Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

B leary-eyed, Aspen pushed herself up to sit on the side of the bed. She'd tossed and turned all night. The incessant itching had made sleep impossible. Even stretching out naked on the soft sheets had felt miserable.

Woof!

"I know. You need to go out," Aspen told the dog waiting at the door. She grabbed her nightshirt from the spot on the floor where she'd tossed it in the middle of the night.

She couldn't even walk right. The feel of her own skin rubbing anything was horrendous. Aspen finally made it to the back door. Opening it, she sent Rexy out on his own. "Go quick and come right back."

Her shoulders twitched and Aspen balled her fingers into a fist, trying to resist the desire to scratch. The nightshirt was making the sensations so much worse. Seeing Rexy squatting to do his business, Aspen closed the door and ripped off the shirt.

She peeked through the curtains and opened the door a crack when Rexy returned. The dog was a third of the way inside when he backed up and took off.

"Rexy! Come back here!" Aspen yelled. She watched him turn the corner to go to the side of the house. Snatching her nightshirt off the chair, she ran toward the front door. She was about three feet from her target when the door opened.

"Come on in, Zale, I'll get that scope." Jerico stopped talking when he saw Aspen. "Baby, what happened?"

Horrified, Aspen tried to get her nightshirt on to cover her nakedness, but it got tangled on her arms and head. "Close your eyes, Zale," she begged.

"That's a severe allergic reaction. We need to get you to the hospital, Aspen," Zale pronounced immediately, ignoring her request as he walked in with Rexy following close behind.

The traitor.

Giving up on getting the shirt on, she held it up to her body, shielding herself. "I'm not going to the hospital. I'm fine. Just itchy."

"This is more than itchy, Aspen," Jerico said firmly. "Let's get your shirt and shoes. Our next stop is the emergency department."

"I'm not going!" Aspen yelled at him, aggravated by the red patches and embarrassed that Zale had seen her practically naked. She swallowed hard. Why did her lips feel funny? She put a hand up to run her fingers over her mouth.

"Her lips are swelling. I can give her a shot to help." Zale dropped his bag on the table and tore it open. In seconds, he was at her side, dodging Rexy, who hovered around her as if he knew something was amiss.

"Rexy, go to your bed," Jerico ordered as he walked forward quickly.

Rexy followed his stern direction immediately.

Traitor.

Aspen danced away. "I don't like shots."

"Too bad, little girl," Jerico said firmly and grabbed her, pinning her arms to her sides. "This is serious."

"Ouch!"

"All done. Jerico, we need to get her to the emergency department as soon as possible," Zale decreed.

"I'll get shoes," Jerico said.

"Can't we just see if the shot works? What's the rush? I started itching yesterday," Aspen protested.

Zale shook his head and looked at Jerico. "We can give it five minutes. Then we need to go."

When Jerico nodded, Zale looked back at Aspen assessing her condition. "What did you get into?"

"Something spilled on the loading dock. We all were involved in cleaning it up. Everyone changed clothes afterward."

"And it didn't affect anyone else?" Zale asked, wrapping his fingers around her wrist to assess her pulse.

"I don't know?" Aspen answered.

"Have you looked at your phone this morning?" Jerico asked.

"No. It's on the charger still."

Jerico loped back to their bedroom and returned with her phone. "There are three messages from the guy I guess is your supervisor."

"Gary?"

"Yes. Two people ended up at the hospital for treatment. Gary is having the material in the barrels quarantined and tested," Jerico reported.

"Hey, the itching's getting better," Aspen reported. "Could you both look away so I can put on my shirt?"

"No," Zale answered. "Until these hives go away, it will just irritate your skin."

He turned back to Jerico. "Is your nursery fully equipped? I need to check Aspen's temperature."

"It is," Jerico assured him.

"Daddy, I feel so tired," Aspen said, feeling herself swaying.

"I got you, baby girl." Jerico scooped her up into his arms.

"It's the medicine. It will cause drowsiness. Let's check her temperature and blood pressure before we make any decisions," Zale recommended.

