Their issues faded into the background as they began preparing the house for the new babies. Alex decided to build a room upstairs for his office, out of the reach of Destiny’s exploring hands. Since his current office was directly across from their bedroom, it seemed a better place for babies that Alex said could be born early. The work on the nursery became work on Destiny’s new room.
Carmen had always looked forward to evening when Alex returned from work, but she was doubly relieved for the evening hours now. It was a pleasant escape from the dust and noise of the building going on above them. The carpenters tried to keep the dust level down, but it was impossible to avoid all of it.
They had nearly completed the room when Destiny got sick. In the beginning, she was simply sleeping a lot. Then she developed a cold. Carmen took her to the doctor, but he said there was no cure for the common cold and not to worry about it. He had a few basic instructions, but said it would last seven to ten days with or without antibiotics. Alex agreed, but he kept an eye on her. Maybe that was why he was the first to notice when she developed a fever.
Carmen thought Destiny was getting better because she was no longer coughing. She had been lying around all day catching up on her sleep while Carmen worked on her bedroom. Carmen fed her a light lunch and she lay down to sleep for a while. When she woke, shortly before Alex arrived, she played quietly with a doll while Carmen prepared supper.
When Alex came home Destiny crawled into his lap. Alex stroked her head and then leaned forward to look down at her.
“Carmen, how long has she had this fever?”
Carmen frowned. “I don’t know. I thought she was getting better. I haven’t checked it today. It’s been almost a week and she hasn’t been coughing today.”
He stood and lifted Destiny, putting an ear to her chest. Finally he lowered her.
“Jonathan.” He called. “Get your coat on. We’re going to take Destiny to the hospital.”
Carmen gasped, her heart jumping into high gear. “Hospital? Is it that bad? What’s wrong?”
“Where’s the thermometer?” he asked, his focus still on Destiny.
Carmen grabbed the thermometer from the counter and gave it to him. She watched anxiously as he read her temperature. Jonathan came into the room and watched until he finished.
“How much is it, Dad?”
Alex made a face. “103 degrees,” he announced.
Carmen covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh my gosh! I should have been checking it. I should have . . .”
Alex put a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down. She’ll be alright.” He lifted Destiny so her head lay on his shoulder. “Jonathan, help your mother put the food up and I’ll get Destiny into her coat.”
It seemed like hours in the emergency room before the diagnosis. Pneumonia, the doctor said, confirming Alex’s fears. The x-rays were conclusive and indicated a bad infection in the lower lobe of one lung. Destiny sat on Carmen’s lap and Alex held her arm while the pediatric nurse inserted an IV. Destiny looked surprised for a fraction of a second before she started to scream. She looked at them as though they had betrayed her. Maybe they had, but what choice did they have? Carmen’s throat constricted and unshed tears stung her eyes. If only she could take Destiny’s pain and fear. Alex patiently consoled and distracted her while the nurse taped a padded board to her hand and wrist so she couldn’t move it. There was little either of them could do to calm her down. Her eyes were large and imploring as she was wheeled down the hall to a room in the pediatric ward. By the time they finished erecting the oxygen tent over her bed, she had finally settled down. Her eyes were bloodshot but otherwise she looked pale lying on the sheets like a limp doll.
As if Destiny had not been through enough already, she was forced to stay inside the tent. The noise from the machine that circulated the oxygen frightened her. She sobbed and begged them to let her out until Carmen felt like her heart was being brutally wrenched from her body. Preventing Destiny from crawling out of the bed wasn’t easy. Carmen sat one side of the bed and Alex on the other, each holding a tiny hand. The only alternatives were sedation or strapping her down. Finally, exhausted by tears, Destiny fell asleep.
After considerable discussion, it was decided that Carmen would spend the night in the room with Destiny and Alex would take Jonathan home to get some sleep. It was nearly midnight by the time they left. Carmen sat in a chair next to the bed and prepared for a long night.
Nurses came into the room off and on all night to check on Destiny, but she continued to sleep. Exhaustion from the ordeal was taking its toll on Carmen as well, but she tried to stay awake. A few times she nodded off, but for the most part she was able to stay awake until Alex arrived the next morning with Katie.
“Katie is going to take you home,” Alex said. “I don’t want you to drive while you’re so tired.”
“I want to stay here,” Carmen said.
“I know,” Alex said, “but you need to go home and get some rest.”
Carmen stood. “Well, I do need to freshen up, but I’ll be back.”
His smile was tolerant. “If you don’t get some sleep when you go home, you won’t be able to relieve me tonight.”
Of course – and he wanted to be there as much as she did. They both couldn’t be there all the time.
“Felipa called this morning,” Alex said as he sat down in the chair she vacated. “She wanted to talk to you about something. When I told her about Destiny, she asked if she could come up and help. I said yes. She has to talk to father about it and she will call back later this morning to let me know when she will be here. Someone will have to pick her up at the airport, but she can stay with Jonathan at the house.”
“She could stay with us,” Katie interjected.
Alex nodded. “Thanks, I know we can count on you, Katie, but I think she’ll be more comfortable staying at our house.” His attention shifted to Destiny, who was still sleeping. “How is she this morning?”
Carmen followed his gaze. “Her fever goes down, but then comes back up again. Is that because of the infection?”
He nodded. “It might take a few days to notice any improvement from the antibiotics.”
Destiny was still asleep when Carmen and Katie left the hospital. Carmen was so exhausted that after Bill picked up Katie, she went to bed. Sleep seemed unlikely, but it must have happened shortly after her head hit the pillow.
She woke later and looked at the clock. It was almost three O’clock in the afternoon and her stomach was screaming for something to eat. Jonathan would be home soon so she started supper.