Page 28 of Unbreakable Connection (Connections Duet)

“I don't know yet, but we will find out. Give me some room to work, and I will update you soon.”

“I'm not leaving her,” I shouted.

“I didn't ask you to; just give me some room to do my job and help the one we both love. Do you understand me, Edric?”Yeah, I hear you loud and clear. Please bring Ellen back to me.I stepped out of the way and prayed silently to myself.

“Nai, let's get a urinalysis and a culture, along with a chest X-ray,” he continued to give orders, and the nurse typed away on her iPad. Her name sounded familiar, and I asked where I would know it. I could tell she was kind and someone Ellen trusted.

“We've never met, but you know my grandmother, Antonia.” She said and then stuck her hand out for me to shake.

“Yes, you are the granddaughter she talks about. I'm Edric,” I said, and then she introduced herself as Naomi, but everyone called her Nai. “Your grandmother is amazing, and the food she prepares for Ellen is incredible. I take it she's been doing this for a while now?”

“Not too long, maybe four months or so. Ellen practically lives here at the clinic and is never home to eat properly. The staff got on her case about taking care of herself, and then I asked my grandmother to make a few dishes she could freeze and reheat to make it easier for her. Well, one thing led to another, and Nonna Antonia kind of adopted her, doubling whatever she makes and sending a hamper to Ellen.”

“And you say it's been about four months?”

“Yeah, about that. Kyle found her sleeping in her office more than once and finally put his foot down, making her go home occasionally.”Fuck, fuck, fuck!The timeline made sense because it was the time we were apart. But I had no idea that ourseparation caused Ellen to stop caring for herself and working herself into the ground.

“I will take her to radiology and should be back shortly. Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Can I follow and wait outside until you do the scan?”

“Of course, follow me,” I was able to view through the window, and once the technicians finished with her scans, Nai pushed her bed toward me, and then I took over for her. “You know this is against our policy, but since she's the boss, I guess it's okay,” she said, trying to make a challenging situation a little better to get through. Ellen stirred a little, then her eyes blinked open, and her surroundings startled her. She tried to sit up and then asked why she was there.

“Why am I hooked up to an IV?”

“Hey, welcome back, boss, because you fell into a deep sleep after developing a fever. Edric brought you in. Hopefully, Dr. Kyle will be back in a few minutes with an answer.”

“Nai, I don't need Kyle to tell me what's wrong with me. Let me see my chart,” before Nai could step forward, I put my hand up to stop her and walked over to my woman, reaching for her face.

“Hey, take a breath and look at me,” I said quietly, then waited for Ellen to do as I asked. She stubbornly sighed, and then I gave her a stern look that showed her I wasn't kidding. She inhaled and exhaled, and then I said, “Baby, do you remember what you did after you went upstairs to change?”

“I sat down on the bed because I was a little dizzy. I was going to rest my eyes briefly, but I’m guessing it’s been a while since I’m just waking up now?”

“Yes, that’s about right. When I found you asleep and discovered you were running a fever close to 103, I was so scared and called Kyle. Please listen to Kyle and Nai and remain calm until we know more?” She silently nodded, and then I kissed heras gently as possible, feeling the heat of her skin. Again, I helped by attaching the oxygen mask to her face; this time, she didn’t fight me.

“Nai, can you retake her temp? She feels much warmer than before,” Nai walked over and rolled the device across her forehead and then looked worried.

“What is it?” Ellen asked.

“It's just a little higher since we last checked. I will page Dr. Kyle and get him back in here.”

She moved the mask aside and said, “Nai, let me look at my chart, please?” Ellen asked calmly, and I gestured for Nai to hand it to her. Then, Ellen began flipping pages of the printed test results. Her eyes were serious, but that didn't worry me because Ellen’s demeanor always shifted regarding her work or patients. I remember watching her with Sabina and how focused she was, but this time, she was the patient.

“Baby, what does it say?” I asked nervously, and then she put me out of my misery when she said everything was normal, but why the fever? Kyle returned a few minutes later and confirmed what I suspect Ellen already figured out but decided to just play it off for my benefit.

“Pneumonia? Seriously, Kyle?”

“It looks that way, but thankfully, it's not full-blown yet, and now that I know what it is, I can administer the proper antibiotic.”

“Let's go with a Macrolide; probably Zithromax is the best course.” She said, jotting down notes in the chart. Kyle looked amused but not surprised that she had just turned the tables on him.

“Um, you are the patient, and you're right. Nai,” he gestured and ordered the medication. A few minutes later, Nai was hanging the new bag of fluids. “Okay, this is rare in head injuriesbut not unheard of. You don't have any brain bleeds or clots, so that is our saving grace.”

“What do you think could have caused the infection?” I asked Kyle.

“Well, I say feeling tired is a contributing factor, and then the after-effects from the blast. The smoke was so strong, and all the fumes could have also contributed to it.” He then looked back to Ellen and said, “I tested your blood for any toxic agents, and everything came back negative, which is another blessing. Once the antibiotic does its job, you should feel better with the fever breaking. And, here's my big ending, ready?”

“Save the speech because I already know I'm not going anywhere for a while.”

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