Chapter 5
The rich, hazelnut scent floated from the dark coffee. Scarlet inhaled deeply, letting the aroma fill her lungs, waking her up from what had been a restless sleep. Mauve always did the overnights at her house, but Jax suggested they stay at his based on Rusty’s meltdown, and she had to agree.
Only she hadn’t anticipated having to smell the combination of fresh palm trees mixed with a hefty dose of pure masculinity all night long while she tried to sleep in his bed. And when she did get a few moments of slumber, her dreams were filled with him climbing between the sheets, caressing her body, and his glorious lips sprinkling sweet kisses all over her skin.
Sipping the scalding dark liquid, she stared out the front window, with her feet tucked up under her butt on the sofa. The sun had yet to rise, but the sky had started to lighten from black to a cobalt blue.
“Scarlet, I don’t feel so good.” Elle stood at the opening between the kitchen and the family room, her hand over her stomach.
“Come lay on the sofa with me.”
But before Elle could take two steps, her face turned white. “I’m going to be sick,” Elle said with wide eyes just before she barfed all over herself.
Dropping the mug to the ground, Scarlet raced across the room, knocking over the lamp to get to the gagging child, side-stepping the vomit on the floor. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She put her arms around Elle, her nightgown soaked with perspiration.
“I’m sorry,” Elle said with a weak voice.
“Don’t be sorry. You must have the stomach bug. I hear it’s going around.”
“My stomach hurts so bad.”
Scarlet lifted the gown off and rested her hand on Elle’s forehead. “You have a fever.”
Elle’s stomach made a loud gurgling sound as she dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach, throwing up once more, her body shaking as she rolled to her side.
Scarlet fumbled for the first aid kit in the linen closet. Jax had mentioned he had those strip things that would take her temperature across her forehead.
Elle moaned on the ground, her pasty body covered in sweat. This was no ordinary stomach bug.
The stripe read 104.6.
Fuck.
“I need to get my phone, okay, Elle? I’ll be right back.” Scarlet raced through the house, slipping on the puke twice, but she didn’t care. Her hands shook as she hit 9-1-1, sitting on the floor next to Elle, cradling her head in her lap.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“I’ve got a ten-year-old girl with a fever of 104.6 and she’s vomiting and has horrible stomach cramps. It came on while she was sleeping…”
Elle’s body convulsed.
Scarlet did her best to get the girl to toss her cookies in the trash can.
“She’s throwing up non-stop, though it’s more dry heaving at this point.”
Elle screamed out in pain.
“Is her stomach sore to the touch?”
Scarlet rested her shaky hand on Elle’s belly, and she cried out again.
“Yes,” Scarlet said.
“We’ll dispatch an ambulance. Stay on the line with me until they arrive, okay?”
“Sure,” Scarlet gave the woman on the other end the address. She tucked the phone to her ear and lifted Elle into her arms. “Is there any way you can get a message to an on-duty Air Force Fire Specialist?”
“I can try,” the dispatcher said.
“It’s her father. His name is Jaxson Stravos. He’s stationed out of Patrick Air Force base.”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Elle said weakly.
“I know, sweetie, but we need to.” Scarlet held Elle, rocking back and forth on the floor, staring out the window, willing the ambulance to come quicker.
Elle continued to moan, and the 9-1-1 operator continued to talk calmly.
Scarlet’s insides shook like a collapsing building. She did her best to soothe Elle, but the poor girl was in so much pain. She hadn’t eaten much for dinner, but Scarlet figured maybe she just didn’t like the fish.
Sirens blipped as a police car and an ambulance rolled to a stop in front of the house. Two men jumped from the emergency vehicle, opened the back doors, and pulled out a gurney.
“Ever been in an ambulance before?” Scarlet looked down at Elle, her face whiter than pure snow.
“Yes, but just with my dad for fun,” Elle said.
“I haven’t been in one at all. Looks like we get to do it together.” Scarlet bent over and kissed Elle’s forehead.
“Are you Scarlet?” One of the EMTs asked as he stormed through the front door.
“How do you know my name?”
