by Gina Watson
He got her some fever reducer and juice, and headed back to the car. Maybe they could stay in town for the day, for however long it took her to overcome this bug. A hotel with room service would be perfect for that.
At the car he opened the passenger door and slid in, lifting her legs to slide beneath her. She winced and grabbed her left lower leg.
“Hey, take this.” He handed her two pills and the juice. While she drank he lifted the material covering her leg. He gasped, drawing air through his teeth. The affected area wasn’t larger than before, but what concerned him was the dark center. He knew staph infection from his days in the military—a nasty case could kill a man. Skin sores started out pink and red, then became dark as the head of the infection burrowed into the nervous system.
She smiled at him. “I think it’s getting better; it’s not as red as it was.”
He took a deep breath and pulled her pant leg down. The wound needed lancing immediately to expel the infection. It was a painful process, and he winced at the thought of her enduring that agony. Given her fever, the sickness was already attacking her systems. It was serious, but he didn’t want to upset her. “We need to get you to the hospital to get checked out.”
She shook her head. “I hate hospitals and needles, so I’m going to pass.” She shook her head, at the same time running her fingers through his hair. “You’re a worrier, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “Not really. I just figured you wouldn’t want a beetle-shaped scar on your shin.”
Her nose crinkled. “Well, maybe it couldn’t hurt to have someone look at it.”
He scooted over to the driver’s side, punched up hospital in the car’s GPS, and drove. Her response to his nonsense told him that she wasn’t thinking straight. After two blocks, Mia reached for the door handle.
“I’m gonna be sick.”
He pulled over and before he could stop the car, she had the door open and hurled.
He put the car in park and ran around to her door. Bystanders gasped as they watched her lose her guts. He pulled her hair back and looped it in the clip she had on the seat. He reached for paper towels in the glove box and wiped her face.
“Mia.” His words were barely a whisper. Her fevered eyes slowly closed.
*
When Mia woke, she was confused . They were seated on black chairs, and a lady at a desk tapped away on a keyboard. She felt a little better and was thankful for that. She could hear Augie’s voice and it comforted her.
“She has a high fever and can’t keep aspirin or juice down. She’s nauseated.”
“Sir, she’s not a citizen of this country, so she will need to apply for the emergency assistance program.”
“I already told you there isn’t time for all of that nonsense.”
“Well then we’ll need payment in full for most of the procedure.”
“Fine. Do it.”
“I’ll have to get a doctor out here to assess her needs. Wait just a moment.”
Augie sat, exhaling long and loud and running his hands through his hair. It was the first time she’d ever sensed vulnerability in him while he was awake. He jumped to his feet when a young man in a white lab coat approached. His nametag read Dr. Williams. They shook hands.
“She’s right here,” Augie said. “Mia, the doctor’s here to look at your leg.”
She sat forward in the chair, and Augie lifted her pant leg. The woman from the computer, now holding a clipboard stood next to Dr. Williams.
“Incision and drainage of the abscess, necrosed tissue excision, staged debridement of the affected area, intravenous penicillin …”
Mia’s mind wandered as the doctor spouted off his list. She watched Augie pace and saw despair overtake his features. What was he worried about? He stopped, looked at her, and then resumed his pacing. Dr. Williams stood and waited while the lady went to her computer.
“Excuse me, Dr. Williams.”
He turned to her and squatted. His kind smile reassured her.
“Yes, Ms. Brown?”
“I just want to make sure you’ll do everything possible to ensure I don’t have a beetle-shaped scar on my leg. You see, it was this horrible beast of a beetle that bit me, and I sure wouldn’t want to have a scar like that on my shin.”
Augie took the chair next to her and reached for her hand. He squeezed it tight and carried it to his lips. The doctor smiled.
“We have lasers that can make you look as good as new, some say better. Don’t worry, we’ll hook you up.”
“Sir.” The woman called Augie to the computer and handed him a form. He nodded and brought it to Mia.
