Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 42

Words of comfort?

What a terrible way to put it.

Nathan frowned. “When you go home, avoid spicy foods. Stick to a bland diet. Also…”

He looked up at her. “Did you stay up late last night?”

“Huh?”

Emma’s mouth fell open in surprise. She cupped her face. “You can tell just by looking at me?!”

Nathan continued, “Try not to stay up late at night. Going to bed by eleven is best. Your body isn’t as healthy as it used to be, so aside from your chemo sessions, you need to make sure you get plenty of rest.”

“Okay!”

Emma adjusted the glasses that were sliding down her nose and answered obediently.

Nathan gave her another look. “Go wait in the next room. Sandra will be over to give you an antibiotic infusion. You can go home after it’s done.”

“Okay. Who’s Sandra?”

“The trainee nurse who just drew your blood.”

“Oh.”

Emma took her chart and went to the room next door. A few moments later, Sandra arrived, pushing a small cart full of medical supplies.

“Hello, ma’am, it’s me again!”

Sandra cheerfully took an IV bag from the cart and hung it on the stand above Emma’s head. “Are you afraid of needles, ma’am?”

Emma replied, “I’m not afraid of pain. I’m afraid of dying.”

“Oh, well that’s good then, because I definitely won’t kill you! I’m just… not that experienced yet. Are you okay with that, ma’am?”

Sandra stumbled out of the room incoherently and rushed to the nurses’ station to find the head nurse.

Nathan stepped forward, took Emma’s hand, and examined the puncture wounds, where little beads of blood were forming.

Leukemia patients have low platelet counts and abnormal clotting factors, which impairs their blood’s ability to clot. Although the needle pricks were small, they still caused real damage to her body.

Nathan looked up, his expression one of clear disapproval. “Don’t you have a voice? Why didn’t you say something? You just let her keep jabbing you like that?”

Emma forced a smile. “It’s fine, it didn’t hurt that much…”

Didn’t hurt that much?

If it didn’t hurt that much, would she look like she was about to pass out?

The head nurse arrived quickly, horrified by the sight. She immediately began to apologize to Nathan, but he cut her off without mercy. “This isn’t the time for apologies. Stop the bleeding, and get her a platelet and clotting factor infusion.”