Gradually Kim responded to Tracy’s urging, and he visibly relaxed a degree. David took his hand away.
Kim nodded to Tracy. “Okay,” he said. Then, turning back to Becky, he gripped her tiny arm. “Daddy will be right outside, Pumpkin.”
“I don’t want any needles,” Becky said plaintively.
“They want to give you some fluid,” Kim said. “But it will be only one stick. It will be over in a second. I know it’s no fun, but you’ve got to be strong so you can get back to normal. Okay?”
“Okay,” Becky said reluctantly.
Tracy gave Becky’s hand a squeeze and told her that she would be with Kim and that they would be back in to see her in a few moments. Becky nodded but she clearly wasn’t happy. She looked scared.
Tracy followed Kim out through the curtain surrounding Becky’s gurney. She could hear that he was breathing fast. She didn’t say anything until they had passed the nurses desk.
“Kim, you have to calm down,” Tracy said. She put her hand gently on his arm. “You’re so tense.”
“David Washington drives me up a wall,” Kim snapped.
“He’s doing his job,” Tracy said. “If the situation were reversed and you were taking care of his child, I’m sure you’d act the same way he has. You wouldn’t want him giving orders.”
Kim pondered this as he pushed through the swinging doors to the outside. The blast of cold air felt good on his face. He stopped on the platform and took a deep breath. He slowly let it out. Tracy still had a hold of his arm.
“I guess you’re right,” he said finally. “It’s hard for me to see Becky lying there and so vulnerable.”
“I can imagine,” Tracy said. “It must be very difficult.”
Their eyes met.
“You can understand?” Kim asked. “Seriously?”
“Absolutely,” Tracy said. “You’re a surgeon. You are trained to act. And who would you want to take care of more than your own child. For you the hardest thing in the world is to see Becky in need and not do something.”
“You’re right,” Kim said.
“Of course I am,” Tracy said. “I’m always right.”
In spite of himself, Kim smiled. “Now, I’m not going to go that far. Frequently maybe, but not always!”
“I’ll accept that, provided we go back inside,” Tracy said with a smile. “I’m freezing.”
“Sure, I’m sorry,” Kim said. “I just needed a breath of cold air.”
“Does the IV bother you?” Kim asked Becky.
Becky raised her left hand which was taped to a flat wristboard. A length of clear plastic tubing dove into the gauze covering the back of her hand. “I can’t feel it at all,” she said.
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Kim said.
“Does it feel cold?” Tracy said. “That’s what I remember when I was in the hospital having you.”
“It does feel cold!” Becky remarked. “I didn’t know it until you said it. My whole arm is cold.”
David had carefully examined Becky, had started the IV, had done routine bloodwork and urinalysis, and had a flat plate and an upright X-ray taken of her abdomen. Although he’d yet to see the X-rays since they were not yet available, the blood and urine results were all normal, suggesting the blood loss had been minimal. At that point, he’d sent for Kim and Tracy to keep Becky company while they waited for Dr. Claude Faraday.
The infectious-disease specialist arrived a few minutes later. He introduced himself to Kim and Tracy, and then to Becky. He was a slender, dark-complected man with an intense manner. He listened to a full recounting of Becky’s problem, from the very first symptoms Saturday morning until the episode of hemorrhage that evening. He nodded every so often, especially when Becky herself added specific details.
“Okay, Miss Reggis,” he said to Becky. “Would you mind if I looked you over a bit?”
Becky looked at Tracy as if she had to get permission.
“Dr. Faraday is asking you if it’s all right for him to examine you,” Tracy translated for Becky.
“It’s okay,” Becky said. “I just don’t want any more needles.”
“No more needles,” Claude assured her.