Leona seemed to realize she was trying to pry Oscar away as Meredith struggled to keep the towel wrapped around her.
“Oh.” Leona never apologized to Meredith, but the look in her eyes was as close as she’d ever come. “The bed’s clean. I can rock him once he’s dressed.”
“Thank you,” Meredith forced herself to speak graciously. “I think he’ll go right back down. I gave him Tylenol.”
Leona gasped. “He has a fever?”
Meredith stepped into their bedroom and put a hand on the door. “Yes, 102.6.”
“Oh, mercy. Could be the flu.” Leona’s worried look struck home.
Please, God. Don’t let him have the flu.
Meredith hid her fear and thanked Leona for the help. She closed their bedroom door and turned to see Jamie lying in bed with his back to her.
Such an asshole,she thought with a sigh.
She dressed them both and climbed under the covers, cuddling Oscar too her. He already felt a little cooler, but Meredith knew she’d need to give him some Motrin in a few hours to kick in before the Tylenol wore off.
Please don’t let him have the flu.She prayed again. Since he’d awoken crying, all of her thoughts had been for Oscar, but now that he drifted off safe in her arms, her mind and her heart turned to Gray.
She’d left him the night before certain she’d see him in a matter of hours. Now she was not so sure. Not only was Oscar sick, but Meredith couldn’t risk spreading whatever he had to Gray. Sighing, she planned her next moves. Go to class. Surely, Leona wouldn’t bat an eye at watching Oscar while he was sick. Whether she was willing to admit it or not, the woman had to see that Jamie would not be a comfort to him. After class, Meredith would take him to the pediatrician for a flu test.
“IT’S STREP. NOTthe flu,” Dr. Conrad said. Kendra Conrad was rail thin with skin the color of hot chocolate, a natural afro, and a voice like flute music.
Meredith loved her because the woman was gentle and friendly, and she took her time with each visit to make sure Meredith understood everything concerning Oscar’s health.
“It’s good you came in. Left untreated, strep can become serious, but a course of antibiotics will knock it out.”
“And it’s contagious?” She remembered having strep before, but she was foggy about when. And it wasn’t like she could call her own mother to ask.
“Highly,” Dr. Conrad said. “But it’s no longer contagious twenty-four hours after starting antibiotics.”
Meredith swallowed, checking the feel of her throat. “Would I know if I had it?”
Dr. Conrad smiled. “How are you feeling?”
Meredith considered the question. “Fine. Tired.”
Dr. Conrad gave her a mock serious frown. “You’re the mother of a sick twenty-month old, and you’re tired. That’s unusual,” she teased, but she put down Oscar’s test results and approached Meredith with outstretched hands. “May I?”
She nodded. The doctor checked the lymph nodes in her throat before going for her pen light. “Open up and say ahhh.”
Meredith did.
“No redness. No lymph swelling. If you still feel okay in a day or two, you should be in the clear.”
Meredith bit her lip. “I’m worried because I work for someone who is very sick, and I wouldn’t want to expose him to an infection.” She thought a moment and then added, “And Oscar threw up on me last night, so if it’s highly contagious…”
Dr. Conrad made a sympathetic face and nodded. “Well, you could always wear gloves and a protective mask around your boss until the coast is clear.”
Oh, Gray would justlovethat.
“Thanks,” she said instead.
“No problem,” Dr. Conrad said, then she stroked a gentle hand over Oscar’s head. “Feel better, kid. Let your mom get some rest.”
Carrying Oscar, Meredith left the office at a loss for what to do. Gray wouldn’t expect her before two o’clock, and she hadn’t yet told him about Oscar, hoping against hope that the doctor would discover an earache or something that she couldn’t spread to Gray.
