Chapter 5

Nathan sat at his desk in the lab. He brought up the number for Iris's direct line and dialed it. Principal's office.

"Iris -- it's Nathan."

Hello, Nathan.

"Can you talk?"

Yes, I can talk. My calendar is open.

"Have you thought about it? Our conversation?"

I have. Nathan -- It's going to have to be platonic.

"Oh..."

That's probably not what you wanted to hear.

"It's not, but I said I would respect you desires and I am a man of my word."

I know you are, Nathan. Like I said -- you are a very nice young man. You will make someone happy.

"I want to make you happy."

And, you are. Nathan, I'm not going to say it has to stay that way forever. I'm just not ready for a relationship. Not right now.

"I get it. Let's take the physical stuff off the table ... just so we both know there's no agenda."

That's a good way of putting it. Who knows what's in store?

"Right. Who knows?"

I know for sure that I need to get used to the idea.

"I understand."

And, you know that Katie and I are a package deal.

"Oh, I know that for sure."

Nathan -- will you be all right?

"Of course I'll be all right. Say -- by this weekend I should be done ripping those CDs. You know -- that museum exhibits on vampires made me think. I was reminded me of a film I saw a year or so ago. It gets to the bottom line of being a vampire, I think. I can rent it from Netflix. If I order it now, it'll certainly be here by Saturday."

Is this a film Katie would enjoy?

"Oh, no. It's definitely not for Katie. Maybe in five or six years she'd be equipped to handle it."

What's it called? Would I know it?

"It's a Swedish film, 'Let the Right One In.' It's in Swedish with subtitles. They've remade it into an independent film over here called 'Let Me In.'"

I haven't heard of either of them.

"Would you watch it with me?"

Sure.

"I could bring it over Saturday afternoon or evening. Do you and Katie like Chinese food?"

We love Chinese.

"There's a place nearby that has really good takeout. I could bring some with me. What do you like?"

I like anything spicy but Katie needs it bland. Use your imagination.

"Okay, I'll see you around six on Saturday. Okay?"

It's a date, Nathan. Thanks for being understanding.

Nathan hung up the phone. He turned to his computer, brought up the Netflix website and added the film to his queue.

He headed down Elderberry. The DVD and Iris's CDs were in a dispatch bag he wore under his frock coat. He carried a paper bag that was developing grease stains. Upon reaching Number 213 he climbed the porch steps and rang the bell.

Iris opened the door. Tonight she wore a yellow cotton dress, the hem coming just above her knees. "How can you wear that coat when it's so warm?" she asked. "We're having a heat wave."

"The heat doesn't bother me."

"Well, it bothers me. Let me take that." She took the bag from him.

He took off his hat and coat. He slipped the dispatch bag from his shoulder and removed its contents. "Here are your CDs ... and the other disc we discussed."

Katie approached him with a ball. "Nathan -- look!" She dropped the ball and it bounced off the hardwood floor. "See how high it bounces! Watch this!" She threw the ball to the floor. It bounced up to the ceiling and down again. Nathan lurched to catch it.

"Katie!" Iris said sternly. "What did I say about bouncing that ball in the house?"

"Sorry, Mommy."

Nathan followed Iris into the kitchen. "What have we here?" she asked as she took cartons from the bag.

"I got some char shue ding for Katie, some spicy Hunan shrimp for you and some Schezuan chicken for me. Of course, we can all sample all the entrees. There's plenty of rice and some egg rolls."

"You carried this on the TransMet?"

"And, on the trolley. Some folks were giving me the eye."

"You were probably making their mouths water. It smells really good."

"Let me know if it needs to be heated up in the microwave," he said.

"I think it's all hot enough. KATIE! Get ready for dinner."

"Nathan! Will you play another game of 'Sorry!' with me after dinner?"

"Okay, Katie." He glanced at her mother. "I need to win at least one game off of her."

Nathan carried plates to the kitchen counter. Iris pressed her hand against her abdomen. "Chinese carry-out was a great idea. It really hit the spot."

"Nathan!" Katie called to him. "Watch this!"

He stepped into the living room. Katie had her ball. She threw it onto the floor. It bounced up against the wall and then the ceiling. He jumped to catch it. "What did your mother tell you about throwing the ball in the house?" He handed it back to her.

Katie threw it against the floor again. This time it took an odd bounce off a piece of door moulding and smashed into a shelf of glassware above Iris's liquor cabinet. Two cocktail glasses fell and shattered.

"What?" Iris charged out of the kitchen. "KATIE!" she screamed. "How many times have I told you not to throw that ball in the house!" She pointed to a small, wooden chair in the corner. "Fifteen minutes in the naughty chair. Then, it's jammies on and straight to bed for you. And, no toys!"