“Mia, you must sign this paper so I’m allowed to pay for the treatment.”
“What?” Her head shook. “I don’t want you to pay for it.”
“Mia, please, it’s the only way.”
“No, Augie, I won’t have you burdened with my medical debt.” She tried to push the clipboard back into his hands, but he wouldn’t take it.
He sat next to her. His face was drawn and his brow knotted. The desperation in his voice crackled the air when he said, “Don’t argue. Debt and cost don’t matter right now. The only thing that matters is getting you well.” His breathing was ragged. “Please, Mia, you could die without treatment.”
Of course he was exaggerating to get his way. That was a new one. And pretty low, saying she could die.
“Please,” he said, “we help each other. That’s what we do. You helped me, so let me tend to you. Just sign the damned thing. It’ll all work out.”
She would have granted him anything. She scrawled her signature across the page.
He passed the clipboard, along with his credit card, to the woman and reclaimed his seat beside Mia. He grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to her skin.
“Sir.”
The woman waved his credit card in the air and he crossed to her. Mia heard them mumbling and then Augie’s voice rose.
“Please, I can get the money. Just start the damn treatment.”
“I’m sorry, sir, it must be paid in full.”
“You can’t be serious. She could die sitting in that chair.”
“She’s not considered a medical emergency.”
“Are you fucking kidding me.”
“Sir, would you like to call someone?”
Augie was loud and erratic. He threw his hands in the air. “No, I don’t want to call anyone. I want you to start the fucking treatment.” He pushed at her desk, and she stood.
“Sir, you need to settle down.”
His erratic movements stopped. His hands in the air, he murmured, “You’re right. I’m sorry, what can be done here?”
“The balance is fifty two thousand dollars.”
Augie’s hollow laugh filled the room. “On second thought, I would like to use that phone. Can you accept wire transfer, multiple credit cards? How shall we do this?”
“None of that. I can refer you to a bank.”
“That’s going to take too long. She’s septic.” The woman pushed a business card at him, but he brushed her hand out of the way. “Please, I’m begging you, start the goddam treatment, and I’ll go to work on the money.”
“We can’t do that.”
Mia was having trouble following and understanding what exactly was happening, but one thing was certain: Augie was more frantic than she’d ever seen him and it scared her. He begged and pleaded, but he couldn’t accomplish his needs. His fists clenched at his sides and his shoulders slumped. He was hopeless.
*
He had the money. Hell, he had ten times that and with his family’s money, they could buy half the hospital. But none of that mattered. He needed quickest access. Cashier’s check. Bank.
When he tried to grab the business card off her desk, several items fell to the floor. “Come on, Mia.” He helped her up and they hustled out of the ER.
What was he going to do? Augie wished she could just use his insurance.
She vomited on the sid
ewalk again before they got to the car, and he held her. God, she was getting worse. It would take at least an hour, maybe more, at the bank, and then they would have to get back to the ER. He guessed he would take his chances at the bank. What choice did he have? Her life hung in the balance, and he felt completely out of control. He couldn’t even think straight, and hoped he was making lucid decisions. He fastened her into the car. The hair around her face was damp, and her temperature alarmed him. She was burning up. He couldn’t believe the triage nurse wouldn’t deem her a medical emergency.
“Mia?”
She smiled drunkenly and closed her eyes.
He started the car, punched up the bank’s address on the GPS, and turned to drive away from the downtown area. At the corner he saw a happy couple dressed in wedding attire emerge from an ornate building. Registrar of Marriage. He whipped the car around and parallel parked in front of the building. He opened Mia’s door and cradled her head in his hands, shaking her lightly to wake her.
“Mia, listen to me. Are you awake?”
“Mm hmm.”
“We’re going to get married.”
Her eyes flew open. “Married!”
“Yes, married. My medical insurance will cover you instantly if you become my wife. Don’t argue—we don’t have much time.”
