10
Annie sat at her desk during lunch, tapping her pen against a stack of invoices that needed Dok’s attention.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the brochure of the bus schedule. She noted the departure and return times, calculating that she could make it back just in time to finish her lunch and get back to work. She needed to know if her childhood plague of motion sickness was back to stay, or if it was just due to a onetime-Dok’s-crazy-driving event.
“Okay, Annie Fisher, you can do this,” she reassured herself, trying to muster up some courage. She packed up her lunch. “It’s just a bus ride. Not a big deal. People ride buses every day.”
With one last glance at the clock, as if it held the answer, Annie headed out the door.
Ten minutes later, she took a deep breath as she stepped onto the bus bound for Lancaster, her heart pounding in her chest.
This was it—the moment of truth. Today, Annie reassured herself, was the day she’d leave her motion sickness behind and finally reclaim her future.
As the bus pulled away, she fixed her eyes on a distant tree,mentally coaching herself into calmness.Breathe in,breathe out. You can do this,Annie Fisher.
Then the bus hit a bump. Her stomach did a little flip—nothing too bad, just a mild queasiness. But as the bus sped up, that queasiness turned into a full-on churn. A clammy sweat broke out all over her body.Stay calm, she told herself, closing her eyes and focusing on breathing.Slow,steady,in throughthe nose,out through the mouth.
Another bump, another sway, and her nausea rose like an unwelcome tide. She tried everything she could think of—counting her breaths, staring at the horizon, even willing her stomach to behave—but it was no use. The scenery whizzing by only made things worse.
She gripped the seat in front of her, her knuckles white.Please,not now.The bus lurched again, and she pressed a hand to her mouth, desperately hoping to hold back the inevitable.
Too late.
She grabbed the paper bag she’d packed just in time, retching into it. She yanked the overhead cord, and the driver stopped the bus and opened the door. She stumbled off, her legs wobbling like jelly, and collapsed on the side of the road, head in hands.
It took a long time for her stomach to settle. When she finally stood, her body felt shaky, but she managed to head toward Dok’s office. Her heart sank a little lower with each step. How was she supposed to handle being an EMT if she couldn’t even handle a bus ride?
She was walking up the steps to Dok’s office when Evie opened the door. “Annie, are you okay?”
Annie put a hand to her brow, trying to hide the well of tears in her eyes. “Just a bit of a headache. Don’t mind me.”
“Oh no.” Evie moved closer, placing a comforting hand on Annie’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve caught that flu bug that’s been going around Stoney Ridge. A lot of people have been coming down with it.” She squeezed her shouldergently. “Why don’t you sit down and rest for a bit? You look a little green around the gills.”
Green. Gills. An image of a swampy pond filled with rotting fish swam through Annie’s head, making her feel even more nauseous. Was that possible? She sank into her desk chair, her head in her hands. “I just need a moment.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll feel better soon,” Evie said softly. “This bug seems fairly short-lived.”
Annie took a deep breath. Notthisbug.
Dok hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in.”
David opened the door, his brow furrowed with concern.
“Are you here as a brother or a bishop?”
“Both,” he said. “Maybe also as a patient.”
“Don’t tell me you’re sick too.”
“No, I’m fine. But I do wonder, Is something going through the town? There’s been a run on Pepto-Bismol and Imodium in the store.”
Dok sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I’ve been seeing patients for the last two days with GI symptoms.”
“Anyone seriously ill?”
She shook her head. “So far, the symptoms seem to be pretty mild. Nausea and diarrhea.”
“What’s causing it? Food poisoning? Or could Sarah’s theory about Blue Lake Pond hold a possibility?”
