Creighton Manor (28 page)

"I didn’t encourage her. I swear Gillian, I never promised her anything."

"I'm not trying to blame you. I was . . . you know, I don't know what I'm trying to say. What a shame that Violet didn’t have anything else to occupy her mind other than the obsession of having you."

Zachary cleared his throat and she looked at him. She realized he thought she spoke of his obsession of Creighton Manor. Perhaps unconsciously she had.

“Trust me Gillian, I know how an obsession can blind a person.”

“Zachary, I didn’t—”

“No, you should and know this: I won’t make the same mistake again. Come on, let's go home."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

When they arrived back at the house, Dora waited for them at the door, wringing her hands. "Something is terribly wrong with Tyler. I've tried everything. He's been complaining about his stomach hurting so bad he can't stand it. In the last hour, he’s thrown up twice."

“I thought he looked like he didn’t feel well this morning,” Gillian said as she followed Zachary and Dora up to Tyler’s room.

The little boy l
ay
on his bed curled up in a fetal position, moaning and clutching his side.

When Zachary sat down on the edge of the bed, Tyler opened his eyes. "Uncle Zachary, I hurt something awful."

“So I've heard. Let me take a look." Zachary rolled him over onto his back. "I'm going to push on a few spots. It might be a little uncomfortable, but I need to know where the pain is coming from
.”

Tyler nodded.

Zachary put pressure on the right lower part of the abdomen and Tyler shuddered as he drew in a sharp breath.

“That hurts," he sobbed, his eyes darkening with pain. “That hurts so bad.”

"I'm sorry Tyler. I won't do that again." Zachary rolled him back onto his left side and walked out of the room.

Gillian turned to follow, but stopped
when she heard Molly barking outside
.
She went over to the window and parted the curtains.
She couldn't imagine what aggravat
ed
her. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. She would have to go downstairs in a moment and call her inside.

She stepped out into the hall to find Zachary, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and his hands clenched into a fist. Fear raced through her. Something was dreadfully wrong. "What do you think Tyler has?"

Zachary’s broad shoulders heaved as he took a deep breath and stood straight to face her. "I've seen this before, during the war. This kid in my unit … he had fought four battles without a scratch, and then he ended up with this infection.”

“What infection? What are you talking about?”

His eyes alone betrayed the severity of the problem. “He has an infection of the vermiform process. It's in the lower part of the abdomen,” he explained. “He has all the symptoms. The pain on the right side when I apply pressure and the vomiting, it all adds up. It will eventually rupture and spread its poison."

Gillian thought for a moment. The symptoms sounded familiar. Then she knew. "Are you trying to say he needs to have his appendix taken out? What are we waiting for? He'll need an operation."

Zachary put his hands on her shoulders. She immediately stopped her rambling and looked at him. "There's no need for the doctor,” he told her. “There's nothing they can do. If I'm right, Tyler will die."

"Are you crazy? Appendicitis is treatable. All you have to do is remove the infected appendix."

Zachary frowned.
"Impossible. A doc
tor would have to cut him open.”

"But . . ." Then it dawned on her what he was trying to say to her
. Obviously, in 1870,
no one had
tempted to remove an infected
appendix. “Oh, God no! This can't be happening. There has to be someone who can help
.”

Gillian heard Molly barking again.

“I'm telling you, there isn't. I tak
e it… what did you call it…
appendicitis is treatable in your time?” 

Molly's barking became louder, more insistent.

"Yes, in almost all cases there are no complications after they remove the infected appendix."

Zachary rubbed his face with his hands. "What is wrong with that blasted dog? Her infernal barking is driving me mad."

"Molly!"
Gillian eyes grew wide. "Molly," she repeated.
"Come on. You have to bring Tyler outside."

"Outside? Why?"

"It's Molly. She's calling us. I know it. She always comes when she wants me to go somewhere. She knows! She knows, Zachary. I don’t know how or why, but I'd bet my life, she'll lead us to someone who will be able to help Tyler."

They didn't waste any
more time. Gillian ran to her room and grabbed her purse. She met Zachary in the hall. He had Tyler in his arms.

Dora stood there, too, wringing her hands. “What should I tell Lotti when she comes calling? Surely she will worry.”

"Tell Lotti that Gillian knows someone. I’m not sure when we'll be back, but we’ll do all we can to return. Do you understand?"

Dora
’s brow furrowed in confusion, but she
nodded.

Gillian went down the stairs ahead of Zachary and Tyler to open the door. Molly stood on the porch. She barked then took off running. Gillian ran after her, Zachary close behind. Molly led them to the back of the house where Tyler loved to play. Only where the yard should have been there was something else. Gillian stopped dead in her tracks and Zachary bumped into her.

"Hell and damnation!" Zachary exclaimed in astonishment, blood siphoning from his face. The backyard had vanished and a
hazy portal stood in its place. Hi
s gaze riveted to Gillian. “Everything you’ve told me is true, isn’t it
?
”

“Yes.” She placed a sympathetic hand on his, knowing he felt overwhelmed.

Molly jumped through the vortex and stood on the other side, waiting. She let out a bark again, as if to tell them to hurry.

Gillian looked back at Zachary. "Come on. You’re about to see my world." She walked through the fog-like substance.

Zachary licked his lips and he looked like he was fighting the urge to bolt and run.

“Zachary,” Gillian called to him. Their eyes met and held. “Trust me. Everything will be all right.”

The tension drained from his face and he took the steps that separated them. He looked back as the door through time evaporated into nothing.

Tyler moaned.

