Lennon's Jinx (24 page)

As
the doctor finishes stitching Jinx’s eyebrow, a female officer shows up. “Would
you like the gentleman to leave?” she asks, assessing the bruise on my chin and
the blood on my shirt.

She
must think I’m the perp. In this case, my smile receives a stern look from the
officer.

Jinx
lowers her head. Shame heats her cheeks, and it makes me pity her. “It doesn’t
matter if he stays. He’s not the one who did this, if that’s what you’re
thinking.”

That
was nice of Jinx.

“I
should stay,” Currie says. “Someone needs to protect the victim’s rights.”

The
police officer smiles at her. “Are you an attorney?”

“Not
yet. I’m representing her until one arrives. I don’t want you trying to
convince her that this was in any way her fault.”

The
police officer lets Currie remain in her chair. By the grin the cop’s wearing, she
must be enjoying Currie’s precociousness.

My
cell phone vibrates. It’s the Humane Society. Again. What’s wrong with them?
Can’t they take a hint? I hang up on them as I go outside, leaving the door
open enough so that I can eavesdrop. I’ve waited long enough to hear Jinx’s
full story.

The
policewoman asks Jinx how her brow got cut.

Jinx
draws in a long breath. “My stepfather.”

“What
happened?” The cop’s voice is filled with patience and empathy. “Take your
time.”

There’s
a long silence. “He thinks now that I turned eighteen that I’ll have sex with
him. I said no, and he hit me.” Jinx’s voice has calmed down quite a bit. With
Currie’s encouragement, Jinx tells the officer what happened when she was
fifteen.

My
phone vibrates again. What the hell? “Kiki, what do you want? We don’t have
time to volunteer right now.”

“I’m
sorry to bother you, Lennon, but did you or Currie get bitten or scratched by
the kittens you gave us?”

I
think back to that night. Currie told me she hadn’t. “No. Why?”

“That’s
good news. The kittens have rabies. Whoever dumped them off probably brought
them from a rural area. Several of our staff had to have the shots. I’ve been
trying to get a hold of you to make sure you weren’t infected.”

My
heart shrivels to the point my chest spasms like I’m about to have a heart
attack. Currie was sucking her finger that night as if she’d been bitten. I’ve
been deleting Kiki’s messages. Oh God, if something happens to Currie, it’s all
my fault. “What are the symptoms of rabies?”

“Loss
of appetite, fatigue, headaches, dizziness. As it progresses, seizures.”

“But
it’s curable, right?”

“As
long as you get the shots before any symptoms appear, the prognosis is good.”

I’m
not sure I want to hear the answer to this. “What if you don’t?”

“It’s
almost always fatal.”

The officer tells me they’ll issue
a warrant for Step-monster’s arrest. Mom will blame me with all the evidence He
has accrued against me. She’ll take His word over mine.

I
can’t believe I let Lennon talk me into telling the cops, though that’s what
Rena encouraged me to do the last time I showed up with a black eye. I don’t
want any more problems. Mom’s been through enough with losing Dad.

Lennon
barges into the room, startling me. He shoves past the officer to reach Currie.
She practically jumps out of her seat. The color has drained from his handsome
face.

“We’re
not through yet,” the officer says in a harsh tone.

“Currie,
you need to be honest with me,” Lennon says slowly. “Did any of those kittens
at the recital scratch or bite you?”

“No.”
There’s something in her voice that hints at a lie.

Lennon
clutches both her shoulders. “You have to tell me the truth.” His voice sounds
a bit rough.

She
pouts. “You won’t get mad, will you?”

His
grip relaxes. “I promise I won’t.”

“It
was just a little scratch. The kitten didn’t mean to. I didn’t want you to have
them destroyed.”

Oh
shit. If it’s rabies, then they’ve already been put down. That’s the only way
to determine they have the virus.

Lennon
hugs her. “We have to admit you into the hospital for tests.” He turns toward
me. “I hate to do this to you, Jinx, but I have to take care of Currie. You can
stay here with me if you’d like, but I might not be able to drive you anywhere until
much later.”

“What’s
wrong?” I ask, getting up. There’s so much fear in his eyes that it makes me
tense. It’s just like when Mom heard the news about Dad having terminal cancer.

