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“Mom, it’s me, Janelle. You gotta come over to Dad’s condo.”
Beth’s heart clutched at the worry in her daughter’s voice. “Calm down, sweetie. What happened?”
“We just got home from school and found him in bed. He didn’t go to work today.”
Which never happened. Adam was rigid about showing up for work and the kids going to school. It was one of the reasons they divorced.
“He’s burning up with fever and his face is red.”
Janelle could call 911. But Beth would never leave her two kids to deal with a potential emergency alone.
She glanced around her gallery, Artistic Gems. As the manager and owner, she had a lot of leeway with the schedule. “Work is close to the river condos. I’ll be right over.”
After she disconnected, she walked out to the back office to find the assistant manager talking to Reg, the man she was dating. “I have to leave for an emergency.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mary Kay told her. “Don’t worry about anything. I’m on till closing.”
“Is it he kids?” Reg asked.
Reg Worthington was a world-class artist and she’d met him at an art show. He’d contracted to show three of his paintings in her gallery. After they sold, he added more works. Eventually, he rented a loft here, where he could paint and see her.
“Not exactly.” She explained what happened.
“Janelle should call 911.” His voice was cold. In most things, Reg was kind and loving. But where Adam was concerned, he…wasn’t.
“Damn it, Reg. I can’t leave her alone to deal with this.” She crossed to her desk and grabbed her purse. Adam used to tease her that it was more like a suitcase. “Thanks, Mary Kay.”
Reg took a step toward her. “I’ll go with you.”
“No. I need to do this alone.” She hurried out the door, leaving Reg agape.
As she drove, she thought about how different the two men were. Adam was blond, blue-eyed and had a runner’s body. Reg sported longish dark hair, gray eyes and a body builder’s form. Adam dressed in conservative clothes and Reg in what the kids called hippie chic.
She shook off her thoughts when she reached Adam’s rented condo and parked. As the river whooshed by, she hurried to number 24. One of Adam’s brothers of fire and his wife owned it but were living elsewhere.
Janey was waiting on the porch. Her fourteen-year-old threw herself into Beth’s arms. “I’m so scared, Mom. Daddy’s really sick.”
“Let’s go see.” She barely took in her surroundings as Janey led her through the living room, to the left and down a hall to a bedroom.
From the doorway, she saw Adam laying listlessly in the bed. His face was indeed flushed. Janelle sat by his bedside. She stood and crossed to Beth. They hugged.
Her daughter was pale. “Thanks for coming, Mom.”
“Of course I came. Did you take his temperature?”
“Yeah, we found a brand new thermometer in the vanity.” Her dark blue eyes were wide. “It’s 103.”
“All right. I’m taking over now. Would you go get a washcloth and a bowl of water with ice in it?”
When Janelle left, she crossed to the bed. Up close, she saw Adam’s face was very red. She put her hand to his forehead. It was hot.
“Beth…Beth…” he mumbled.
“Adam, I’m here.”
He opened his eyes. They were the exact color of Janelle’s and Janey’s except his were bloodshot now. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said softly.
Janelle returned with the bowl. Sitting down on the straight chair, she dipped the washcloth in the water and rested the cold compress on his forehead.
He shivered first, then sighed. “That feels good.”
“I imagine it does. Did you take ibuprofen?”
“Don’t have any.”
He was a stickler about taking any medication.
“Did you call into work?”
“I managed that when I tried get up then fell back into bed.”
She brushed her hand down his cheek. “I think we should take you to Urgent Care.”
“No. Not going there.”
Stubborn man. This had happened before. His obstinacy was another reason why they divorced.
“It’s only a bug.”
“Your fever’s high.”
“It’ll break.”
“Please let me take you.”
“No.” He took her hand in a limp grasp. “But stay with me.”
He must be sick to want her here. For a while, she’d thought about getting back together with him. But he rejected the notion. “I stay. Janelle can take my car to get medicine.”
He was still holding her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks.” His eyes closed.
Turning to her kids, who were in the doorway, she said, “Janelle, money and keys are in my purse. Are you calm enough to drive and get your father some ibuprofen at the Main Street Pharmacy?”
“Now that you’re here, I am.” She grabbed what she needed and left.
Beth turned to her other daughter. “Janey, Dad’s going to be fine. If he isn’t better after he takes the ibuprofen, we’ll take him to Urgent Care. If he won’t go, we’ll call the EMTs. Would you refresh the ice water, please?”
“Okay, Mom.”
She bathed his face until Janelle returned and Beth opened the bottle; she shook out three pills. He gulped them back and reached for the glass but his hand shook so badly, she had to hold the cup for him while he drank. “There, now close your eyes. Sleep.”
“Don’t leave.”
“I won’t.
He fell back to sleep fast.
“Girls, why don’t you do your homework, or if you can’t concentrate, watch some TV. We’ll wait until he wakes up and see what to do next.”
After they left, she went to the window and opened it. The late-afternoon September breeze swept the room of its stuffy air. Then she stepped from the room and took out her phone. Punched in a number.
“Beth?” Reg’s worried voice. “How is everything?”
“Adam’s got a high fever. If it’s not better in a few hours, I’m taking him to Urgent Care.”
Silence. Then, “I don’t like this, Beth.” He was jealous as hell of Adam and he had good reason. Though she couldn’t live with him, Beth had never stopped loving her ex-husband.
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