Page 41 of Wham Line
“We don’t know,” the doctor said.“The tests take time and aren’t always accurate.But the symptoms are certainly suggestive of it—the tingling numbness, respiratory difficulty, sweating.”He paused and shook his head, and his George Washington hair swung with him.“You were very lucky.”
“Can I go home?”Bobby asked.
“No,” I said.“You can’t.”
“I’m fine now,” Bobby said.
The doctor frowned.“Your breathing is better, and it sounds like the other symptoms are fading—”
“They’re gone.”And that, at least, seemed to be true—he was no longer wearing the cannula, and when the doctor had run through a series of tests and questions, Bobby’s responses had been normal.“I’m just tired.”
“I think it would be wise to stay overnight for observation.”
“But I don’t need to,” Bobby said.“If I start to feel weird again, I’ll go straight to the hospital.”
The doctor considered both of us.“Are you going to have someone with you?”
“Yes,” I said.“I’m going to be glued to him.Right here.In the hospital.”
“Dash, I’m fine.”Bobby said to the doctor, “I have a family emergency to take care of.”
“Your family will understand if you need to be in the hospital.”
Something flashed across Bobby’s face.He twisted his hand free of mine and sat forward, his gaze intent on the doctor.
“As long as you’re not going to be alone,” the doctor finally said.
“But don’t you think one night—” I tried.
“Thank you,” Bobby said.
“Rest,” the doctor said firmly.“And lots of fluids.”
“That’s great.I appreciate it.”
In surprisingly short order, a nurse unhooked Bobby from all the monitoring equipment, and Bobby took his clothes into the bathroom to change out of the hospital johnnie.I sat in the chair next to the hospital bed and tried not to look—and feel—like a spoilsport.
A rap on the door brought my head up, and the sheriff stepped into the room.She was still dressed in a leather coat with the Ridge County Sheriff’s Office seal on the breast, and a Ridge County Sheriff’s Office baseball cap hung from one hand.Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were tired; she looked like a woman who had two murders to solve in a town that was supposed to be quiet and peaceful and charming.When she cocked her head at me, I pointed to the bathroom.
“Ah,” Sheriff Acosta said.“Mind if I sit?”
“The better to yell at us, I assume?”
The tic at the corner of her mouth wasn’t exactly a smile.“I’m checking on my favorite deputy.”
“I bet you say that to all the boys.”
“Not really.”She turned the baseball cap in her hands; inside, sweat stains showed against the dark fabric.“How’s he doing?”
“He should be staying overnight for observation.”
The sheriff made a sound of understanding and nodded.
“Maybe you can talk some sense into him,” I said.
She nodded again, but she said, “I didn’t get a chance to take your statement at Mizzenmast.”
So, I told her what had happened: everything from the moment we’d arrived and Nalini had tried to run, through my conversation with Talmage, and ending with spotting Jethro through the window right before Sparkie collapsed.After I finished, I asked, “How quickly are you going to be able to tell what killed her?”
