Chapter 9 DESPERATE TIME PART 2
It was hard to see the road to St. Mary's Hospital.
Noah was lying across the backseat and mumbling things she couldn't understand. Her phone kept lighting up in her bag, but she didn't pick it up. Didn't care who was on the phone. Getting Noah help was the only thing that mattered.
"I'm sorry, baby," she said, her voice breaking. She didn't bother to wipe the tears away as they ran down her face. "I'm so sorry. Mommy didn't take better care of you when I should have."
Noah didn't say anything.
She sped up.
There were a lot of people in St. Mary's emergency room.
Vivienne pushed through the automatic doors with Noah in her arms, and the nurse at the triage desk looked up from her computer. "Ma'am, I need you to..."
"My son has a 103-degree fever and he's barely conscious," Vivienne said loudly. "He needs help now."
The nurse got up and walked around the desk to check Noah's pulse. She took a thermometer out of her pocket and looked at his forehead. The number flashed: 103.7.
"Okay," the nurse said in a calm voice. "Please fill out these forms so we can get him in as soon as..."
"As soon as what?" Vivienne's voice was shaking now. "There are twenty people in this waiting room. How long is 'as soon as'?"
"Ma'am, I know you're upset, but we have rules. There are patients in front of you who are more important..."
"More important than a nine-year-old with a fever of 103 degrees?"
People in the waiting room were now looking. Some people looked like they cared. Some others were clearly annoyed.
A guard moved closer to her.
"Ma'am, please speak more quietly."
"No, you don't tell me how to speak. I need someone to help my son!" She hated how desperate she sounded. She hated that she was drawing attention to herself. But she didn't care.
"What's happening here?"
A man in a white coat came out of the back hallway. His face was calm but firm. He looked like a doctor.
The nurse in charge of triage looked at him. "Dr. Patel, this woman's son has a high fever. I was just telling her how long we have to wait."
Dr. Patel turned his head from Noah to Vivienne. He could see the tears on her face and how she was holding her son like he might disappear.
"Let's get him into a room," Dr. Patel said in a low voice.
"But Doctor, we have..."
"Now, please."
The nurse nodded but kept her lips together. She pointed for Vivienne to follow.
"Thank you, doctor," Vivienne said in a low voice.
Dr. Patel just nodded.
The examination room was smaller than a normal hospital room. They put Noah on the bed, and Dr. Patel started to examine him right away. He checked Noah's throat with a light, felt the lymph nodes in his neck, and listened to him breathe.
"How long has he been sick?" Dr. Patel asked.
"The school called me about an hour ago. But last night he said he was cold, so I gave him Tylenol. I thought it was just..." Her voice trailed off.
"It's okay," Dr. Patel said softly. "You're here now."
He looked at the nurse who had come in after them. "I need a throat swab and a quick strep test. Also, let's get some blood work done to check for scarlet fever."
Scarlet fever.
Vivienne's chest tightened as she heard the words.
"Is it bad?" she asked.
"If that's what it is, we'll have to start him on IV antibiotics. But first, let's see what the tests say." He looked at her. "You got him here in time. He's going to be okay."
In time? Like she was almost too late.
Noah moved a little and opened his eyes. "Mom?"
Without wasting any time, she moved to his side and took his hand. "I'm right here, sweetheart."
"My throat hurts."
"Don't worry, baby. The doctor will make it feel better."
The nurse came back with a small vial and a swab. "Sweetheart, this might be uncomfortable, but it won't take long."
When she swabbed Noah's throat, he didn't react much. He didn't have the strength.
"The results will be ready in thirty minutes," the nurse said before taking the samples and leaving.
Dr. Patel nodded to Vivienne to let her know everything was okay. "I'll be back as soon as we find out something."
After that, she was alone with Noah.
She sat in the chair next to his bed and held his hand while she watched his chest rise and fall. Her phone kept going off in her bag.
She had completely forgotten about it.
Five missed calls. Three texts.
All from Marcus.
The texts went from worried to panicked.
"Vee, where are you? We need to talk."
"The equipment company just got here. They're taking everything."
"VEE. THERE'S AN EMERGENCY AT THE OFFICE. CALL ME BACK NOW."
Her heart sank.
Could it get any worse?
Vivienne went out of the exam room and into the hallway, where she could still see Noah through the window. Then she called Marcus.
He picked up on the first ring. "Thank God. Where have you been?"
"Noah's in the hospital," she said in a flat voice. "The doctor said it might be scarlet fever. They're doing tests right now."
There was a break. Then, in a low voice, "Jesus, Vee. Is he going to be okay?"
"They think so." She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. "What's happening at work?"
Marcus took a long breath. "It's not good."
"How bad?"
"The company that rented us the equipment came this morning and took back all of our gear, including the cameras and lights. They said we broke the contract."
Vivienne could feel the floor move under her.
Marcus went on, "And don't forget that the landlord sent me a message three days ago? If we don't pay him, he's going to give us an eviction notice. We haven't paid our rent in sixty days. We'll only have thirty days to leave."
Vivienne held her breath.
"That's not all."
"What else could there be?"
Marcus's voice broke. "Our biggest client, Mirage Fashion, the one we've been working with for two years, ended the contract this morning. They sent an email at nine saying we can't meet their high standards and that they're going to a bigger agency."
Vivienne slid down the wall and sat down on the floor.
"Marcus..."
"There's one more thing," he said, and he sounded like he was going to cry. "I'm sorry, Vee. I should have told you sooner. I'm so sorry."
"Tell me what?"
"Speak, Marcus. Tell me what exactly."
"I got a loan eight months ago," Marcus finally spoke. "I needed $65,000 to keep the Lumina Cosmetics contract going. Remember, they were going to back out if certain conditions weren't met? I had to put my house up as collateral."
She felt a chill run through her body. "What do you mean?"