Aspen laid her head on Jerico's broad shoulder. Between not sleeping and the medicine, she was almost out. With every minute that went by, she felt better. "Thanks, Zale. That was awful."

"Don't thank me yet, Aspen," Zale warned, making Aspen shrug her shoulders.

There wasn't anything he could do to change her mind. She wasn't even upset that he'd seen her nude now. "Thank goodness you're a medic."

"Thank goodness," Jerico echoed as he laid her on the infamous changing pad.

"Let's roll her on her side, facing the wall. I'll need lubricant and a thermometer."

Out of the corner of her eye, Aspen saw Zale open his medical bag once again. Jerico turned her over and she couldn't see the medic. There was no mistaking the snap of exam gloves. Some of the fogginess cleared from her brain and Aspen struggled to get free.

"Aspen, your hives won't allow me to spank you for being naughty. I have other ways to punish you if you won't cooperate," Jerico told her in that stern voice she knew meant business.

"No!" she wailed.

Zale stepped closer. "We can take you to the hospital for them to assess you if you'd rather. This reaction is serious. When your lips swell, that's a sign that your airway could be in jeopardy. You are very lucky that the reaction was delayed until we got here. Had your throat closed last night when you were alone, you wouldn't be talking to us now."

Understanding what he was suggesting, Aspen swallowed hard. "That's harsh," she accused.

"Yes, but truthful. Now, make your choice. Hospital or me?"

Looking over at Jerico, Aspen asked, "Can't you just check me out?"

"This is too important, baby. I'm your daddy. Zale is our medic. He knows medicine. Would holding Bowbow make you feel better?"

She nodded. "I left her in the bedroom."

"I'll go get her."

When Jerico left, Zale moved so Aspen could meet his gaze. "I've been a medic for a long time. I've patched together some seriously dangerous injuries on men and women. You know that me seeing you and touching you is only to make sure you're okay. You're Jerico's little girl. With luck, I'll find mine soon and you'll have a playmate. Jerico will guard her with everything he has because he's my brother at arms—just like I will with you."

"You already helped me," Aspen whispered.

"And I'll be here to help a hundred times or more in the future," Zale assured her. "Will you let me take care of you?"

She studied his face and slowly nodded as Jerico came back into the room.

"Sorry, Bowbow was hiding under the bed," he told Aspen before returning to his place by her shoulders to tuck the stuffie next to her.

"The supplies are in the top drawer," Jerico shared with Zale, opening it for him.

"She feels soft again," Aspen said, squeezing her against her chest.

"How did she feel before?" Zale asked as he took a large thermometer from the case.

"Itchy. I don't want that in my mouth," Aspen complained.

"I can understand how her fur was unpleasant. And as for the thermometer, that works out perfectly, Aspen," Zale explained, dipping the thermometer into a tub of thick goo.

"Now I'm really not putting that in my mouth."

"I need to get your core temperature, little girl. This will go into your bottom."

She stared at Zale and all the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "No."

Aspen tried to turn onto her back, but her daddy held her in place and even wrapped a powerful arm behind her knees and moved them on the padded top up toward her chest.

"A bit of lube," Zale explained, separating her buttocks widely to dab the thick mixture on the small entrance usually hidden between them. That finger applied it generously and then pushed inside her tight ring of muscle.

"Nooo!" Aspen wailed.

"You're fine, little girl. I'll always take your temperature this way," Jerico assured her.

Aspen gasped as the thick, cold thermometer replaced the probing finger. Zale twirled it around inside to move it as deep as possible, regardless of how much she tried to squeeze her muscles to keep it out. When she gave up, the device entered her a bit further.

"Perfect, Aspen. Ten minutes," Zale announced.

She closed her eyes, silently wishing to be anywhere else. Instant exhaustion crashed down on her. Aspen yawned and hugged her stuffie closer.

"Good girl," Jerico praised her.

Aspen felt the corners of her mouth curl upward. She shouldn't love that phrase so much—but she did.

