I really wish Troy hadn’t left, as I doubt Karli would try to gaslight him this way. And if she did, Troy wouldn’t stop with her; he’d talk to the charge nurse, or bully the switchboard operator into calling a doctor. He’d threaten lawsuits. Hell, he’d find a way to reach the CEO of the damn hospital if no one else would listen to him.
I consider calling Troy and asking him to make some calls, but that seems like the coward’s way out. I’m the one here with Claire, and if Troy could do it, so can I. Maybe I should try to find a different nurse. With the exception of Karli, all the nurses have been lovely, so maybe someone else will listen to me.
And then I remember Karli’s retort, when I told her there must be a way to contact Dr. Carlton.
If you can figure out how, go for it.
I don’t have Luke’s cell number, but I know his parents’ old landline number off by heart. If they still have the same landline, maybe I can convince them to give me Luke’s number. They probably don’t think well of me, but they’re decent people, and I’m sure they’ll give me his number if I explain about Claire.
I glance at Claire. Maybe it’s my imagination, but she looks worse than she did a few minutes ago. I don’t knowwhat’s happening, but my gut tells me it’s bad, and I have to do something.
I walk to the far side of the room, hoping Claire won’t hear the conversation, and dial Luke’s parents’ number.
After the fourth ring, someone picks up. “Hello?”
I recognize the voice, with its hint of an English accent. Luke’s mom moved to Canada from London as a teenager.
“Hi, Mrs. Carlton,” I say quickly. “It’s Melissa Lawrence. I don’t know if you remember me, but I was friends with Luke in high school, and?—”
“My memory’s not as poor as that, Melissa,” she interrupts briskly. “You were Luke’s girlfriend for years. I know who you are.”
“Right. I’m really sorry to bother you, Mrs. Carlton, but it’s about my daughter. Luke operated on her yesterday, and she’s still in the hospital. She’s not doing well tonight, but the nurse is refusing to call a doctor.” I stop and take a shaky breath. “I hate to ask, but I’m really worried, and I wondered if there’s any chance you could give me Luke’s number. Or if you don’t want to do that, maybe you could call him?—”
“He’s right here, Melissa,” she interrupts again. “We were just having dinner. Let me get him for you.”
And a moment later, Luke’s on the phone. “What’s wrong, Melissa?”
“Claire started feeling sick shortly after dinner. She’s dizzy and nauseated, and I’m worried, Luke. The nurse tonight is a bitch, and she refused to call the doctor on call.”
“Fuck,” he says softly. “Okay, Melissa. I’m on my way in. I’m twenty minutes out, but I’ll see if I can get the surgeon on call there sooner. Give me your cell number and I’ll text you mine, so you can call me if things get worse.”
I almost collapse with relief. Luke’s taking this seriously. He’s coming in.
“Melissa? What’s your number?”
I pull myself together and rattle off my number, and Luke promises to get here as soon as he can. After I hit the button to end the call, I walk back to sit on the edge of Claire’s bed.
“Good news, Claire. I spoke to Dr. Carlton, and he’s coming in to see you.”
She manages a smile. “That’s good.”
I smooth a lock of hair from her forehead and take her hand. “We’ll get you feeling better soon.”
“Yeah,” she says softly.
In all my years as a mother, I’ve never felt so powerless. I wish I had some health care training, but all I can offer is platitudes and handholding.
I look down at Claire’s hand, tucked into mine, and blink. There’s a red rash on her arm, and I’m pretty sure it’s new.
“It looks like you have a rash, sweetheart,” I tell Claire. “Have you noticed?”
“What?” she asks.
“The rash on your arm,” I say, and Claire looks down in surprise. “Can we check to see if it’s anywhere else?”
“Sure.”
I gently pull down the sheet and look under her hospital gown, and see the same red spots across her chest and belly. I remember the dose of antibiotics she got less than an hour ago, and all of a sudden, it makes sense. She’s probably having an allergic reaction.
