Jed shook his head and lay back on the bed, waiting for Dr. Howarth to leave him alone so he could sleep off the bone-crushing headache that was growing worse by the minute.
He expected Dr. Howarth to leave. He didn’t. He sat down in Max’s chair.
“What are you doing?”
“Charts,” Dr. Howarth said vaguely. “My office is being remodeled. Do you mind?”
Seriously? The dude was going to sit in the corner and watch two grown men sleep? Whatever. Jed pulled his hood over his face, too tired to argue. Two more days. That was it. He could cope with two more days, right?
THENOISEin Jed’s head was deafening, like a pneumatic drill, driving into his skull. Someone shook him, called his name, and pulled on the hood covering his face.
“Jed? Can you wake up for me a moment? Jed?”
Dr. Howarth.
“Jed? Come on, wake up for me.”
Jed opened his eyes. White hot bolts of pain shot through his head. He tried to sit up, but his arms failed him.
Dr. Howarth eased him upright. “You’ve spiked a fever. You might’ve picked up a virus, but I’m running some antibiotics through you to be safe.”
“Antibiotics? What for?”
“You might have an infection.” Dr. Howarth grasped his wrist and took his pulse the old fashioned way. “Can you take your sweat jacket off?”
It took Jed a moment to comprehend the request and even longer to decide he was too fucking cold to be taking his clothes off. “I’m fine.”
“I know you are. I need to examine you. You can have it back when I’m done.”
Dr. Howarth won the stare-down, because Jed forgot his objections. He took off Max’s hoodie and sat back while Dr. Howarth listened to his chest and palpated his strangely pain-free abdomen.
“I’m going to hook you up to the monitors,” Dr. Howarth said. “I want to check out your heart rate for a moment. You can rest if you want.”
Jed kept his eyes open, but the crazy beeping of the monitors made him jump.
The commotion roused Dan from his uncomfortable slumber on the chair. “Jed? What’s going on?”
Jed couldn’t answer. Dan moved, his body a blur across the room. He reached Jed’s side as Dr. Howarth draped the long neglected oxygen tubes back on Jed’s face. “What’s happening?”
“Maybe an infection. We’ve given him antibiotics and something to bring the fever down.”
“What’s up with his head? Why is he holding it like that?”
I’m not holding my head.
“We’ve given him something for the pain. Keep him talking for a moment, will you?”
The door opened and closed a few times. New hands touched Jed, but none of them the right ones. A shiver passed through him. He wascold. He longed for Max’s hoodie… no, he wanted Max. Max. Max. Max….
Jed jerked his head up. “I don’t want you to drive in the rain.”
“Huh?” Dan grasped Jed’s shoulders. His grip was light, but his big hands felt like spiked metal clamps. “Dude, I’m right here.”
“What?”
Dan stared at him. “Don’t worry about it. Whatever it is, it’s gonna be fine, okay?”
Dr. Howarth reappeared before Jed could formulate an answer. He shot something into the IV in Jed’s hand, then moved to the window and closed the blinds. He said something. Dan shut off the lights.