The Protege (9 page)

Suddenly
sensing the urgency of his situation, she worked to free him of his jacket,
shirt and pants and quickly snuggled him up in a large and soft fleece gray
sweatshirt and university sports shorts.

“Come
on,” she said as she tried to sit him up.  “Let’s get you into bed.”

He
swayed and sank back into the cushions.

“Sebastian,
I can’t get you to your feet if you don’t help me.”

When
she tried again, he groaned and she knew this was more than just a little too
much to drink.

“Okay,
let’s forget getting you into bed.  We’ve got to get you to the hospital.”

Chapter 8

“
I
initially thought he’d had too much to
drink,” Serena said to the triage nurse.  “It’s only when I noticed how
feverish he’d become that I realized something was wrong.”

When
the nurse frowned and didn’t say anything, Serena felt uneasy. She glanced at
the woman’s name tag. “Um, Nurse Miller, do you think it could perhaps be
something serious.”

Nurse
Miller nodded as she efficiently pulled up the sweatshirt and gently prodded
Sebastian’s hard abdomen. Serena watched her, mesmerized by the movements of
the woman’s fingers over his skin, efficient, but almost sensual. Even as sick
as he was, Sebastian managed to have that effect on women. From the admiring
look in Nurse Miller’s eyes, no doubt she was attracted to Sebastian. Serena
couldn’t help but feel a tug of envy. 

Sebastian
was pale, but he fought to remain upright. His knuckles were white as they
gripped the edge of the examination table.

“Do
you know what he ate?” the nurse asked.

“Hmm,
we had an appetizer with escargots in a creamy sauce. After that he had…”
Serena gazed at Sebastian. She hadn’t really paid much attention to what had
been on his plate.

“Duck,”
he grunted.

“How
many drinks?”  Though the question was aimed at Sebastian, Nurse Miller looked
pointedly at Serena.

“A
glass of champagne before dinner and a few glasses of wine with his meal. I
didn’t see him take anything else.” Serena was tempted to tell the young nurse
who Sebastian Sorensen was exactly. Not that she wanted him to have special
treatment, but… perhaps she’d move him along a little faster if she knew who he
was. She gazed at Sebastian and wondered why he didn’t mention it himself. Why
didn’t he demand the VIP treatment affluent people always seem to believe they
deserved?

“No
after dinner liquor?” the nurse went on.  “No cognac, no brandy or anything
like that?”

“No,
we left right after the main course.”

She
cocked a brow.  “Okay.  Looks like it could be a little bit of food poisoning,
but we’ll get him tested to see what’s really going on.  How are you feeling?”

“Me?
Fine.  Perfect.”

“Do
you know if anyone else fell ill at the dinner?”

“No. 
Like I said, we left right after dinner.”

“Okay,
well, let us know if you start to feel any signs of queasiness or fever.”

Serena
nodded.

Another
nurse entered and her eyes immediately popped wide open when she looked at
Sebastian. Her tight and stressed lips turned into a bright smile and she
beckoned her colleague to the far end of the small room. They whispered a
private exchange for a few moments, both glancing repeatedly at Sebastian.

When
Nurse Miller finally returned to them, her demeanor had considerably softened.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sorensen. It seems I didn’t recognize who you are.”

Sebastian
let out a dry chuckle and coughed then gagged and threw up, making a mess of
the white tiled floor.  The newly arrived nurse hurried out to find someone to
get the mess cleaned up.

“Does
that mean you’ll get him tested faster?” Serena asked.

The
nurse shot a professional glare at Serena.  “No.  He’ll get tested quickly
because he shows serious symptoms, not because of his celebrity status.  What
his status will allow, however, in addition to the expansive health insurance
he has, is a private room the moment he’s been tested.”

Pleased
to see he’d get the prompt care he needed, Serena smiled and let the nurse
finish her examination of her patient.

“I’ll
have someone bring you to an examination room right away. In the meantime, I’ll
make sure your room is prepared and ready.”

The
nurse left them and went into the small office adjacent to the triage room. 

Sebastian
looked at Serena.  “It’s late and you must be exhausted. You don’t have to
stay, Serena.  You’ve already done enough.”

