Chapter 10
Get Out of My Way
Panic filled the air. Every second was a thread slipping away.
"Monica! Why are you just standing there? You're a nurse, for God's sake, help her!" Mrs. Halton snapped at her daughter. Her voice cracking with fear.
Monica flinched, her face reddening with frustation. "Mom! I'm a nurse, not a doctor. I can't just pull a cure from thin air—"
"It's your fault you didn't pass the doctor's exam and became a nurse instead!"
"Is it really necessary to bring that up now?" Monica said through clenched teeth.
While they sparred, Grandmother Halton's breathing grew shallower. Her pale skin glistened with sweat. I reached into my bag, fingers finding the small sealed pouch. My grandmother's herbal mixture always with me.
"Please," I said, as I stepped forward. "I know what I'm doing. Let me check her."
I knelt beside Grandmother Halton, ignoring the stares. "I need space. Warm water, salt, and a clean cloth."
My voice was steady, though my heart raced. I rested my fingers on her wrist—her pulse was weak, thready.
"Who do you think you are?" Monica hissed, towering over me. "A scene like this is not some games. This is my grandmother's life you're tampering with!"
I didn't look at her. My focus entirely on the woman before me. "And as her granddaughter and a medical professional, you're just going to watch her suffer? If you have something better, do it. If not, get out of my way and let me try to save her."
The room was silent, all eyes on Monica. She hesitated, her face a mask of conflicting emotions. I could see the doubt and fear in her eyes.
Then I looked up at Mrs. Halton, who appeared torn between suspicion and desperation.
Grandmother Halton's face was even more pale, her clothes soaked with sweat. Her breathing was becoming more labored.
"She's dying," I said quietly. "We don't have time."
Dafa stepped forward, his voice filled with urgency. "Let me just take her to the hospital! We can't waste any more time."
"The hospital is twenty minutes away in traffic, she might not make it there alive," I replied, eyes locked on his. "She needs stabilization first."
Dafa's jaw tightened, his eyes searching mine. He saw the certainty there and gave a sharp, reluctant nod. "Do it. If something happens, I'm holding responsible."
"Oh really, okay carry on. If something happens to my Mother In law, I will sue you both," Mrs. Halton said, her voice sharp and cold.
Her words hung in the air, heavy with threat. It was clear that she saw me and Dafa as a potential liability, someone to blame if things went wrong.
Was she really taking me and Dafa as her enemy? I thought we were family, or at least, on the same side. But her words made it clear that she was more concerned with protecting herself than with helping her own mother.
I pushed aside my hurt and anger, focusing on the task at hand. Grandmother Halton needed my help, and I couldn't let Mrs. Halton's threats distract me.
"Dafa, can you help me prop her up a little?" I asked, my voice calm and steady. "Just support her shoulders. It will make it easier for her to breathe and, potentially, to vomit."
He moved without argument.
He carefully adjusted his grip, supporting Grandmother Halton in a semi-sitting position. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed barely conscious. Her skin was pale and clammy, and her breathing was shallow and rapid.
"Okay, Grandmother Halton. I'm going to try to help you get rid of whatever is making you sick. Just try to relax and let it happen."
Before attempting to induce vomiting, I needed to assess the situation more thoroughly. I gently palpated her abdomen, pressing lightly but firmly in different areas. Her stomach felt distended and tender to the touch. When I pressed on her lower right quadrant, she winced in pain.
"Does it hurt here?" I asked, my voice filled with concern.
She nodded weakly, her eyes squeezed shut. "Yes," she whispered. "It feels like… burning."
That, combined with the seafood salad, pointed even more strongly to food poisoning. The burning sensation could be inflammation of the stomach lining caused by bacteria or toxins.
I took the warm water that someone had brought and put hers and salt then gently offered it to Grandmother Halton. "Here, take a few sips of this," I said. "It will help to soothe your stomach."
"Stop!" Monica shouted, lunging forward. "She has hypertension! Salt could send her into a crisis! What are you trying to do, kill her?"
Mrs. Halton snapped, her eyes blazing with anger. "You're just making things worse! I knew I shouldn't have let you touch her."
I ignored them. There was no more time for debate. I gently brought the glass to the grandmother's lips. "Just a few sips. I promise."
She drank weakly, grimacing at the taste. "Awful..."
"I know. Just a little more."
As I encouraged her, I used my other hand to massage her stomach in slow, firm circles, applying targeted pressure. A moment later, her body convulsed, and she was violently, but productively, sick into the basin Dafa swiftly provided.
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
"You've killed her!" Mrs. Halton wailed.
A frail but clear voice cut through the panic. "For God's sake, Minerva… stop shrieking."
All eyes snapped to Grandmother Halton. The deathly pallor was already receding, replaced by a faint flush of life. Her breathing, while still labored, was deeper, less frantic. Her eyes fluttered open.
"What's… with all the yelling?" she murmured, lips twitching. "I feel... better. The fire is gone."
Monica stared, her brow furrowed in concentration. She reached out, her fingers pressing against Grandmother Halton's wrist, checking her pulse. Her eyes darted back and forth, as if comparing the readings to a medical chart in her mind.
"Grandmother? Your pain?"
"Gone," she breathed, a hand fluttering to her stomach. "Just... very tired now."
I exhaled, finally looked up, meeting Mrs. Halton's stunned and furious gaze, then Monica's confused one.
"It wasn't just warm water," I said, my voice quiet but firm, finally allowing the explanation. "It was a remedy my own grandmother, a healer from our village, taught me. The herbs work to neutralize the toxins and reduce inflammation in the stomach lining, allowing her body to heal itself."
Silence. Then, as if released from a grip, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.