“Nurse,” he yelled down the hall while holding her in his arms. He sat in a chair holding her close as one of the nurses came rushing in. “Draw her blood for a STAT hemoglobin and type and crossmatch. She’s going to need a transfusion.”
“I brought the tray. There’s already an order for the blood work, but it wasn’t STAT.”
She drew the blood and left the room. If she’d thought it strange to see a doctor holding a patient in his arms, she never commented or looked surprised.
“What is it with this hospital? That nurse didn’t even tell you to lay me down on the stretcher. Set me on the bed. I’ll be fine after I finish my drink and eat the cookies.”
“No, you won’t.” He continued to hold her. “You need someone to look after you.”
“I most certainly do not and especially not you.”
“You’re wrong. My friend Dr. Rexford and I are just what you need.”
“You are crazy. I met your Dr. Rexford, and I’m not interested in either one of you or both of you. Put me back on the stretcher.” She crossed her fingers when she lied. Her pulse was pounding being held in his arms. She was having the same reaction to him she’d had to his friend. But she had no time for men in her life.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re bossy?”
“A number of times. I don’t plan to change.”
His smile curved his sensuous lips and his light-aqua eyes had darkened to more of an emerald color. “Time will tell.”
“Oh, you are an impossible man. Hand me my cookies.”
“Please.”
“Go to hell.”
Laughing, he reached across for her soda and cookies. “Maybe these will sweeten you up.”
“Please put me down and go check on Averil.”
“If you promise to stay right here.”
“I promise.”
She watched him go out. Of all times for her to get weak. Averil needed her, and she was stuck in another room. Kira quickly drank her soda and ate the cookies.
“She’s hanging on,” Hakan said on reentering the room. “Nanna, Mother Aileen, and our Priestess are still working on her. Occasionally, her eyes open partially.”
“I have to go to her.” Kira carefully slid off the stretcher and held on as her dizziness subsided. She glanced up at Hakan. A half smile curved his tempting lips. She hated to ask for help. “May I lean on your arm to walk to her room?”
“Of course.” He took her arm and they slowly made their way down the hall to her sister’s exam room.
Cody and Payton were at her bedside along with the others. When Kira got through the crowd and saw Averil, her hopes were dashed. Averil was still pale. She looked thin under the white sheet covering her. Her breath barely moved her chest.
Mother Aileen came to her side. “We’ve used most of our armory of prayer, special incantations, and teas. Our only success is she’s still hanging on. I have one more spell I’d like to try with my son, Garth, helping me. We’d need to have the room cleared except for Garth and me. Will you allow us to try?”
“Will it cause her pain?”
“No, of course not. It’s an ancient secret incantation of my people. Garth used it on Rae and saved her life.”
“We don’t know how long it will be before my blood is ready. So, yes. I’m willing to try most anything.” Kira looked across at Cody and Payton. “What do you two think about this?”
“We don’t want to lose her either. I don’t see how it can hurt,” Payton answered and Cody nodded, agreeing.
“Mother Aileen, go ahead and call Garth. Meanwhile, I’m going to go out and explain to my parents what’s happening and get their permission, too. They also should be in here with her when you’re finished.”
Kira took Hakan’s arm, leaning on it and walking slowly.
I do
need
a transfusion when this is all over.
Her parents rose when they walked in. Mom ran and hugged her.
“You look awful. Is it bad news?”
“She’s hanging on.” Kira explained what Mother Aileen wanted to do. “Is that all right?”
“Yes,” they both said.
“When it’s done, I want you two in the room with the rest of us. She needs to feel all our love.”
“I agree. We waited out here so as not to get in the way while they worked on her,” her dad explained.
“There’s Garth. I’ll go tell the others to come out here while they work on her. And I’m going upstairs to check with Ellen and see what’s happening with my blood.”
“Stay here. I’ll go for you,” Hakan said. “You’re exhausted.”
“Wait, I’ll call Ellen, but you can get the others out of Averil’s room.” Kira hated to admit he was right about her fatigue, but she did sit down by her mother. They held hands as the others came into the room to join them.
Kira dialed Ellen’s number. “Hi, what’s happening?”
“The antibodies are gradually developing, but it’s taking much longer than with the blood in you.”
“I’m dizzy. I need a transfusion. Mother and I are the same blood type. I’m bringing her up. You can transfuse her blood to me. Then you can give me my own blood back that has the antibodies developing in it. The numbers will increase faster that way.”
“I can’t endanger your life.”
“I’m taking an acceptable risk. If I can help it, my sister is not going to die at twenty-seven. It takes a lot to kill me. I’m coming to the lab.” She clicked off her phone.
Hakan gripped her hand tight. “You can’t do this. You’ll both die.”
“Trust me, I won’t.”
“As a doctor, I can’t allow you to do this. I’m calling Mitch.”
“In this instance, I’m in charge.” She took her mother’s hand and started toward the elevator.
Mrs. Bevyns looked back over her shoulder. “My daughter is right. This is the last resort.”
“But you might lose them both,” Hakan protested. He followed them out of the room. Cody and Payton followed, too.
“Can’t one of us do this for her?” Cody asked. “Check our blood to see if one of us is a match.”
Kira touched his arm. “You will make her fine husbands. We have a rare blood type. It’s best she get my blood. There are a few blood types that we can receive in an emergency. We’ll have Ellen pull up your files and check.” She nodded to Hakan, Cody, and Payton. “I might be able to use one of you for my transfusions after Ellen takes the pint with the increased antibodies to Averil.”
They all got on the elevator and started up to the floor the lab was on. “I know one more person to be checked, my best friend, Dr. Rexford. We have different blood types, and he’s been told his white blood cells are a bit larger. His ability to recover from any illness is even better than ours,” Hakan said.