She used his strength and the rest of hers to step from the car. “For the record, I was about to say yes.”
“Shh, save your strength.”
They walked in the building, and Augie spoke to the registrar. Evidently a marriage in Missouri amounted to filling out a piece of paper and providing any one form of identification. Mia presented her Canadian identification and Augie gave his driver’s license. They were married in less than ten minutes.
The officiant’s words rang in his ear: “By the power vested in me by the state of Missouri, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Augie leaned over and touched his lips to Mia’s. He heard a giggle well up from within her. In other circumstances that would have been comical, but her condition made it anything but.
“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Roy.”
He signed his name to a form and passed Mia the pen.
She peered at the paper. “It says Michael Roy. I want it to say Michaela Roy.”
“Baby, it has to be your legal name. We need everything to be on the level so when I call my insurance company, you can be added immediately. Please, no more questions. Just sign it.”
With a groan and a pout, she signed Michael Roy.
Augie grabbed the license. “Thank you.”
He led Mia out the door, loaded her in the car and drove the two blocks to the ER. Leaving the car double parked, he scooped her into his arms and ran into the building, arms and legs shaking all the way.
Chapter 18
Machines beeped, light seeped from under a door, and mechanical sounds hissed. Augie had watched her sleep for ten hours. When would she wake up? They’d admitted her when she passed out in the emergency room. Dr. Williams said the dehydration coupled with her infection had caused her body to shut down. No fucking shit. It was what he’d been trying to tell everyone. Since he didn’t have a medical degree, no one listened.
Augie rubbed at the ache behind his eyes.
Why hadn’t she told him about her leg? It must have been painful, yet she never let on. God, he’d been so scared. Were her vital organs shutting down? Dr. Williams assured him that was not the case. He hadn’t been much of a prayer before, but he prayed to all the gods now. Her fingers fluttered and her eyes rolled beneath her lids. She moved to sit up and disturbed papers on the foot of the bed that then rolled to the floor.
“Easy.” He jumped up from his chair in the corner of the room and went to her side. He picked up the stuff from the floor and dumped it back on the bed. “How do you feel?”
She opened her mouth and moved her lips, but her voice was gone. She held her hand to her throat. He pressed a button on the side of the bed and said, “We’ll get someone in here to help in just a minute.”
She looked groggy with her half-shut eyes and sluggish, imprecise movements. She examined the room, focusing on the machines and their strange noises, her forehead creased.
A short nurse with blond hair and large blue glasses breezed into the room. “Good evening, Mrs. Roy.” The nurse’s high-pitched voiced was loud.
At her salutation, Mia shifted her attention to Augie. She mouthed the word Roy, but her voice still wasn’t working.
When he grinned at her, she gasped and her hands instinctively moved to cup her mouth. Next to her, Augie winked. “Careful,” he said, gently pulling the hand with the IV down. It was her left hand and there was a new dainty ring on it, a ring he’d found at a pawnshop around the corner.
“How are we feeling today?” The nurse was next to Mia, shining a light in her eyes and forcing her to halt her excited inspection of the ring. Mia held her hand to her throat. “Thirsty?” the nurse asked. Mia nodded, and the nurse scooped up the pitcher from the bedside table and was gone.
Placing her ring-clad palm in her right hand, Mia brought it up close to her face for inspection. A myriad of emotions rolled across her face. Augie read shyness at first, then a pink blush that said embarrassment, and then a delighted smile that declared her joy. She bit into the soft flesh of her bottom lip and her eyes sought his. When they met, her blush deepened and her eyes turned dark amethyst.
Damn, what was going through her mind? Did she remember why they’d had to marry? God, she was like a schoolgirl with a new puppy. He’d only intended to provide her with the medical treatment that she needed to survive—that didn’t include the provision that they’d be a legit married couple. But she kept eyeing him with those deep purple eyes and that shy smile that drove him wild, her blush creeping all the way down her chest. Christ, what was she thinking? Seeing her expression, he could guess. Fuckety fuck.
