Silent Screams - C. E. Lawrence [123]
“Fine.”
Nelson snorted. “Okay, how do you really feel?”
“Not bad,” Lee lied. The truth was that no matter how much his head throbbed, no matter how weak and confused he felt, it was better than those endless, mind-numbing days of depression, when his soul felt as if it were on fire, and consciousness itself was an unbearable burden.
“How’s the investigation going? What have I missed?”
“Very well, that’s enough for now,” Dr. Patel intervened. “You mustn’t wear yourself out.”
“How long have I been here?” said Lee.
Nelson and Patel exchanged a glance.
“How long?” Lee demanded.
Finally Nelson spoke.
“Three days.”
“Three days? What the hell was going on for three days?”
“You collapsed in your apartment three days ago with a cero-spinal meningitis,” Patel said, his voice very clipped and brisk.
“Cero—what?”
“It is a brain fever, usually bacterial. You remained in a coma for three days, from which you have now awakened.”
Lee looked at Nelson.
“It’s true, lad,” Nelson said softly.
Lee shifted his gaze to Patel. “Bacterial…so it’s not contagious?”
“No.”
“When can I get out of here?”
“Let us not be in too much of a hurry, now,” Patel cautioned. “You have been very ill, you know. You are responding well to the antibiotics, but—”
“But I’m working on an important case—”
“Lee,” Nelson interrupted, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Chuck is concerned about you. We all are.”
That sounded like a prelude to bad news.
“What? What is it?” Lee demanded, feeling panic rising in his throat. “What’s happened? Was there another victim?”
“No, no, nothing’s happened,” Nelson reassured him. “It’s just that—” He paused and looked away.
“He’s not taking me off the case?” Lee could hear his voice tightening, becoming shrill.
“Please,” said Dr. Patel. “Please do not become agitated—”
Nelson rubbed his left eyebrow and looked away from Lee. “Chuck thought you could use some rest.”
“I just had three days of rest, for Christ’s sake!”
“I know, I know,” Nelson replied.
Dr. Patel attempted once again to intervene. “Now, I really must insist—”
“But Lee, you almost died! Did you know that?”
“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”
“Gentlemen, please!” Dr. Patel’s voice now held an edge of panic.
“Let me talk to Chuck,” Lee pleaded.
“You can try,” Nelson said, “but I don’t know—”
“Now you really must be leaving!” Dr. Patel practically shouted, taking Nelson by the shoulders. “If you are not leaving I will be calling security to have you removed!”
“All right, I’m going,” Nelson growled. “Chuck will be by when his shift is over. You can talk to him then,” he called over his shoulder as the doctor pushed him out of the room.
Patel returned to Lee’s bedside after Nelson was in the hall. “You must not be getting so upset,” he said, checking Lee’s pulse. “It really is not advisable.”
“Sorry.” Lee’s temples were pulsing with pain, and his body ached with exhaustion.
Dr. Patel frowned. “I am going to be blunt with you, Mr. Campbell. If you do not allow your body time to heal, you cannot hope to recover. If you attempt to hurry the process, you could very well end up in hospital again—or worse. Do you understand what I am saying to you?”
Lee looked away. “Yes,” he said, trying to stifle a yawn. “I understand.” But what he was thinking was how quickly he could talk them into letting him out of this place.
Chapter Fifty-six
By that evening Lee’s head had stopped pounding. He awoke as the sun was setting, feeling ravenous. He turned his head to see Chuck sitting next to his bed, flipping through a magazine. Dr. Patel stood at the foot of the bed, studying his chart.
“I’m starving,” Lee said.
“Okay.” Chuck replied. “What do you want?”
“A cheeseburger.”
Morton smiled. “That’s got to be a good sign.”
“You’re not out of the woods yet,” Dr. Patel said glumly. He seemed to think that throwing cold water on their hopeful mood was his unpleasant but necessary duty.
“Is he allowed to eat?” Chuck asked.
“If he feels hungry,” the doctor replied gloomily, as if Lee’s appetite