Mother nodded at Dobkins to leave, but before she did, she gave Vivienne an apologetic glance.
Mother sat on the bed. Her puffy red eyes were a stab to Vivienne’s heart. She hated seeing Mother so distraught. The pain was a rehash of what had happened with Adele.
Father kissed Vivienne’s cheek. “I’ll come back and check on you later, darling.”
She held his hand for a moment before facing the doctor’s beady eyes.
“How are you today, my lady?” Dr. Tucker opened the bag. His crooked smile didn’t reassure her.
“I feel stronger.” She coughed in her closed fist.
“Good.” He walked over to the bed with his uneven gait. “Let me check your pulse.”
“You shouldn’t have escaped,” Mother said.
“I truly am sorry, but I was tired of being cooped up in the house.”
“Do you realise the gravity of what you did?” Mother’s voice cracked.
“I do, and I’m sorry to have caused you such pain.”
Dr. Tucker examined her eyes and throat, and auscultated her heart. A coughing fit shook her, and sweat dampened her forehead. Heat and shivers coursed through her, a sign the fever was rising again.
He frowned. “You’re developing a double winter fever.”
Mother gasped.
“What is it?” Vivienne asked.
“Both your lungs are affected by pneumonia,” Dr. Tucker said. “Nasty, serious business. I won’t deny that. It is life-threatening.”
Annoyance more than fear caused her to jerk to attention. She’d met many physicians, but none of them had ever been so dramatic. Down-to-earth, yes, dramatic, no.
Mother looked as if she would crumble into a thousand pieces. There was a haunted look in her eyes. “She can’t die. She can’t! What can we do, doctor?”
“Absolute rest to start with. I’ll prescribe everything Lady Vivienne will need and treatments here. She can’t be moved.” He flashed his yellowed teeth. “But it could take weeks…or months.”
Vivienne didn’t respond. The constant burning in her chest, shortness of breath, and fatigue overwhelmed her and gave her the same diagnosis. She was losing weight quickly, despite the rich meals Cook prepared for her.
But she would be lying if she said she trusted Dr. Tucker completely. Or maybe she simply didn’t like the news and blamed the doctor.
“Vivienne?” Father’s deep voice came from the other side of the door.
“Come in,” she said, coughing.
Father narrowed his gaze on Dr. Tucker. “How’s my daughter?”
“Pneumonia, my lord, affecting both lungs. Extremely serious.” Dr. Tucker sighed dramatically. “Not good news, I’m afraid, but I’ll do my best to help her.”
Father hugged her again, and for some reason, tears welled up in her eyes.
Maybe because she could be fragile and scared with her father. For the first time since she’d returned home from the hospital, a sense of fear chilled her.
She swallowed a couple of times, leant against him and whispered, “I’m sorry, Father.”
“It’s not your fault.” He hugged her more tightly.
Mother cried silently, holding her hand.
Dr. Tucker cleared his throat. “Lord Huntington, under my guidance, she can survive. But it would be unprofessional of me not to mention the risks of long-lasting impairments. A pneumonia so strong might cause lung scarring, and in general, other health problems with the airways. These conditions will cause persistent shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and general weakness, increasing the risk of a cardiac arrest.”
Mother sobbed in earnest now.
“What are you telling me?” Father sounded angry.
The doctor didn’t flinch. “I mean, Lady Vivienne’s health might be permanently damaged and her heart might stop beating without the right cure, granted she survives the pneumonia, that is.”
Father tensed, his arms tightening around her. “Don’t worry, darling. You will be fine.”
She was overcome by another coughing fit and realised how serious this was, and for the first time she was scared.
