There was a knock, and the door opened a few inches.
"May I intrude?"
Dr. Ambrose put his head around it and, without waiting for an answer, came in far enough to see the pole, and the bag, and the tape on her arm. He looked at all three and gave a small nod of approval as though they’d performed exactly as instructed, and Caroline had done him proud.
"How are we doing?"
"Fine," said Alara, and then caught herself. "Warm, at the start. It's stopped."
"That's the usual. Nothing else? No itching, no tightness anywhere?"
"No."
"Good." He looked genuinely pleased about it. "Then that's the worst of my worrying done for the day." He glanced at the basket, and then at the box of cupcakes on Caroline's desk, and his eyebrows went up. "Ah. I see Faye has been at work."
"She sent those for Caroline," Reaves said.
"Then I shall have to be quick."
"They're for Caroline," Reaves said again.
"Yes. You mentioned." He crossed to the desk, lifted the lid, took one, and put the lid back with some care. "Now. You'll be tired this afternoon, and I want you to be. Don't fight it. And I'll say again what I said on Wednesday—it may hit you tomorrow rather than today, and if it does, it will pass. Two days at the outside."
"Okay."
"It isn't a setback. I want you to hear me say that now, while you feel perfectly well, so that when you don't feel perfectly well, you'll remember I said it." He held her gaze until she nodded. "Good."
He turned to go, then paused with his hand on the door.
"Charles telephoned me this morning," he said, "to ask what time you'd be finished. I told him I had no idea and that it wasn'tany of his business." He smiled. "He agreed with me and asked again."
Alara laughed, only it came out sounding more like a sob.
"Yes," said Dr. Ambrose. "Well." And he went out.
~ ~ ~
The moment the movie ended, Zia sat up. "Can we go back to the shelter tomorrow to see him?" she asked.
Reaves smiled and jerked his head toward Alara, who was fast asleep on the sofa.
Zia's eyes widened. "Do you think she's okay?" she asked, in a much quieter voice.
"I think she's fine. The doctor said she might be tired this weekend, after the first infusion."
Zia's eyebrows knit together. "Tired like she used to be?" She slid down from the armchair and came to stand in front of the sofa.
"I really don't know, Z. We just have to wait and see."
"I thought the medicine was supposed to make her better."
"It will. But it'll take some time before it builds her up."
Zia stared at her mom for a long few moments before saying, "But you're going to be here all weekend to help keep an eye on her, aren't you?"
"You bet I am." He tapped the end of her nose. "And on you."
She smiled and came to rest her hands on his knees. "What time is it?"
