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They're two days into their fortnight-long group vacation to the Outer Banks. Yesterday was mostly travel, but today they spent all their time outside on the mainland.
It took them two hours to drive back to their rental house in Waves. Everyone's exhausted and a little sore. Reid's already placing a pizza order when they pull up to the house. Christina's half asleep when she hears the doors open. "Hmm…" she picks her head off Jenni's shoulder. "Pizza, then bed," Jenni tells her with a smile.
"I can get behind that," she says with a chuckle, sliding out of the car behind Andre. She follows him up the stairs, pausing when he pulls out his phone to remember the pass code to the door. Jenni and Jeremy are close behind.
"Hey, Jen… hold on a second," she hears Jeremy say. Both she and Andre turn around as Jenni freezes on the fifth step. When Christina makes brief eye contact with Jenni, there's almost imperceptible fear flickering in her eyes.
She follows Jeremy's gaze down to a spot on Jenni's leg. She furrows her brow; there's a small spot, but she can't quite tell what it is.
Jenni's looking at it too, she opens her mouth, a noise of panic about to escape when Jeremy stops her. "It's okay, don't freak out. We've got you. Tina, do you have the tick key in your bag?" She bites her lip, but nods and quickly retrieves it for him.
He kneels down and attempts to remove it, failing a few times before resigning with a sigh. "It's in there pretty good, I'm gonna need tweezers." He looks up at Christina and Andre expectantly.
Andre quickly retrieves a pair of tweezers from one of their toiletries bags and Jeremy uses it to carefully extract the lodged tick. Jenni doesn't say anything the entire time, but Christina can tell that she's attempting to mask her panic.
"It's okay," Christina assures her quietly as Jeremy kills it with the heel of his shoe. "It already has a red ring around it…" Jenni whimpers, her voice shaking slightly. "We'll keep an eye on it," Christina gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze, but it doesn't seem to provide much reassurance.
"Who died?" Victor asks jokingly when he and Reid finally join them on the front steps. "Jenni got bitten by a tick…" Andre explains, holding the door open. "Ah, we should've done a check before we got in the car," Reid says, walking past everyone to go inside first, his arms laden with beach equipment.
Jenni remains frozen on the steps as everyone else goes inside. "It's really gonna be okay," Christina tells her with a sympathetic frown. "Yeah… I just… have a bad feeling," she says, shaking her head before taking Christina's outstretched hand and climbing the rest of the stairs.
"Maybe that bad feeling is just hunger," Christina says with a laugh, "Pizza will be here soon!" Jenni nods, watching Christina close and lock the front door. That gut feeling doesn't go away, even after they eat dinner.
—
The next day is uneventful. Everyone's tired from their outing yesterday—plus it's raining— so they stay inside. Jenni seems okay, the rash hasn't progressed from what it was initially, and she doesn't seem any more tired or uneasy than anyone else.
When Christina falls asleep, the tick bite isn't even on her mind.
First mistake.
—
Christina wakes up to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She's taken the room in the basement, assuring everyone that she didn't mind. (Besides, it's actually quite cozy.) There's no bathroom down here, only a mini fridge, her room and a pool table.
Which means if someone's coming down the stairs in the middle of the night, chances are, they're looking for her. She tries to identify the footsteps. They're not very heavy and if she's not crazy, they seem kind of unsteady.
She sits up in the bed, watching the door closely as she listens. She expects a knock, but she doesn't even get that… the door swings right open and Jenni stumbles in.
"Oh?" She has no idea what's going on. Part of her thinks she might still be asleep. "Tina… I don't feel good," she says, grabbing the doorframe before she can keel over.
"Okay." She's out of the bed in seconds, gently gripping her arm. "What's wrong?" she asks, trying to analyze her body language. She's pale… so much so that Christina's afraid she's going to pass out. "I can't sleep, I'm shaky, nauseous… and everything hurts," she puts emphasis on the last word as tears well in her eyes.
Christina's never seen Jenni complain about anything, let alone cry. She's worried… really worried. "Let's go back to your room," she says, gently guiding her back up the stairs.
Her balance is terrible, Christina does her best to limit the amount of times she bumps into the wall as they make their way back to her room, but there's only so much she can do.
