Unwanted Heat

Carter quickly makes a cup of tea for me and joins me at the large island in the kitchen while we wait for Vivienne to finish with her son. He points out the pantry and another door that I’m surprised to learn is another small apartment that he and Julie share. Nicholas’s main floor is so large, I can’t imagine how much more remains up the stairs that I saw in the foyer. How much space can one man possibly need?

“Carter, Kenzie,” Vivienne enters the kitchen.

“Dr. Parker, can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee-” Carter offers.

“No thank you Carter. I can’t stay long, I’m scheduled to work a double tonight at the hospital,” she says. “Kenzie, how are you feeling?”

“Fine… Nicholas and I didn’t eat the same meal tonight thankfully.”

“Good. I am pretty confident that Nicholas has a case of food poisoning, but I’m taking some blood to the hospital just to rule out anything else. I don’t think it’s the flu, given the sudden onset, but I want to rule it out just to be sure.”

“So he’s going to be okay?”

“Yes, in a few days he should be fine. He probably should be in a hospital, but my son is incredibly stubborn just like his father and refuses to go. He’s more worried that someone might think he is weak by being admitted into a hospital than he is about his own health. He’s stable for now, but I’ve warned him that if his condition worsens or if his blood work shows something more serious then I will call for the ambulance myself to bring him to the hospital.”

“What can we do for him?”

“Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do but keep him comfortable. I’ve given him something for fever and nausea which should help. Someone will need to check on him every couple of hours through the night; dehydration is a big concern. Tomorrow if Julie can prepare some chicken broth-”

“Julie is away for the weekend Dr. Parker,” Carter interrupts.

“Oh… perhaps you can pick something up from a restaurant? It needs to be bland, my only concern with ordering it from somewhere.”Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“I’ll make sure we have something for him in the freezer.”

“Tonight, we need someone to check on him every two to three hours. If his temperature spikes above 103. 8, I will need to be contacted immediately and if I’m not available then someone needs to call an ambulance. He needs medication around the clock for the next 48 hours to keep his fever down and prevent him from vomiting any liquid he takes in. As I said, dehydration is my concern; if he doesn’t take in enough liquids, his body could begin shutting down. I cannot stress enough the importance of someone monitoring him around the clock this weekend. If Julie is not available, will one of you two be willing to do this?”

“Unfortunately, I’m scheduled to fly out in a few hours to meet Julie at her niece’s wedding. I can try to arrange a later flight… maybe I can stay for a few hours in the morning-”

“I can come by tomorrow afternoon to check on him, but unfortunately I’m scheduled to work a double tonight and then the overnight shift tomorrow night. Theodore is out of town helping someone with a project. Cara left this morning for a weekend trip with a few friends. Austin… well let’s just say Austin wouldn’t be the ideal person to take care of someone who is ill.”

“I’ll stay,” I offer.

“Are you sure, Kenzie?” Carter asks.

“It’s not a problem,” I assure him.

“Hunter and Ben are scheduled to work this weekend, either of them can run out for anything you might need,” Carter adds.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine. I can make the chicken broth that you recommended, Vivienne; I’m sure Julie has everything I would need. If you let me know about the medication I can make sure he takes it as you say.”

“Wonderful, thank you so much! Nicholas is very lucky to have you. I’m thankful that you didn’t have plans this weekend; I’m not sure what we would have done if you weren’t available. He probably would have had no choice but to go into the hospital where he would have been most unhappy.”

“It’s not a problem, I’m glad I can help.”

“Here’s some medication to get you through the night. Carter, I’ve called in a few prescriptions to the pharmacy, so can you arrange for someone to pick them up first thing in the morning?”

“Of course, Dr. Parker.”

“He needs this one every four hours to keep his fever down. I left a forehead thermometer on the nightstand in his room and recommend checking his temperature every two to three hours. At the same time you’ll need to get him to drink something. Here’s a few packets of an electrolyte drink; just mix it with cold water and it helps prevent dehydration. Carter, this is another thing that should be picked up at the pharmacy tomorrow morning. They may not have it in powder but they should have it in liquid form.”

“I’ll be sure Hunter or Ben picks everything up as soon as they open.”

“If you have trouble waking him up, or his fever spikes, you need to call me right away, Kenzie. Here is my cell number and the hospital number where you can have me paged if I don’t answer my cell. If you can’t reach me, call an ambulance and have him brought in. Don’t worry about him getting mad at you, I’ll take full responsibility. His health is more

important than what the media might think of him.”

“I’ll call for an ambulance if I can’t reach you, I promise.”

“He might start feeling better late tomorrow afternoon. If he feels up to it, you can add some noodles and vegetables to the broth. He shouldn’t eat anything heavy at least until Monday and even then, it needs to be small amounts. He may tell you otherwise, but it’s important that you monitor him all weekend. Even when his fever finally leaves, he isn’t out of the woods, as it can come back at any time over the next few days. Just keep an eye on him once the fever drops, make sure he keeps drinking and eating. Drinking is more important than eating so don’t panic if he doesn’t eat anything. Just don’t let him convince you that he is fine.”

“I won’t. I promise I’ll stay until you say it’s safe to leave.”