Page 53 of The Lighthouse on Plum Island
He popped his head through and shouted, “Daniella, Caroline’s awake.”
“Why are you yelling?” Caroline groaned and tried to sit up.
Brad dashed to her side.
“Easy there,” Brad said, his eyes filled with worry and an underlying emotion that Caroline couldn’t quite decipher. He gently pushed her back into a lying position. “Don’t move until Daniella gets back.”
Caroline squinted at him, trying to make sense of the situation. “What happened?” she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper. “Why am I in the clinic?”
“You passed out,” Brad replied, taking her hand.
At that moment, Daniella entered the room in her crisp white doctor’s coat. Brad stepped back, allowing her to take charge.
“Hello, sleepyhead.” Daniella’s expression remained professional but concerned as she examined Caroline. One of the first tests was to shine a small flashlight into Caroline’s eyes. The light felt like a red hot laser beam piercing her eyeballs, making her wince as the pain in her head intensified.
“Do you have to do that?” Caroline placed a hand over her lids, seeing dots swimming before her eyes.
“I have to check you over, Caroline,” Daniella told her. “You’ve got a bad concussion. In order to make sure that’s all it is, I’d like to take you to Newbury Port for a CT scan.”
Caroline hesitated, feeling a sense of unease at the thought of undergoing more tests. “I’m fine, really. No need for a CT scan.”
Brad interjected, his tone gentle yet firm, “Caroline, it’s important. As you’re now an important client of Danes Studio, I must insist you go, and I’ll be right there with you.”
Her apprehension eased at his offer. The genuine concern in his eyes comforted her. Daniella continued, explaining the potential risks of a severe head injury, using medical terms that danced over Caroline’s comprehension. The mention of being in and out of consciousness for the past twenty minutes sent a chill down her spine.
Her eyes moved from Daniella to Brad. While she appreciated his concern and the concern of Danes Production, she didn’t likefeeling as if they somehow owned her. If she didn’t want to go for a check-up, no one was going to make her.
“I really don’t need a CT scan,” Caroline said stubbornly. “All I want to do is go home, climb into my comfortable bed, and sleep for a couple of hours.”
“You need more than a couple hours of rest,” Daniella told her. “But I’m sorry, I can’t discharge you. I have to insist you go for a CT scan.”
“You can’t keep me here either,” Caroline reminded her.
“Caroline, please do as Daniella advises,” Brad tried to reason with her. “You have a lot going on, and the pressure will increase now as we scan locations. Per your contract and my father’s insistence, you have a say in where you want various scenes shot.” He took her hand once again. His eyes gentled as he smiled at her. “We need you fit and healthy.”
She was about to firmly put her foot down and insist she be released when Jules and Finn rushed into the room, their faces a mix of relief and worry.
“Mom!” Jules flew to her mother’s side like a bowling ball, heading for the pins as Daniella and Brad scattered to the side to let her through. “I was so worried.”
Jules wrapped Caroline in her slim arms, and Caroline pulled her daughter close.
“I’m okay, honey,” Caroline reassured her daughter.
“Please don’t stress Caroline,” Daniella warned them. “We want to take her to Newbury Port for a CT scan to rule out anything more serious than a concussion.”
“A CT scan?” Finn and Jules echoed. Their worried eyes landed on Daniella.
“It’s just a precaution,” Daniella reiterated. Her eyes narrowed on Caroline. “But Caroline is being stubborn and refusing to go.”
“Mom, you have to go.” Jules looked at her with wide, pleading eyes. “Please, Mom.”
“Yeah, Caro, you can’t mess with your health,” Finn said, his voice brooking no argument.
Caroline looked at the four pairs of eyes staring at her, waiting for her response, and she knew she was outnumbered. Reluctantly, Caroline agreed to go, “Fine, let’s get this over with.”
Daniella nodded and glanced at her wristwatch. “I have to get the van ready.” She walked to the door, stopping to look back at them. “I’m sorry, but you can’t ride in the van this time. You’re welcome to follow us, though.”
Finn nodded at Daniella and looked at Jules, then Brad. “We can go in my car.”
