BWWM Interracial Romance 2: Open Heart Read Free Page B

“Another poke?” she said, grimacing slightly.
    Ashley nodded sympathetically. “I’m afraid so. Do you know what an I.V. is, Amanda?”
    The girl considered a moment, glancing at her uncle and then around the room. “It’s that thing that’s in a bag, right? That hangs next to the bed?”
    Ashley grinned. “It is indeed. Since you’ve been so sick, we’re worried you’ve become dehydrated. So we’re going to have to put an IV in your arm—it’s a little needle, and it’ll drip some more fluids into you. That way you don’t even have to have anything to drink!” The girl was fascinated, and Ashley explained a little more, telling her in basic terms how the I.V. worked. “It’s going to hurt a little, and you’ll probably feel pretty cold for a while, but at least you won’t feel quite so groggy,” Ashley said, finishing the explanation. “I’m going to have them put a bit of medicine in it too, just to hopefully keep you from hurling so much. Once we have a better idea of what bugs are in you, we can give you more medicine to get rid of them.” The girl nodded her acceptance of the idea, and Ashley jotted down her notes. From everything she saw, it was likely just a very virulent strain of virus—for which they wouldn’t be able to do much—but it might be bacterial, which they could treat with more than just an IV and anti-nausea medication. She gestured for the uncle to step out with her after finishing her explanation to Amanda.
    “It’s good to see that you’re decent at your job,” the man said, giving her a wary glance.
    “I am, in fact, very good at my job, sir,” she replied levelly. “I am fairly certain your niece has no major illness—she’ll probably have to stay overnight, just to rest and rehydrate, and the tests aren’t back yet, but I’d almost stake my license to practice that she’s got a simple case of gastroenteritis.”
    The man nodded slowly. “Should it have lasted this long?”
    Ashley shrugged. “Up to a few days is fairly standard, but obviously her case is pretty severe.” Ashley paused, deciding to do what she could to mend fences with the man; she’d have to see him a few more times over the course of the back half of her shift. “It was a good idea to bring her here. I’m glad she had someone to take care of her.”
    The man’s face softened. “She’s sort of a favorite of mine,” he said with a little smile. “My brother had a major meeting he had to get to, so I told him I’d bring Mandy in.”
    Ashley nodded, echoing his smile. “I’ll make sure she’s well taken-care of. If there’s something she needs, or if you have any questions, one of the nurses can page me if they can’t answer it themselves.” Ashley could tell that the man she spoke to was used to getting his way—she had known it about him when he’d been brow-beating Rosalie over the wait time. But if he was willing to start over and pretend that nothing had happened, then Ashley was fine with playing along with the premise.
    “The medicine you’re giving her—what is it?” he asked, concerned.
    “The IV itself will replenish her fluids, which should, hopefully, take care of some of the lethargy she’s feeling. Normally we don’t recommend anti-vomiting medication, but because her case is so severe, I’m going to have them add a small amount of a medicine we use for that purpose. It won’t cure her, but it will at least help keep her comfortable.” Ashley chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, remembering the blood that had been seen in the girl’s vomit, according to the admission report.
    “What about the blood?” the man asked, as if he’d read her mind.
    “That’s why I’m prescribing an anti-emetic,” Ashley told him. “My concern—my suspicion—is that she’s been throwing up violently enough to tear the inner lining of her esophagus. It’s probably not severe, or there’d be other symptoms, but it’s worth making sure she doesn’t make it