“Here’s some juice.” He handed her a cup. “I’m going to look in the bathroom for a thermometer and take your temperature.”
She nodded listlessly.
He opened the medicine cabinet and searched through it, then drawers and cupboard. Nothing. He hustled to the other bathroom to hunt and again came up empty.
“Does your mom have a thermometer?” he asked Zyana, who was now lying on her pillow.
“Yes. The ear machine.”
“What?” He frowned. “Okay, hold on.” He marched back to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet again. He grabbed a device and eyed it warily. Was this it? Fuck, he’d been thinking of a little plastic thing he’d stick under her tongue. Pretty sure that was what his mom had used. He was clueless. Hopefully he could figure it out.
“You stick it in my ear,” Zyana told him helpfully, but lethargically.
He bit his lip as he studied the apparatus, then cautiously placed the tip in her ear and pressed the button. It took only seconds for the display to show a hundred and one.
That was high…Normal temperature was ninety-eight point six. Fuck.
And what the hell was he supposed to do about a fever? Fluids?
More googling ensued.
Call your pediatrician if temperature is over a hundred.
Christ. He had no idea who Zyana’s doctor was. Should he call Jodie? He didn’t want to freak her out. She was far away.
He eyed Zyana again. His insides cramped up with nerves.
He read another search result that said not to panic about a fever. The vast majority of time, a fever is nothing serious.
Okay. Good. No panicking. He wouldn’t panic. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.
He read on. If your child is older than six months, you can safely wait to contact your doctor until her temperature rises to 103, unless she has two or more of these symptoms: a cough, a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, and diarrhea.
He frowned. Pretty sure she didn’t have diarrhea. She wasn’t coughing. “Does your throat hurt, sweet stuff?”
She shook her head.
No runny nose. “Does your body ache?”
“No.”
“Your head?”
“A little.”
Definitely fatigue.
Apparently these were signs of influenza, which had been prevalent this year. Didn’t seem like she had the flu.
He skimmed through the article. Children’s Advil…Jodie probably had that somewhere. Never give aspirin to a child under sixteen—it can cause Reye’s syndrome, a potentially fatal liver condition.
Jesus Christ.
At least he knew the difference between aspirin and Advil. And knowing Jodie, if it was that dangerous, she probably didn’t even have aspirin in the house.
Back in the bathroom, he located the little bottle of Advil and peered at it for dosage information—one chewable tablet.
He hated this. Not only was he worried about Zyana, he hated being so clueless about what was wrong or what to do.
He should definitely talk to Jodie before giving Zyana medication. He dug out his cellphone and made the call.
“Hey!” Jodie answered after a couple of rings. He could hear noise in the background. She must be still out for dinner with clients. “How are things?”
“Good. Well, Zyana’s not feeling well.” He gritted his teeth at having to tell her that.
“Oh no! Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s okay. Just a little fever. Okay if I give her some Advil?”
“Yes, definitely. The Children’s Advil.”
“Yeah. I found it.” He assured her that Zyana had no other worrisome symptoms and put Zyana on the phone to reassure her even more before they ended the call.
Zyana took the pill, chewed and swallowed, and drank a bit more juice.
“Do you want a cool cloth for your forehead?” Maybe that would help.
“Okay.”
He sat with her for a while, reading her stories while the cloth cooled her off. She dozed off during the third story.
He set the book aside and gently felt her forehead again. Better? Yeah…her fever seemed lower.
He’d assess things in the morning. Hopefully she’d be feeling better. Maybe it was just a cold or something.
Reluctantly, he left her room. He headed downstairs and turned on the TV, which he watched for a few hours until it was time for bed. He checked on Zyana, again feeling her forehead. Seemed like the Advil was helping.
In Jodie’s bedroom, he changed into the pajama pants he wore when sleeping at Jodie’s place. He found himself unable to shut off his thoughts though, worry and doubts circling. Finally he dozed off.
* * *
—
“Mommy.”
Nick dragged himself out of sleep and blinked into the darkness, disoriented and confused. Where the hell was he?
“Mommy.” The tearful voice became more insistent, and someone tugged at the bedcovers.
Zyana.
He bolted upright. “Mommy’s not here, sweet stuff. But I am. What’s wrong?”
“My ear hurts.”
His heart lurched. “Okay. C’mere.” He reached for her and lifted her onto his lap gently. “Which ear?”
“Dis one.” She raised her hand to her left ear.
He clicked on the lamp. Her face was tear-streaked and flushed. He touched her forehead again. Hot.
Shit.
“Okay, let’s get you more medicine. That should help.”
He carried her with him to the bathroom to retrieve the Advil, then returned her to bed. “I’ll get you some cold juice. Be right back.”
No need to panic. No need to panic.
He got the tablet into her, along with more juice and another cool cloth, which he used to wipe away her tears, then folded it and laid it on her forehead. She lay back on her pillow and gazed up at him with big eyes. “I want Mommy.”
“I know, sweet stuff.” He touched her hair. “She’ll be home tomorrow. Er, today.”
