“Fine, I’ll put you on video call,” Ed muttered into the phone.
“Hello, sweetheart, how are you?” Xavier asked.
She gave the phone a disgruntled look. Xavier smiled through the screen at her. “Ed won’t let me walk anywhere. I have a sore tummy because I ate too much and I just need some antacids. But Ed insisted on calling you and now I’m sweating under a pile of blankets. And embarrassed.”
“All right, you do look a bit flushed and sweaty. Ed, I think you can remove the blankets.”
“What if it’s her appendix? What if it’s about to rupture? Should I bring her into the hospital?” Ed asked as he drew the blankets off.
She gave a sigh of relief. Then she grabbed her handbag and pulled out some antacids. “It’s just indigestion.”
“Should she take those?” Ed snatched up the antacids.
“Hey!” she protested, trying to snatch them back.
“I think I should bring her in. Or you should come here to check on her.”
“A storm is about to hit. And Xavier has actual sick people to take care of,” she griped at Ed.
“How about we talk about what hurts, sweetheart,” Xavier soothed.
“Fine,” she muttered.
Ed gave her a firm look.
“I didn’t say I was fine!” No way did she want to be writing lines right now. She grimaced at the burning in her stomach. Then she answered Xavier’s questions. Finally, he sent Ed off to get a thermometer.
“I really am fine, Xavier,” she told him. “It’s just indigestion.”
“Sounds like it. I sent him for the thermometer to give him something to do. Help calm him down. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” She winced as Ed walked back in and heard those words. Uh-oh. “I’m good. I’ve been resting, eating, everything I’m supposed to be doing.”
“I’ve only got the kind of thermometer that goes in the ear,” Ed grumbled. “Will that work okay? I need to get a rectal one.”
“Ed!” she protested.
“What?” He stared down at her. “Is something wrong? Xavier?”
“You are not ever using a rectal thermometer on me,” she hissed at Ed.
“We’ll see,” Ed replied. He brushed the hair from her ear and placed the thermometer inside.
“Xavier, tell him that he doesn’t need a rectal thermometer.”
“Oh, I think I’ll leave that conversation up to you two.” Xavier sounded amused.
The thermometer beeped and Ed drew it back with a frown. “She’s got a fever. It’s 102.”
“That could be because you were smothering me under a pile of blankets,” Georgina pointed out.
“Wait five minutes,” Xavier told Ed. “Then take it again. Georgie, take your antacids. If they don’t work and you still have a sore tummy or a temperature or the pain gets worse then call me, okay?”
“You sure she doesn’t need to come in?”
“Not yet.”
Ed didn’t look happy but he agreed. “Fine, but Xavier?”