Eminence

Note 11 - Thirst

It was the first hot night of the summer, and no one in the house had gotten sleep. Emanon woke Warren around midnight because it was uncomfortably warm, and he discovered that the A/C unit had suddenly stopped working. It must have been warm for a while because Emanon had broken into a heat rash, which made Warren anxious. Jack also had night terrors, which meant Emanon went in and calmed him down every few hours. When she returned to the room, Warren would apply fresh cold packs on her face and abdomen to cool her down, but by the time the rashes had subsided, it was morning. Warren begrudgingly got up to call the electrician to fix the A/C. They were advised to leave the house as it would still be several hours before they could come out and fix it. There was also an excessive heat warning for the next three days, so being somewhere without A/C was not recommended. 

"What a way to start the week..." Warren said aloud. 

He had to think about how they would take Emanon with them while the sun was out and it was already 80 degrees outside. 

"We could put her in the trunk..." Jack said, holding a bag of ice to his head. He looked even more miserable dealing with both the heat and a hangover. 

"That's not funny..." Warren replied. 

Jack groaned as he shoved his face into the ice. 

Emanon was in the shower. They had been fighting her rash all night, and even after it calmed down, it flared up an hour later. She couldn't be in the water for long, though, as she would be at risk for hypothermia, and so today, she was much quieter and passive, which distressed Warren. 

"- I think there might be a hotel near here, about 5 minutes away..." Warren said.

"Why is there a hotel in the suburbs?" Jack asked. 

"This area is relatively industrial; there's a lot of businesses over here, so the hotel is excellent for those who travel here for work meetings and events... Warren replied. 

"Oh, that makes sense- You should do commercials for it. How will we take Em there without almost killing her? Even if we blast the AC, she might still overheat under a blanket, and she's not eating enough, so she's at risk for severe anemia." 

"I know, but how do we make her eat more?" Warren asked in frustration. 

"We could rob a hospital..." Jack suggested.

"Jack, could you be serious for a moment? I'm just curious: are you still drunk?" Warren asked sarcastically.

"I am trying incredibly hard to think through this massive headache, okay? Why not have her feed on you since you're so close?" Jack responded sarcastically.

"Not while you're here!"

"Why?!"

"Reasons I'm not talking about right now!"

"Why is there so much yelling?" Emanon asked as she walked in, drying her hair with a towel. 

She told them, "I didn't realize this bedroom was the meeting room; I would have taken my clothes to the bathroom."

"This room has blackout curtains, so it's the coolest in the house..." Jack replied unphased. 

"Dude, get out!" Warren yelled, grabbed Jack, and pushed him out the door. 

"It's not like I haven't seen her naked before!" Jack replied as Warren closed the door in his face.

Warren sighed, leaning against the door and grabbing his face. 

"Em, you can't walk around the house naked while we have a guest."

"Why not? Should I kill him now that he's seen me?" She asked sarcastically.