Page 39 of Center Ice
Drew:
I’ll be at your house in a few minutes.
Audrey:
I’m not feeling good and don’t want company.
Drew:
I’m not company.
Audrey:
Oh yeah, what would you call yourself then?
Drew:
A concerned friend? The father of your child?
Audrey:
I feel like death.
Drew:
Which is exactly why I’m coming over.
When I knock on the back door, I see movement through the frosted glass. I’m surprised when she opens the door without me having to bang it down.
She stands in the doorframe as if she could block me from coming in. Her dark hair is greasy and held off her face in a messy ponytail, and she looks deathly pale. I reach out and place my hand on her forehead, and her lips turn down at the corners in response to my touch.
“You’re burning up.” I know she’s an adult capable of taking care of herself, but I’m worried about her just the same. I hate seeing her sick and in pain.
“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” she croaks, her voice hoarse, like she’d been screaming at a concert all night.
“Have you been to the doctor?” I ask, even though I know the answer.
She folds her arms across her chest in defiance, and her chin tilts up as she says, “No.”
“Why not?”
She looks away, focusing on my Jeep sitting at the bottom of her back steps. “You found the parking space, I take it.”
“Yes, and I’m about to throw you in my car and take you for a strep test.”
“The doctor’s office is closed.”
“Yeah, but you can do a rapid strep test at almost any pharmacy. I checked the one two blocks away, and it’s open for another half hour.”
She leans against the door frame so quickly I’m afraid she’s about to collapse. “Drew, I don’t even have the energy to get dressed.”
“Which is exactly why you need to go take a test. If you got strep from Graham, you can get antibiotics and feel better in, like, twenty-four hours.Why wouldn’t you?”
Looking away again, she clears her throat as she refuses to meet my gaze. Then she winces in pain, and I’m guessing that her throat hurts too much to respond.
“Audrey, when Graham had all the symptoms of strep, you took him to the doctor’s, right?”
She looks over at me and nods.