The ring he’d found was delicate and made of rose gold with a soft pink center stone that was square cut but was turned in the setting to resemble a diamond. Actual diamonds girdled the stone. Dainty scallops shaped the band, with diamonds following it around. He’d just happened into the shop, saw the ring, and immediately thought it was perfect and just big enough for her slim frame. He hadn’t expected her to react in such a way. He just thought it would be fun for her to have.
The nurse was back with ice water, and Augie poured a cup while she took Mia’s vitals.
“Ninety-eight point six.” She moved around and slid a blood pressure cuff up Mia’s arm and inflated it. “One twenty over eighty. Good as new. Doctor will be in to see you shortly.”
The little nurse was efficient; no movements were accessory, all were deliberate.
“Here’s your breakfast tray. I want to come back to an empty one.” She winked at Mia.
He removed the lid from the tray and frowned; the food looked bland. No seasoning on the eggs and pasty gray oatmeal. He wouldn’t eat it, but he hoped she would. She liked veggies, so how much worse could this be? He passed her the oatmeal and a spoon.
She smiled softly. “Thanks. I’m starving.” The words were a whisper, but he understood. She scooped a spoonful of oats into her mouth and frowned, just as he had. “Eww. Not good.” She set down the brown plastic bowl and pushed the food away.
“What do you want?”
Smiling, she said, “Nothing. I’m good.”
He picked up her hand, squeezed it. “If you could have anything to eat, what would it be?”
“Hmm … Belgian waffle, over-easy eggs, bacon, crispy golden hash browns, tons of syrup.” Her eyes closed, and she licked her lips.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?”
He waved to her from the door. “I’ll be back soon.”
There was a Waffle Hut across the street from the hospital but really, once he knew she was going to be okay, he needed a break from … everything. Even though he’d taken control of the situation w
ith her medical needs, the mess was out of control yet again. The way she’d looked at him and smiled when she’d seen the ring … She practically glowed when she’d been called Mrs. Roy. Hadn’t she understood why they’d gotten married? He’d made it clear, at the car. And she’d said yes.
No … Not exactly. She’d said for the record, I was about to say yes. As in, you asked me to marry you, and I said yes. But he hadn’t asked her. He’d said, We’re going to get married … my medical insurance will cover you instantly if you become my wife. Had she misunderstood? What could he say now? Whatever it was, it needed to be said now, before it got any more out of hand. He shook his head. Why’d he buy her that damn ring?
He sauntered into the restaurant and up to the cashier and ordered Mia’s request to go, times two. Going over the possible things he could say to her, he recognized that they all sounded hurtful. His concern was that she’d take something the wrong way. He didn’t want to hurt her. God, after observing the interaction between her and her mother, he knew to tread lightly. She’d endured enough crap. He scratched the back of his head. This whole mess was a giant cluster fuck.
Returning with the food, he was surprised at how nervous he was. Hell, he’d conducted raids in downtown Kabul that had him less agitated than he was now. With every step he took perspiration, beaded on his upper lip. Self-fulfilling prophecies could make or break a soldier in the field and so he’d apply the same rules here. He pictured himself successfully turning this situation around. Pumped, he was ready to face her. He barged into the room.
“Mia, we need to—”
Damn, she wasn’t in the bed. And he’d been so prepared.
He rolled the table over to the bed and set up the breakfast.
“Augie!” In a flash she bounded from the bathroom to the bed. On her knees, her arms laced around his neck until she was weightless and hanging from him. She kissed his lips. “I missed you.” She checked out the breakfast spread and giggled when her stomach growled. “Mmm, you’re the absolute best most wonderful husband in the world. When we get out of here, I’m going to show just how wonderful you are.” She grinned, winked, and then popped a piece of dry waffle in her mouth.