Chapter 59

Clara felt a pang of guilt as she spoke into the phone. "Sorry to bother you, Mr. Stone. I hope I'm not interrupting your morning. A friend of mine has been running a high fever that won't break. I was wondering if there's a clinic or hospital nearby that makes house calls?" "A fever? How bad is it?" Ethan asked, his tone sharpening. "Pretty bad," Clara admitted. "He's been burning up since last night. I gave him some medicine, but it hasn't helped." There was a brief pause on the other end before Ethan spoke again. "Send me the address. I'll have someone come by to check on him." "Oh, no, that's too much trouble. I can figure something out myself," Clara said quickly. "It's no trouble. Just send me the address," Ethan insisted, his tone firm but calm. "I'll take care of it." Clara hesitated but finally relented, thanking him several times as she sent over the information. Once she hung up, she returned to Alexander's room. He was sitting up in bed, holding the bowl o