Vivid Temptation (Touched By You) (11 page)

Natalie was rubbing her calf when he returned. She’d had a little rash there since the trip to the park. She thought she’d rubbed against some thorny bushes. It didn’t look like poison oak; it was a minor irritation from something.

“Does that bother you?”

“Just itches a little. I think it’s
getting better.” Natalie rested her head against the padded chair and closed her eyes.

“Here,” Tanner said, slipping the thermometer in her mouth.

Natalie dozed and the sound of Tanner’s voice sounded far off. “You have a temperature. I’m calling the doctor.”

What happened next was all so fast that later Tanner couldn’t even remember it clearly. He reached for his phone, never taking his eyes off his wife. Her eyes were closed, but when Natalie slumped in the chair like a rag doll, he panicked.

“Baby, are you okay?”

No response.

Tanner’s heart pounded. He put his palm on her cheek, which was burning with fever. Even with his hand on her, Natalie didn’t stir.

“Honey?
Natalie?”

No response.

Tanner lifted her in his arms and tried to wake her but could not. A feeling of terror struck his heart. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Holding Natalie in his lap, Tanner called emergency services. “My wife is unconscious. Please come right away.”

Carrying his dear wife, her arm dangling lifelessly, Tanner went down to the lobby. Nothing seemed real.

The attendant looked alarmed. “Should I call for help?”

“I did,” Tanner managed to say.

The whirlwind that transpired was a nightmare; an awful, agonizing nightmare. The ambulance seemed to take forever to arrive, and every second that ticked by left Tanner stricken with fear that his wife would die in his arms before they arrived.

Once the paramedics were on the scene, they took over. Tanner asked a barrage of questions to which they had few answers. He resorted to saying repeatedly, “Hurry. Please hurry.”

Thankfully, they allowed him to ride in the ambulance with her. Tanner didn’t think he could have let her go. Sitting in back, appalled at seeing Natalie with an oxygen mask, pale and fragile, Tanner held her hand. Her wavy hair splayed over the stretcher underneath her in dark contrast to the white—the white of the sheet, the deathly white of her skin.

Once at the hospital, Natalie was whisked away, and Tanner was directed to the front desk to take care of the paperwork. He answered the questions and gave them identification. “When can I see my wife?” he barked, frustrated with the process.

“Have a seat, sir. The doctor will call you.”

Tanner sat in the waiting area, seeing nothing, hearing no one. Natalie had to be okay. She had to be. This couldn’t be happening. What was wrong with her?

Tanner paced the waiting room, fuming, distraught. He ran his hands through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. If only he knew how Natalie was, that she was okay. When was the doctor going to come out? It seemed to take an eternity.

Several times he went to the desk, only to be told he’d have to wait. “The doctor will be with you as soon as he knows anything. Your wife is receiving emergency treatment. I cannot interrupt him.”
Emergency treatment
. The words hung in the air offensively.

Not his wife. Not Natalie. Unable to envision what had taken her so suddenly, Tanner’s stomach was in knots and his mind in a haze. It didn’t occur to him to call anyone, to let the family know. The concept that she wouldn’t make it was foreign to him. Thus a responsibility to alert those she was closest to wasn’t part of his thought process.

A doctor in a white coat, looking serious—his lined face and graying hair only adding to the image—came to stand by Tanner.

“Are you Tanner Clarke?”

“Yes, I’m her husband. Is she okay?”

The doctor didn’t respond immediately, and Tanner’s throat went dry.

“I’d like to speak with you.” The doctor led him to another room where they could talk privately.

Tanner waited, looking intently at the doctor. He was a doctor. He would know. He could make Natalie better.

“Your wife is seriously ill.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“We ran some tests. And from the results and her symptoms, I’d say she has encephalitis.”

The doctor may as well have been speaking a foreign language.

“What is it? How did she get it?”

“The type she has is called
Powassan encephalitis. It’s caused by a virus of the same name, Powassan virus.”

“Is it contagious? Did she get it from someone?”

“No. It’s not contagious. We don’t see too many cases of this. It’s rare. The virus is spread by infected ticks.”

“A tick?”

“Yes, sir. Has your wife been out in any natural areas recently? Or near the river?”

Shock hit Tanner like a slap in the face.
The river?

“Yes, she has. Natalie likes to hike. She’s been near the Hudson River many times recently.”

“That would explain it. The Health Department has done a good job of cleaning out areas where ticks thrive. But it’s impossible to avoid contact completely. We see more cases in the summer.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“I don’t know for sure. She is still unconscious.”

Unconscious
.

“This virus causes an infection of the central nervous system, and when severe can put the patient in a coma.”

“Natalie is in a coma?”

“Yes, she is. We are taking good care of her. We will have to see how she does.”

“What do you do for this? How do you treat it?”

“That’s the problem, I’m afraid. There is no anti-viral therapy for it. This particular infection is uncommon, but it’s associated with significant complications.”

“Can you clarify that? Will she come out of the coma?”

The doctor paused, his eyes showing concern. “Viruses are not responsive to the medicines used to treat bacterial encephalitis. Patients sometimes suffer permanent paralysis, hearing and vision impairments, or memory loss.
If they survive.”

“If they survive?
She could die?”

The doctor nodded. “We shouldn’t assume that. Permanent neurological damage occurs about half the time, and death, in about ten to fifteen percent of all cases.”

The doctor’s statement hit Tanner like a blow with a two-by-four. He reeled from the news. Natalie could die.
No. Please, no.

