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I can see my family in the backyard still, Bessy now on the trampoline, bouncing gently, with Eli sitting on there too. Ghost is holding on tight to him and talking to both of them. Eli has a big smile, and Bessy is being the protective big sister, giving cuddles in between the little bounces she gives him to make him grin.
Feeling more normal, I try to get on with preparing dinner, but I can’t help but feel anxious as to what the hell just happened. If I tell Ghost, he will be online to a doctor before I can blink and scouring the internet. He has enough to do with keeping us all safe. He doesn’t need to be worrying about me and a little fainting spell. I’ll be fine, I probably just let myself get a little dehydrated. Being busy with the kids all day, I’m trying to think how much I actually drank. Or maybe it’s a sugar problem, not enough of that today. It doesn’t matter. I feel okay now, just a bit rattled, and I can feel the start of another headache coming.
Chopping up the salad vegetables, my headache is increasing, and I’m trying to figure out what I can cook that’s less complicated than what I had planned. For once I wish we were somewhere I could just order in some dinner. There wouldn’t be many children who haven’t even had a kids’ meal from one of the fast-food chains. It’s not a bad thing, but in a way, Bessy is missing out on a rite of passage.
Hearing them before I see them, I know they’re back inside the house and heading my way. Trying to look alert and not have them notice anything wrong, I keep them behind me as I face the sink again. Washing some tomatoes that have already been more than drowned in water when I left the tap going.
“Mommy, Mommy, we bounced Eli really high.” Bessy is so excited, coming up behind me.
“I saw. How about you get Daddy to bathe you and Eli while I get dinner ready.”
“Yes! Bubble time!” she screams as she runs back toward Ghost who has detoured via the nursery, probably to change Eli.
“Daddy, Mommy said it’s bubble bath time with you.” He is probably groaning at that but won’t say no to her.
“What a great idea, Mommy.” Hearing the sarcasm in his voice, I know he will be cursing me. Bubbles and a bath with Bessy and Eli is like being in a pool. You may as well have your swimsuit on, you end up that wet.
It will give me time to get myself together and no one will even know what happened.
Ghost has given me a few side-eye looks tonight at dinner, meaning I don’t look right, as much as I’m trying to, but he hasn’t said anything with the kids around. Eli is fed and fast asleep in his milk-drunk state, and Bessy is getting the last story for the night with her dad. I can hear his voice getting quieter which means that she is asleep, and he is making sure she is into a deep sleep now. My headache has really increased as the night went on. To be honest, all I want to do is curl up in bed and sleep it off.
The kettle boiling for my cup of herbal tea is the last thing I hear as my body starts with a twitch. Now I’m jerking uncontrollably, and I see the fear on Ghost’s face coming toward me as the world is going black, and I’m falling…
ChapterEighteen
GHOST
“Cassie!” I race to catch her jerking body before it hits the floor, then I lower her onto the floor while she is shaking.
“Answer me.” I know it’s a stupid thing to be yelling at her. She’s having a seizure and won’t be able to hear me or answer me. We are both now on the floor, my hands between the floor and her head so at least I can soften the blow as her skull is pounding into my hand. I’ve done enough first-aid courses over the years to know I can’t restrain her, but I just don’t want her hurt.
“Fuck, come on, baby, stop shaking.” My heart’s racing and my brain is freaking out. I should be in total control, that’s what I do, but I can’t think clearly.
Why?
Why the fuck is this happening?
I knew she wasn’t right at dinner. The sparkle in her eyes was missing. Even when she was in the peak of pain in childbirth, she never lost the twinkle. I was on my way out to talk to her and find out what was going on. Never in my wildest dreams was I expecting something like this.
Seizures are serious, and for her to be having one out of the blue, I know we need help.
How we have managed to last as long as we have here, without something like this happening, is purely a miracle.
The force of her head hitting my hands is getting less and her body is slowing. I just want her in my arms, but I need to wait. Think, Ghost, think. What do I do now? He body’s finally going limp. I pick her up and I’m running with her to the bedroom. I want her on the bed where it’s soft, in case she starts again, which I pray to God she doesn’t. I’m also trying to hide her from Bessy in case she wakes. I don’t want her to feel as scared as I do right now.
“Just relax. I’ve got you. You’re okay now, I’m here.” I hope she can hear me as she starts to come out of the unconscious state that the seizure will have put her in. Her eyes are slowly opening and she looks up at me. I’m not sure she even knows who I am or where she is. I can feel little tremors still in her body where I’m holding on to her. I run my hands up and down her arms so she can feel I’m here and know that she is not alone. I don’t know how long it’s been but finally her mouth starts to move ever so slowly.
The first word is slurred, and I can see she is trying so hard to get it out.
“It’s okay, Cassie, just take your time. Don’t push yourself.” Her eyes drop shut again, and she is almost asleep when the words she was trying to tell me slip out.
“I’m… okay… Noah…” A little snore follows, telling me her body is in a recovery snooze, trying to get back in rhythm.
My hand on her forehead, I wipe the damp hair that is stuck to her face away. There is a thick layer of sweat all over her body. Sliding my body down onto the bed next to hers, I just need a moment to be with her. To breathe her in and listen to her inhaling and exhaling. I’ve never felt such fear, and I’ve been in a lot of dangerous places. I know this isn’t over, and it’s going to be a long night, but I’m thankful that for now she is peaceful and not fighting her body.
Moving from the bed, I strip her shirt and pants from her, finding fresh ones and replacing them. I don’t want her lying in her own sweat for longer than she needs to be. Once she is feeling up to it, I will shower her. But I don’t want her doing anything she doesn’t feel strong enough to handle, even with my help. Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I’m dialing the first person who can help me.
“Yep.” Ashton’s deep voice helps me slide back into work mode where I know how to control my world.