“Jax heard the call come over and reached out to the first responder, which was my station house.”
“You know Jax?”
The man shook his head. “I’ve never had the privilege of working with him.”
“He’s on his way?”
The man nodded, then bent down and put a stethoscope against Elle’s chest. “Could she have gotten into medication? Alcohol?”
“No,” Scarlet said.
“Could she have eaten anything that could have been bad?”
“We had fish for dinner. She didn’t eat much, but my son and I had the same meal, and we’re not sick.”
“Does she have any allergies?” the EMT asked.
“She breaks out in hives if she uses cold cream.”
“Is she on any medication we should know about?”
“I gave her Tylenol before bed. She complained of a headache.” Scarlet mentally went through their entire day, trying to think of anything she might have missed.
“Let’s get her on the gurney, get an IV drip of fluids started, and transport her to the hospital.”
Scarlet nodded. “These nice gentlemen are going to put you on that bed and strap you in. I’m going to get Rusty and…” She glanced up as the man scooped up Elle. “I have a three-year-old upstairs. We can both ride with her, right?”
“Sorry, ma’am. You can ride with her, but your son can’t.”
She stared at the man, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn’t leave Elle to ride alone, scared out of her mind. But she didn’t have anyone to watch Rusty.
“I can bring him to the hospital,” a policeman said. He stood with his thumbs looped in his belt. “If you have a car seat.”
“I do. It’s in the garage.” Thank God she’d remembered to bring it this time just in case. “I’ll go get him.”
The sound of a Harley roaring at unfathomable speeds rattled her ears.
“Daddy.” Elle licked her dry lips.
“He’s here.” Scarlet took Elle’s hand as they rolled her out of the front door and down the driveway. No way would she let go until Jax was by her side.
Jax skidded his motorcycle to a stop in the driveway, tossing his helmet to the ground. “What happened?” he asked with a harsh bite to his tone.
“Could be food poisoning or maybe appendicitis,” the EMT said. “But we won’t know until we get her to the hospital.”
Jax drew his lips into a harsh line as he curled his fingers around Scarlet’s wrist. “I’ll take it from here,” he said, pushing her aside. “Daddy’s here, Buttercup. Everything is going to be okay.”
Scarlet stopped dead in her tracks. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She hugged herself, trying to stop the convulsions she’d held at bay for the last thirty minutes. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when she’d been that scared. She covered her mouth as a guttural sob erupted in her throat.
The ambulance blipped the siren, before taking off down the street, the cop car following behind.
Deep down, she knew this wasn’t her fault. However, she couldn’t help but feel responsible. Whatever happened to Elle, happened on Scarlet’s watch and by the disappointed glare Jax had given her, he held her accountable. She glanced over her shoulder. She probably would have felt the same way if the tables were turned and it was her Rusty who had been in that ambulance.
She made her way back inside and started cleaning. That poor girl. There was vomit everywhere, and Scarlet wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get the smell out.
“Mommy,” Rusty stood in front her, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Where’s Elle? She’s not in her bed.”
Scarlet gathered up all the dirty towels and the clothes she’d been wearing when Elle had gotten sick, stuffing them in a laundry basket. She took Rusty by the hand and led him through the family room. Never in a million years would she ever think she’d want a washer and dryer in the kitchen, but hell, this worked. She took her phone out of her back pocket. Still no message from Jax on Elle’s condition. She kept trying to say no news was good news. Besides, it had only been about thirty minutes since the ambulance took her away.
“Climb up on the chair while I get you some cereal.”
He sucked on his quivering lower lip. “Did they both leave?”
“No, baby, not like you think.” She sat down next to Rusty, rubbing his back. “Elle got sick. Really sick and she had to go to the hospital.”
“Is Jax with her?”
Scarlet nodded as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why don’t you draw Elle a picture, and we can drive over to the hospital later and see how she’s doing.”
Rusty nodded.
She poured him a bowl of cereal and set down some markers and a piece of paper. As soon as she finished the laundry, she’d head over to the hospital, even if she hadn’t heard anything from Jax.