Cutler 04 - Midnight Whispers

doctor's eyebrows rose. The nurse said something to him and then he looked at us and continued to approach us. I held my breath. Gavin squeezed my hand tightly. Luther nodded, his own hands clasped on his lap.
    "Christie Longchamp?" he said.
    "Yes sir."
    "Your brother's name is Jefferson," he said, looking at the chart.
    "Yes sir."
    "Well then, it does look like he has contracted tetanus. He should have had a shot immediately after that wound on his leg," he said with a note of chastisement in his voice. I tried to swallow, but couldn't. "Didn't your parents know about his injury?"
    I shook my head.
    "Her parents are both dead," Gavin said. "They were killed in a fire."
    The doctor stared at him a moment, his eyes narrow. Then he turned to me.
    "First we'll talk about your brother," he said. "He's in a coma, something which usually follows convulsions caused by tetanus."
    "Will he be all right?" I asked quickly. I couldn't hold back.
    The doctor looked at Luther and then at me again.
    "The mortality rate with tetanus is influenced by the patient's age and the length of the incubation period. It's more serious for young children and especially for those not treated soon after the bacteria has been introduced to the body," he said with a cold air. "Don't you have a guardian?"
    "Yes sir," I said looking down. "My uncle."
    "Well he has to be informed immediately. There are important forms that have to be signed. I'm going ahead with emergency treatment, but I need to speak to your guardian right away," he said. "You people come from . . ." He looked at the chart. "Cutler's Cove, Virginia?"
    "Yes sir."
    "Are you visiting relatives?"
    "Yes sir, my aunt."
    "Oh, well can I speak with her?"
    "We ain't got a phone at the house," Luther offered.
    "Pardon?'
    "This is . . . my uncle," I said.
    "Your guardian? He's been sitting here all this time?" the doctor asked, his eyes incredulous. "No sir. That's a different uncle."
    "Look, Miss Longchamp," he said, settling back, "this is a grave situation. I want your guardian's name and telephone number immediately." He thrust the paper at me and took the pen out of his top pocket.
    "Yes sir," I said and wrote Uncle Philip's name and telephone number.
    "Fine," the doctor said, taking it back. He started to turn away.
    "What about my brother?" I asked.
    "He's being moved to the intensive care unit. We're hooking him up to an I.V. filled with an antitoxin. He's a very, very sick little boy," he said. He looked at Luther as if he instinctively knew Luther was familiar with the seriousness of the illness.
    "Can I see him?" I asked.
    "Only for a moment," the doctor said. "There's a waiting room up at ICU and a very restrictive period for visitations."
    "Thank you," I said and got up. Gavin held my hand as we walked down the corridor to the examination room. When we looked in, we saw a nurse had just completed hooking up the I.V. Jefferson was already in a hospital gown, too.
    "Your brother's things," she said, handing me the nightshirt and the blanket.
    "Thank you." Gavin and I walked up to the gurney and looked down at Jefferson. I saw his eyeball twitch under the lid, and then his lips tremble and stop.
    "Jefferson," I said. My throat ached so from my keeping myself from breaking out into hysterical tears, and my chest felt as if someone weighing three hundred pounds was standing on it. I took Jefferson's little hand into mine and held it for a few moments.
    "Will he be all right?" Gavin asked the nurse.
    "We'll have to wait and see," she said. "He's in good hands here," she added and offered us the first smile of hope. Gavin nodded.
    "He's a strong little boy," he said, mostly for my benefit.
    I leaned over and kissed Jefferson's cheek. Then I brought my lips to his ear.
    "I'm sorry, Jefferson," I whispered. "I'm sorry I brought you along. Get better, please. Please, please," I chanted, the tears streaming down my cheeks.
    "Christie. Come on. They're here to take him upstairs," he said.
    He embraced me and we stood back and watched the orderly and the nurse begin to wheel Jefferson out of the room and down the corridor. We followed behind the gurney until they came to the elevator.
    "Come up in about an hour or so," the nurse told us just as the doors were closing. We both stood there staring at the closed elevator. Luther came up behind us.
    "It's gonna be a while," he said, "fore we really know somethin' substantial."
    "I'm not leaving," I said. He nodded. Then he reached into his pants