Chapter 34 : Do Something
Inside the taxi, Allison kept checking the time. Her face was tense while her eyes were fixed on the streets flashing past. She had no idea she was being followed.
At last, the taxi came to a stop. Allison jumped out and ran to knock on the back gate of a house.
Nigel stopped his car some distance away. He leaned forward to get a clearer look.
The Berry family.
That was the family his mother had arranged for Allison to marry into.
He glanced back at her. She was knocking on the Berrys’ rear gate. A housekeeper opened the door slightly. Allison slipped in through the gap.
Seeing this, Nigel’s heart softened. So she hadn’t meant it when she said she wouldn’t help Sherrie. She had only been stubborn, trying to get more attention.
Deep down, she still cared about the family. She couldn’t stand the idea of their father’s hospital being dragged through the mud. She had come here to plead on their behalf.
Since she’s being sensible, I’ll go easier on her when I get back, he thought. There was no need to hold it against her.
With that, Nigel drove away from the Berrys’ house in high spirits, waiting for good news the next day.
“This way, Ms. Rogers!”
A Berry family maid hurried over at a jog. Allison clutched her shoulder bag and ran so fast she nearly overtook the maid.
But the pace left her breathless, a sharp ache tightening in her side. She pressed a hand there and said nothing, forcing herself to keep moving.
At last, they reached the back courtyard. The maid flung the door open and stepped aside, urgently gesturing. “Ms. Rogers, hurry. Go inside.”
Allison stepped over the threshold. Before she could even see what was happening inside, she heard people crying.
“What do we do? Is the old lady dying?”
Allison hurried over to the folding screen.
The moment she entered, everyone inside the room turned to look at her.
The man supporting the old lady on the bed looked up when he saw Allison.
Surprise flickered across his face, then quickly turned into a frown.
Allison was just as startled to see Jareth there.
But she immediately shifted her focus to the woman lying on the bed.
The elderly woman, who looked to be nearing seventy, was shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes were rolled back, dull and unfocused.
What made Allison frown even more was seeing Jareth press his wrist against the old woman’s mouth. It had already been bitten hard enough to leave deep marks.
Jareth’s expression was gloomy. He shot Allison a glance, then barked at the maids, “Where is the doctor?”
The maid who had brought Allison in stammered, “She is the doctor.”
Jareth shot Allison a cold stare, and his anger rose again. “Her? A doctor? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Allison flinched at his harsh words, clearly startled.
For a moment, she really wondered if this was the same man who had gently applied medicated oil to her bruises just days ago.
The old woman looked as if she might stop breathing at any second.
Unable to trust the maids, Jareth pulled out his phone and angrily called Oliver, demanding that he find the best specialist at once.
After hanging up, he turned and tried to lift the old woman to take her to the hospital.
It was only when his knees nearly gave way that he remembered. He was crippled.
Without his cane, he could barely move, let alone carry someone who was unconscious.
All the color drained from his face. He could almost hear his pride shattering.
As the woman kept convulsing, Jareth lowered his head. Shame clouded his expression. He was useless. Completely useless.
Just as he sank into that thought, someone suddenly shoved him aside.
With nothing to brace himself, the force sent him tumbling awkwardly onto the carpet.
The two maids were stunned while staring at him in terrified silence.
Jareth’s eyes went wide as he glared angrily at the “little white rabbit” who had knocked him over.
But Allison did not even look at him.
Her brows knit in focus. She quickly turned the elderly woman onto her side, cleared her mouth of any obstruction, and gently supported her chin so her neck could stretch naturally.
The old woman continued to convulse. Foam and saliva spilled from her mouth. She looked like she was only minutes away from dying.
Allison was composed while doing her task. She said evenly. “She’s having a seizure. You can’t let her airway get blocked.”
She glanced at Jareth. “Letting her bite your arm like that is dangerous. She could choke on the secretions and suffocate. That could kill her in minutes.”
Jareth’s anger slowly faded as he listened.
Allison asked, “How long has she been seizing?”
“I don’t know. She was already convulsing when I got here,” Jareth replied.
The maid checked the time. “Mr. Jareth arrived at least eight minutes ago.”
That meant she had been seizing for at least eight minutes.
Allison’s expression turned grave. “That explains it. A typical seizure lasts about five minutes. This was likely a febrile seizure caused by a sustained high fever.”
Jareth struggled to his feet, and his voice was filled with panic. “Is that all you know how to do, talk theory? Do something!”
“You can’t force a seizure to stop. You have to let it run its course,” Allison said.
“And if it doesn’t stop—”
Before he could finish, the old woman suddenly went still.
But only seconds later, her hands flew up to clutch her throat. She gasped, her mouth wide open, her throat rattling with a choking sound like an old bellows, as if something unseen were strangling her.
Jareth and the two maids were shocked, completely overwhelmed.
Only Allison moved.
She calmly took out a long cotton swab from her shoulder bag and soaked it in aromatic oil. Then she bent down and carefully guided it into the old woman’s throat.
She gave it a slight twist.
A harsh gurgling sound burst from the woman’s chest. Allison pulled the swab out just in time.
A wet, foul mass came up with it, splattering squarely onto her chest.
The two maids winced. It was phlegm, and they were clearly embarrassed for her.
Allison didn’t flinch. She wiped it away with a tissue and carefully examined the color and texture before wrapping it up and throwing it into the trash.
On the bed, the old woman finally started breathing normally. She looked relieved, and her eyes slowly opened.
The first person she saw was Allison.
But she couldn’t stay awake for long. Her head tipped back, and she soon drifted back to sleep.