Chapter 18

"Hey, where'd Ray go?" Abby asked, taking a look around when she came into the room.

"Uh, he said he was going to see if anyone needed any help out there," Emily answered. Mumbling, she added, "We sort of had a…disagreement."

"I see," Abby said, nodding thoughtfully, taking a seat on a stool and wheeling herself over to the bed. "Well, I have your lab results, and it's strep, like we suspected. Now, you know we have a couple antibiotic choices. There are the regular doses for about a week, or there's the one-time injection. I know what your preference is—" she emphasized, as Emily shot her a look "—but with your vomiting, I think the injection would be much more effective, much more quickly."

"Yes, but what if I don't want to deal with getting stuck again?"

"Well, I think this comes down to a clinical judgment call. Which, on this one, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to opt for the shot," Abby finished, shrugging apologetically.

Emily was about to open her mouth again when Ray stuck his head in. "Hey," he said. "What's going on?"

"Hi," Abby answered. "I was just telling Emily that her labs came back positive for strep, and we were discussing her treatment options."

"I see," Ray said, pulling up his own stool. From the look on Emily's face, he guessed that the treatment had already been decided on. "Look," he started, "I know it sucks, but is it possible you're blowing this a little bit out of proportion? I mean, come on Em, you're stronger than this!" he finished, in an attempt to appeal to her sense of pride.

"Whatever," Emily muttered, picking at her cuticles.

"Okay then," Abby said, standing up. "I'll be back in a minute."

Once they were alone, Ray turned back to Emily. "So, what's going on? I know this isn't about some stupid shot. This is about something else. The way you lost it earlier—talk to me, Em!"

Emily looked up, startled. "Okay, fine. I overreacted about the shot. Happy?"

"No," Ray said, seizing her hands. "I care about you, and I want to help you, but I can't if you don't open up!"

"Look, it's not like that. It's a combination of things, you know? This whole thing—I'm sorry I freaked with you earlier, but I'm dealing with it, okay? I know I've been a little melodramatic, I'll try to tone it down—" she saw Ray about to interrupt her "—and I'll come to you if I need anything," she added significantly.

Ray took a deep breath. "Okay," he said simply. Then a smirk began to leak out of the corner of his mouth. "You and me, kid. You and me," he said, breaking into a wide smile.

He continued, "So we're cool, right? You'll be okay with a shot? Basically, I'm asking if I'm going to be needing an x-ray because you'll be squeezing my hand so hard!"

Emily laughed, "Yeah, I'm fine…but I'm not making an x-ray promises!"

Ray laughed too. They sat for a few moments, waiting for Abby to return.

"All right," she said when she came back in. "How're we doing?"

"Good enough, let's just get this over with," Emily said through her tightly clenched jaw.

"Sounds like a plan. And, I'm pretty good with this injection thing; just ask your brother," Abby grinned.