"Follow me." Gillian waved her hand. "Molly led us to the right place. I know someone here, who can help Tyler.”

"I’ve never seen a building such as this.” Zachary squinted as his gaze traveled skyward. “It is so tall and so many windows. It makes me dizzy to look all the way up. What is this place?”

"This is Hoag hospital," she answered. Gillian wondered what they should do with Molly. She had a hunch the hospital wouldn’t allow a dog inside. Then she realized that Molly wasn’t with them anymore. She had already disappeared. “Come on.” Gillian tugged on Zachary’s arm.

Zachary followed in a daze. There was so much to take in at once. He couldn’t have imagined this place in his wildest dreams. When they reached the entrance to the hospital, his eyes widened in amazement as the doors opened without the aid of a doorman. It was like magic.

Gillian didn’t hesitate to enter, so he didn’t either. He glanced over his shoulder as the doors closed again. When he turned around, his eyes met a room full of people. They stared at him as if they knew he didn’t belong. How right they were.

Gillian conversed with a plump dark-skin woman who didn’t seem to have a pleasant bone in her body.

"We have an emergency," Gillian told her. "If you'll just page for—"

Tyler groaned. The woman glanced over Gillian’s shoulder, her gaze landing on Tyler’s deathly pale face.

The woman’s expression changed from annoyance to concern as she picked up some type of object and started talking into it. This was all too much for Zachary to comprehend right now. His concerns for Tyler were enough, but add time traveling; doors opening with no help; and devices he couldn’t readily identify … his head felt like it was spinning. He needed to sit down. He fell into an empty chair and took a deep breath.

Gillian paced back and forth, but when a tall, sandy-haired man came bursting through the doors, she stopped in her tracks.

Zachary didn’t know who ran to the other first, but Gillian and the sandy-haired man embraced. Zachary narrowed his eyes as jealousy hit him full force, but he quickly squelched it. Gillian thought this man could save Tyler.

"Where have you been Gillian?" Jerry blurted out. "It's been two days since anyone’s heard from you. You have Samantha thinking you’ve been kidnapped. Geeze, I thought you’d been kidnapped." His gaze travelled down the length of her and he frowned. “What’s with the long skirt and blouse with the high collar? Have you been raiding somebody's attic?"

Gillian didn’t answer his question. "Only two days.” She shook her head. “Amazing. Listen, I'll explain everything later, but right now there's an emergency. It's my . . . " She stopped in mid-sentence not wanting to spring her marriage
on him
. It would only
ensu
r
e
questions she couldn’t readily explain and they didn’t have time. "It's my friend's nephew." She took Jerry's hand and led him over to Zachary and Tyler.

Jerry gave Zachary a once over before his attention
lingered
on
Tyler. He looked deathly pale and limp. "What happened?"

"We think it's his appendix," Gillian answered.

"Pain
i
n the right lower abdomen?" Jerry asked as he started taking Tyler's pulse.

"Yes."

"Vomiting?" Jerry questioned.

"Yes," Gillian answered.

Jerry felt Tyler's midsection and applied pressure on the right side, making Tyler groan. "We have to get him to surgery, now!" Jerry scooped the child into his arms and yelled for the receptionist to call for the surgery room to be ready. Before going through the doors, he stopped and looked back to Gillian and Zachary. "I'll take it from here. Stay where you are and I'll send someone down to have you fill out the paper work. Gillian, please give Samantha a call, so she can stop worrying about you." Then he was gone.

Zachary ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the door. He looked like he debated about running after Jerry. Gillian didn’t blame him. He just let a stranger take his nephew away.

She took the seat next to him and took his hand. He laced his fingers through hers. "That was Jerry
, wasn’t it
?" he finally asked, even though Gillian had a hunch he already knew the answer.

"Yes. Jerry is a brilliant doctor. He'll do all he can to save Tyler."

"Yo
u'd trust him with your life?”
He looked at her
,
fear stark and vivid in the blue of his eyes.

"Absolutely," she answered, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Zachary took a deep breath and nodded.

***

The nurses prepped Tyler for surgery, while Jerry washed up for the procedure. Goose flesh rippled up his spine and nervous sweat dampened his brow. He had done countless surgeries of this nature and there was no reason to feel this one would be complicated, and yet fear gripped him.

“Are you all right, Dr. Avery?”

At the sound of the nurse’s voice, his gaze riveted to her. He blinked and his thoughts cleared. He had to operate. Time was running out. “I’m fine. Let’s move.”

***

Zachary filled out the papers required to admit Tyler into the hospital, along with the consent to operate. He marveled over the pen, and was reluctant to give it back to the receptionist.

Gillian left a message on Samantha's voicemail to let her know where she was and that she was all right.

Hours had gone by and still there was no word about Tyler.

Zachary wandered over to the contraption on the counter making strange gurgling noises. He watched it as the dark liquid dripped into a glass container. The smell of coffee hit his nostrils. “Hell and damnation.” He leaned closer. Then he looked at Gillian. "It’s making coffee all by itself."

An elderly woman overheard him and looked up from her knitting. She lowered her glasses and raised an eyebrow.

Gillian chuckled and hurried over to him. "I know," she whispered. "I never thought of it as being anything special, but living in the nineteenth century has made me appreciate the inventions of my time.” Just then, the Mr. Coffee had finished brewing. "Do you want a cup?" Gillian pulled the pot out and was about to pour the freshly brewed coffee into a Styrofoam cup, but Zachary laid a hand on hers, stilling her actions. She looked at him and noticed his gaze rested behind her. She turned to see Jerry had entered the room. She put the coffeepot down.