“Call him. If I can, I’ll use his blood for my transfusion instead of my mother’s. Then maybe the antibodies will be stronger and help fight whatever’s in the poison.” She looked up at Hakan. “Do you think this poison is attacking like a virus, too?”
“I studied Averil’s reports, and I’d say yes, only many times stronger. To be honest, I’m not sure she can hang on much longer.”
The elevator door opened and Kira strode out and down the hall with the others hurrying to catch up to her. “We don’t have any time to waste.” She turned in to a door with Ellen’s nameplate on it. Ellen turned from her work to greet them.
“My, we have a large group.”
Kira explained what they’d discussed on the elevator. “Can you check Dr. Rexford’s blood type first?”
“Sure.” She led them into a large room where there were several beds. “Payton, find some chairs from the other rooms. This is the room where we treat outpatients. Kira, lie down on the bed with the IV hanging beside it. I’ll start the IV and then give you a transfusion first from your mother or Dr. Rexford. You need to be as strong as possible before your body gets hit with the blood we’ve been working on. I’ll pull up records and see the blood types for everyone. You should all be in the files.”
Cody had gone with Payton and they returned with two chairs each. With the chairs already in the room, that was enough.
Kira put out her arm, and Ellen got to work. She’d just started the intravenous saline solution when Dr. Rexford came striding in. He was a commanding presence, even in the way he walked.
“What’s going on in here?” he asked in a stern tone.
Ellen calmly told him their plan. He glanced at Kira as Ellen explained the dangers. Then he strode to her bedside.
“You’re willing to take such a risk for your sister?”
“Absolutely.”
“I don’t like it. You might die.”
“Whether you like it or not, I’m going ahead. Will you help me and my sister, Averil?”
“You can have a transfusion of my blood if it’s compatible. Is it, Ellen?”
Ellen checked her computer. “Yes, thank goodness it’s compatible enough.”
“Good, our chemical makeup allows us to have up to an extra pint of blood for a short time. After the antibodies develop sufficiently, you can donate a pint of blood to Averil, and you should be all right. If the poison doesn’t kill you.” Rex glared at her.
“You can’t frighten me out of doing this.”
“Then so be it.” He rolled up his sleeve. “Where do you want me, Ellen?”
Averil was vaguely aware, at times, that people surrounded her. When their hands touched her, warmth chased away the cold and fear. Her hands tore at the darkness around her. Sometimes she’d see a speck of light in the distance, but it was so far away, and her energy was getting weaker and weaker.
Once she thought she heard Payton and Cody calling her name, and their warmth spread from her hands to her heart. “Keep fighting.” She had heard Cody’s words.
She wanted to sleep but somehow knew if she did she would never see her loved ones again. Where was Kira? She tried desperately to move her body, to open her mouth and scream. Nothing worked. And the blackness sank heavier on her.
* * * *
“We’re losing her, Garth. Let’s start.” Garth’s mother went to one side of the bed and he to the other. They each put one hand on her head and held one of her hands. Then Garth and his mother started saying the magic words that had brought Rae around when he’d used them. They repeated the magic over and over. Finally Garth looked across at his mother.
“It’s very bad stuff. Is there anything else we can do?”
He watched his mother’s face. He saw her determination and her worry.
“Not that I know of for poison. It helped Rae when you did it because of the way the poison affected her body. It didn’t ravage every vital organ. We’ll try again when she’s getting the blood transfusion. If she lives that long.”
“We’ll stand here and hold on to her. At some level maybe she’ll know not to let go.” Garth tightened his grip on Averil’s hand.
“This person isn’t going to stop. Who do you think will be the next victim?” his mother asked.
“If we could figure out why they are determined to kill Averil, then maybe we’d know the answer to your question.”
* * * *
Averil sensed hands pulling at her and heat again pushing the cold back. A tiny pinpoint of light flickered in front of her eyes. She tried to help the hands holding on to her. But as the hands pulled, the darkness sucked on her from the other direction, and she was losing ground. Not as fast as before, but still, gradually, she was losing. Cody’s and Payton’s faces appeared in her mind’s eye. They were sitting with their heads down. No, no, she wasn’t going to die. She fought harder and harder with all the strength she had left.
* * * *
“Did you feel that, Mother?” Garth had felt a tiny squeeze on his hand.
“Yes, and look, she’s perspiring.” His mother put her hand on Averil’s chest. “Her heart’s racing. Let’s try the chant again.”
“Averil, if you’re in there somewhere, squeeze my hand again.” Garth waited. Silence filled the room as he and his mother stared at Averil.
He’d started to give up when a flicker of movement touched his right index finger. Her mouth started to move and he bent close against her lips.
“Tired, fighting.” The words were a faint whisper. He raised his head.
“Let’s continue. We’re getting through, and she needs our strength.”
* * * *
When Kira had received Rexford’s blood, she immediately became stronger. “Your blood is like getting a shot of my own blood. I’ve stored some in the past, and this feels the same, good and warm.”
“Hakan, call and see how her sister is doing and put it on the speakerphone so Kira can hear,” Rex said, ignoring Kira’s comment. Hakan dialed the ER.
“This is Dr. Connor. Are any of Averil Stanwic’s doctors around?”
“Dr. Talisman? Yes, I’ll talk with him.”
“Hi, Hakan. What’s going on up there?”
Hakan quickly filled Jack in and then asked, “How’s our patient?”
“I just knocked and stepped inside. Garth and Mother Aileen had been doing their magic. They stopped when I entered. I checked her vitals and am waiting for another blood test. But it’s not looking good. Her heart rate is in overdrive. She’s struggling to breathe. The only good news is that Garth said she moved her finger against his and gave his hand a very light squeeze. When will the blood be down here?”