Violet And Her Alien Matchmaker (13 page)

She’d still been angry with him last night when they went to bed, and he knew she blamed him for Simon being in the hospital, even though the boy would have gotten sick regardless of where he’d stayed last night.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“No, I’m sorry for being angry this morning. I know it isn’t Gryf’s fault that Simon is sick. I was just scared and worried, and I lashed out at you.”

Tiraz tipped her head back and gently kissed her. “You haven’t had coffee or eaten yet. Why don’t I go down to the cafeteria and find something for us?”

“I can’t eat right now. My stomach is all knotted, but some coffee sounds good.”

Tiraz kissed her again. “I’ll be back. I’m taking Gryf with me because I think he needs to take a walk, but we’ll be back soon. Don’t hesitate to buzz the nurse if you need anything or think Simon is in distress. Hopefully, we’ll hear back from the doctor soon.”

She nodded and focused her attention on Simon again.

Tiraz went outside and grabbed his brother. It took a few wrong turns before they found the cafeteria, thanks to hospital construction and some confusing signs. He ordered two coffees and then selected two platters of eggs, bacon, and toast, in hopes that he could convince Violet to eat something. He knew she was worried about Simon, and so was he, but if she was pregnant, then she definitely needed to eat something.

“Will she ever forgive me?” Gryf asked.

“It’s not your fault, and she knows that. She’s just upset right now. Once Simon opens his eyes and can talk to her, I know she’ll be better.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t babysit for a while. I’m obviously horrible at it.”

Tiraz smiled. “You’re not horrible at it. Simon would have gotten sick whether he was at your house or mine. It’s probably a bug he’s been carrying for a day or two that didn’t present itself until this morning. The hospital seems to be doing all they can to cure him and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we get to take him home.”

Gryf nodded, sipped his coffee, and followed Tiraz back to the pediatric unit.

When they neared Simon’s room, nurses and doctors were rushing that way and an alarm was screeching. Tiraz nearly dropped everything when he saw them go into Simon’s room. Gryf snatched the food from him and Tiraz took off.

The room was full of hospital staff and Violet was in the corner sobbing

uncontrollably. He set the coffee on the counter that ran along the wall and hurried to her side, pulling her into his arms. The machines were making horrible screeching noises until someone silenced them, which just seemed to make Violet cry even harder.

He wanted to ask what had happened, but he didn’t dare interrupt them. He heard the doctor yell “clear” and then watched as they placed something on Simon’s chest. He’d watched enough movies to know they were trying to bring Simon back to life and his stomach flipped.

“I can’t lose him,” Violet sobbed against his chest. “He’s my baby.”

“They’re doing everything they can,” Tiraz said, even though he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince Violet or himself. He’d never been so scared in his life.

A look toward the hall showed Gryf standing in the doorway with a stricken

look on his face. If anything happened to Simon, he knew Gryf would blame himself forever. The doctor’s tried to bring Simon back three more times before one of the machines beeped again.

“We’ve got him,” the doctor said, handing the paddles off to a nurse.

Tiraz watched as they checked Simon’s eyes and pulse. The boy still didn’t open his eyes, but the hospital staff seemed happy enough with his current condition. Tiraz led Violet over to the bed and he eased her into a chair. She reached and took Simon’s hand in hers, laying her head on the bed to watch their son.

“What happened?” Tiraz asked.

“He went into cardiac arrest,” the doctor explained. “He’s dehydrated and his fever shot up to 107.2, which is dangerously high. We were able to lower it to a more manageable level, but there’s a chance that damage has already been done. Even before we lost him, there was a good chance of brain damage.”

Tiraz swallowed the knot in his throat. “When will we know?”

“If he doesn’t wake by tonight, I’ll order some tests, but nothing will be

conclusive until he opens his eyes and talks to us. I wish I could tell you more, but we’re still waiting on some test results to come in. The lab has been backed up, but I’m going to see if I can hurry them along.”

Tiraz nodded and focused on Violet once more. As the doctor left, Gryf stepped into the room, pausing at the foot of the bed as if he were afraid to come any closer. He glanced from Simon to Violet.

“I have some food for you, Violet. You should eat something so you won’t get sick.”

“I’m not hungry,” she mumbled, never taking her eyes off Simon. “I just want my baby to wake up.”

