Page 65 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

The nurse pulled out an old-fashioned blood pressure cuff from her coat pocket and wrapped it around Frankie's other arm.

Thankfully, she was much gentler with it than the automatic cuff had been, and after measuring Frankie's blood pressure twice, she shook her head. "It must be your youth." She put the cuff away. "I'm going to replace the blood transfusion with just liquids."

"Can you take everything out?" Frankie asked. "I can drink now on my own, so I don't need an infusion of liquids, and if you take out the thing down below, I can probably get to the bathroom with Dagor's help."

Hildegard looked conflicted. "That's something for the doctor to decide."

"I know. But she's busy, right?" Frankie cast the nurse her most charming smile. "The sooner I can get out of here, the sooner she can treat other patients that might need this bed."

"True. I'll stop the transfusion and call her." As the nurse went about removing the needle from Frankie's hand, she cast a glance at Dagor. "Can you give us a few moments, please? You can wait in the front room until I call you."

He didn't look happy about it, but Hildegard's tone didn't leave room for argument.

Nodding, he pushed to his feet and walked to the door. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Frankie smiled at him. "While you are there, can you get me more of that wonderful elixir?"

"I'll see what I can do about a cup of water for you."

When the door closed behind him, Hildegard chuckled. "Don't think that I don't know about the coffee."

Frankie feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right." The nurse put away her equipment. "The most common reaction to transfusion is mild itching or hives. That's an allergic reaction and can be treated with antihistamine." She folded the sheet up to expose Frankie's lower half and gently removed the catheter. "The other potential side effects might be a fever in the first twenty-four hours following the transfusion. You might also experience some dizziness, a bit of nausea, headache, chills, or a general feeling of discomfort. These are normal reactions, and you can take Tylenol to ease the symptoms. But if you are experiencing anything more serious than that, you need to let us know."

"Got it." Frankie let out a breath when Hildegard covered her with the sheet.

The nurse put the blanket over the sheet. "Are you warm enough? Do you want me to get you another blanket?"

"That would be nice, thank you."

When the door opened, Frankie expected it to be Dagor and wondered why he hadn't waited for the nurse to tell him that it was okay. It wasn't like he hadn't seen everything Frankie had to offer up close and personal, but that wasn't the point.

Except, instead of Dagor, a woman entered. "Hi, Frankie. Sorry to interrupt, but I'm here to replace Hildegard. I'm your new nurse, Gertrude."

"Hi." Frankie forced a smile.

She liked Hildegard, and she wasn't happy about having a new nurse.

"What's going on?" Hildegard asked. "No one told me anything."

Gertrude winced. "The women are here, and Bridget needs your help with them."

"I see."

"I've already packed the supplies she requested. They are on the desk in the reception area."

"Thanks." Hildegard cast a smile at Frankie. "I'll ask Bridget if it's okay to release you when I see her."

Frankie nodded. "Thank you. You were very kind to me."

"It was my pleasure. Gertrude will take care of you now. You're in good hands."

"I have no doubt. Can Dagor come back in now?"

Hildegard nodded. "If he's done hunting for the elixir." She winked before going out the door.

Gertrude arched a brow. "What elixir is she talking about?"