Lennon
looks at Currie then me. He doesn’t want to upset her, so he remains silent.

“Is
there something I can do?” I ask.

“You
can wait here, and I’ll give you a lift once I find out what’s going on with
Currie.”

“Do
you have someplace you can go until we can reach your mother?” the police
officer asks me.

“I’ll
call Rena.” I don’t want to leave Lennon. Whatever’s wrong has him scared. He
loves Currie so much. “I’ll stay here for a while. Let’s get Currie to the
doctor.”

“You
need to sign these forms,” the police officer says.

I
don’t even read them but scribble my name wherever she says.

Lennon
scoops up Currie and carries her back to the ER where a nurse gets her into a
private room immediately. I follow them. He hugs Currie close to him. She
clings to him, frightened, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

A
nurse comes in and draws blood, scrapes skin off the back of her neck, and
takes saliva. Currie winces as the needle pokes her. She watches Lennon for
cues about her condition.

“Do
you think she has rabies?” I ask in a small voice.

“There’s
a possibility,” he says.

Currie
lies in the hospital bed, her face ashen. She’s reacting to Lennon’s anxious
expression. I can tell he’s trying to hide it from her, but he’s not
succeeding. Rabies is incurable unless you get the shots shortly after being
exposed. The recital was almost two weeks ago. How long does it take to
contract the disease?

Lennon’s
whole life revolves around Currie. It was the same for my mom. She worried and
fussed over Dad that whole year he suffered. When he died, she moped around the
house until she met Step-monster. I don’t want Mom to go through that again. I
don’t want to have to suffer like that ever again, so I don’t wish it on Lennon.
What would Lennon do without Currie?

His
phone keeps ringing. He finally turns it off, then mine buzzes.

I
go into the hall to answer it.

“Where
are you guys?” Danny Boy asks. “We’ve been waiting for over an hour at the
warehouse.”

“We’re
at the hospital.”

“Were
you in a car accident?”

“No.”
The good part is I don’t have to tell them yet about my eye or Step-monster. “Currie’s
been admitted to the hospital.”

A
short silence on the phone follows. “What for?”

“Lennon
thinks she might have been bitten by a rabid animal.”

“In
Naperville?”

“Yeah.”

There’s
a long pause before Danny responds. “How’s Currie doing?”

“We
don’t know. They’re running tests.”

“Should
we come down now or wait?” Danny’s voice is shaking. Susan and Clive spew
questions at Danny in the background.

“Later.
I’ll tell Lennon you called.” When I come into the room, two doctors speak with
Lennon.

“Has
your sister had any headaches, loss of appetite, lethargy as of late?” the
older doctor with graying temples asks. His tag reads Doctor Weber.

“Yes.
The Humane Society just called me to tell me the animals were infected.”

A
much younger doctor stands next to them, taking notes. He’s about six-feet with
dirty-blond hair and an impish smile. I’d give him a nine on the hot guys at
spring break scale. His name tag says Doctor Timmons. He’s so young he’s
probably an intern.

“We
should immediately administer the vaccine and immunoglobulin,” the older doctor
says.

“Is
that such a good idea?” Timmons asks. “The child is already exhibiting
symptoms.”

Doctor
Weber glares at Timmons. “She’ll die without any treatment.”

“What’s
wrong with you?” Lennon says, taking the older doctor by the collar. “My sister
is right here.”

Weber
cowers. “Take your hands off me,” he says, trembling.

Lennon
lets go, but his eyes tighten into narrow slits.

I
follow the doctors and Lennon into the hall where Timmons argues with Weber.
He’s got some nerve when he has only a fraction of Weber’s experience.
Meanwhile, Currie pulls out her cell and stabs the buttons in a panic. Poor
kid.

“What
are my options?” Lennon asks, his body rigid.

Timmons
speaks directly to Lennon. “Once symptoms occur, the chances are not good, but
there’s the Milwaukee Protocol, which has had some success with treating rabies
in humans.”

Lennon
threads his fingers through his thick mop of hair. “What’s that?”

Weber
shakes his finger at Timmons. “I’m warning you, Doctor.”

“I
need to know all my options, so please continue,” Lennon says, his voice oddly
calm.

“It’s
an experimental treatment that has a twenty percent recovery rate as of late.
The patient is put into a coma and treated with antiviral drugs.”

