Page 11 of Colvin
Ivy was off the bike, tearing her helmet from her head and running toward the door even before he cut the engine. He raced to catch up with her, not about to leave her by herself in this crisis. He was already making tentative plans in his head to get the boy transferred to the medbay in the Ardannan battleship orbiting overhead if the medical care here wasn’t up to par. Military doctors might not be pediatric specialists but the Famptror was bound to have more up to date facilities than a resort’s employee facility.
He found Ivy at the reception desk, demanding to know where her son was.
“Third floor, pediatrics,” the receptionist said in a soothing voice. “There’s a waiting room up there and I believe the person who brought him in is already there.”
Ivy turned to Colvin and extended her hand. “Come with me?”
“Of course, I’m not leaving you.”
They took the antigrav lift to the third floor and as soon as Ivy stepped out of the silvery stream the young woman who’d commed her came running. The two women hugged in the middle of the corridor while Colvin stood to the side, assessing the place. So far he had a positive impression.
“He was cranky this morning,” Marisa said. “Wouldn’t eat breakfast. And then by midmorning snack he was complaining of a headache and had a slight fever. I took him home to your house but then the fever spiked over the afternoon and then he had the seizure so I called the first responders and we brought him here.”
“What has the doctor said?” Ivy asked. “And where is he? I need to be with my boy.”
“He’s in treatment right now,” the childcare teacher answered. “Which is why I’m out here. Dr. Kenned was on duty today and you know she’s the best.”
“Why don’t we go in the waiting room and sit down?” Colvin asked, noticing how the nurses and aides had to go around them. “You can talk more privately there.”
“This is General Lawben, my—my friend,” Ivy said in response to Marisa’s puzzled expression.
He shepherded them to the waiting room a few steps away and they’d barely sat down before the doctor entered the room. Ivy jumped to her feet and ran to meet the physician. “How is he?”
“Doing well. It appears to be zanguin flu?—”
“I had him vaccinated for that on his last office visit,” Ivy said.
“In rare cases the inoculation doesn’t take completely in one so young. I’ve given him a booster and of course the pediatric specific for the virus. His fever has come down two degrees and there hasn’t been another seizure so I’m optimistic he can go home by morning. We’ll keep him under observation for the night.”
“I need to be with him,” Ivy said.
“Of course. He’s in room 305 and he’s asleep right now. He’s had an infusion of fluids and I left orders for him to be given juice and jellied cubes after he wakes, if he’s hungry. I’m on call till midnight and then Dr. Florres will take over. I’ll see him in the morning and make a decision about releasing him.”
“Thank you, doctor. I’m so grateful.” Her voice shook.
“Do we need to worry about any aftereffects from the seizure?” Colvin asked, not because he was overly worried but because Ivy had been so distraught about it earlier. He wanted her mind to be set at rest.
The doctor shook her head. “Not really, especially since there was only one. It’s a fairly common symptom for children his age who contract zanguin and develop the high fever. He can go back to the childcare facility the day after tomorrow, assuming the fever subsides completely.”
With that she was gone, no doubt with a large number of patients and families waiting.
“May I go with you to look in on him?” Marisa asked. “Then I’ll head home unless you need me..”
Ivy enveloped her in a big hug. “Of course you can see him. I can’t thank you enough for taking care of him today and getting him here.”
“It was my pleasure. I’m so sorry he got sick. I think there have been a few milder cases of zanguin in a few of the older kids this month but nothing as dramatic as Darien’s case.”
They walked to the room and Colvin hung back while the two women went inside. Ivy turned to see him by the door and gestured for him to join them. There was a little boy in the bed, sleeping and snoring, hooked up to sensors. Colvin noted how strongly Darien resembled his mother which was a blessing for the boy, considering what Ivy had said regarding his criminal father. His heart was touched by how small the child appeared in the big bed.
“Oh, I forgot,” Marisa said, setting her purse down and digging in the depths. She brought out a Moomenny. “This is the one you had the hotel send over and he loves it. Named it Fred for some reason but I brought it with me because I knew he’d need a lovey in the big scary hospital.”
Ivy took the small plush animal and set it in the crook of her son’s arm. “That was so thoughtful of you. Fred’s the name of his favorite character in one of the books he likes to hear read at bedtime.” She bent over the bed to drop a light kiss on Darien’s forehead and then sank into the bedside chair, holding his small hand.
Marisa glanced at Colvin uncertainly as if reluctant to leave while he remained. “I’ll be going then.” Her tone made it a question. ”Let me know if he gets to go home tomorrow or if you need anything, okay?”
“Absolutely,” Ivy replied. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thank you again.”
“Nice to meet you, General,” Marisa said to Colvin and then she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