“When will we know? What can we do?”

“The prognosis in these cases is often grave. But in these life-threatening situations, early medical intervention can make the difference. I understand you were with her when she passed out?”

“Yes. Yes, I was. I called the ambulance immediately.”

“That may have helped. The fact that she got to us as soon as possible might be an advantage. The outcome depends on how strong your wife’s immune system is; how well she can fight the virus. We will do all we can for her, but I’m afraid I cannot predict the result at this early stage. And if she does come out of the coma, there is still a chance of permanent damage. I’m very sorry to have to tell you this.”

Tanner felt numb, lost, and empty. The doctor stood and waited for a moment.

“Can I see her?”

“Yes, certainly.
I’ll have the nurse take you in.”

Tanner followed the doctor out of the room. Life seemed crushingly oppressive. His love, the wonderful woman he married, might die. And there was nothing he could do. Nothing he could fight against. All he could do was
wait—and pray.

Thoughts raged through Tanner’s head. If he hadn’t been home with Natalie, who knows how long it might have been before she got help. What if she’d been out hiking? What if…what if?

Natalie had the kindest heart of any person he knew. She didn’t deserve this. If anyone deserved to be stricken, it was Tanner, not his sweet wife. Not her, of all people.

Tanner stepped into the cold, quiet hospital room. He walked to the bed and looked at his wife. Natalie looked peaceful, calm, but it was a deadly calm. If only she would talk, annoy him, make him jealous. Anything but just lie there. Anything but be sick.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then pulled a chair beside the hospital bed. Tanner held her hand in his. The fever had gone down. Her skin was cool now, and so soft. He pressed her hand against his cheek, needing to feel her warmth. Even in her unconscious state Natalie was beautiful.

Her dark hair spread over the white pillowcase, making her look like an angel that had fallen in the snow. Her pale skin was flawless, but missing the color he usually saw in her cheeks. Her lovely eyes were closed and her pouty lips relaxed in her repose.

“Natalie, baby,” he whispered to her. “Come back to me, please. I always wanted to protect you, but danger came unexpectedly. I didn’t keep you safe.”

Tears filled Tanner’s eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

“Please, baby, for me. Fight this. Be strong. You are one of the strongest women I know. If anyone can win against this, it’s you.”

He choked up and stopped speaking for a moment.

“I love you, baby, with all my heart. I’ll always love you, no matter what happens. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.

“We’ll fight this together. I won’t leave your side until you get better. I’ll be here. I promise. Feel me next to you. I’m with you. I love you…I love you.”

Tanner’s heart wrenched with grief. He was helpless against the oppressor that might take his wife away forever. Natalie was unconscious but he hoped somehow, in some way, she could feel his love. With every part of his being, he conveyed support, offered his strength. He was closer to her than he’d ever been to anyone.

She was a part of him, and he a part of her. There had to be a way she could feel that he was there, waiting for her. She must. He wouldn’t leave. He’d never leave her.

“Fight, baby.
Fight. You’re tougher than this nasty virus. I know you are. I know it.”

Tanner sat beside her, holding her hand until the nurse came in and asked him to leave. They needed to attend to his wife; he could return in a while. Reluctantly, he left the room, feeling alone and overcome with sadness.

Somehow he had the sense to call the family, and it wasn’t long before they began appearing in the waiting room: Jazzy, Ellis, Emma, Cheryl, Dani. The whole interaction seemed like some bizarre dream, one Tanner wished he’d wake up from. He was relieved when his uncle showed up.

At least Gene was a doctor. Maybe he could shed more light on the situation or have a suggestion. Patting him on the back, his uncle sat next to him. “How is she?”

“I’m not sure, Gene. The doctor says it’s serious, that it could be fatal. I can’t deal with that. I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to Natalie.”

“Let me see what I can find out.” Gene strode past out of the waiting area, looking for the doctor.

Tanner couldn’t look at Jazzy or Emma. He should, and he wanted to tell them it was going to be okay. But he didn’t know that. Thankfully, Ellis sat with one arm around Jazzy and the other around Emma. A few seats over, Cheryl and Dani stared into space.

Racked with dread that his beloved wife might never be among them again, Tanner clenched his fists and looked down at the drab carpet. Sitting alone, bereft, drove home the fact that Natalie was in serious condition. Worry and fear combined into an unsavory combination and gnawed at him incessantly.

One moment he felt his life was over, and the next, he was determined Natalie would make it. His head was filled with thoughts and memories fighting, making his head pound.

I love her so much. I should have told her sooner. Why did I ever wait so long? I should have told her right away, the instant I met her. We could have had those four years we missed. I wish I hadn’t wasted even one minute I could have had with her.

And I’m so selfish. She’s wanted a baby for so long. But no, I had to wait. If I hadn’t waited, Natalie would have had the baby she wanted so badly. Now she might never be a mother. She might never live to see her child.

A thought pressed into consciousness and it chilled him to the bone. What if she was pregnant right now? She could be. They’d been trying. Would the illness kill the baby too? Would the doctor know? Would he have checked? He’d have to ask Gene as soon as he came back.

Natalie loved me, always. She never doubted me, even from the start when I warned her against me. She was always convinced I was good, that I was worth loving. And in time, she convinced me. Natalie, Natalie. She saved me, saved me from myself, saved me from what life could have been.

Without her, I might never have known love, and never found someone to treasure. She gave me everything. Natalie is everything to me. Without her, nothing matters—not my life, my business, my money. Without her, I wa
nt none of it. Nothing. No one.