“What’s
the doctor’s name?” Lennon asks.

“Doctor
Thomas Yeager. He’s in Wauwatosa just outside of Milwaukee.”

Doctor
Weber plants a firm hand on Lennon’s shoulder. “I suggest young man that we
take serious action now before your sister becomes even more ill.”

Lennon
shakes it off. “We can wait a few more minutes while I contact this doctor. How
do I get a hold of him?”

Lennon
doesn’t even call or consult his mother. He’s in complete control of this
situation. Everything Rena said is true. He’s more or less a parent to Currie,
and that makes me admire him.

Doctor
Timmons leads Lennon down a hallway. I check-in on Currie. She’s jabbering to
someone on the phone. I sit down on the bed next to her.

When
she gets off the phone, she surfs the internet on her mobile. Her face goes
pale.

“Everything
will be okay,” I say.

Currie
clenches the bed sheets. “You don’t have to lie to me. This is Zoe bad.
According to what I read online, rabies is usually fatal after you show any
symptoms. The young doctor is right. This Wisconsin guy may be my only chance.”

I
can’t believe how smart Currie is. Her whole face bunches together. She draws
her knees up to her chest and rocks back and forth she’s so scared. I don’t
blame her.

I’m
not sure what to say, so I reach for her hand. Currie squeezes it so hard her
nails pinch little crescent moons into my palms. I don’t say anything. I know
she’s probably going crazy with fear. Death comes quickly with rabies. I
watched my dad wither away for a whole year. It practically destroyed my mom. What
will this do to Lennon?

We
wait in silence until Lennon returns. His jaw is set in a hard line. “We’ll
wait the few hours for the test results while I make flight reservations to
leave as soon as we can for Wisconsin.”

“We
could probably drive quicker,” I say. It’s only a couple hours away.

“You
don’t need to make reservations,” Currie whispers. “Dad’s coming. He’s in New
York for a tour. He cancelled it. He’s flying here as soon as they clear his
jet to take off from JFK. He’ll take us to Wisconsin on his plane. He’s already
hired a nurse to come with us.”

A
silent fury consumes Lennon. He doesn’t say anything for several minutes. “We’ll
drive up. It’ll be faster.”

“Don’t
be that way,” Currie says. “Dad wants to help, and he’s on his way.” She checks
her phone. “They’re in the air. It’s only a two hour flight from New York.”

“Where
was he for the last eighteen years?” Lennon says.

“He’s
trying,” Currie yells, tears pooling in her eyes. “Give him a chance.”

Lennon’s
fists clench at his sides. When Step-monster hits me, it hurts, but I bet
Lennon could do serious damage with his large hands. He easily pushed Step-monster
off me. He slammed into the bureau, and that had to hurt. Lennon’s fists uncurl
and relax at his sides.

We
wait, not saying much by Currie’s bed until she finally falls asleep. Lennon
waits a half hour more before asking me if I’m hungry.

He
kisses Currie’s forehead and then takes me down the hall to the nurse’s
station. “I need someone to sit in my sister’s room while we get something to
eat.”

A
different nurse stands up. “I’ll go, Mr. Tyler.”

“Call
me if Currie wakes,” he says.

“I
will.” The nurse walks back to Currie’s room.

As
we walk, I ask, “What did the doctor say in Wisconsin?”

“He
wants us to get there as soon as possible. He pretty much said what Doctor
Timmons told me. That his treatment is Currie’s best chance. If only I’d
returned the Humane Society’s call, she wouldn’t be going through this. It’s my
fault. I should’ve checked her for scratches. I shouldn’t have taken her word.”

“You
couldn’t have known. Rabies cases are extremely rare.” I hope this treatment works,
for his sake and Currie’s.

“I
should’ve done something,” Lennon says, pressing his hands against his temples.
“She can’t die on me.” The helpless expression spreading across his face and
his sagging shoulders make me want to cry for him.

We order a full meal of mash
potatoes and gravy with meatloaf. It doesn’t look too bad. I normally hate
hospital food after all we ate while Dad was dying.

I
sit down while Lennon chats with the cafeteria lady. For someone that’s a
pseudo celeb because of his parents, he doesn’t act all stuck-up.