"But Mommy! Nathan was going to play 'Sorry!'."

"Sorry. No 'Sorry!'."

"But Mommy!" Katie began to cry and then to wail as she headed for the wooden chair.

"Fifteen minutes," Iris repeated.

Nathan approached Kate as she hollered. "You know -- if you can't do the time, then don't do the crime," he said.

Katie wailed again, emptying her lungs of air. She drew in a breath and then froze. Nathan watched as her body went rigid and her face turned ashen. She began to fall forward and he lunged to catch her.

"Iris!" he called. "IRIS!"

"What is it?"

"It's Katie -- it looks like she's having some sort of seizure!'

"Oh, my GOD! KATIE!"

"Call 911," Nathan said. He lay Katie on her back on the floor.

"She's turning blue!" Iris shrieked.

"Call 911." Nathan pinched Katie's nose closed, tilted back her head and held her mouth open. He felt for a pulse. Finding one, he began mouth-to-mouth breathing on her.

He heard Iris on the phone. "It's my daughter --she's not breathing ... eight years old ... no, she seemed to have a seizure of some sort. Please hurry! Yes, 213 Elderberry."

"They're on their way." Iris stood over Nathan as he worked on Katie. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Katie!"

Katie let out a murmur. She rolled onto her side, curled into a fetal position and slipped her thumb into her mouth. "She's breathing on her own," Nathan said. "Her color is looking better. Whatever it was, it looks like it's passed." He glanced up at Iris who stood, wringing her hands. "Has she ever had one of these before?"

"Never. Never."

Sirens could be heard in the distance and approaching. One sounded outside the bungalow. Nathan opened the door and admitted a police officer. "What do we have here?" the cop asked.

Nathan gestured. "Little girl -- had some sort of a seizure. She's better, now."

Iris was sitting on the floor, stroking Katie's light brown hair. The cop walked to her. "She's pretty groggy," Iris remarked.

"Probably a grand mal seizure," the policeman replied. "The EMTs will be here shortly. They'll take her to the E.R." He took out a notepad and began jotting. "Are you the mother?"

"Yes -- Iris Longfield."

"I'm a friend," Nathan said. "Nathan North."

An ambulance pulled up and paramedics wheeled a stretcher into the bungalow. One of them examined Katie. "She looks stable enough," he said.

"She's so sleepy," Iris replied.

"That's normal after a seizure. We'll take her to the E.R. You can ride along."

Iris picked up her purse. She took out her car keys and handed them to Nathan. "Follow along in the minivan," she said.

"Of course."

Nathan walked into the Emergency Room reception area. "I'm looking for Iris and Katie Longfield," he said.

"Nathan!" he heard Iris call. "Back here."

Nathan stepped into an examination room. Katie lay on a cot and Iris sat beside her, stroking her hair. "She's not quite so groggy, now. What took you so long?"

"I don't know how many times I repeated my story to the cops," he replied.

"Did they give you any trouble?"

"Not really. It just seemed everyone needed to hear it first-hand. Then, I had trouble finding the hospital. I'm not familiar with this part of town, especially after dark."

"The E.R. physician looked at her and he doesn't think there's anything seriously wrong -- nothing to keep her here overnight. There's a neurologist on call and he'll be here in fifteen or twenty minutes."

Nathan looked at Katie. "Hi -- how are you doing?"

"Okay..."

"She perked up when she saw you," Iris said.

A slim, middle-aged man entered the room. "I'm Doctor Hamm," he said, "neurologist. If you'll excuse me, I'll examine the patient."

Nathan and Iris headed for the waiting room. "I'm a wreck," she said. "I can't deal with doctors and hospitals. I simply can't do it. I'm so glad you were there. How did you know to do what you did?"

"When I was a Boy Scout I had to learn mouth-to-mouth for my First Aid merit badge. It stuck with me."

"You were a Boy Scout?"

"Yeah -- go figure."

An Emergency Department nurse called them back to the examination room. "Preliminary screen is normal," he said. "She can go home."

"What caused it?" Iris asked.

"Hard to tell at this point." He handed her a card. "Come by my clinic Monday at nine. One of my technicians will perform an EEG on her. We're located in the professional building adjacent to the hospital. I've also made arrangements for a CT scan. That can be done at the hospital here. They'll need to sedate her..."

"Sedate her? Why?" Iris asked.

"So she won't be squirmy for the scan. It's standard procedure for pediatric patients. Because of that, don't let her have anything to eat Monday morning. I've set that up for one P.M."

"Come on," Nathan said to Katie. "Let's go home. A hospital is a crummy place to be. It's full of sick people."

"Do you mind driving?" Iris asked. "I'm still a wreck."