Gryf looked heartbroken as he set the food on the counter. “I’ll just go down to the waiting room. They probably don’t want a lot of people in here right now.”

Tiraz wanted to call him back and tell him that he was welcome to stay, but his first priority had to be Violet and his son. He was worried about her. He could understand why she didn’t feel like eating, but it wasn’t good for her. And the longer Simon slept, the more worried he became about the small boy. The doctor hadn’t seemed very confident that Simon would wake before nightfall, and after their discussion, Tiraz worried that the boy wouldn’t be the same anymore.

If Simon did have brain damage from the fever and nearly losing his life, what would it do to Violet? Tiraz knew she would love Simon with her whole heart

regardless of his mental state, and Tiraz felt the same way, but she would always blame herself. Regardless of the fact that everything had been done to help Simon to this point, she would always wonder if he’d be safe and whole at home if she hadn’t sent him to Gryf’s house last night.

“Gryf feels responsible,” Tiraz said. “He thinks you hate him.”

She sniffled and looked up at him. “I don’t hate him. I know it isn’t his fault Simon is sick, and that he got him here as quickly as he could. But Simon must have been so scared, staying with someone he wasn’t familiar with, and probably wanting me to hold him and tell him everything would be okay.”

Tiraz ran a hand over her hair. “Simon knows you love him, and I’m sure Gryf did everything he could to make Simon feel at ease. I think my brother is quite taken with our son, and until this scare, I think he was looking forward to having children of his own.”

Violet blinked back tears. “You still think of him as yours? Even knowing…”

“One thing at a time, Violet. But know this… I will always love Simon, no matter what. He’s my son and nothing will change that.”

“What will I do if…” She sobbed again. “He’s been my entire world the last five years. I don’t know how to live without him.”

Tiraz knelt beside her and took her hands in his. “Violet, you have to stop

thinking that way. They’re doing everything they can for him. Don’t think about losing him. Focus on him getting well and coming home. And some prayers wouldn’t hurt.

Isn’t that what humans do when bad things happen? They pray?”

She laughed a little and nodded. “I haven’t prayed in a long time.”

“Then maybe it’s time to start,” he said softly.

“Pray with me?” she asked.

“You’ll have to teach me how.”

She sniffled. “You bow your head and close your eyes, and then you talk to God.

You can do it out loud or silently. He hears you either way. I’m going to ask him to heal Simon, to let our little boy go home.”

Tiraz nodded and when Violet bowed her head, he did the same. He’d never

really talked to a deity before and hoped he was doing it right. He asked for Simon to be healed, for him to wake up and show Violet that he would be okay, and for their family to remain whole. When he was finished, he opened his eyes and found Violet watching him, a little smile on her face.

He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he knew that they could face

anything as long as they were together. Tiraz just hoped that Violet felt the same way.

He wanted to be her strength, but he wasn’t sure he knew how. Until she told him what she needed from him, he would watch over her. He’d make sure she rested and he’d try to get her to eat. But most importantly, he would just be there for her.

Hours passed and eventually Simon began to stir. It started with the twitch of a hand and a little moan, and then a few minutes later, his eyes fluttered open. Violet gasped and cried what Tiraz assumed were happy tears. His throat felt tight and his own eyes watered a little as he looked at that precious face.

“Where am I?” Simon asked.

“You’re in the hospital, sweetie,” Violet said. “You were really sick.”

“Can I go home now?” Simon asked.

“Not yet.” Violet took Simon’s hand. “But Momma and Daddy are here with

you. Uncle Gryf is in the waiting room.”

Simon’s gaze clashed with Tiraz’s. “Can I have Bear-bear?”

“I’ll go ask Uncle Gryf where Bear-bear is. He might still be at Uncle Gryf’s house, but we’ll get him for you. Okay?”

Simon nodded.

Tiraz squeezed Violet’s shoulder. “I’m going to stop at the nurse’s station and let them know he’s awake and then I’ll ask Gryf about Bear-bear. If we have to go get him, we’ll return as soon as we can.”

Violet looked up at him, panic in her eyes. “You’re leaving us?”

“If you want me to stay, I’m sure Gryf will go get the bear. But I need to go to the waiting room to speak to him. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, looking a little relieved before she turned back toward Simon. Tiraz walked around the other side of the bed and brushed a kiss against Simon’s forehead.

