Page 13 of High Intensity

“Did something happen since you dropped off the dog yesterday?” I probe. “Did you buy a test? Talk to Dan?”

She scoffs, “I never had a chance. I barely made it home last night, and then Aspen was sick and Dan had been waiting for me so he could head over to the ranch on the snowmobile to help out with the animals. He was there all night. I didn’t even talk to him until he called me this morning to let me know the team was being called out. I was so annoyed, I ended up doing the pregnancy test I picked up on my way in to work yesterday. I intended to do it with Dan there, but since he wasn’t and I didn’t feel like waiting…”

It’s like she suddenly runs out of energy, or maybe she’s simply done venting, but she doesn’t finish her sentence.

So, I gently prompt her, “And?”

“You were right.” She sniffles softly. “And now I don’t know when Dan will be back…and Aspen is sick…and I don’t have my dog…and I’m just a mess.”

“You’ll be fine,” I try to appease her.

“I’m a mess,” she reiterates with emphasis. “It’s like I have no control over anything. Not even myself.”

In the background I can hear her daughter start wailing, which only makes Sloane sniffle harder.

“Oh God, I can’t do this.”

“Sure you can,” I tell her firmly. “Take a deep breath, go look after your daughter, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

As soon as I canstill ended up taking a couple of hours.

It’s after noon by the time I pull up to Dan and Sloane’s brand-new log home. It was a pleasant surprise to find their driveway plowed. After spending the past two hours breaking my back shoveling my own, I’m seriously considering hiring a service to take care of snow removal in the future.

I considered bringing my guys for a visit as well, but thought better of it. They may have just added to the chaos. Instead, I let them have a good run in the back before I left, and they’re generally quite content at home.

Beside me, River starts whining when he recognizes where we are.

“Hang on, buddy,” I tell him when he tries to climb over me to get out when I open the door. “I’ll come grab you from the other side.”

The moment River’s paws hit the ground, he takes off for the house, where Sloane is already waiting in the door holding Aspen. As soon as I reach them, I pluck the baby from her arms and shoo Sloane inside before closing the door.

The poor little one is like a stove, so warm, and rather lethargic. I manage to shrug out of my coat by shifting her from arm to arm, and kick off my boots in the entrance before following Sloane into the living room.

“Has she had any fluids today?” I ask, noticing a bottle and a child’s cup with a straw on the coffee table.

“Probably not enough. I’ve tried. We’ve been up all night,” Sloane shares, looking—and sounding—exhausted.

“What about you?” I press on as I lay Aspen down on her back on the couch.

“I…I can’t remember. I had tea at some point.”

She moves closer as I unzip Aspen’s sleeper and inspect her, running my fingers lightly over her chest and belly.

“What are you doing?” her mother wants to know.

“She seems to have a bit of a rash on her torso,” I report as I gently flip her over and check her back. No rash there.

Next, I palpate her throat with my fingertips and find her glands substantially enlarged.

“I’m gonna need your help for a sec,” I tell Sloane. “If you can lay her on her back on your lap so your knees support her shoulders. I want her head to fall back a bit so I can have a look in her throat.”

Sloane sits down and does as I asked. Then I gently press on Aspen’s chin. She’s not happy with me and makes it known. Her crying actually helps me have a quick look in her mouth using the flashlight on my phone. Her little throat looks raw, and I notice some white dots.

“Oh, you poor baby. Auntie Jillian thinks you have strep throat,” I coo at her. I lift her off Sloane’s lap and cradle her against my shoulder. “You may want to give your doctor a call, she probably needs to be seen.”

“I already tried calling this morning. The message says he’s out of the office until next Monday and for anything urgent to go to the emergency room. I wanted to take her but was afraid I was overreacting. Do you really think she has strep? I don’t know where she would’ve picked that up.”

I pat her knee. “Sure looks like it. Come on, let’s bundle this little nugget up, and I’ll take you. My SUV is already warmed up.”

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