“I’m afraid it doesn’t look good for you.” Dr. Ernaut looked apologetically at Dr. Jay. “I’ve spoken to a lawyer and he said you’ve got nothing to worry about on the legal front. It’s just the old-fashioned attitude of some of the board we need to bother about. They don’t think it looks professional for you to be living with a prostitute. We can get around the ménage accusation by simply denying it. There’s no proof that you are both in a relationship with the same girl.”
“But she’s not a prostitute, for fuck’s sake! Who the hell started that rumor?” Farris was furious.
“Apparently Nurse Reis has a couple of witnesses who heard Ademia admit that she is a whore,” Dr Ernaut said with a sigh. “Mrs. Loidi, one of our most prominent businesswomen, narrowly missed a gaol sentence for her part in a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice recently. She has come forward to testify that Ademia told her that she was a prostitute, as were all the girls on Refrainia. That was the reason why Mrs. Loidi stopped the governor from taking on the island. She felt that the girls would have a detrimental effect on Eastland and wanted them left where they are.”
“Fuck!” Farris was really riled now. “Surely anyone would guess that she was only saying it to save the island from a takeover! They can’t possibly believe that shit, can they?”
Dr. Ernaut sighed. “The lawyer suggested getting Ademia here to answer to the allegations herself.”
“No way!” Dr. Jay was adamant.
“We’re not dragging our little lady into this mess!” Farris was fuming at the very thought.
“I thought you’d say that,” Dr. Ernaut admitted. “In that case we’ll just have to rely on the board seeing sense.”
“My private life is no concern of theirs. I don’t work for them or this hospital,” Dr. Jay stated through gritted teeth.
“I know, but it’s best if we can keep them on side. You still need supplies and you never know when you might need the hospital’s help. Let’s just hope we can solve this with common sense.” Dr. Ernaut spoke calmly.
“It’s their word against ours,” Farris pointed out, as he shook his head angrily. “They’ve got no proof that she said it, let alone that it’s true.”
Dr. Ernaut nodded.
“Besides that, we’ve had this argument before when it got in the press. We managed to convince them then that it was a load of hogwash,” Dr. Jay added.
“That cop even had to resign over it.” Farris remembered. “They said he had made a mockery of the government and the police force for believing it. Why should they believe it now?”
“We’ll use all that in our argument,” Dr. Ernaut said, nodding. “With any luck the board will be more concerned about being discredited and will drop the whole thing.”
The atmosphere lightened a little with the advent of hope.
Just then, a middle-aged lady in a gray suit popped her head around the door.
“Oh, Dr. Ernaut, I didn’t realize you were all in here. Weren’t you supposed to be in the hearing?” She sounded very flustered.
“We were, but it was postponed. We’re still waiting to go in. Did you need me for something?”
“Er…well…yes doctor. There was a Super-Skype message from the island a while ago. I would’ve got you but…”
“What is it?” Dr. Jay stood up, frowning.
“Well, someone on the island is ill. Really ill. They wanted a doctor…”
“Is it Ademia? My god, if…”
“Shut up, Farris. Who’s got the details?” Dr. Jay was gathering up his things.
“At the desk…” The woman gestured in the vague direction and the sailors took off.
“I’m Dr. Jasun. What’s the news from Refrainia?”
The girl behind the desk tapped a few keys on her computer. “A young girl has been taken really bad. They think it’s sunstroke. Temperature of 39.9, unconscious, hardly sweating, rapid heartbeat and breathing, hot to the touch and shivering. Dr. Iturbe spoke to a man called Rick. They were going to immerse her in a cool bath. They’ve got no meds or medical staff present. It doesn’t look good. Dr. Iturbe wanted to go over there but we’re rammed here and can’t spare him.”
“Get back to them. The guy’s called Rech, tell him we’re on our way.” Dr. Jay turned to Dr. Ernaut. “I need anything you’ve got to get the fever down, dantrolene if you’ve got it. We haven’t even got paracetamol, never mind para-plus, can you help?”
