Holy Ground

A Whole New You

Abby had called about her mom and I helped her out anyway that I could. I went to the funeral with her and Buck, doing my best to comfort her.

"How's Abby holding up?" Athena asked me through the phone as I drove to work.

"I'm guessing she's doing okay. I didn't have good parents 'Thena, so I'm out of my depth here. She cry's, but she has a dinning room now. She moved all of her moms medical stuff out and put the table back in. So normal grieving process?" I shrugged to myself as I parked.

"Yeah sounds about normal. Abby doesn't seem like the kind to do anything dramatic, so just watch her." Athena told me.

"I will. Don't worry." I assured her before I hung up and got ready.

I had changed and was on my way up to the kitchen when the alarm went off.

"Domestic call. Call got into it with his wife. Claimed she threw a picture frame at his head." The officer told us.

"I'm not claiming anything. That's what happened. Look, forget about me. There's something going on with my wife." The husband told us.

"Sir, just relax, we have to take a look at your head." Bobby told him, before turning to Chim. "Doesn't look too bad, does it Chim?

"Nah. Couple stitches. Easy-peasy. Let me clean it up first." Chim said as Athena reached the top of the stairs with the wife.

"David, the bobbies are asking if I want to press charges." She said.

"The "bobbies."." David repeated. "Baby, there is something wrong with you."

"Ma'am, you don't have to decide right now. We can take him..." Athena started before David cut her off.

"No, Officer, you don't understand." David said standing up.

"I understand just fine." Athena responded.

"No, you don't. She's not British." He said making all of us turn and look at the wife. "Yeah, that's not her voice. She was born in Brooklyn. The bobbies? The closet she's ever been to England is binge-watching episodes of Downtown Abbey."

"I don't know what he's talking about. David, you're frightening me." She told us.

"Look, we woke up this morning and she just starts speaking like that. It's bloody this, bloody that. A spot of tea. All this weird British slang that I've never heard before." David said then I heard the wife hiccup, making me look at her my brain in overdrive. "At first, I thought she was joking. But then it didn't stop, and I don't know what the hells going on. So I try to take her to the hospital. She freaked out, so I called 911."

"Did she hit her head? Was she in an accident recently?" Chim asked David.

"No, not that I know of." He replied.

"Hey. She told me she woke up this morning with a migraine." Athena said sending me up the stairs as I spoke.

"That and violent hiccups. That coupled with obvious chest pains." I spoke as I saw her rubbing her chest. "I'm pretty sure she's having a stroke."

I could hear Bobby coming up the stairs after me as David spoke. "A stroke? Wouldn't she have slurred speech or paralysis or something?"

"A man would, but a woman learns that symptoms can be different. Big-ass hiccups is one of them." Athena told him as I was checking the wife over.

"She's right." Bobby agreed.

"Stick your tongue out for me." I told her and watched as it came out sideways. "When's your birthday?"