That's What Love Is For

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

"You sure you don't want to wait for Michele in your chair?" Jamie asked Eddie. It was the first time Jamie left Eddie alone to wait for her therapist.

"Jamie, I'm so tired," Eddie replied. She had been feeling horrible fatigue for days. She had participated in all her therapies and routines, but had been asking to go to bed as early as 8 pm and how not been eating well. Jamie was worried about this and had spoken to Lillian, her occupational therapist about this, she assured him that it was common for someone in Eddie's condition to be extremely tired after outings and that she should be perking up soon.

"All right," Jamie replied. "Any pain in your head or your neck?"

Eddie nodded, "Yeah, my head...I'll be okay. I'll get up when Michele comes."

Jamie caressed Eddie's cheek, "You rest. I should be home by four pm. I'm going to make that chicken dish of grandpa's you like so much. If you need me, call the precinct, Renzulli will 10-3 me."

Eddie nodded, she inhaled shallow so Jamie would not hear what she was hearing the last night. Michele would be able to help her with that she was sure. Jamie hesitated not feeling comfortable leaving her alone yet. Reading the look on his face Eddie gave a smirk in his direction. "Go Reagan, I'll be fine Michele should be here soon."

Relenting, Jamie gave a supportive hug, careful how he did it and stepped out. While Eddie waited she closed her eyes, that cracking in her chest was present with every breath she took. Her head pounded radiating pain down her neck so bad she could barely keep her eyes open and her entire small frame began to shake with chills. She was so cold. She willed herself to fall asleep until Michele arrived.

"Eddie!" Michele called out when she let herself into the apartment. Usually Eddie was waiting for her in her wheelchair or the recliner. When Eddie didn't answer, Michele sought her out in her bedroom, finding her patient asleep.

Michele shook Eddie's arm, "Rise and shine." That's when she noticed the bluish tinge to Eddie's lips and scalp. "Eddie!" She shook her a little harder until Eddie stirred.

"Hey, Michele," Eddie sounded fatigued and it was clear to the trained therapist she was short of breath. "Eddie, answer me, is it hard for you to breathe?"

Eddie nodded, "I think I have a cold, I have junk all in my chest but I tried to cough and it won't..." She shivered again. Michele touched Eddie's forehead with her hand, "You have a high fever, Eddie. You're sick."

"I think it's allergies but..." Each word was breathy and spaced out.

Michele checked Eddie's hands and her feet finding both extremities cold to the touch with blue are the nails. Michele maneuvered Eddie so she was lying down in bed the performed the quad cough three times producing quite a bit of discolored thick mucus. "I'm going to call Jamie, I'd like you to just rest."

"Jamie will get upset if I don't do my therapy," Eddie protested.

"Jamie will understand you're ill, let me call him," Michele replied again dialing the number Jamie left for emergencies.

"You just have to believe in yourself a little more, Jax," Jamie encouraged his new partner. This new boot was no Eddie. As the two officers sat down for a cup of coffee and bagels when the radio crackled. "Central to 12-David, 10-3."

"12-David to Central, receive," Jamie replied and dialed Renzulli at the 12th.

"Kid, I just got a phone call from Michele Garland, she says that Eddie is sick, fever, labored breathing...she wants to speak to you about how to proceed but you have four hours left in your tour."