stood in an ante room where Treeny had been working on a diagnosis. She turned to look at Vanessa, and was concerned by the haunted look in her nurse’s eyes.
“If we don’t give her something, we’re risking brain damage.”
“Yes. But we could cause far worse damage.” Treeny thought for a little while. “We’ll see if we can alleviate the worst of the symptoms. Is Dr. Youthers still here?”
Vanessa looked out the window into the next room. “He is, as is Dr. Myers, who just got here.”
“Thank goodness,” Treeny said and breathed a little easier. Dr. Myers had been in the business nearly as long as Dr. Youthers, and she also possessed an uncanny ability with seizures.
“Let’s get them on the phone. Has she seen Miss Livingston seize?”
“I’ll ask.”
Vanessa grabbed the phone and punched in the number. Dr. Myers answered on the first ring. “Ladies. You’ve had some scares, I see.” Her voice was kind.
“Yes.” Vanessa pressed the button for speaker phone. “We could use your help.”
Dr. Myer’s voice came over the phone in crisp detail. “Here’s what I think you should try...”
Treeny could have cried. She’d been on duty for nearly eighteen nerve-wracking hours and her brain didn’t seem to want to function any longer. Having help, especially senior help from the likes of the two superior doctors in the next room was a relief untold.
Glancing at their patient, she began hoping they all made it out of here alive.
“Hello?” Rachel’s voice erupted over the phone line and Treeny winced. Her whole head felt like it might explode, such was her headache.
“Rachel, there’s no need to shout.” Treeny rubbed her abused member.
“I didn’t shout.”
“Sorry, we’re tired and cranky here.”
“Is your patient...?”
“She’s fine at the moment. The rest of us are tired, and need some sleep. I have a pounding headache, but before you flip out, it’s just stress,” she said and held her hand out before realizing Rachel couldn’t see her.
“You sound exhausted. There’s someone here who wants to speak with you.” Treeny heard the phone switching hands.
“Treeny?” Ben asked, his voice tight. Ben.
Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked rapidly. She missed him so much. Her world would be so much brighter and bearable if she could just hold him. “Ben?”
“Baby, are you okay? I get home and you’re not here. I never thought that would happen.” He sounded frustrated, and afraid, and worried about her.
“I’m fine. Tired, and cranky, but I think we’ve got this under control. A few of the tests have come back and fortunately those results are reassuring us that this isn’t something we need to worry about contracting.”
“But there is a possibility?”
“Well, yes. We could become sick, but it’s highly unlikely.” The silence on the other end of the line told an interesting story. “This is life, Ben. I could get sick going to the grocery store.”
“I doubt that, but I’ll take your word for it.” His voice was so tight she wondered if he spoke through clenched teeth. That’s what it sounded like.
“Dr. Deveau, the patient is coming around,” Vanessa said and Treeny wanted to tell her nurse to go sleep.
“Thank you, Vanessa, I’ll be right there.” She suppressed the urge to sigh. “Ben, I need to go. Our patient is rallying and we need to run more tests. She’s been through a very difficult night.”
Glancing at the clock, Treeny saw she and Vanessa had been awake for close to twenty-four hours. They both needed sleep.
“I’ll talk to you later, then.”
“Yes. I miss and love you so much.”
“Same here, baby, same here.” His response was laced with emotion, and that made her feel better.
“You guys get some sleep. Stop worrying about me. I’m fine. Or I will be once I can sleep.”
“We’ll do that. Your sister is taking this far better than I would have suspected.”
“That’s because Will is with her. Remove him and she’ll fall apart again. I have to go. Bye, Ben.” Disconnecting the phone was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
Shoving a hand through her limp curls, she wondered if this day or night, or whatever time of day it was, would ever end.
“Treeny, we have suits, so we’ll take over. You go grab some sleep,” Dr. Myers said, speaking from inside the moon suit look-alike she had set aside for later.
“You haven’t slept either.”
Dr. Youthers, similarly suited, added his opinion. “Actually, we’ve both managed five hours. You and Vanessa haven’t had any, so go. We scrounged up some scrubs for you. Shower and sleep, and I think you’ll both feel better.”
“Another thing, there’s also some food we sent through. You better eat,” Dr. Myers added.
“You’re a mother, aren’t you?” Treeny teased.
“Yes, love, I am, now go.”
Neither she nor Vanessa needed any additional convincing.
“I’m ready to collapse,” Vanessa admitted.
“Me, too.” Treeny reached for a sandwich.
“I’ve never had a turkey and cheese sub for breakfast before.” Vanessa bit into the meal with gusto.
“Me either. But right now, I’d eat just about anything,” she admitted. Locating an iced tea she offered one to her nurse, who accepted the drink. She found another and opened it. “I needed that.” Treeny savored the first sip.
“Mmhmm,” Vanessa agreed through the bite of sandwich she took.
“Chips?” Treeny looked over the rest of the offerings.
“No.”
“Mmm, how about chocolate chip cookies?”
Vanessa perked up and she understood. “Yes. Please, all you can spare.”
“Here you go, three for you and three for me.”
“I might just make it after all.” Vanessa set her sandwich aside in favor of the cookie.
“I hear you.” Treeny stared at the wall. “Think you’ll be able to sleep?”
“Yes. But explaining this to the man is what worries me.”
“Yeah. I just got off the phone with mine, who happens to have a far more dangerous job, but I think I’m going to hear about the dangers of my profession anyway.” She realized her conversation with Ben had left her edgy and restless.
“Your man being the hot one who came to see you a month or two ago?”
“A month and a half ago. Yes. That’s him.”
“The Navy SEAL?”
She nodded. “Like his job is less dangerous than mine. We’re trained professionals, so he has no right yelling at me for what I do when he faces horrors I’ll never know.” She shuddered as she thought about those horrors. She didn’t want to know some of the things he faced. Did she? What she’d read in the books from Mitch had caused her hair to rise, not to mention her blood pressure, and they hadn’t gone into major detail.
“Tell him that,” Vanessa advised as she took another sip of her tea. “Are there more of these?” She held up her empty bottle.
Treeny rifled through their stock and located another for Vanessa. She selected another bottle for herself. They were likely both dehydrated. She opened a bottle of water and chugged it before starting on the second bottle of tea. Vanessa nodded and followed suit.
“I will tell him, but I still think he’s going to have lots to say on the subject of me and my job. Men. My life was so less complicated before him.” She gulped down more tea.
“But you love him, and you can’t imagine life without him,” Vanessa said sagely.
Startled, Treeny glanced at her. “How did you know that?”
“I’m in the same boat. Can’t live with him, can’t live without him. Men suck!” She raised her bottle in silent toast.
Treeny drank to that.
Four days later, around eight in the evening, she and Vanessa were finally given the okay to go home. Yet, even as she climbed wearily into her car, she worried. They’d eliminated the brain tumor hypothesis and were now fairly certain their patient suffered from meningitis. Treeny even suspected it was likely from a mosquito bite, of the arbovirus variety, most likely West Nile virus or a similar one. Yet the tests weren’t conclusive. Since the seizures started, she had privately ruled out severe migraines.
