Chapter 64
At two, I left the office and told Raoul I was out for the day. Armin sent over another driver, and I left for the preschool. It was almost time for her to leave classes. When we got there, the kids were already outside, but I didn’t see her. I got out of the car and walked over. I saw her walking out; when she saw me, she instantly began smiling. “Daddy.” She ran straight to the gate. The same teacher from yesterday was standing there, and she opened the gate.“Hello, Mr. Wolfe. Bye, Zaya.” She said, but Zaya didn’t answer her.“Aren’t you going to say bye to your teacher?” I asked her, and she looked me in the eye, and for a second she gave me a look that her mother gives me.“She’s not my teacher. I’m tired, Daddy.” She said,“Okay, Princess, let’s get you home.” I said, walking away.
Once in the car, I looked at her.“Daddy, my feet are hurting,” she said, so I pulled her shoe off and took her socks off. That’s when I saw her feet were red and swollen.“Dave Take us to the hospital now.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Princess, why are your feet swollen?”
“We had playtime, and we took off our shoes.” She said,“Did you step on something?” I asked her.“No, after playtime, then my feet started to hurt,” she said quietly.“Okay, we’ll see the doctor,” I said, pulling out my phone. I took a few pictures of her feet and then called Rayan
.“Adrian, is something wrong?” She asked.“Maybe, but maybe not. Zaya said her feet were hurting, so I took her shoes off; both her feet are red and swollen. I’m taking her to Terrendale Medical.”
“I’m on my way,” she said, ending the call. When we got to the hospital, I got out and picked her up and walked in; I saw everyone looking at us. A few seconds later, I saw Rayna walk in with Rob.“Adrian,” she said, coming to me. The minute Zaya saw her, she began crying.It’s okay, baby. Does it hurt a lot?” Rayna asked her, and she nodded. I saw Dr. Petra walking towards us
.“Mr. Wolfe, Mrs. Wolfe. What…” He looked at Zaya, then at her feet, and yelled for a nurse to bring an ice pack.“Bring her over here,” he said, leading us over to one of the beds in the emergency room. I put Zaya down to lie down, and Rayna sat beside her.“It’s going to be okay, sweetie. I promise,” Rayna said, wiping away her tears.The nurse came with an ice pack, and Petra put it on her feet. After a few minutes he looked at her.“Does it still hurt, sweetheart?” He asked her.
“Not so much,” she said quietly, and he nodded. He walked over to another corner and motioned for me, so I went over to him."The swollen, red patches on her feet are quite inflamed, and the blistering suggests a strong contact reaction. Has she been playing outdoors a lot lately? Any new places? We need to think about what her feet might have come into contact with." He said,"Does she ever take her shoes off when she plays, either at school or in the park or even at home? We need to look for anything unusual on the ground, or even something in her shoes, socks, or on a play mat that her feet might rub against."
"Think about her routine. Has she been exposed to any new plants, perhaps on a field trip or in a garden? Or any new soaps, detergents, or even materials like glues or craft supplies that she might handle and then touch her feet?" he asked.
“No, she doesn’t go outside, not even at home. She’s been back home a while… wait.” I walked over to Rayna. “What is it?” She asked, looking at me.“Does she have any allergies?”
“No, none,” Rayna said; she looked at Zaya.“Baby, when did your feet start hurting?” she asked her quietly.
“Yesterday it was itching, and today after playtime it hurt more,” she said with a sob. I walked back to Petra.“No allergy, she said. It was itching yesterday, but today after playtime it began hurting.”
“Does she wear the same shoes and socks every day?” He asked.“Shoes yes , socks no. Wait, her shoes and socks are in the car.” I turned.“Wait, Mr. Wolfe. Did you take her shoes and socks off?” He asked.“Yes.”
“Wait, I’ll retrieve it with your security detail. In the meantime, go sanitize your hands. If it’s on her socks and shoes, it could be on your hands.” He said,I watched him grab a pair of gloves and walk out with Rob. I walked to the washroom and began sanitizing my hands.
When I walked back out, he had her shoes and socks in a bag.“I’m sending it for testing; I’ll put a rush on it. We should have the results in an hour. In the meantime, we’ll keep applying ice to soothe the itching and pain. It’s all we can do until we know exactly what she has come into contact with,” he said, and I nodded.
Half an hour into the wait, Mira showed up with the old man, Aunt Lisa, Aunt Miriam, and Uncle Shane.“Adrian, what happened to her?” The old man asked as he came to me. I explained what brought us here.When Mira went over to her and Zaya saw her, she sat up and hugged Mira; Mira comforted her. She has become attached to Mira. Mira was her comfort person. As time moved by slowly, we just waited.
I saw the nurse walking towards Petra and handed him the paper that I knew was the results. He looked at it and then made a face.I walked over to him; Rayna left Zaya with Mira and came over to us.“What is it?” She asked, looking at him, and he began scratching his head.“Well, we’ve received the lab results; it’s quite definitive. We found traces of urushiol on them." He said,“Urushiol?” Rayna asked."Yes, Mrs. Wolfe, do you know what it is?” He asked her.
“Yes, urushiol is the oily resin that causes a rash from plants like poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac. Where could she get that from?” Rayna said, looking confused.“Exactly, It's not something we typically expect to find on clothing in such a concentrated way unless there's been direct contact with the plant or a surface that's been heavily contaminated. Given how severe her reaction has been and that it's localized to her feet, it strongly suggests repeated or prolonged exposure. This oil is incredibly potent and can stick to fabric or surfaces for a long time. Are there any specific places where she consistently takes her shoes off, perhaps at playtime, or in an area with a particular type of floor covering? We need to figure out how she's repeatedly coming into contact with it." Petra asked, looking at us.