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Footsteps approached and he could feel the gentle breeze of something moving nearby. Pressure on his neck caused him to flinch, and then whoever it was lifted an eyelid, shining an even brighter light into his eyes.
Grant muttered a curse, but it came out more like a growl.
“Mr. Shaw. Glad to have you back with us.”
It was a woman’s voice. At least she sounded nice.
His eyelids drooped closed, and with effort, he opened them again. White cabinets and walls surrounded him. Tubes and machines were pushed off to the side of the room. The only machine that was currently operating was the one attached to the strings stuck to his chest. He reached for them with a drunken hand.
He wasn’t drunk.
He never drank—couldn’t stand the stuff. What was wrong with him? His mind was hazy. It felt like he was wandering through a field covered in fog. Blinking only seemed to make the scenery harder to focus on.
Grant turned his head at the sound of clacking on a keyboard. A woman stood at a computer, her fingers gliding over the keys with impressive speed. She glanced in his direction and smiled.
“How are you feeling?”
He wanted to speak, but his mouth felt dry and mushy all at once. Finally, with effort, he got out the words, “Like I’ve been hit by a truck.”
She chuckled. “That’s to be expected. But here we just call that a hangover.”
Even with his muddled mind, that didn’t sound right. He hadn’t been drinking. He couldn’t touch the stuff since he was a teenager and he’d tried liquor for the first time on a dare.
He shook his head. “I didn’t drink.”
The nurse gave him a funny look then turned to her computer. “I just got here and haven’t had a chance to go through the notes in your chart…”
Just as the words escaped her lips, a gentleman knocked on the door. Her focus and Grant’s shifted to the new arrival.
The older man rubbed his hands with some sanitizer and flashed a smile. “Good afternoon, Mr. Shaw. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that your toxicology results came back, and we didn’t find any alcohol in your system.”
The nurse was the only one who looked surprised by the statement.
“Unfortunately, that’s also the bad news.” He stood with his hands behind his back. “We’re not sure what you’ve ingested or if it was something you ate. You might have had a reaction to something, or this could be your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong.”
Grant’s strength continued to grow, but it only made him more aware of the pounding in his head. “I’ve never been healthier than I am right now. I’m active and I’m careful about the food I put in my mouth.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing we’re going to send a sample to Billings. I’m having a lab run some tests to see if it can give us any insight into what is going on. Either way, you’re in good hands. We’d like to keep you overnight for observation?—”
This time, Grant shot upright. He immediately regretted it. His stomach swirled and his brain felt like it had collided with every side of his skull.
“I can’t. My son—” He held a hand to his forehead, willing the stars to pass. “What time is it? He was at school?—”
“Dad!” Nick barreled into the room, followed shortly by Bella. Nick grabbed Grant around the middle and buried his face in Grant’s lap. “What happened?”
Grant found Bella’s eyes. Or rather, her gaze captured his. Time stood still. The pain, worry, fear, and relief were all present in her expression. He hadn’t thought it was possible to show all those emotions at once.
“Mr. Shaw?”
He shook his head, the ringing leaving his ears as he focused on what the doctor was saying.
“It might be a good idea if your son… leaves the room. I’d like to take a couple more samples for additional labs if that’s okay.”
As if on cue, another nurse came in, rolling a cart with several empty vials and the materials to take his blood. The previous nurse stepped forward. She smiled and crouched down in front of Nick.
“Hey, sprout, why don’t you and I go check out the vending machines down the hall? I’m sure we could get you a couple things to snack on while your dad finishes talking to the nice doctor.”
Nick’s hold on Grant tightened. He looked from his dad to Bella with uncertainty.