“I
can’t just leave you here.  I’ll stay until you're settled in your room and
then we’ll see.”  When he remained silent, she added, “Unless you want me to
leave.”

“Not
at all.  I want you here, but I would never dream of imposing.”

The
nurse returned just as an intern arrived with a wheelchair.

After
being wheeled away, he was tested and all that remained to do was wait for the
results in his room.

Serena
was surprised by the serene décor of the hospital room that resembled that of
an elegant, and quaint country inn.  The colors on the wall were warm and
inviting.  The comforter on the bed was thick and homey.  They’d even put a
beautiful vase of flowers on the large dresser in front of the window.

“If
they spoil me too much, I won’t want to go home,” Sebastian said as the intern
helped him into bed.

The
young man smiled. “We want you to be comfortable, Mr. Sorensen.  You’re welcome
to stay as long as you like, but, to be honest, I think you’ll be tired of
being up here soon enough.”  He tucked Sebastian in, nodded a salutation at
Serena and left.

“How
you feeling?” Serena said as she came to rest her fingers on his forehead. 
“You're still burning up.”

“I’m
strong.  I can take it.” He offered her a sly, but weak grin.

“Yeah,
well, I think it’s the clean up crew who can’t take it anymore.  You left a
pretty distinctive trail from triage to here.”

He
shook his head. “Every time I think – okay, that’s it, I have nothing more in
my gut – I’m wrong.  When I least expect it… there it comes again.”

The
last few bouts of vomiting had been virtually dry vomits. He gagged and gagged,
but there in fact was nothing left to expel.  His voice showed the strains.
It’d become more raw and hoarse with every bout. 

“My
mouth feels dry and disgusting.”

“I’ll
go get you a glass of water.” In the little bathroom of his room, she ran the
cold water and called out. “I think I have a few breath mints in my purse.”

“I’m
not a fan of breath mints, but tonight I’ll make an exception.” He took the
glass of water and took a swallow then accepted the breath mint.

“Better?”
she said.

He
nodded.  “Thanks. You're too good to me.  I could get used to this.” Pushing
his head deep into the thick pillow, he suddenly reached for her hand and held
on tight.

Though
he didn’t groan or grumble or complain, Serena could see by the beads of sweat
on his brow, by the speed with which the color left his face and by his tightly
closed eyes that his gut was acting up again.

“Is
there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?” Serena said.

His
fingers tightened around hers just as a tight grimace came to his face.

She
pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down.  “Maybe I should call your
parents.”

“Why
bother?” he grunted. “Do you really think they’ll drop everything and come
running to see their ill son?”

Serena
chocked.  How could he say such a thing?  She knew he’d been sent to boarding
school and he’d mentioned of the strained relationship he’d always had with his
parents, but this?  He was sick.  He was in the hospital.  How could they
ignore that?

“Aren’t
you exaggerating, Sebastian?”

He
shrugged. “Go ahead. Call them. You’ll see.” He grimaced and groaned as he
squeezed her hand to the point of pain.

“There
must be something I can do.” She felt so helpless just watching him suffer.

“I’m
okay.”

“I
have an idea,” she whispered.  Still holding onto his hand, she reached for her
purse and pulled out her ipod. “Here.” She set the ipod on the mattress beside
his shoulder and put one earpiece in his ear then leaned in close as she put
the other earpiece in her own ear.  She quickly found the song she wanted to
play.

As
The Flight
played into their ears, his fingers relaxed around hers. The
soothing strings, the plaintive brass and the haunting woods brought them on a
journey of heartache, joy, pain and love. As Serena’s emotions rode on the
melody, she felt certain Sebastian was right there with her, traveling on every
chord.

The
crease of his brow was gone as was the tightness in his jaw.

“Your
music is beyond magical, Sebastian. It heals.”  She set her head on the pillow
beside his.  “I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve listened to these
songs.”

Serena
heard the soft shuffle of rubber soles on the tiled floor and reluctantly
opened her eyes as she turned down the volume of her ipod.  A young nurse stood
in the doorway admiring the scene.

