Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series Read Online Free PDF Page B

doctor.
    “ Do you know if Emily has
been bitten by any mosquitoes recently?” Dr. Cook asked.
    “ She didn’t say,
why?”
    “ That’s how the disease is
transmitted from horse to human, by mosquito,” the doctor
explained.
    Chevalier went back into the room and sat
down on the bed, “Em?”
    Emily rolled over and looked at him.
    “ Have you had any mosquito
bites recently?” Chevalier asked her softly.
    She rolled back over onto her side.
    “ Emily, I really need to
know.”
    Emily nodded slightly, never opening her
eyes.
    Chevalier walked back out, “She said
yes.”
    Dr. Cook sighed, “We’re going to need
cerebral spinal fluid to test for it.”
    “ What’s that?” Quinn asked,
concerned.
    “ It’s the fluid around the
spinal cord. We’ll need to put a needle into the space between the
spinal cord and vertebrae, and withdraw some fluid.” Dr. Cook
frowned when the three Elders glanced at one another
nervously.
    “ She’s never going to go
for that,” Chevalier said.
    “ We can always hold her
down,” Dr. Cook suggested.
    Quinn sighed, “Is there anything else?
Something not involving needles?”
    “ I don’t think you
understand… 90% of those infected die within just a few days of the
first symptoms. Those that do recover, usually have neurological
problems for the rest of their lives.”
    “ How long do we have before
she starts to get sick?” Quinn asked.
    “ About 4 weeks. By the time
she gets sick, it will be too late.”
    Chevalier glanced at the door, “If she does
have it, can it be fixed?”
    “ There are antibiotics and
anti-seizure medications, but those won’t cure it, they will just
stop some of the symptoms,” Dr. Cook explained.
    “ So that’s it then? If she
has it, she’s going to die?” Chevalier asked angrily.
    Dr. Cook nodded, “Pretty much. The lumbar
puncture would let us know before she got sick though.”
    “ And we could turn her,”
Chevalier whispered, mainly to himself.
    “ Maybe we all need to go
and talk to her,” Quinn suggested.
    “ If you’re going to turn
her, do it soon,” the doctor said.
    “ She just lost her horse.
We can’t drop this on her now,” Chevalier said, and turned to them.
“Can’t this wait a few days?”
    “ Why don’t we control her
long enough to get the lumbar puncture, then we’ll know for sure,”
Zohn suggested. “If she has it, then we bring up the turn to
immortality to save her life.”
    “ I don’t know if I can lock
her long enough for it though, can’t we sedate her?” Chevalier
asked.
    “ We could try,” the doctor
said, but seemed unsure.
    Chevalier smiled slightly, “Again, I don’t
know. I still wonder about the control.”
    “ How long can you normally
control her?” Dr. Cook asked.
    “ It depends. When she’s
very ill it can be indefinitely... but when she’s not, no one can
get a lock on her,” Chevalier explained.
    “ What about now? She’s
tired and depressed,” Zohn said.
    “ We’d have to try it, I
don’t know,” Chevalier said.
    Zohn sighed, “Let me do it. She already
hates me.”
    Chevalier nodded, and Zohn disappeared into
the bedroom. He came out a short time later, rubbing his jaw as it
healed.
    “ I couldn’t even get
control,” Zohn said, frustrated.
    “ Damnit,” Chevalier
growled, and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door. Emily was
sitting up in bed, watching the fire.
    “ Care to explain?” she
asked angrily.
    “ Em, the doctor wants to
get a lumbar puncture to test you for the disease that killed the
horses,” Chevalier said. He decided to be honest with
her.
    “ No,” Emily told him, and
laid back down.
    “ The disease will kill you.
If we find out you have it before you get sick, we can turn
you.”
    Emily frowned, “You want to turn me?”
    “ That’s not what I said. If
you have the disease, you are going to die. I’d rather turn you
than lose you.”
    “ No”
    “ Emily, do it, please… for
me,” Chevalier said softly.
    Emily