The Incubus

Chapter 1, Scene 9

Justin tried to suppress the throbbing headache as he weaved through traffic. 'Hello,' he shouted into his cell phone. 'Is this emergency services?' The voice at the other end confirmed. 'It's my wife,' he said and stole a worried glance at Rebecca. 'There's something wrong with her and I need to get her to a hospital urgently!'

The dispatcher asked Justin a few routine questions and directed him to the nearest emergency room from his current location. Justin hung up and flung the phone on the back seat and accelerated the car.

'You're going to be fine, Baby,' he said, not entirely sure just whom he was trying to convince. 'I'm going to find you to a doctor and you're going to be okay.'

Rebecca didn't answer. Her eyes were rolled back into her head and she shook while sweat ran down her forehead. Justin placed his hand over hers. It was icy cold.

Food poisoning? he wondered. Not likely.

Thoughts about the previous evening with Megan popped into his mind. No! Justin rebuked himself. That was a mistake! The throbbing in his temples stabbed into his brain like small daggers; unsympathetic and relentless.

It took just under twenty minutes to reach the hospital. He pulled into the emergency parking lot and called a nurse for assistance. She rushed at them with a wheel chair and, with Justin's assistance, carefully moved Rebecca from the car into the chair.

'When last did she have anything to eat?' the nurse asked as she wheeled Rebecca into the hospital.

'Around noon, yesterday,' Justin said. His throbbing head didn't help much with the remembering process. 'I think...'

'Do you know if she's been bitten or stung by anything?'

'Not to my knowledge, no,' Justin said.

'Any allergies?'

'Nothing that I'm aware of, except maybe gelatine and dust. Contact with it gives her a rash.'

The nurse stopped at the front desk. 'Any medical history that we should be aware of? Any recent operations or drug prescriptions?'

Enough with the interrogation already! Help my wife! Justin merely shook his head.

'All right,' the nurse said. 'Please fill out the relevant forms at the desk. We will take care of your wife.'

Justin looked at Rebecca. She was barely conscious and not aware of her surroundings at all. 'Where can I find her?'

'Please wait here,' the nurse said. She had no time for small talk. 'I will fetch you when we're done.'

Defeated, Justin could only watch as the nurse pushed his wife down the hallway and into an elevator. The doors closed with a ding and Justin found himself standing in the reception area, alone. He made his way to the counter.

'Excuse me,' he asked the nurse behind the counter. 'Do you have some aspirin?'

She handed him two tablets and pointed to a water fountain in the corner of the room. Justin took a plastic cup from its holder and filled it with the crystal clear liquid.

He then returned to the front desk and filled out the forms to the best of his ability. He paused at the employment section, wondering if he should write down his old job's details. The word unemployed didn't particularly go hand-in-hand with bill payments. He decided to fill the blank space with self-employed instead.

'Mister Greene?'

Justin turned to face the nurse that disappeared with his wife. 'Is she...?'

'She's going to be fine,' the nurse said. 'We gave her something for dehydration as well as a Vitamin B12 intake.' She paused. 'Did you notice anything odd about your wife the last few days? Did she stop drinking water? Maybe vomit occasionally?'

Justin shook his head. 'Not that I know of.'

'Well, I suggest you keep her in bed for two or three days and make sure that she keeps down all her liquids and solids.'

Justin nodded.

'Keep a close eye on her and notify us immediately if the symptoms should return.'

Justin agreed, and while he waited for the nurse to fetch his wife, paid for the consultation and medication. He flinched when he thought about how they were going to get through the month. His antics the previous evening knocked a huge dent into their budget.

He let Rebecca sleep on the way home and decided that he wouldn't mention anything about the finances until she felt much better. Right now what she needed was a lot of rest and a worry-free mind.