He considered calling Jodie again, but a glance at the clock told him it was three in the morning in New York. He’d wake her up and scare the hell out of her, when she couldn’t do anything or get here any faster.
Fuck, he wanted Jodie there too, because he was freaking out. But he couldn’t let Zyana know that. He had to be calm and show her he could take care of her.
But could he?
He sucked in a breath and let it out.
“I’ll stay with you,” he said, shifting on the bed. He leaned against the wall and set his hand on her leg. “I’m here.”
She gave a little nod, eyes still huge.
Jesus. Having someone this dependent on you was fucking terrifying.
How the hell did Jodie do it, especially all on her own? She was incredible. So strong.
Zyana’s eyes drooped, and she rolled onto her side. He gently rubbed her back, and once again they both dozed off.
He woke up with cramped muscles, curled on his side at the foot of the bed. He jerked his head up. Zyana was there, still asleep, still pink-cheeked. He moved and gently touched her forehead.
Burning hot.
He closed his eyes briefly. The sun was up so it was morning. He’d have to figure out where to take her. Doctor? Urgent care clinic? Hospital?
On his phone, he googled again and found an urgent care clinic not far away. While he was doing that, Zyana woke up and started crying.
“Ow ow ow,” she sobbed, holding her ear.
He lifted her up, and to his horror, saw a stain on the pillow where her head had been. His heart stopped and then galloped unevenly. Moving her hand, he peered at her ear and saw yellow and red mucous. “Jesus Christ!” he shouted, his s
tomach lurching.
Zyana cried harder.
Shit, shit, shit. “Sorry,” he muttered. “So sorry. Aw, sweet stuff, what’s wrong? What’s wrong with your ear?”
She didn’t answer, just kept crying. His heart was breaking now, his chest wrenched with agony.
Never mind getting her dressed. Her pj’s were fine. He was a different story.
He dashed into Jodie’s bedroom, where he dressed as if the house was on fire, then grabbed his phone and keys to carry Zyana out, stopping only for her jacket. Wait, her feet were bare. That was no good.
He ran upstairs and found a tiny pair of socks, returned to push her feet into them along with a pair of shoes, then picked her up again. “I’m sorry, sweet stuff,” he said, just about ready to cry himself.
What had happened to her? This was so, so bad.
Chapter 23
Jodie’d gotten up at an ungodly hour to catch an early flight back to Chicago. After a busy day of meetings, including some tense negotiations with a potential client, they’d had dinner with another client. Then she and Kendra had taken the opportunity to get together with old friends for drinks, which had gone late into the night. It had been a successful but exhausting day, and she’d slept the whole flight back.
With only her carry-on, she bypassed the baggage claim and headed out to take the train home. Once seated, she pulled out her phone to text Nick and see where they were. He’d mentioned not taking Zyana to daycare today. If she was feeling a bit under the weather it would probably be good to stay home.
She gazed out the window at the traffic they were passing by on the interstate, waiting for a reply to her text. It was taking a while, but no big deal. She wouldn’t be home right away anyway. She checked some emails and replied to them, perused Facebook and Instagram, nodding in approval when she saw their new ad in her feed. Fiona had done a good job—subtle and tasteful, and it was getting lots of engagement.
She got home with still no response to her text. Well, maybe Nick and Zyana were just hanging out at home. Or maybe Nick had taken her to daycare, and he was at a practice or meeting and couldn’t use his phone.
The coach house was empty. Zyana must have been feeling well enough to go to daycare, and Nick must have gone to the arena. He’d answer her when he could.
She unpacked her small bag, wondering about going into the office for a while. Despite the progress she’d made on the lube, there was much to do, not only on that project but on the new vibrator they were designing, plus the to-do list that had arisen from their meetings yesterday. She’d just grab something to eat first.
She was toasting a bagel when the door opened. Her head swiveled around to see Nick step in, carrying Zyana.
She frowned. Was Zee wearing pajamas? Her gaze slid to Zyana’s face, flushed and glassy eyed. “Oh my God.” She rushed over to them, her heart hammering. “What’s wrong?”
Now she stared at Nick. He almost looked as bad as Zyana, his face drawn and tense. “She has an ear infection.”
Jodie slumped in dismay, dropping her head. “Oh no. Not again.”
“This has happened before?”
“Yeah.” She looked up at Nick. “She’s super prone to them, had them all her life.”
“Shit,” he muttered.
“Did you take her to the doctor? Is that where you were?”
“Yeah. Then we stopped and got the prescription filled.”
“Antibiotics.”
“Yeah.”
“You okay, sweet pea? Come here.” She took her daughter from Nick, pulling her close against her.
Zyana wrapped her arms around her neck. “I missed you, Mommy. I don’t feel good.”
“I know, sweetie. I know.” She rubbed her back through her jacket. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. Let’s get you settled on the couch.”
She hurried over and sat, removing Zyana’s shoes and jacket. Nick shoved his hands into his pockets, his shoulders hunched as he hovered nearby.
“There you go.” She propped a cushion under Zee’s head and tucked the soft throw around her. “Want a Popsicle?”
Zyana nodded.
Jodie stood. “Are you okay?” she asked Nick as she walked toward him. He looked terrible.
