she felt panic rise in her again. The little girl's breathing was still coming in heavily labored gasps, her face so swollen that her big blue eyes were reduced to slits.
Why wasn't anyone doing anything?
Why was the doctor talking to Ellen Filmore instead of doing something to help Molly?
"Does she have a history of allergic reactions?" she heard someone ask, then realized that the resident had turned his attention to her.
Though his name badge identified him as Dr. Paul Martin, he looked barely old enough to have graduated from high school, let alone from medical school. "Never," she replied, shaking her head.
Martin frowned, then began what seemed to Karen to be an absolutely endless process of duplicating the same examination that Ellen Filmore had already given Molly back in, Pleasant Valley. A nurse stood at his elbow, taking notes, but just as Karen thought she would scream in frustration, the resident finally murmured something that sounded to Karen like it might be an order for some kind of medicine. The nurse left the room, returning a few seconds later with a vial and a hypodermic needle.
"What is it?" Karen asked, her voice sounding unnaturally loud. "What are you giving her?"
"It's a new kind of antivenom," the doctor replied. He jabbed the needle into Molly's arm, then pressed the plunger, injecting clear liquid into Molly. A moment later he pulled the needle out of Molly's flesh, dropped it in a wastebasket, and carefully dabbed at the tiny wound with a cotton swab.
"I'll do that, Doctor," the nurse immediately said. Martin made no objection to the nurse taking over the swab, but neither did he move back from the bed. instead he leaned over and gently peeled one of Molly's eyes open.
"I-Is something wrong?" Karen whispered. Before the doctor could reply, Molly's hand twitched, and a second later her color began to change, the bright red starting to ease. "What's happening?" Karen gasped, uncertain whether Molly was responding to the medicine. "Isn't it working?"
"Give me a hand with the airway," Martin told the nurse, still not replying to Karen's question.
While the nurse held Molly's head firmly in place, preventing her from instinctively moving away from the doctor's hand, Martin gently drew the plastic tube out of her throat. Karen, unconsciously gripping the back of a chair so hard her fingernails were cutting into its vinyl upholstery, found herself holding her own breath as she waited Molly to begin breathing without the aid of the tube.
Only when the little girl's chest heaved did Martin finally glance at Karen, smiling.
"The swelling in her throat's already down enough for her to breathe, and her color's almost back to normal.
She's going to make it." As if in response to the doctor's words, Molly's eyes fluttered, then opened, and an almost inaudible word escaped her lips. "Mommy?"
"I'm here, darling," Karen replied, moving quickly to the head of the examining table and taking one of Molly's hands in both of her own. "I'm right here, and you're going to be fine. Just fine!"
Molly glanced around, then frowned deeply. "Where am I?"
"In the hospital in San Luis Obispo," Karen explained.
As her mind began to clear, fragments of what had happened came back to Molly. Her frown deepened. "I wrecked the wedding, didn't I?" she asked. "Is everybody mad at me?" Tears of relief ran down Karen's cheeks, and she kissed Molly's fingers. "Of course no one's mad at you. You just got stung by a bee and had a bad reaction to it, that's all.
It wasn't your fault. Everything's going to be fine.'
Molly, still not satisfied, tried to sit up. "Where's everybody else?" she asked. "Is Julie here, too?"
Karen shook her head. "Just me and Russell and Dr. Filmore. There wasn't room for anyone else in the plane."
"The plane?" Molly echoed, looking puzzled.
"Mr. Henderson flew us over," Karen explained. "He works for a company called UniGrow that helps Russell raise better crops."
"And I'll fly you home,
Why wasn't anyone doing anything?
Why was the doctor talking to Ellen Filmore instead of doing something to help Molly?
"Does she have a history of allergic reactions?" she heard someone ask, then realized that the resident had turned his attention to her.
Though his name badge identified him as Dr. Paul Martin, he looked barely old enough to have graduated from high school, let alone from medical school. "Never," she replied, shaking her head.
Martin frowned, then began what seemed to Karen to be an absolutely endless process of duplicating the same examination that Ellen Filmore had already given Molly back in, Pleasant Valley. A nurse stood at his elbow, taking notes, but just as Karen thought she would scream in frustration, the resident finally murmured something that sounded to Karen like it might be an order for some kind of medicine. The nurse left the room, returning a few seconds later with a vial and a hypodermic needle.
"What is it?" Karen asked, her voice sounding unnaturally loud. "What are you giving her?"
"It's a new kind of antivenom," the doctor replied. He jabbed the needle into Molly's arm, then pressed the plunger, injecting clear liquid into Molly. A moment later he pulled the needle out of Molly's flesh, dropped it in a wastebasket, and carefully dabbed at the tiny wound with a cotton swab.
"I'll do that, Doctor," the nurse immediately said. Martin made no objection to the nurse taking over the swab, but neither did he move back from the bed. instead he leaned over and gently peeled one of Molly's eyes open.
"I-Is something wrong?" Karen whispered. Before the doctor could reply, Molly's hand twitched, and a second later her color began to change, the bright red starting to ease. "What's happening?" Karen gasped, uncertain whether Molly was responding to the medicine. "Isn't it working?"
"Give me a hand with the airway," Martin told the nurse, still not replying to Karen's question.
While the nurse held Molly's head firmly in place, preventing her from instinctively moving away from the doctor's hand, Martin gently drew the plastic tube out of her throat. Karen, unconsciously gripping the back of a chair so hard her fingernails were cutting into its vinyl upholstery, found herself holding her own breath as she waited Molly to begin breathing without the aid of the tube.
Only when the little girl's chest heaved did Martin finally glance at Karen, smiling.
"The swelling in her throat's already down enough for her to breathe, and her color's almost back to normal.
She's going to make it." As if in response to the doctor's words, Molly's eyes fluttered, then opened, and an almost inaudible word escaped her lips. "Mommy?"
"I'm here, darling," Karen replied, moving quickly to the head of the examining table and taking one of Molly's hands in both of her own. "I'm right here, and you're going to be fine. Just fine!"
Molly glanced around, then frowned deeply. "Where am I?"
"In the hospital in San Luis Obispo," Karen explained.
As her mind began to clear, fragments of what had happened came back to Molly. Her frown deepened. "I wrecked the wedding, didn't I?" she asked. "Is everybody mad at me?" Tears of relief ran down Karen's cheeks, and she kissed Molly's fingers. "Of course no one's mad at you. You just got stung by a bee and had a bad reaction to it, that's all.
It wasn't your fault. Everything's going to be fine.'
Molly, still not satisfied, tried to sit up. "Where's everybody else?" she asked. "Is Julie here, too?"
Karen shook her head. "Just me and Russell and Dr. Filmore. There wasn't room for anyone else in the plane."
"The plane?" Molly echoed, looking puzzled.
"Mr. Henderson flew us over," Karen explained. "He works for a company called UniGrow that helps Russell raise better crops."
"And I'll fly you home,
Similar Books
Torchworld: Outsiders Collection
Dannielle Levan
Losing Faith
Scotty Cade
The Midnight Hour
Neil Davies
The Willard
LeAnne Burnett Morse
Green Ace
Stuart Palmer
Seven Kisses: A Beauty and the Beast Dark Romance
Giselle Renarde
Noble Destiny
Katie MacAlister
Daniel
Henning Mankell
Bringing Down the Krays
Bobby Teale