"Jerico, the irritation is looking better all the time. She could stay home, but you'll need to stay alert. Take her temperature every two hours for the next twenty-four hours. Then whenever you notice her itching or any red patches coming back up on her skin, she'll need some medicine. I'm going to create some suppositories for her and I'll drop them off in a couple of hours. Give her one every other time you take her temperature through Sunday evening. On Monday, she should be better."

"Got it. Thanks, Zale."

"I'll assess her Sunday afternoon at the picnic. She should be in good shape by then," the medic answered. "Aspen should sleep a lot. The shot is activating fully now. Keep her hydrated and quiet. A diaper will prevent accidents from the suppositories."

"Suppositories?" she echoed, keeping her eyes closed. Somehow, not looking at them made this less embarrassing. Aspen squeezed her thighs together as heat built between them. I shouldn't find this erotic.

"Medicine for your bottom, baby. Zale is going to make sure that itch doesn't come back."

She nodded, agreeing immediately to just about anything to keep from being so uncomfortable. The urge to scratch had gotten worse as time passed. Aspen took stock of how she felt. The itch was almost gone.

"Before she crashes, give her an oatmeal bath. Take a cup of old-fashioned oats and whirl it to a fine dust in your blender. Fill the bathtub with cool water and add the oatmeal. Let her soak inside for at least fifteen minutes and then rinse off any residue. That should zap the last of the itchiness," Zale recommended.

"She's going to nap in the bath," Jerico predicted.

"Stay with her. A few orgasms will keep her awake."

Startled, Aspen opened her eyes and turned to stare at the medic. Had he really suggested that Jerico should touch her like that?

"Pleasure always helps the healing process for little girls. I'm glad you enjoy your daddy's touch," Zale said with a gentle smile.

Aspen slammed her eyelids back closed, afraid her inner thoughts would show in her gaze. Images flashed into her brain of Jerico touching her intimately and driving her to pleasure.

"I hope you find your Little," Jerico told him, rubbing his hands down Aspen's spine to reassure her. She shivered at the feel of his callused touch—not due to any itchiness, but instead arousal from the fantasies in her thoughts.

"Me, too," the medic replied. Aspen could hear the truthfulness in his tone. She crossed her fingers, hoping for the best for him.

When Zale finally removed the thermometer, Aspen melted onto the soft surface below her. She sighed happily.

"It's a little high, Jerico. Not enough that she needs to go to the hospital, but we should treat her." Zale handed him the thermometer to look at the results and stripped off his glove. He opened the drawer in the changing table again and pulled out a large rubber bulb syringe.

"Good. You're well stocked. After her bath, I want you to insert a cup of cool water with these pills dissolved in it. You may need to add more water to the container and swish it around to get all the medicine inside. More won't hurt her."

"I don't need that." Aspen broke into the conversation when Zale grabbed a few packets from his medical case.

The medic just patted her hip. "Your daddy's going to help you feel better."

He turned back to Jerico. "Medicine in. Diaper on. Into bed with a bottle of a protein shake. Change the sheets and pillowcases. She could nap in here first while you take care of the med. Do a rinse of her hair in the oatmeal bath as well, in case there's any residue from that cleanup job. Have her soak every inch of her body she can get under the water."

"Got it. I'll do that now," Jerico promised.

"I'll go concoct the suppositories. I'll message you when I drop them by in a small, insulated bag. Keep them in the refrigerator," Zale instructed.

"Got it. Temperature check every two hours. Suppositories when you deliver them. Lots of sleep time and fluids." Jerico ticked off the medic's instructions.

"Let me know if her temperature rises. I don't think she'll need to go to the hospital. I'll contact her supervisor and report her reaction as well, in case she needs more days than the weekend to recover."

"Thanks, Zale."

"I'll see you both on Sunday at the barbecue. Cancel if you need to," Zale suggested before teasing, "but I think Aspen will get bored by Sunday afternoon just stuck with you."

"I like my daddy," she mumbled in protest and then wiggled as Jerico pulled a thick band from the backside of the changing table to wrap around her abdomen, securing her firmly in place.

"I'll be right back, baby. You sleep."

"Okay, Daddy. Thank you, Zale," she forced out of her mouth, or at least she thought she said it.