Chapter 16

Emily woke up sluggishly, trying to figure out why she was so uncomfortable. It took a moment of blinking, breathing, and swallowing before she realized what was wrong. Suddenly, she threw back her sheets, clasped her hand to her mouth, and bolted for the bathroom. She flew past Ray in the hallway, who looked like he'd been about to go check on her. He followed her with a confused look into the bathroom and managed to get a perfect view of the first wave of vomit that poured out of Emily's mouth.

"Whoa!" Ray said as Emily gave another heave. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with cool water and handed it to Emily as she rocked back on her heels. "Where did that come from?" he asked as he reached up to flush the toilet before squatting next to her. She shrugged her shoulders as she pressed the washcloth to her forehead, seeming almost afraid to open her mouth.

"Do you think you're done?" he asked her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Mm," Emily mumbled into the washcloth, with a tone that indicated "I don't know."

"All right, well let me grab you some water," Ray said, standing up. He found a paper cup in the medicine cabinet, filled it from the tap, and then handed it to her.

"So this just came really suddenly? You were asleep and then bam?"

"Pretty much," Emily murmured with a nod.

"Any stomachache, headache, difficulty swallowing? Does your throat still hurt?" Ray asked as he stood up again, rummaging in the cabinet for the thermometer. "Hang on," he said as he clicked it on and placed it gently in her ear. Emily closed her eyes as he did so, settling herself more comfortably against the bathroom tile.

"Well," Ray said as he looked at the screen. "101. Your fever must've come back when you were asleep. So how about the stomachache or headache?"

"Yeah, I think my stomachache's what woke me up. My head's been hurting a little bit, but nothing major. And my throat's still the same as earlier—a little sore," Emily said softly.

"Okay, well I'm wondering if it's strep," Ray said, running a hand through his hair. Your test results won't be back at least until tomorrow, I wonder if I should take you to the ER for a rapid strep test?" Ray said, trailing off at the end as though he was thinking out loud.

"Um..." Emily said shrugging, not sure what else to say.

"It'll take about twenty minutes, so we won't be there long," Ray explained. "And if it's positive, we can start you on antibiotics sooner."

"Uh, yeah, I guess then," Emily said, perking up at the word "antibiotics."

"I just have to—" Ray was interrupted by the doorbell. "—call Neela," he finished lamely, stepping over Emily to answer the door.

"Hey," Ray said as he opened the door and saw Neela's hopeful face, arms laden with food. "Actually, I was just about to call you…"

"What happened?" Neela asked, her smile wavering as she stepped over the threshold and placed the food on the counter.

"It's Emily, actually, she just started vomiting and I was thinking about bringing her down to the ER for a rapid strep test."

"Does she have any other symptoms?"

"Fever, stomachache, sore throat and headache," Ray said, counting them off.

"Well then yeah, I'd go," Neela said.

"She had a blood test earlier today, but I won't get the results back until probably tomorrow, and I figured if she could get tested…"

"Yeah, yeah, I think it's the right thing to do."

"Hey, look, I'm really sorry. I was really looking forward to spending some time together," Ray said apologetically.

"Oh no, no, don't worry about it," Neela said, waving him off. "Look, this takes precedence."

"Thanks for understanding," Ray said as he walked back toward the bathroom. "And, hey, I guess you can stay here since we won't be very long. Just don't make off with my stereo and TV or anything!" he called over his shoulder.