Mama Tiger

Chapter 20.

Chapter 20.

Stef held the metallic-tasting thermometer under her tongue, ready to gag. Finally, it beeped, signaling that it was ready.

"Okay, hon," said Lena, taking the thermometer out of her wife's mouth. She squinted, reading the temperature. "You have a bit of a fever, sweets," she told her. She sighed. "I'm taking you to the emergency room."

"I'm fine," Stef insisted.

"This is nothing to play around with, Stef," Lena told her. "You could have pneumonia. It could kill you." Tears clouded her vision. "Please, honey."

Stef watched her wife sadly. It was near dinnertime, the kids were all home. They would be frightened. She always wanted to protect them first. She never wanted them to feel scared; they were already going through so much. But she wasn't feeling well; it was time to admit it. "Okay," she said quietly. "I'll go."

She got out of bed, and Lena helped her downstairs. Then, Lena and Sharon rounded up the kids.

"Guys," said Lena. "I don't want to alarm you, but Mom isn't feeling well. I need to take her to the emergency room."

"Mom?" Brandon asked, his eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, love," she told him. "I don't want any of you to worry. I will be okay."

"Mom has a fever and a cough," Lena explained. "It's just best that we get her checked out."

"Will she have to stay overnight?" Jesus asked.

"We don't know, baby," Lena admitted. "But it's a likely possibility. If she has to, I'll be staying with her, but Grandma will come home to be with all of you."

"Can't we go to the hospital with you?" Callie piped up, hugging herself.

"Yeah," Mariana added. "We should go too."

Lena nodded. "Yes, but don't dawdle around. Hurry and get your jackets and whatever else you want to take. I want you all ready to leave in less than five minutes."

With that, everyone scattered, grabbing iPods, handheld games, and their homework. They met at the front door.

"It's going to be okay, love," Lena promised Stef. "This is just one more hurdle to cross over."

"I know," said Stef, leaning heavily on her wife for support. Her legs felt weak, and she stumbled on her way down the walk.

"Mom!" Brandon cried. Bending down, he helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine," she assured him. "I just lost my footing." She winked at him as he studied her with concern, trying to prove that she was unscathed. They reached the driveway, and divided the family up between Sharon's car and the Toyota. Callie, Brandon, and Jesus rode with Stef and Lena, and Jude and Mariana rode with Sharon.

They made it to the emergency room within a half an hour. Lena went straight to the desk, as an attendant helped Stef from the car to a wheelchair. She was glad they wouldn't have to wait as long as other people, since Stef's illness made her visit truly urgent. She filled out paperwork as Sharon and the kids found seats in the waiting room, and a triage nurse pushed Stef through a set of double doors.

"I'll let you know as soon as I find out something," Lena promised her family, before following her wife.

"Grandma, I'm scared," Jude told Sharon, once they were alone. "I hate hospitals."

"So do I, buddy," the older woman nodded. "Come here by Grandma." Jude went to sit closer to Sharon, and she wrapped her arm around him, kissing his forehead. "Everything will be okay. Your mom is a tough one. Always has been."