The white-haired doctor spoke into a machine.
“They’re sending some up now.” He nodded to Dr. Jay. “Are you sure this is…”
“This could be life or death, doctor, isn’t that what we’re here for? Not talking around a table about our personal lives to appease some troublemakers with nothing better to do.”
A man in a white coat brought a couple of boxes of medication to the desk and handed them to the doctor.
“I’ll sign for them,” Dr. Ernaut said, pulling a pen from his top pocket, “You get going, and good luck, my friend.”
Dr. Jay and Farris nodded to the elderly man and rushed off to the harbor.
Chapter 8
“She’s getting worse again,” Melantho muttered as she put another cold cloth on Ademia’s flushed forehead.
Her temperature had risen to 40.3 and she was more listless than ever.
“I thought she might be getting better earlier.” Ligia tried to be optimistic. “When she opened her eyes I thought she was going to be all right.”
Melantho shook her head. “It was only a couple of minutes, though. I’m glad I managed to get some water into her, but she was obviously in a lot of pain.”
“Pity she brought it all back up again,” Aitan said with a sigh. He and Rechavia were wafting large leaves to and fro in an attempt to cool the air around Ademia. The island’s only computer was placed on the other sofa. They kept eyeing it, desperate for some word from the mainland.
Melantho and Ligia were fussing around Ademia, trying to lower her temperature by putting cold cloths on her.
Blandon returned with a large bunch of white flowers. Their strong scent permeated the stale air. He placed them in a jug near the patient.
“That’s so much better than the smell of vomit,” Aitan said with a grin.
“Should we bathe her again?” Ligia suggested.
“She’s had two already,” Rechavia replied. “Let’s leave her to rest a while.”
Rechavia had spoken to a doctor via Super-Skype and had been advised to give Ademia a cool bath. It seemed to lower her temperature a little, but they were concerned that it had been a big effort for her to move. A while later she had been sick, so they had to bathe her again to clean her up. She had been semi-conscious this time, and was evidently in a lot of pain. Moving her seemed to only make her feel worse.
Ademia’s breath was rasping and she seemed a million miles away from them as she lay sleeping. They had placed a towel under her and she was now dressed in one of Farris’s big, white shirts. It had been decided that bikinis were too restrictive and she would be more comfortable in something large and cool. A thin sheet covered her but she kept pushing it off. She had cuts and bruises on her arms and legs where she had fallen, and a large graze on one side of her face.
“It’s getting dark, I hope they get here soon,” Kalliope said as she gazed out the window. “How long ago did they leave?”
“It’s been more than a couple of hours, I’m sure they won’t be long now, pretty maid,” Rechavia assured her as he continued to waft the large leaf.
“At least it’s getting cooler now,” Ligia said.
“Good job, my arms are killing me!” Aitan moaned playfully.
“I’ll kill you if you don’t stop moaning,” Rechavia said with a broad grin.
The guys had looked up sunstroke on the Super-web and were horrified at what they had found out. They didn’t tell the girls that it could be fatal, and that even if it wasn’t, it could cause brain damage or total organ failure. Their poor women had bee
n worried sick the other day when they had heard it could cause blindness. This would only panic them.
“Kally, why don’t you give Mel a break?” Aitan suggested. “She looks exhausted.”
“I’m OK,” Melantho said with a shy smile.
“Kally, help out, will you?”
As soon as Rechavia spoke, Kalliope was behind Melantho, taking the cloth from her. Melantho looked surprised, but went and sat on the sofa next to the computer. Blandon was sat there, staring at the screen, willing something to happen. He looked up and smiled at the young girl. They were as bashful as each other.
“I’ll make some tea,” Melantho offered, standing up. She had been running around with food and drink all day, in between looking after Ademia.
“No, you won’t. You take a break.” Rechavia was being masterful again.
