Page 18 of Heal Me One Night

“It’s okay. I trust him.”

With those words, Karli lifts her arms to me. I reach out and pick her up. The fever is raging. I can feel it through my scrubs. “Okay. Karli, right?”

“Yeah, with anI.”

I laugh at her. She said it with such finality, that shows she has to tell people that a lot. “When did her symptoms start?” I glove up and motion for her to lie down on the bed.

Britt inhales deeply. “I don’t know. She just came into my bedroom telling me she didn’t feel good and she was itchy. I didn’t even stop to take her temp. I could tell immediately that it was high. It was the hives that scared me, though.”

“Understandable.” I palpitate her stomach, inspecting the red rash across her skin. “That hurt?”

Karli shakes her head as I help her sit back up.

I do the same with her throat. “How about that?”

This time, she nods.

“Can you open your mouth for me?” I pull out my penlight and try to look, but her tongue is in the way. “Stick your tongue out and say ahhh.”

I still can’t get a good view. Reaching behind her, I grab a tongue depressor, and then try again. “Real quick, ahh.” This time I get what I need.

Britt and her dad are looking at me expectantly. “What’s going on?” he questions.

I roll my chair over slightly so I can look into Britt’s eyes. “She’s gonna be fine, first of all. You got her here in plenty of time for us to treat her. What I’m about to say will scare you because of the history, but trust me, Britt. I won’t lie to you.” I make sure her eyes stay locked on mine.

“Okay...” but I can see she’s absolutely terrified.

“We’re gonna need to run a test, but I believe she has what’s commonly referred to as scarlet fever. It’s normal in children. It’s a form of strep with the rash. It looks bad. She feels awful, I’m sure, and it’s scary.”

Britt closes her eyes, and when she opens them back up, there are tears. “Could she die?”

I smile patiently. “Look at me, cutie.” I use the name she put in my phone. “Karli is going to be fine. We’re gonna get her tested, then we’re gonna treat it. The way we’re gonna do that is with IV fluids because her fever is so high, I’m going to rotate ibuprofen and Tylenol, and I’ll give her some antibiotics for the strep. It will take a few days, but she’s gonna feel better. The fluids will make a big difference. As far as her itching, I’ll prescribe something, and I’m gonna give her some Benadryl to help with that right now. She’s fine.” I repeat.

“Okay.” She breathes. “Okay.”

Her phone rings, and when she glances at the screen, I can tell it’s someone she doesn’t want to talk to. She turns to her dad, holding it up.

“Go take it,” he says. “I’ll stay here with her.”

She leaves, sighing heavily. I turn to Karli. “So, Karli, with anI, I’m gonna give you some medicine to make you feel better, but you’ll have to take a test first. My friend, Cassie,” I point to her, “is going to stick a little Q-Tip down your throat.” I lean in as if we’re sharing a secret. “I’m gonna be real with ya. It sucks, but I have a hookup that can get you a popsicle.”

“A grape one?” Her eyes are bright, but this time with excitement.

“Definitely a grape one. I’ll be right back.” I nod to her grandpa and head out, going to look for Britt.

It takes me a few minutes to find her, but she’s standing in a corner, her back to the wall, furiously whispering as she speaks to someone on the phone. “Dakota, she’s your daughter. The doctor just told me she has scarlet fever. She’s really sick.”

I reach out and grab her hand. I don’t say anything, just offer the comfort I know she needs.

“No, don’t worry about it, Dakota. I’ll handle it like I always do. She was crying for you earlier, and I told her you were working. She doesn’t have to know that you care about literally anything more than you care about her. It was okay when it was just me, but this isn’t acceptable.”

I’m fuming as I listen to her, wanting to come through the phone and punch this asshole out. He’s got a little girl who’s sick, and he’s not coming home? If it were me, I’d be on the next flight or in the closest car.

Britt pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth, biting down hard. “Bye, Dakota.”

“I’m so sorry.” I whisper, reaching out to take her in my arms. “He does this a lot?”

She nods, angrily wiping tears from under her eyes. “It’s one of the main reasons we got divorced.”

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