Precipice: V Plague Book 9 Read Online Free Page B

nothing
vital.  He got IV and some antibiotics so infection shouldn’t be a
problem.  All I’m worried about is rabies.”
    This got my
attention and I turned my head to look at her. 
    “It’s remote,
since I’m pretty sure the wolf wasn’t rabid, but still possible,” Rachel said
when I just lay there staring at her.
    “He’s going
to be fine,” Katie interjected with a stern tone.  She knew that the one
thing in the world that could make me blubber like a baby was losing a dog.
    “What
happened after I passed out?  The last thing I remember is starting the
climb up the ridge from the lake.”
    Rachel
gently lowered me back onto the pillows and returned to the chair she’d been
sleeping in.  Katie squeezed onto the edge of the bed, bumping me over
with her hip.  Normal for her.  Despite the fact that I’m more than
100 pounds heavier and at least twice as broad as her, she’s always pushing me
over to make room for herself.  I’d never admit it to her, but I’d gotten
used to it and kind of liked it.
    She told me
about the two of them dragging me and Dog the rest of the way to the Jeep followed
by the drive out of the mountains.  Then she relayed the events at the
hospital and the drive around Ketchum until they located the house we were in.
    “You have to
be more careful than you were in the hospital,” I said when she finished with
her story.
    “Seen you do
worse,” Rachel chimed in from the darkness before Katie could respond.
    Katie looked
at me, grinned and leaned over to kiss me on the forehead.
    “You’re
still hot,” she said after her lips touched my skin.
    “So are you,
sweetie,” I grinned, but she was no longer in the mood for banter.
    “Rachel?”
    “His fever
should break in the next few hours with the fluids and aspirin.  He needs
rest.”
    Katie
brushed the back of her hand across my cheek, kissed my forehead again and
moved back to the chair closest to the bed.  Once she was settled she
picked up her rifle and rested it across her legs before tilting her head back
to get some more sleep.
    I lay there
in the darkness, hand on Dog’s back and tried to fall asleep.  At first it
didn’t seem like that was going to be possible, but before I knew it I woke up
to bright sunshine at the windows.  Dog wasn’t on the bed any longer and
when I looked, both Katie and Rachel were gone.
    The bedroom
was large with dark, heavy furniture.  I was still propped up on pillows
in the king sized bed and felt about a hundred percent better than when I’d
woken up during the night.  The sheets were clammy, drenched and cold
underneath my body.  Apparently my fever had broken.
    Throwing the
pile of blankets to the side, I peeled the sheet off that was covering
me.  An IV needle was in my right arm, securely taped in place and I
glanced over my head to verify there was still fluid flowing.  A half full
bag of saline was connected to me.  Sitting up I paused on the edge of the
bed, evaluating my condition.
    All things
considered I felt decent.  Weak as hell, needing to pee again, but better
than I expected.  Across the room I could see the bathroom through a wide
door and after removing the O2 mask and standing, I grabbed the IV bag off the
nail and toddled across the thick carpeting.  Walking showed me just how
weak I really was and half way across the room I had to stop and cough.
    Reaching the
bath, I stepped onto the ice-cold tile, noting a bucket of water sitting on the
floor next to the toilet that hadn’t been there the night before.  I
relieved myself into the bowl, then poured some of the water in to flush the
waste into the sewer.  I was mildly surprised, and proud, that one of them
had thought of how to use the plumbing.
    I was
wearing nothing but a pair of briefs that were sweat soaked, cold and sticking
to me.  Returning to the room, I looked around for the rest of my clothes
but didn’t see them.  I checked the large dresser, hoping the homeowner
had something