“I’ll make the tea.” Kalliope looked over for approval from her man before going outside to boil the water.
“I think it’s going to rain,” Blandon remarked.
“I hope they get here before it does.” Ligia frowned.
“They’re coming! They’re here!” Kalliope yelled from the doorway. She ran down the path to greet the tired sailors, who were rushing toward her.
“Is she awake?” Dr. Jay wanted to know.
Kalliope shook her head.
“Damn!”
There was a collective sigh of relief as the doctor and Farris entered the house. Dr. Jay was already opening one of the boxes of medication.
“Shit!” The doctor frowned at Ademia, who was gasping for breath and as weak as a kitten. Her flushed face looked even worse with the graze down it, and her curls were sticking to her head. He took her temperature.
“It was 40.3 a while ago,” Melantho piped up as she slowly walked over.
Dr. Jay scowled as he stared at the thermometer but did not disclose the reading. “Get a cold bath ready.”
Grabbing his bag, he prepared his syringes and quickly inserted another cannula before he started administering the drugs.
“I’ll get the tea.” Kalliope couldn’t bear to watch.
It wasn’t long before Ademia was once again lying in the cool tin bath in the middle of the lounge.
“Will she be OK?” Melantho whispered to Farris.
He smiled at her kindly. “We hope so, sweetheart.”
“We’ve been wafting these around like a kind of fan,” Aitan said, holding up a large leaf. “Should we carry on?”
“Have yourselves a break for a while,” Dr. Jay said with a slight smile. “Good idea, though. Looks like it did her some good.”
Ligia gave Aitan a hug and smiled at him proudly.
Melantho brought over some dry towels and another of Farris’s big shirts. She helped the doctor dry and dress Ademia before they lay her back on the sofa. Once she was comfortable again, Dr. Jay took her temperature. He nodded. “It’s coming down.”
There were sighs and hugs all round before they all tucked into tea and griddle scones.
After clearing away the dishes, Melantho busied herself fetching more towels and cloths. She yawned as she placed them on the table.
“I think you all need some sleep,” Dr. Jay said with a smile. “We’ll take good care of her, I promise.”
“Shall we prepare another bath before we go?” Rechavia offered.
“No, I’m hoping she’ll just sleep for a few hours now,” Dr. Jay said as he checked her breathing. “She’s cooler now and her breathing looks to be returning to normal.”
“Well we’ll get off then and leave you in peace.” Rechavia nodded to Kalliope who was sat at his feet. She immediately got up and they all said their good-byes.
“Thanks, all of you, for what you did. You probably saved her life,” Dr. Jay said as he shook Aitan’s hand.
“Yeah, thanks,” Farris said. “I don’t know what we’d do without y’all.”
Blandon whispered to the doctor as they shook hands. “I think you should have a word with Melantho. She feels really bad about the whole thing.”
Dr. Jay nodded with a frown. As usual, Melantho hung back. She was talking to Farris about where to find anything they might need. She looked pale and tired. Her mousy-brown hair was tucked behind her ears and her brown eyes looked large and tired. The strain showed in her pretty face.
“I can stay if you need me to,” Melantho was offering as Dr. Jay closed the door.
“That’s so kind of you, Mel, but you really need some rest. You look tired.” Dr. Jay walked over to her and she blushed, staring at her feet.
“Thank you so much for everything you did. You really looked after her well today, probably saved her life.” Farris spoke softly to the young girl, who promptly burst into tears.
Melantho rushed for the door but Dr. Jay got there first and put his strong arms around her tiny frame. She sobbed into his muscular chest as if her heart would break. The doctor let her cry for a minute before leading her over to the sofa opposite Ademia.
“She’s going to be all right, you know,” the doctor assured her as she lifted her head. Farris offered her a cloth to dry her eyes as she tried to speak. He knelt on the floor beside them.
“It was my fault,” she managed between sobs. “I should have been here sooner. She fell and was lying on the path outside. She must have been there for hours in the sun. I knew she wasn’t well to start with. I should have come straight away.” Melantho burst into tears again and Dr. Jay soothed her. Farris stroked her back, too.
