Precipice: V Plague Book 9 Read Online Free Page A

her head.
    “Hi,” Katie
said, smiling.  “How are you feeling?”
    She stood up
and quickly moved to my side.  There was more movement from farther away,
in the darkest part of the room, and a moment later Rachel stepped up next to
Katie and reached for my arm.
    “What
happened?”  I managed to whisper.
    “You’ve got altitude
sickness,” Rachel said, her long fingers pressing against first my wrist then
my neck.  “Your lungs started filling up with fluid and your body couldn’t
get any oxygen.”
    Apparently
satisfied with my pulse, she placed one hand on my forehead and slipped the
other under the covers and onto my chest.  For the first time I noticed
that there were several pillows beneath me, keeping my upper body elevated.
    “You’re
better,” she said with a smile.  “Fever is coming down and your lungs
aren’t nearly as bad, but you’ve still got a little fluid in them.”
    She reached
over my head and I looked up to see a partially empty IV bag hanging from a nail
that had been pounded into the wall.  Following the tubing with my eyes I
could see it disappear beneath the covers and assumed it terminated in my arm. 
An unfamiliar machine rested on the nightstand, quietly forcing oxygen from a
large tank into my mask.  The mask covered most of my face, held in place
with two thick straps that wrapped around the back of my head.
    “Where are
we?”  I asked, a cough racking my chest as I spoke.
    “Ketchum,”
Katie said.  “We’re squatting in a big, empty ski chalet.”
    I took
several breaths, trying to inhale deeply as I fought the urge to cough, but I
wound up hacking even harder.  Rachel slid her arm under my back and
raised me slightly, holding me there until the spasms passed.  Once I
could breathe again Katie released one of the straps and raised the mask, handing
me a glass of water.  Gulping it down I glanced at Dog on the far side of
the bed.
    He was still
lying down, but had lifted his head to look at me.  I reached out and
placed my hand on his back, gently rubbing.  After a moment he put his
head back on the pillow and let out a deep sigh.  Katie took the empty
glass and put the mask back in place.
    “Is there a
bathroom in this place?”  I asked when the urge to pee suddenly hit
me.  I didn’t know how much fluid they’d pumped in from the IV, but I
needed to get rid of some of it.  Fast.
    They both
helped me up, Katie carrying the IV bag and supporting me as Rachel brought the
oxygen tank and whatever the machine was.  I was weak as hell and felt
like I’d been worked over by Mike Tyson, but at least I was steady enough on my
feet to go into the bathroom, close the door and relieve myself without an
audience.
    “This may
sound like a joke,” I said when I came back into the bedroom.  “But why
does my ass hurt?”
    Katie and
Rachel looked at each other, both of them trying to suppress a giggle and a
smile.
    “What?” 
I asked, lowering myself onto the edge of the bed.
    “You needed
aspirin,” Rachel finally said.  “You had a high fever and we needed to
bring it down.”
    “What’s that
got to do with my ass?”  I asked as I swung my feet off the floor and
settled back onto the pillows.
    “Um, well…
you were unconscious and couldn’t exactly swallow them,” Rachel said.
    “You shoved
aspirin up my ass?”  I said too loudly and started coughing.
    When I could
look up, Katie was grinning at me and holding her hand up in the air, just like
a school kid admitting to something.
    “I did,” she
said.  “We flipped a quarter and I lost.”
    Both of them
burst out laughing.  I knew I was going to be OK if they were laughing at
me.  Several things ran through my mind, but I kept my mouth shut. 
What do you say to a woman that loves you enough to stick her finger up your
ass to give you medicine?
    “How is
he?”  I nodded at Dog when they stopped giggling.
    “He’ll
heal,” Rachel answered.  “Chewed up pretty bad, but fortunately