Free Critical Diagnosis by Alison Stone Page B

she was waiting for them. “Thank goodness you’re here. Emily finally fell asleep, but I’m so worried about her. A fever has never taken this long to break.” Her sister paused a minute and her eyes opened wide in surprise. “James O’Reilly all grown up.” She seemed to regard him for a minute. “I don’t think I would have recognized you.”
    James took her hand. “It’s been a long time.” Bethany had come by the O’Reilly home only a few times, resenting that their mother had to clean other people’s houses for a living.
    “I hear you have my sister working at the clinic.”
    “Yeah, I really appreciate her help.”
    “And I really appreciate your both coming over.” Bethany stepped back to let them pass. Her attention shifted to his medical bag. “Two physicians making a house call. God must be looking out for me for once.” Bethany smiled at him, a bright smile that beamed with her gratitude. The same smile that had gotten her out of Orchard Gardens at age eighteen, leaving Lily alone at age twelve with their single mother.
    Bethany led them through the small apartment to a back bedroom, walls painted pink. The furnishings and possessions were sparse, but everything was in its place. Emily’s legs were tangled in the sheets and her dark hair was plastered to her face.
    Something tugged at Lily’s heart. She had spent countless hours working in the lab, looking for a cure for this precious girl, but she hadn’t carved out a lot of time to actually spend with her. She reached out and ran the back of her hand across the child’s moist cheek.
    Was Lily shielding her heart from another loss?
    Only recently had she made time to do clinic work. Her life was out of balance. Guilt pinged her insides even as she mentally fashioned her excuse: her top priority was to make sure Emily’s future was bright. Make sure she lived a healthy, long life.
    Lily leaned over and kissed her niece’s forehead. A whiff of baby shampoo tickled her nose. Her niece’s dark lashes rested against her pale skin in the purple glow of a three-foot-tall tulip night-light. “She’s grown so much.”
    Bethany stared at her daughter. Her sister’s eyes glistened in the dim light. “She’s going into third grade. Can you believe it?”
    Lily shook her head. It seemed like only yesterday when her sister moved back to Orchard Gardens with a toddler while her sweet-talking husband moved on to the next pretty girl.
    “Do you think she’s...?” Bethany didn’t say what was on all of their minds.
    “She’ll have to go in for blood work.” Lily touched her sister’s crossed arms. “It’s going to be okay.”
    A renewed sense of urgency weighed heavily on Lily’s chest, making it difficult to draw in a deep breath. The first tingling of a full-blown panic attack bit at her fingertips as the pink walls with the princess border closed in on her. She hadn’t a moment to spare. She had to push forward with her research. James set his medical bag on the dresser next to Emily’s bed. And he wants me to take a vacation for my own safety.
    James slipped in next to Lily and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on Emily’s forehead. The little girl moaned and muttered something in her sleep. He reached over and pulled an ear thermometer from the medical bag. “What’s her temperature?”
    Bethany’s thin shoulders shot to her ears. “I never took it. My thermometer broke. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago. I meant to replace it, but Emily has been fine for so long. It just slipped my mind. Or maybe...” Her voice grew so soft Lily had to strain to make out the words “...maybe I had deluded myself into thinking she was never going to have a relapse.” Bethany sniffed and ran the back of her hand across her nose. “When I touched her forehead she was burning up.”
    “That’s okay,” James said, compassion evident in his voice. “Do you mind if I give her an exam?”
    “Please.”
    Bethany and Lily stood quietly