Exton

Rowan had awakened immediately at the sound of frantic knocking on the door. She was already getting dressed when Traeger came back to the bedroom. He was explaining what Monty had told him as she quickly braided her hair, then splashed water on her face.

Rowan nods as he talks, her mind automatically sorting through possibilities. She turns to Traeger, “I am sorry. We always seem to be interrupted... Can you come over to the tavern? I may need some help with this and if I know Raina, she is falling apart about now. Nick seems to be her weak spot.”

Traeger nods as she grabs her bag and heads down the stairs.


When Rowan enters the room she nods to Raina. Then her attention turns to her patient and she starts taking mental notes. “Can the lights be a bit brighter? I know we cant open the curtains...”

Raina goes to the dimmer switch on the wall, “They just cant be at their full strength and we should dim them again when you are finished.”

Rowan steps closer to the bed and hears a low growl from Nick.

Raina steps forward, “Be careful. If he doesnt recognize you, he might bite. I dont know if I can hold him down, even when he is like this...” and she starts to cry again.

Pulling one the chairs from the table, Rowan sets it near the bed and starts to talk to Nick. She hopes the sound of her voice will help him realize who she is. She starts to ask Raina several questions, trying to determine what may have caused this situation.

“Okay, so he was fine last night. Didnt complain of anything. He ate. Looks like he had some blood to drink.” Rowan notices the bottle setting near him on the nightstand. 'He hasnt seemed tired. He looked like he was fine and having a good time at the reception... hmmm... what else did you guys do last night?”

“We sat in the hot tub for awhile. Had sex, all three of us... He didnt seem any different than usual...”

Raina shakes her head at all the other questions Rowan asks. “Everything has been fine, we are looking at houses, but he hasnt seemed stressed about it, more excited I think...”

Rowan reaches over to the bed and takes Nicks hand. The heat surprises her and she looks at Raina who nods, “Its weird, his skin is usually very cool, not ice cold, but definitely not as warm as you or me.”

“Nick, its Rowan. Can you see me? Can you talk to me at all?”

That flash of recognition, a small shake of the head and he is thrashing on the bed again.

Rowan stands and takes Raina by the shoulders, “I need you to step outside for a few minutes..” Raina starts to protest and Rowan shakes her head. “I'll be fine. Send Monty in, he is outside talking to Gareth.” Rowan has to almost drag Raina from the room but can tell she is close to falling apart and her attention needs to be on the patient for the moment.


After her exam Rowan is still puzzled. None of his symptoms makes any sense. Plus she didnt know for sure if vampires could get sick with a disease. He had a fever of some kind though. No one else had gotten sick after the reception, at least not that she had heard of. She had started Nick on oxygen so at least his breathing was better but that was all she could do at the moment. She needed to run some tests and talk to someone with more knowledge of vampires or someone with access to that information. She slowly goes out to the hall to speak with Raina.

Rowan looks at the worried faces, Raina is pale and almost ill looking, Gareth looks almost as bad and Monty looks as puzzled as Rowan is. “Okay, I dont have a lot to tell you yet, but there are some things we need to do here, just as a precaution. As soon as I am done talking to you, I am calling Mortuis. He may have some knowledge I dont of vampires. He also has a lab and can help me get some samples that I need to test. I dont know whats causing the fever, I dont know if vampires can catch a disease or not.” She digs through her bag and pulls out a small sterile cup in a wrapper. “Monty, when we are done here, can you get me a sample of the water from the hot tub? I doubt if thats the problem, but we need to make sure. Then lock the door and dont let anyone in until we get the results back.”

Rowan continues, “Monty, can you communicate with Ike when she is stone? I want the babies to stay where they are. Chloe needs to stay in Pans rooms and Alise needs to keep her babies and herself at the cottage. And tell her to make sure Ob and Stoney are in charge of this. If I see a baby or a mom near this room heads are going to roll. They cannot come close until I know what it is we are dealing with. The same with Tori. She has been spending a lot of time with Grace. Grace has a weak immune system as it is, she wouldnt be able to fight off a serious infection. I dont want Tori unknowingly carrying some bug to her...”

Monty nods and heads to the hot tub room.

When she opens the door to Nicks room Raina rushes in. Rowan stops Gareth, “Your job is to take care of her. She already looks like she could drop and this may get a lot worse.”

Gareth nods solemnly and follows Raina.

Sighing heavily Rowan heads downstairs to make her calls. Traeger comes in through the back and asks if there is anything he can do.

Shaking her head Rowan says, “I am not sure yet. None of this makes any sense. I feel like I am missing something, some part of the puzzle....”

She sighs, “Let me give Mortuis a call. Maybe he can help with this...”