Because (Seven Year Itch #4)(7)

“I’ll make sure they’re aware, doctor.”

I cover my mouth and look down at my sleeping child. This can’t be happening.

Meningitis. People die from it.

I have to hold onto the bedrails to steady myself as I grasp what I’ve just overheard. My daughter could be suffering from a life threatening condition and there isn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

I needed Brandon. She needed him.

I close my eyes and pray for him to show up, and within twenty minutes he appears in the doorway. His eyes are fixed on our daughter as he steps inside. “What the hell happened?”

I’m still in tears, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, so talking is a struggle. “She woke up with an extremely high fever. She threw up everywhere. I heard them say meningitis. I don’t know, Bran. I don’t know.”

He rushes to my side, pulling me to fall against his chest. He smells like stale beer and cigarettes, but this is a dire situation and I’m not about to start on him again, not when he was the only type of support I need to be able to handle this. “Are you sure? She was fine.”

“I know. I told them that. I overheard the doctor ordering tests. He mentioned it, but I don’t know if it’s the diagnosis.”

“How long have you been here?” He inquires.

“Not long. I was in the car when I tried to call you. She woke up next to me. I tried to put her in the tub, but it wasn’t helping. I didn’t know what to do. I’m so scared.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Shay. We don’t know that’s what this is. She’s a healthy little girl. She’ll be okay.” He rubs my back and kisses the top of my head. Like every time there was some major catastrophe, he becomes the man I need, even though I know it’s only temporary. I think that’s why I refused to give up. There was hope in him yet, I just had to give him a reason to want to change.

“What if she isn’t? I can’t live without her, Bran. I can’t.” I hate being negative, but seeing her suffering is hard to handle. I’m losing hope, and falling victim to my deepest fears.

“Shh, you have to stay strong.”

He holds me for a couple more minutes before I pull away and sit down in one of the chairs next to the bed. Brandon stands at our daughter’s side. He is whispering in her ear that he has arrived and everything was going to be fine.

After that we sit next to each other without speaking. My thoughts of his actions were far from my mind. All I cared about is Aberdeen.

Named after my deceased grandmother, she was a spitfire from her first breath. Her flowing long light brown hair curled on the ends, and when she fluttered her bright eyes at people they gave her anything her little heart desires. Some people have mentioned she could win pageants, but I’ve never been the type of person to get involved in that type of atmosphere, not that she’d be interested. Aberdeen likes to play with the boys. She’s on a t-ball team and prefers kicking around a soccer ball over playing with dolls. Getting her hair brushed is like pulling teeth. She avoids it at all costs, making me want to chop it all off on a daily basis.

Out of nowhere I hear her voice attempting to speak. We both shoot up and we’re at her side. She’s groggy and looking around to see where she is. “Don’t move, sweetie. You have medicine going inside of you arm. It’s important you remain still.”

“How did I get here?” She asks.

“I drove you.”

Brandon rubs the hair away from her face. “How do you feel, Ab?”

“Tired.”

“Your mom and I are going to be right here with you until they say we can go home, okay?”

She manages a nod before dozing off again.

Brandon turns to look at me. “She’s really out of it.”

“That’s why it’s scary. Thanks for getting here so fast. I was about to lose it before you walked in.”

“Is this where you tell me I should have stayed home and this is all my fault?” He asks.

“No. I’d never blame you for her being sick. I know how much you love her. You’re just not there the way I need you to be.”

He clenched his jaw as I watch, waiting for him to respond. “Sorry I didn’t answer the calls. I was furious with you and didn’t feel like getting into it again. I felt like crap when I read your text.”

I had to settle for the good instead of dwelling on what couldn’t be changed. This wasn’t about our marriage. Everything had to come to a halt until we could get this situation figured out. “You’re here. It’s all I care about right now. Let’s just deal with this first.” I’d deal with him later, when I knew our daughter was going to be okay.

“Yeah, all right.”

Seven hours is the amount of time it took the doctor to get back to us with the results. In that time, Aberdeen had woke up and was responding normally to interactions with us and the nurses. She hadn’t thrown up since the initial explosion at our house, and the color was back in her face.

I don’t remember much of what the doctor said after the words ‘it’s not meningitis’ came from his mouth. Silently I celebrated without making myself look like a fool. It was early in the wee hours of the morning and we were all exhausted. With her vitals stable and them being sure it was just a virus, they allowed us to go home around ten in the morning. I could barely keep my eyes open to drive, and since Brandon had driven himself, I’m sure he was struggling the same.