First Time in Forever (Puffin Island 1)

She was a worrier, so she had to counteract that by forcing herself to be rational.

All the same she was up all night, checking Lizzy and keeping her cool. By morning, Lizzy was worse, not better. It was when Emily was changing her soaked T-shirt for the second time that she noticed the rash.

Icy calm, shaking, she bundled her into the car along with Andrew and drove her to the medical clinic, telling herself that it was probably just a virus, that kids got sick all the time and then got better again. Taking no chances, she called ahead to warn the clinic that she was coming.

She badly wanted to call Ryan, but she knew he’d spent his formative years dealing with this sort of thing and now avoided it. And anyway, today was the day he was taking Agnes to see the retirement home. He already had enough demands on his time.

The threatened storm had been building for days, and huge angry clouds hovered above them. Out in the bay the sea bounced and foamed with anger. By the time Emily reached the medical clinic, fat raindrops were pelting the car.

The nurse practitioner was busy, but one of the physicians who covered the clinic on a periodic basis was available.

Emily almost stumbled as she gave Lizzy’s full name, reluctant to disclose her identity even to a medical professional bound to keep such details confidential.

If the doctor was surprised to find the daughter of Lana Fox on a remote island in Maine, she kept the thought to herself.

It took her less than five minutes to decide Lizzy should be transferred to the hospital on the mainland.

“My instinct is that it’s just a virus. Her throat is clear, her ears look fine, and normally I’d suggest waiting a few hours. But we have bad weather coming in, and I don’t want you trapped here with no access to a higher-level of medical care if she gets worse, especially as I can’t find an obvious source for the infection.”

Emily felt her stomach lurch. The fact that the doctor was sufficiently concerned to suggest a transfer to the mainland snapped the leash on her anxiety.

She wished she’d had the foresight to pack a bag.

And she wished yet again that Ryan were here.

While Lizzy lay, eyes closed, Emily pulled the doctor to one side. “I’m worried that it could be meningitis. Please, tell me I’m overreacting.”

The doctor hesitated a few seconds longer than was reassuring. “That’s just one of the options on the list. There are many others. I think it’s unlikely, but she has a high temperature and a rash so I have to treat it as a possibility until we’ve ruled it out. I’m going to give her an injection. The hospital will be able to do more tests. Try not to worry.”

Emily wondered why doctors said that when it was clearly asking the impossible. “What can I do?”

“Stay here while I call them. You’ll be more comfortable here than in the waiting room, and you’re my last patient.”

As the door closed behind her, Emily was engulfed by silence.

Looking at Lizzy’s listless form, anxiety overwhelmed her. Her heart, protected for so long, was exposed and vulnerable.

Desperate to hear Ryan’s voice, she pulled her phone out of her bag and was dialing his number when the doctor walked back into the room.

The phone slipped back into her bag, forgotten.

“I’ve spoken to the pediatric department on the mainland, and, given the weather forecast and the lack of facilities here on the island, they want you to come in. They’re expecting you.”

Emily stood up, on legs that felt more like water than flesh and bone. “I’ll take the ferry.”

“The last ferry left early because of the storm. There won’t be another crossing today.”

“Can we fly out?”

“Island Air has grounded all flights.” The doctor hesitated. “There is a private pilot willing to take you, but it’s your decision.”

In Emily’s mind there was no decision to be made. “Where can I find him?”

“Up at the airfield, but you need to hurry. The winds are increasing. Is there anything you need before you go? Anyone you want to call to be with you?”

She thought about Ryan, taking Agnes to the home. She thought about Skylar, back in Manhattan and Brittany digging somewhere in Crete.

She was on her own with this.