The sound of his not-a-secret phone ringing cuts me off. I glance at the clock on the nightstand. It’s just after midnight.
Preston brings it to his ear. “Let me guess. Becca still isn’t home.”
Instantly, I know it’s the babysitter. Poor girl. Not only is she in nursing school which is hard enough, Becca pretty much expects her to take care of Jameson whenever.
Whenever meaning when Preston’s not around…which he usually is.
“What?” Preston bolts up out of bed with so much force I bolt up with him. “That can’t be right.” He grinds his teeth. “Yes, I know your mom was a nurse and you’re in nursing school. I’m not doubting your ability to take a fucking temperature, but one-hundred and six is crazy. Maybe the thermometer is broken.”
Yikes. That temperature is extreme.
He gets off the bed. “He wasn’t feeling good yesterday, so I had him rest and gave him fluids. He didn’t have a high fever, but I told Becca I was concerned, and she promised to take him to the doctor today. Evidently, that didn’t fucking happen.” Groaning, he scrubs a hand down his face. “Did you give him Tylenol?” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, it should have kicked in by now.”
Oh, man. This definitely isn’t good.
I get out of bed when he walks over to the closet. “Fuck that. I’m not waiting for Becca to get home. Bring him to the hospital. I’ll meet you in fifteen and take over from there, okay?”
Tugging on a pair of jeans, he hangs up and looks at me. “I have to go. Jameson’s really sick.”
“I heard.” Running over to the dresser, I pull out some clothes so I can get changed. “I’ll drive you.”
Chapter 50
Kit
Nothing will rip your heart out like a sick child who’s crying.
Or watching the person you care about most in this world come apart at the seams while he tries to comfort that child.
Preston’s so focused on Jameson he hasn’t even told me to leave yet. Which is good, because I want to be here.
Given it’s the middle of the night, the hospital isn’t crowded. However, they still don’t know what’s wrong with him, so we’re stuck waiting in a room in the ER. Fortunately, it’s private, but that’s the only good thing about it.
Everything else sucks.
“It’s okay,” Preston whispers as he cradles Jameson in his arms. “They’re gonna give you some medicine that will make you feel better.”
Jameson shakes his head. Every tear that falls down his face feels like a twist of a dull knife. “No medicine.”
Shifting on the bed they’re on, Preston kisses the top of his head. “I know, bud. But we gotta get you better.”
Jameson starts wheezing again, so Preston picks up his inhaler and brings it to his mouth. “Deep breath. Good job.”
The nasty cough rattling in his chest makes me wince.
My husband looks at me then and the sheer helplessness in his eyes kills me. “Can you find out what’s taking them so fucking long?”
I jump out of the chair so fast it hits the wall behind it. “Absolutely.”
After sprinting out of the room, I hightail it to the first person in scrubs I see. “I know you’re busy but there’s a very sick kid waiting for you people to do your damn job.”
Her eyes widen. “What’s the patient’s name?”
“Jameson Dragoni. He’s in room five. You have to do something.” My eyes drop down and I notice the letters RN along with her name. “If you don’t, I’ll report you to your supervisor, Amanda.”
Never in a million years did I ever think I’d become a Karen, but when there’s a sick child on the line…nothing else matters.
That gets her attention. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” A spasm of remorse hits me square in the chest. “I’m sorry for being a bitch. It’s just…he’s really not feeling good.”
She shoots me a sympathetic smile. “I get it. I’m a mom, too.”
I open my mouth to tell her I’m not his mother, but then she says, “I’m gonna track down the doctor assigned to him.”
Fuck it. I’ll be whatever it takes to get him seen. “Thanks.”
Preston’s giving Jameson a nebulizer treatment when I come back into the room. “I spoke to a nurse. She’s gonna get the doctor.”
Relief crosses his face. “Finally.”
Peering down at Jameson, I gently run my palm along his head. “Hang in there, baby.”
A few minutes later, a guy wearing a white lab coat breezes inside the room with a nurse in tow. “Hello, I’m Doctor Robbin.”
“Took you long enough,” Preston grumbles. “What’s wrong with him?”
The doctor frowns. “According to the X-ray, it looks like pneumonia.”
“Pneumonia?” Worry fills his face. “He wasn’t even that sick yesterday. How did it get so bad so fast?”
“People who have asthma are not only more susceptible to pneumonia, it tends to hit them quicker and harder. Especially children.”
Preston mutters a curse. “I knew I should have taken him to the doctor myself instead of trusting Be—”
“Preston,” I cut in.
Jameson might be sick, but he’s still alert and actively listening to every word of this conversation.
The doctor clears his throat. “I’d like to take some blood work and start an IV as soon as possible.”
Upon hearing that, Jameson rips the nebulizer mask off and shakes his head. “No!”
“Come on, JP,” Preston urges. “The medicine will make you feel better.”
Jameson isn’t having it, though. The closer the nurse gets to him, the more he kicks and screams. “No medicine!”
“It’s very important we do this, little guy.” The doctor calls another nurse into the room then looks at Preston. “If he won’t cooperate, we’ll have to restrain him.”
Now it isn’t just Jameson freaking out. It’s Preston, too.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” He lurches up. “Restrain him, I fucking dare you. I’ll make you eat your goddamn teeth, asshole.”
I’m right there with him. This poor baby is already going through so much. “Aren’t there a few things we can try first before resorting to that?”
The doctor huffs. “I understand you’re upset, but he needs to be treated.”
The nurses approach, trying their hardest to get him to calm down by making silly faces and giving him a toy.
When that doesn’t work, I jump into the mix and do some robot moves. While that manages to make him smile briefly, he goes ballistic when the nurse takes out a needle. “No medicine!”
The doctor and nurses exchange a sad glance.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor says. “But we’ll need—”
“I’ve got this,” Preston growls. “Everyone back the fuck up and be quiet.”
Then, to everyone’s sheer bewilderment, he whips off his shirt.