“Listen to me,” Dr. Jay said gently, when she calmed down. He tucked a finger under her chin and tipped her face up to meet his. “Ademia hasn’t been well for a couple of days now. I feel guilty for leaving her this morning, so does Farris. Rechavia feels that it’s his fault because he left her on her own after we’d left. He also thinks he should have told you we were going. You didn’t know she was going to be on her own, so why would you come early? The girls think they should have come earlier when Rechavia told them we’d gone. It’s natural for people to blame themselves when someone’s ill or something goes wrong. But really, it’s no one’s fault. It’s just one of those things. You can’t go ’round blaming yourself for everything. But what you did probably saved her. You got help straight away, you looked after her, and you held the whole thing together. And we’re really grateful to you for that. You’ve been wonderful today, Mel and we can’t thank you enough.”
He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Farris put an arm around her back, and they enjoyed a group hug before the dark-haired sailor walked her home.
Once they were sure that Ademia was comfortable, Dr. Jay and Farris took turns to stay up with her while the other napped on the opposite sofa.
The sun was peeping through the heavy drapes when the computer pinged to alert them of a message.
“Is it the hospital?” Dr. Jay was just waking up.
“Yup, Dr. Ernaut.” Farris, who was watching over Ademia, passed the laptop over.
Dr. Jay took it with a yawn. “Says the hearing ran over last night so they’re continuing today. He’s saying not to worry about coming over, he’s explained to them already why I’m not there. He’ll be in touch later with the outcome. I’m more concerned with the outcome here, to be honest, bro. How is she?”
“She’s looking a lot better to me,” Farris said with a small smile.
Dr. Jay checked her over and smiled. “She is. Her temperature’s coming right down and her skin’s cooler. I think she might need a blanket later.”
“Yes!” Farris pumped the air with his fist. “I knew she could do it. Our girl’s a real fighter!”
“She is. But does she know she’s ‘our girl’ yet?” Dr. Jay wore a salacious grin.
“I think she’s getting the idea.” Farris grinned back.
* * * *
Melantho was the first to arrive. She brought a basket of biscuits and berries, which she quietly placed on the table. She looked like she had had a rough night, and her face was pale with
worry.
Dr. Jay stood up as she came in. He put an arm around her and led her to the sofa to see for herself how much better Ademia looked.
“Thank goodness,” Melantho gasped.
Dr. Jay chuckled. “I told you she was going to be all right, and it’s mostly down to you.” He gave her a quick hug and she blushed.
“I’ll make some tea,” she said with a shy smile, and left.
“Morning, Mel.” Farris had just been for a swim to freshen up, and was walking up the path. His hair looked black as it dripped in tousled waves around his broad shoulders. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, but that was all. Droplets of water drifted down his body, tracing a line through his thick muscles.
Melantho blushed for the second time this morning as she saw the hunk strolling toward her. “Good morning, Farris.”
“She’s going to be all right. Did Jay tell you?”
“Yes,” she smiled, “she looks a lot better. Will she wake up today?”
“We’re certainly hoping so.” Farris gave her a broad smile as he reached the house. She busied herself making the tea, trying not to stare at him.
As Farris dressed, he could hear voices downstairs. It sounded like everyone had come at once to see how their patient was doing. He smiled. Ademia was truly loved by everyone and he could certainly see why.
“We’ll get on out of your way, if you’re sure you don’t need anything?” Rechavia was saying as Farris appeared.
“No, we’re all fine here, thanks,” Dr. Jay told him. “I’m sure she’ll be OK now.”
“Well, we’ll be in the bottom field if you need us,” Aitan said, nodding at Farris.
“Thanks guys.” Farris grinned.
“We brought some griddle scones,” Ligia said, laying the food on the table.
Ménage of the Siren [Sirens and Sailors 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 10