Roses Are Red

Chapter Nineteen

At the hospital, Jannie had an EEC, then she underwent as thorough a neurological exam as they could give her at that time of the day. Her cranial nerves were tested. She was asked to walk a straight line; then to hop on one foot, to determine the presence of any ataxia. She did as she was told, and seemed better now. Still, I watched her as if she might suddenly shatter.

Just as she was finishing the exam, Jannie had a second seizure. It lasted longer and was more violent than the first one. It couldn't have been any worse if it had happened to me. When the attack finally stopped, Jannie was given Valium IV. The hospital staff was right there for her, but their concern was also frightening. A nurse asked me if there had been any symptoms before the seizure, such as blurred vision, headaches, nausea, loss of coordination. I hadn't noticed anything unusual. Neither had Nana.

When she had finished her examination of Jannie, Dr. Bone from the emergency room took me aside. "We'll keep her here overnight for observation, Detective Cross. We'd like to be extra careful."

"Extra careful is good,” I said. I was still shaking a little. I could see it in my hands.

"She might be here longer than that," Dr. Bone then added," We need to do more tests on Jannie. I don't like the fact that there was a second seizure."

"All right. Of course, Doctor. I don't like that there was a second seizure either."

There was a bed available on the fourth floor and Nana and I went up there with Jannie. Hospital policy required that she be taken on a gurney, but I got to push it. She was groggy and unusually quiet in the elevator going up; she didn't ask me any questions until we were alone behind a curtain in the hospital room.

"Okay," she said, then," Tell me the truth, Daddy. You have to tell me everything. The truth."

I took a deep breath. "Well, you probably had what's called a grand mal seizure. Two of them. Sometimes they just happen, sweetheart. Out of the blue, like tonight. Damon's punch might have had something to do with it."

She frowned. "He barely touched me." Jannie stared into my eyes, trying to read me. "Okay,” she said. "That's not so bad, is it? At least I'm still here on planet Earth for now."

"Don't talk like that," I told her. "It isn't funny."

"Okay. I won't scare you," she whispered.

Jannie reached out and took my hand and we held on tight. In a few minutes, she was fast asleep, still holding on to my hand.