Splendor(192)

Tessa agreed it sounded out of this world and arranged to meet Julia there at one o’clock the next day. They chatted until it was Tessa’s turn in line to pay for her books.

As she walked to the spot where Simon would be waiting to pick her up, she checked her phone yet again and couldn’t help the disappointment she felt when there were no new texts or voice mails from Ian. She’d spoken to him only sparingly since he’d left yesterday morning, the situation in Las Vegas evidently much more complicated than he’d first hoped. They had talked very briefly this morning and as yet he hadn’t replied to the three different texts she’d sent him. Tessa consoled herself with the fact that he was super busy, and wasn’t intentionally neglecting her. And since the very last thing she wanted to do was act like a demanding girlfriend, she put her phone away and resolved to wait patiently for his call.

But the call didn’t come until much later that evening, and Ian sounded so worn out and stressed that she didn’t have the heart to keep him on the line for too long.

“And I’m so sorry, love, but I’m afraid this is going to take a bit longer than I’d hoped,” he told her regretfully. “It’s likely going to be Friday before I can make it home.”

Tessa struggled to hide her disappointment and tried to sound as supportive as possible. “I understand. I just wish I could be there to help.”

“I wish you were here, too, though in all honesty there wouldn’t be much for you to do in this particular case. It’s certainly not a situation I’ve ever had to deal with before. Now, tell me about the orientation today.”

They talked for a bit longer, until he started to yawn and she teasingly told him to get some sleep since she was evidently boring him.

Tessa had a hard time falling asleep that night, tossing and turning, even getting out of bed a little before midnight to brew some chamomile tea. It was the first time in months that she’d been alone in this big house, and she automatically found herself being troubled by her old fears and depression. She drifted into the library with her mug of tea, and reached for one of her mother’s books.

Ever since Ian had surprised her with the books for her birthday, Tessa had read all three volumes at least twice. Ian had just recently heard from one of his rare book dealers that they had a solid lead on the fourth book, and Tessa was eagerly awaiting its acquisition.

The tea and the book seemed to do the trick, and this time when her head hit the pillow she fell asleep within a few minutes.

***

She knew almost immediately upon waking on Wednesday morning that something was very wrong. She was groggy and disoriented, despite the fact that she’d slept like the dead for hours. Groaning, she reached for her phone and saw she had three voice mails and two texts from Ian, each one sounding more anxious than the last. Without lifting her head from the pillow, she sent him a quick text, apologizing for having overslept and promising to call him in a little while.

It was when she tried to sit up that she realized several things at once – she was dizzy, oh, so dizzy, and had to brace her hand on the headboard to stay upright; the awful cramps were back except they were worse than she could ever remember, like a knife blade stabbing her in the gut; and she was burning up, her skin hot to the touch, and she realized she had a fever. Her mouth was so dry she could barely swallow, and her head was pounding unbearably.

In dire need of some Tylenol and a glass of water, she stumbled on shaky legs to the bathroom. It was then she noticed the blood trickling down the inside of her thighs, and she tried valiantly not to panic. There was way too much blood, even for the heavy periods she suffered from, and the way it was seeping out in a steady flow made her realize she needed to get to a doctor right away.

Struggling not to pass out, she managed to clean herself up as best she could, forcing back alarm when she saturated a sanitary pad within minutes. She called Ian first, even though he was in Las Vegas, because she desperately needed to hear his calm, steady voice telling her what to do next. She shouldn’t have been surprised when the call went to voice mail, and chose not to leave a message. Simon had the day off today, though she knew he would have come for her anyway, but in the end she called Julia.

“Hey,” trilled Julia happily. “Working up an appetite for that cheesecake?”

“Julia.” Tessa’s voice was whisper soft. “I – no, I can’t make lunch. I’m – sick, something’s wrong.”

Julia was instantly on alert. “What is it, honey? The flu? God, you sound awful.”

“Not the flu. Thought it was my period but – oh, God, the cramps – so painful. And too much blood.” Tessa was fighting off the urge to retch with every breath she took.