“I’m
so sorry to disturb you,” she said.  “I just wanted to let Mr. Sorensen know
that we tried to contact his family, but…”  She shifted her weight and seemed
uncomfortable.

Sebastian
released Serena’s hand and grunted.  “See what I told you?  What did my fine,
upstanding parents have to say?”

“Hmm,
we spoke to your mother and she said she’d try to pass by after…” She coughed
and shot an embarrassed gaze at Serena.

“The
fundraiser. Yeah, yeah. How could my mother possibly leave the posh yacht
filled with important people to tend to her sick little boy?”  Sliding his
index finger across his thumb, indicating money, he let out an annoyed sigh.

“Anyway,”
the nurse went on.  “Someone should pass by tomorrow morning to see you.”

“Don’t
look so brokenhearted, sweetie.  It’s not like I’m dying or something.”  He
shot a cynical gaze toward Serena.  “Not that that would change much.”

The
nurse looked at Serena.  “I was told you may have eaten the same things as Mr.
Sorensen.  You still have no symptoms?

“No. 
I’m fine.”

“Okay
then. I’ll go see if the test results have come in yet.”

Sebastian
leaned back.

“I
know it’s little consolation, but I’m here, Seb,” Serena said.

A
slow, lazy smile came to his lips, but his eyes remained closed. “That’s a big
consolation.” He reached for her fingers. “Do you have
Insane Love
on
there?”

“Of
course.” Pleased she’d not left her ipod at home, but had kept it in her purse,
she started the song and resumed her position on the pillow beside him.

Before
the song was over, she heard a soft and gentle snore come from Sebastian. 
Moments later she, too, drifted off and was awakened when Sebastian squeezed
her hand and suddenly sat upright.

“Are
you okay?”

His
breath came in short sharp gasps and Serena reached for the emergency button
beside his bed.

“Don’t,”
he grunted.

“What’s
wrong?  What’s going on?”

“It
was just a nightmare. It’s nothing.”  He sank back into the pillows and closed
his eyes, but his grip on her fingers remained tight, almost desperate.

“The
doctor should come around with the results soon.  I’ll see if he can’t give you
anything to help you sleep.”

“I’m
okay,” he muttered as he drifted off again.

Studying
his face, she saw how the pain, whether from his belly ache or from another
disturbing nightmare, played on lips as they tugged down, mouthed silent words
and parted in fear.  The crease of his brow fluctuated, accompanying the
constantly changing play of his lips.

“Mrs.
Sorensen,” the soft spoken doctor said as he entered the room.  Tall and lanky,
he looked down at Serena then at Sebastian’s prone figure.

Serena
popped out the earpiece and stood.  “I’m Miss Singleton, a friend of
Sebastian’s.”  Taking an eager step toward the doctor, she hoped he’d finally
have the results.

“I’m
Doctor Nguyen.  You must be a pretty good friend to still be here in the middle
of the night.”

“Yes,
well, we can’t reach his parents, so… I can’t just leave him here alone.  He’s
been having nightmares and is very agitated.”

“Does
he often have nightmares?”

“I
don’t know.  I don’t know him that well.”  The last word came out as a
regretted grunt.

“The
agitation and fitful sleep could be a result of the nausea and fever.”

“Have
the results come in yet?  Do you know why he’s so sick all of a sudden?”

“Nothing
definitive.  These things can be tricky sometimes.  We’ve tested for the usual
suspects and they all came back negative.  Now we have to look at more… shall
we say, suspicious culprits.”

“What
do you mean?”

“We’ve
ruled out food poisoning.”

“What
are you saying?”

“I’m
not saying anything yet, Miss Singleton.  Please don’t jump to conclusions. 
I’m just telling you that we don’t have a definitive answer yet.”

Sebastian
groaned.

“I’ll
pass by to check up on him a little later.  Don’t hesitate to let a nurse know
if anything changes.”

Serena
hurried back to Sebastian’s side as the doctor walked out.

“Stay
with me.” Sebastian said.

“The
doctor was just here, Seb.  They still don’t have the results, but he’ll be
back the moment they do.”  As she reached him she realized, however, that his
eyes were closed and he was talking in his sleep.

“No,”
he called out.  “Don’t leave me!”