As Brian had expected, Grady had been more than happy to provide the information, especially after Brian had assured him that his being the source would never be revealed to anyone, especially Premier Collections. Grady had promised he’d print out a list and get it to Brian, and also mentioned something particularly disturbing. Nolan O’Reilly, the friend who’d lost his son and house, had just died by suicide. If nothing else, that terrible news was enough to galvanize him to join Jeanne’s commitment to look into the problem as a neighborhood disaster.
The ambulance he had heard approaching arrived, and it was obvious that it involved a major problem as various ED personnel started scurrying about. For a second Brian wondered if Emma’s arrival two days ago had caused the same stir, but he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind lest it lead to another emotional storm.
Over the next thirty to forty minutes, more ambulatory patients began arriving, forming a line with six-foot separations at the information desk. There were also several more ambulances. It was disturbingly obvious to Brian that the ED was becoming busier.
After an hour of waiting and with Juliette asleep, he got up when there happened to be no one in line for the information desk. Trying to keep himself calm but feeling progressively irritated that he and Juliette were being forced to wait as long as they had, especially since the time of Emma’s funeral mass was rapidly approaching, Brian headed over to the clerk who had initially checked them in.
After taking a quick glance back at Juliette to make sure she was still asleep, Brian got the clerk’s attention. “Excuse me,” he said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. “My daughter and I have been waiting more than an hour for her to be seen. What’s the holdup?”
A free triage nurse who’d overheard his question stepped closer and intervened. “What’s the name?” she asked in a neutral tone.
Brian gave Juliette’s full name, and the nurse consulted her tablet. “Okay, yes, I see your daughter’s name,” she said. “She’s definitely in the queue. You’ll just have to be patient. We have to deal with real emergencies first.”
For several beats, he debated whether to respond to the implication that Juliette’s fever of 102.2 with flu-like symptoms was not an emergency or whether to raise the issue about his seeing other patients come and go into the ED, but for the moment he held himself in check. He could hear Jeanne’s words from yesterday warning him that raising a ruckus could make things worse. Biting his tongue, Brian headed back to his seat next to Juliette’s sleeping form.
Thinking about Jeanne, he took out his cell phone and called her in an effort to keep himself under control. As the call went through, he worried again he was taking advantage of her and hoped she wouldn’t mind hearing from him so soon. To his relief, any concerns were instantly dispelled by the alacrity with which she answered.
“Good morning!” she said brightly. “I’m so glad to hear from you. I’ve been wanting to call you but was worried it might be too early. Have you gotten the defendant list from Grady Quillen?”
“Wow! I’m impressed. You really are motivated about this.”
“I suppose I am,” Jeanne said. “Have you heard from him? Is that why you are calling?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t gotten the list yet,” he said. “No, that’s not why I am calling. Unfortunately, I’m back in the ED. Juliette woke up this morning with a 102.2 fever.”
“Oh, no!” Jeanne cried. “That’s not what I wanted to hear. Does she have other symptoms or just a fever?”
“She has a sore throat and headache again,” Brian said. “I was hoping that by getting here as early as we did, we’d be seen quickly. It didn’t happen. We’ve been here for more than an hour already, and we haven’t been called.”
“Oh, God! How frustrating!” Jeanne said. “I’m sorry. How is Juliette behaving?”
“She’s being an angel,” Brian said. “She’s sleeping. I’m the one who might misbehave. I’m feeling paranoid again that we’re being purposefully and passive-aggressively ignored.”
“Is the ED particularly crowded?” Jeanne asked.
“It wasn’t when we arrived,” he said. “At least it didn’t appear to be out here in the waiting room. Of course, I can’t see when ambulances arrive, and I know at least one did. What bugs me is that just like yesterday people have walked in after we did and already have been seen, and it’s getting more crowded now.”
“Would you like me to come over and keep you company?”
“That’s nice of you to offer,” Brian responded. “But I’m hoping we’ll be called soon, and I’m already feeling guilty about counting on you to come over later this afternoon to spend time with Juliette while I go out to the ESU Academy.”
Before Jeanne could respond, Brian’s phone vibrated in his hand, indicating he had a call coming in. It was Aimée. “I’ve got to go. My mother is trying to get through, and I’m sure it’s about the funeral.”
“No problem,” Jeanne said. “I’m available if you need me.”
He switched lines and greeted his mother.
“Why don’t we all go to the funeral mass and burial together like Hannah suggested?” Aimée said with no preamble. “We could pick you and Juliette up on our way to the Church of the Good Shepherd. And tell Juliette that Grandma would love to see her in that new blue dress that—”
“There’s a problem,” Brian said, interrupting. “Juliette woke up with a high fever, and we are again back at the Emergency Department waiting to be seen.”
“Mon Dieu! I’m sorry to hear,” Aimée said. “How is she feeling now?”
“At the moment she’s asleep,” Brian answered. “Even that’s not normal behavior for her.” He didn’t mention that the temperature was significantly lower now.
“Goodness gracious! This is not good news. What do you think; will you be able to make the church service?”
“It’s totally dependent on when Juliette will be seen and then how she feels,” he said. “I’m hoping she’ll at least be seen soon, since we’ve already been here more than an hour.”
“I certainly hope you and Juliette make it,” Aimée said. “You’ll be sorely missed, and I know Hannah will be beside herself if you don’t. But will you come even if Juliette isn’t up to it?”
“I’ll try my best,” Brian said, feeling a bit guilty that he wasn’t being entirely up front. Not knowing how he felt about any of the funeral rites or how his wife might have felt, he wasn’t as disappointed as he guessed his mother and Hannah would be if he and Juliette couldn’t make the funeral mass or, perhaps, even the interment at the cemetery. Although he certainly wanted to honor his wife’s memory and not offend anyone, so far the funeral rituals seemed to be more of a challenge to his emotional stability than a help. At the same time, he recognized the mass and the burial might be consoling on some level as a kind of closure and certainly not as upsetting as the wake. Brian desperately wanted himself and Juliette to remember Emma with the vitality that she embodied rather than as a cold, unresponsive shell staged with makeup to look as if she were merely sleeping.
“Well, I hope Juliette is seen soon,” Aimée said.
Suddenly Juliette woke up as if from a bad dream and began crying.
“Uh-oh,” he said. “I have to go. Juliette’s awake and not happy.”
“Okay, try to keep me informed, my dear,” Aimée said and rang off.
“What’s the matter, Pumpkin?” Brian asked soothingly as he pocketed his phone. Juliette was looking around, seemingly orienting herself.
“I’m hungry and I want to go home,” she managed to say, choking back more tears.
“I’m glad you are hungry,” Brian said as he got out the graham crackers and mentally thanked Camila for suggesting them. “But we have to stay until the doctor sees you and tells us why you have a fever. What about watching something fun?”