The boy smiled up at him and Tiraz felt his heart turn over. How was it possible to love someone so much, someone who hadn’t been in your life for very long?

Pulling away, he stopped by the nurse’s station and then went in search of Gryf.

His brother looked haggard as he sat in what had to be the most uncomfortable looking chair Tiraz had ever seen, but there was hope in his eyes when he looked up.

“Simon is awake,” Tiraz said.

Gryf bolted to his feet. “Does he feel like having company?”

“Well, I’m sure he would love to see you, but he’s asking for someone else right now.”

Gryf nodded. “Of course.”

“The person he’s asking for is Bear-bear. I don’t suppose he’s in your car?”

“He’s at home. Simon threw up on him and I tossed him in the washing machine.

I never did get a chance to dry him, but I can go home, do that, and then bring him here.”

“Why don’t you do that? By the time you come back, I’m sure Simon will be up to some company. Right now, he’s visiting with Violet, and the doctors will probably want to check him out. With any luck, we’ll have the results from some of his tests back soon. Maybe we’ll know what’s going on by the time you get back.”

“I’ll try to hurry. Tell Simon I’ll bring Bear-bear, but he had to take a bath.”

Tiraz smiled. “I’ll go tell him now. Maybe you should take a nap while the bear dries. You look like you could use a little sleep.”

Gryf nodded, clapped him on the shoulder, and then walked away. Tiraz went

back to Simon’s room and found the doctor speaking with Violet. He didn’t want to interrupt, but listened intently.

“The CT scan we did of his torso came back clean,” the doctor said. “Which is excellent. We were worried about possible tumors in the stomach or gall bladder. The blood tests came back as well.”

The doctor paused and Tiraz felt his stomach tightening in preparation for

whatever he had to say. Judging by Violet’s stricken look, she was expecting the worst as well.

“There are no indications of anything as severe as cancer, but it did come back positive for both bacterial and viral infections. The bacterial infection probably caused his fever and I’m guessing the virus is what caused him to vomit.” The doctor shifted on his feet. “The bad news is that we don’t know why we nearly lost Simon, so we’d like to keep him a few days just to make sure everything is okay. We’re going to treat the bacterial infection, but the viral infection will just have to burn itself out.”

“But he’s going to be okay?” Violet asked. “You can cure him?”

“We can cure the infection,” the doctor said. “But if there’s something we’ve missed that caused his heart to stop earlier, then that’s another story. If he continues to improve over the next two days, then I don’t see why he couldn’t go home at that time.”

It wasn’t quite what Tiraz wanted to hear, and he knew Violet didn’t either, but at least it was promising. With any luck, whatever caused Simon to die for those few short minutes was an anomaly and wouldn’t happen again.

The doctor walked out and Tiraz went to Violet, pulling her into his arms. Simon lay sleeping peacefully in the bed, and he supposed that was for the best. He’d always heard that rest was the best way to heal when you were sick, and it was probably doubly true for small children.

“You should eat.”

She shook her head. “I’ll have something later.”

Tiraz let it rest, but he knew she had to be starving, even if she was too stubborn to admit it. The fear had probably taken her appetite, but it didn’t mean her body didn’t need the nourishment. If she didn’t eat lunch, he’d have to come up with something to convince her to eat at least a sandwich. Maybe Simon could talk her into it.

Chapter Nine

Three days after Simon went to the hospital, the doctor’s released him to go home. The bacterial infection wasn’t completely gone, but Simon no longer had a fever and he would go home on antibiotics. The viral infection had run its course and he was able to eat and drink without throwing up. It still troubled Violet that they didn’t know why his heart had stopped, but it hadn’t happened again, for which she was eternally grateful. Perhaps their prayers had worked.

When they entered the penthouse, with Tiraz carrying Simon and Simon

carrying Bear-bear, it felt like they’d been gone weeks instead of days. Tiraz had come home each night to shower, change clothes, and bring back something for Violet. She’d refused to eat until she’d known for certain that Simon was on the mend and it had cost her dearly. She’d almost ended up in the hospital as well, after a fainting spell that had apparently scared Tiraz and sent the nurses running to her aid.