Shot of Silence (Justice Again Book 3) by M Comley (best contemporary novels txt) 📗

“What’s going on? Katy, you’re scaring me.”

“Wait. If the rash doesn’t alter when pressed, then we’re in trouble.”

“What? Why? Oh fuck! It’s not meningitis, is it?”

“It could be.” Katy pressed the glass against her daughter’s skin, and the rash remained the same.

“Shit.” She rang one-one-one in a panic.

“Hello, you’re through to the NHS helpline, how can I help?”

“I think my five-year-old daughter has meningitis.”

“Okay, I need you to remain calm while I go through a list of questions.”

“Please hurry.”

“I’ll be as quick as I can.” The woman started reeling off the questions one after the other, and Katy’s response to them all was affirmative.

“I need you to listen very carefully.”

“I am. Please, hurry.”

“I’m going to ask you to take your daughter to hospital right away, no delay, you need to go the minute I end this call.”

“Oh God, I’m right, aren’t I?”

“It definitely sounds like it to me. Remain calm, you’ve got this.”

Suddenly the fire alarm sounded downstairs. AJ shot out of the room.

“What’s that?” the woman asked.

“My dinner burning. Don’t worry about it, my child is more important.”

“Okay. Is someone dealing with your dinner?”

“My husband. Should I go to St Thomas’?”

“Yes, do that. I’ll let them know you’re on your way. Promise me you’ll drive safely.”

“I will. I promise. I’ve just come from the hospital. I was visiting a patient there. Sorry, I’m waffling. My poor baby, will she survive?”

“You have to believe. If you’ve caught it early enough there’s no reason why she can’t kick this into touch.”

“Thank you for all your help. I’m going to get her in the car now.”

“You do that. Take care. I’ll ensure the hospital are aware of your imminent arrival.”

AJ came back into the room. “Dinner is no longer.” He seemed shell-shocked and tears sparkled in his eyes.

“Thank you,” Katy replied to the woman on control. She ended the call and stood. “We need to get her to St Thomas’, love.”

“Damn. Why didn’t I think to check her for a rash?”

“Enough. We’re not going to start blaming ourselves, you hear me?”

AJ swept Georgie into his arms. Katy followed him down the stairs and snatched her car keys off the console table. She opened the front door for AJ to carry Georgie out to the car and then locked it behind her.

AJ placed their daughter in the back seat. “You get in there with her. It’ll be easier to strap you both in.”

“Are you going to be okay to drive?”

“Yep, I’m focused on getting us there, nothing else. We’ve got this, love. Don’t fret.”

AJ sat in the back and held Georgie against him then pulled the seat belt around both of them. It was a snug fit, even Katy knew it was the wrong way to be travelling. “Are you comfy? Maybe she should be in her car seat?”

“She’s secure with me. It’s only twenty minutes away. The quicker we get on the road…”

“I can take a hint. Do me a favour and place your knees into the back of the passenger seat just in case.”

“Go. We’re wasting time. Nothing is going to happen if you concentrate on your driving.”

Katy inhaled a large breath and set off.

True to the word of the woman on control, when they arrived at Accident and Emergency there was a team of three nurses and a doctor waiting for them beside a trolley.

“Hi, I rang earlier about my daughter,” Katy shouted. She opened the back door and helped AJ undo his seat belt.

“We’ll take it from here,” the young male doctor replied.

AJ and Katy followed the staff up the corridor and into triage. They were prevented from entering the room and asked to wait in the family room instead.

The wait seemed to go on forever. Katy prayed to God to save Georgie, to even consider swapping places with her sick child. She clung to AJ for moral support. It turned out he needed it as much as she did.

“Should we ring our parents?” Katy said reluctantly.

“Let’s leave it for now. Get the diagnosis and go from there. We might be wrong about this.”

“I don’t think so, but yes, you’re right. Until we have the diagnosis it would be best not to ring them. AJ, I’m scared. She’s all we’ve got.”

He cradled her in his arms and soothed a hand over her hair. “Think positive. She’s a fighter, look at what she’s already been through…”

She sniffed. “That’s what’s worrying me. Does she have it in her to fight something so dangerous after what her heart has already suffered over the years? I’m not so sure.” She let out a shuddering breath, and an imaginary hand clutched her heart. She rubbed at the pain between her breasts.

“Are you all right? What is it?”

“Nothing. My heart is in pieces and it’s painful, that’s all.”

AJ hugged her tighter. “Stick with me, babe, we’ll get through this together. All three of us. We’re a team, nothing is going to tear us apart. I promise you.”

The doctor entered the room. One look at his expression, and Katy’s legs gave way beneath her. AJ guided her to a nearby chair.

“I’m sorry to tell you that your daughter does indeed have meningitis. I’m not one to beat around the bush, so forgive me if you think my bedside manner is non-existent.”

“Nonsense. We’d rather have the facts straight, Doctor,” AJ replied.

“Right you are then. I believe your daughter has bacterial meningitis as opposed to viral. We’ll be moving her to the Intensive Care Unit soon. You’re welcome to stay with her, but I want you to be aware that it could take a while for her to show any signs of improvement. Has she complained about having a headache or any stiffness to her limbs in the past few days? Possibly squinting at the lights or glare from the TV screen?”

Katy and AJ glanced at each other and shrugged.

“I don’t think so. She developed the sniffles today, and I put her to bed early. I checked on Georgie just before my wife came home from work, and