That look is wonderful and frightening all at the same time. I’m not sure I’m prepared for it. If I could only know—
Cold blue light flashes, splitting apart the dark. The peaceful moment is shattered. My cell phone on my bedside table starts shrieking, and Zeth, lost to sleep a second ago, is upright, his eyes wide, shoulders tensed, muscles coiled, ready to explode into action. His chest is heaving, and so is mine. The surprise of the loud ringtone blaring out into the thick silence has my heart slamming like a trip hammer in my chest. Zeth’s gaze locks onto me, and then he’s leaning his naked body over mine, as though he’s shielding me.
“You okay?” he asks. “I didn’t think you were on call.”
“I’m not.”
He reaches over me and picks up my phone, handing it to me. I don’t recognize the number on the screen. It’s a local Seattle number, but not one I remember seeing before. “Sorry, I’ll go take this downstairs. Go back to sleep.”
Zeth wraps an arm around my waist, drawing me close to him as he lies back down in the bed. “Take it here. I don’t want you going anywhere.”
“Okay.” I feel him kissing the back of my neck and my shoulder blades as I pick up the call. “Hello?”
“Miss Romera? Doctor Romera? Have I got the right number?” The woman on the end of the phone is breathing hard, panting as she tries to get her words out. “Please, dear god, tell me I dialed it right.”
“Yes, this is she. Can I help you?”
“Yes, ma’am. My name is Wanda. I live next door to Mason. He gave me your business card in case anything happened with his little sister. I’m watchin’ over Millie tonight, see, and she went to bed just fine a couple of hours ago. Everything seemed normal, but I heard her fall just now, and she’s havin’ a seizure, a bad one, an’ I don’t know what to do. It won’t stop. Please, Miss. You gotta come. You gotta come and look at her.”
“Hang up the phone and call 911 right away, Wanda. Call for an ambulance. I’ll meet you at the hospital, okay?”
“You won’t come here?” The poor woman sounds terrified.
“I can’t treat her properly at your place, Wanda. I don’t have the drugs she needs. Call 911. I’m leaving right now. I’ll see you at the hospital.”
I hang up, and Zeth’s already swinging out of bed. He rifles in the chest of drawers, tugging out clothes. “I’ll drive you,” he tells me, as he pulls on underwear, a t-shirt and jeans.
“It’s Millie, Mason’s little sister. Can you see if you can find him?”
“Sure.” He texts something quickly as I get dressed and rush downstairs. His phone chimes as we’re hurrying out of the house. “Mason’s not picking up. Michael’s gonna hunt him down. He’ll find him and bring him to the hospital.”
Zeth drives down the mountain like a maniac. Thank god he does. I would never have the courage to speed so fast through the corners and take the hairpin bends at such a crazy clip, but Zeth’s an expert driver. He’s been involved in enough car chases by now that he could probably make killer money as a rally driver. Once we hit the city, things have to slow down a bit, but he knows the quickest route to St. Peter’s and he doesn’t take any prisoners as he ducks and weaves past the other cars still on the roads.
He pulls up outside the emergency entrance to the building and lets me out, then screeches off, tires smoking as he goes to find somewhere to park.
“Dr. Romera? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were off sick?” The young nurse at the desk seems confused.
“Millie Reeves? Has she been brought in yet?” It’s been twenty minutes at least; the ambulance should have arrived and brought her in by now. The nurse—I’m pretty sure her name is Anderson—checks the iPad screen in front of her, frowning.
“Reeves, Reeves, Reeves. Ah, yes, a second ambulance had to be sent to the scene. They should be arriving any moment.”
“A second ambulance? What the hell happened to the first one?”
Anderson shrugs. “Some kind of engine trouble. I’m not sure.”
Ambulances are checked and maintained every day. There’s no way a vehicle should have broken down. Something like this could mean the difference between a patient living and a patient dying. I’m filled with dread. If the EMTs didn’t get to Millie on time, she could easily slip into a coma and die.