“Uh…” He shook his head. “I have to tell you something.”
“Okay.” She went on her toes and kissed him, then whispered, “I missed you.”
He sighed. “You’re going to hate me.”
She continued to the kitchen and opened the freezer. “Why?”
He followed her and spoke in a low voice. “I didn’t know she had an ear infection.”
She grabbed a Popsicle she kept stashed away. “You knew she was sick.” She pushed the freezer drawer shut. “You took her to the doctor.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his eyes, which were red. “But I was too late.”
“What?” She frowned. “Hang on.” She hurried over to Zyana, unwrapping the frozen treat. “Here, sit up a bit, sweetie.” She got her arranged and gave her the Popsicle, then returned to Nick. “Okay, what do you mean you were too late?”
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, lines of strain around his eyes and mouth. “She wasn’t feeling well yesterday, but I took her to daycare anyway.”
“Did they call you?”
“No. But when I picked her up they said she was really tired and hopefully wasn’t coming down with something.”
“Okay. She couldn’t have been that sick then, or they would have called you sooner.”
She studied his face. He was really upset about this.
He swallowed. “After I gave her the Children’s Advil, she seemed better. Not as hot. She went to sleep.”
She nodded, watching him.
“She woke up in the middle of the night complaining that her ear hurt. I gave her more Advil. I thought that would help again. But this morning…” His jaw tightened. “There was…stuff coming out of her ear. Blood.”
Jodie gasped, her hand flying to her throat.
“I took her to the doctor right away. Sorry, I didn’t know if you had a pediatrician here in Chicago—I just took her to the closest urgent care clinic.”
“That’s okay.” Her eyes were wide, listening.
“They told me her eardrum ruptured.”
“Oh no!” Her hand went to her mouth, her gaze flew over to Zyana. “Oh my God!”
“I know, I know. They said she’s okay.” He was trying for reassuring, but clearly he was disturbed. “They said it should heal up, and it shouldn’t affect her hearing.”
“Oh.” Now both hands covered her mouth. “Oh, my poor baby.”
“I’m sorry, Jodie.” He looked away, shoving a hand into his hair. “So sorry.”
She rushed over to Zyana. “Let me see your ears, sweetie.” She turned Zyana’s head and peered at them both. They looked okay, but an ear infection was in the middle ear, as she’d learned. “Do your ears hurt?”
“Just dis one.” Zyana lifted a lethargic hand to her left ear.
“Oh. My baby.” She smoothed her curls back from her face. “You’ll be okay though, now you have medicine.”
“Here’s the medication.” Nick pulled a small bag from his jacket pocket. “She should have some right now.”
“Right.” She stood and hurried back to the kitchen to open the bag. “I always give her the first two doses close together to try to zap the bacteria. She must have been in so much pain.”
“Fuck,” he muttered again. “I’m sorry. So sorry.” He shook his head. “I should go.”
“Oh.” She was focused on measuring the dose of the liquid medication. “Okay. Just hang on, I’ll give her this and—”
But he was already out the door.
She stared at the door, frowning. Apparently he wasn’t good with sickness
. She shook her head. She had to give Zee her antibiotics and make sure she was okay.
“Here you go.” She got the medication into her daughter, then let her continue sucking on her Popsicle. She tucked a kitchen towel around her in case of drips. “Do you want to watch TV?”
Zyana nodded.
Jodie found one of her favorite kids’ shows, ran upstairs, and got the thermometer, checked her temp—still a little high at 99.9. She’d give her more Advil, only she didn’t know when Nick had last given her some. Shit.
She texted Nick to ask him. He answered quickly. Sorry should have told you. She had some at 8:00.
Okay, it was too soon for more. Thanks.
She returned to Zyana with a cloth soaked in cool water, and gently wiped her face. She was done with the Popsicle, so she also wiped her sticky fingers, then got a clean cloth to lay on her head.
“Doing okay, sweetie?” She stroked Zee’s hair.
“No. I am sick.”
“I know.” Her lips quirked. “You’ll feel better soon, now you’ve had the medicine.”
“I hope so.”
She rolled her lips in on a smile. Her daughter was a tough cookie. “Does your ear still hurt?”
“Yes.” Zee touched her ear and pouted. “A lot.”
“I’m sorry. Those mean bacteria are making you feel bad. The medicine will kill them.”
“I want them to die.”
Jodie nodded, still trying not to smile. “Yes.”
“I need some woot beew.”
Jodie’s eyes widened. “Root beer?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “It will make me feel better.”
Jodie pressed her fingers to her mouth, trying not to laugh. “We don’t have root beer, sweetie, sorry. You could have some juice.”
“All right.” The grudging acceptance had Jodie pursing her lips. Milking it? She wouldn’t put it past her smart little girl.
The smart little girl was asleep not long after that.
Jodie sat near her, watching her sleep, her heart full of love for her precious girl. She hated it when Zyana was sick. She wanted to take all her pain away, and felt helpless to do so.
So much for going in to the office. But that didn’t matter. Her baby was more important. And anyway, she could do some work here at home.
Big Stick Page 23