"Oh my God…" Jenni exclaims loudly once they get to the top of the steps. "What's wrong?" Christina asks anxiously. "I think I'm gonna pass out…"
"Shit, okay, don't do that…" They're so close to her room. "I'm…" her knees buckle as she trails off. "Fuck," Christina swears, trying to decide between carrying her to bed or letting her lay on the floor.
"What's going on?" Reid asks, half asleep and standing in the doorway of his room. "Help," is what Christina grits out as her loose hold on Jenni's half-limp body begins to slip.
He rushes forehead when he realizes what's happening and helps Christina carry her back to her room. "What happened?" he asks, panting slightly as they lay her down.
"I don't know, she came to get me, said she was feeling shaky, nauseous, and achy." Christina says, going into the en-suite bathroom to wet a washcloth.
When she returns, Reid has her pant leg pulled up. "I don't like the look of that…" he says, referring to the now much angrier and more raised rash around the bite. Christina stands there for a second, trying to figure out what to do.
"Should we take her to the hospital?" She climbs onto the bed next to Jenni and starts dabbing her forehead and neck gently. "I…" Reid is also at a loss. She sighs, looking down at Jenni. Her eyes aren't closed, but she's still minimally responsive.
She can't help but think that Jenni is the one who would know what to do. "Probably to be safe…" Reid finally says, pulling his phone from his pocket and trying to determine where the closest hospital is.
"Mmm… Tina…." Jenni whimpers dazedly. "I've got you," she says immediately. "I really don't feel well…" she shivers. "I know, we're gonna get you taken care of. Just hang in there…"
"Okay, I'm semi-confident I can get her there." Reid says and Jenni startles when he speaks, not having realized he was there. "Semi?" Christina questions with a wince.
"If we drive her, you're going to have to sit with her in the back and make sure she's okay. Then there's the issue of getting her to the car in the first place…" he lists his concerns. "The alternative is… an ambulance." Christina notes aloud.
"Correct," Reid purses his lips. "Jenni?" She has no idea if she actually understands the decision they need to make, but she shows a little bit of recognition when Christina says her name. "No ambulance…" she murmurs.
"Okay, we'll do our best." Jenni checks out for a little bit after that. Christina keeps her eyes on her, alert, whilst carding her fingers through her hair in what she hopes is a comforting motion.
"I'm sure we can do this ourselves… but we might want some extra help." Reid says, looking towards the hallway. Christina considers that for a few seconds before nodding, "Go get Victor and Jeremy."
He returns a few moments later with a fully alert Victor and an incredibly groggy Jeremy. "Are you sure we shouldn't call an ambulance?" Victor asks when he sees the state Jenni's in. "It's not what she wants…"
Jeremy steps into the room and the second he sees his Canadian sister sprawled out on the bed, her head in Christina's lap, face white as a sheet and eyes completely glazed over, all of the sleepiness leaves his body.
"Jenni…" he tries, approaching her slowly and crouching down on the floor beside the bed. Her eyes flicker to him, but it's clear that it takes a lot of effort. "You're gonna be okay," he tells her. She hums, weakly reaching for his hand. He takes it without hesitation.
—
The ride to the hospital is rough, but they manage it. Andre had woken up amidst the chaos, and helped to haphazardly throw together a bag of overnight essentials for her. He and Victor stayed at the house to give Jenni more room in the van they had rented but both promised to be on standby.
Jenni is sprawled across the middle row of seats, her head still in Christina's lap. Jeremy sits in the front and Reid drives.
When Jeremy carries her into the ER, the nurses take one look at her before quickly rushing to prepare a room.
"She was bitten by a tick almost two days ago now," Reid informs them as they hook her up to all the monitors. "What did it look like?" Jeremy describes it in as much detail as he can manage.
They run a panel of blood work and put a rush on it, treating her symptoms in the meantime. She's shivering like crazy by the time the doctor finally comes in with the results.
They identify the tick born illness and get her started on IV antibiotics to stop it from progressing. Christina watches her anxiously as she goes from a half-responsive, feverish mess to an exhausted version of herself, but still, mercifully, herself.
"I'm so sorry about this…" she says at 6am when the doctors come in to take vitals and wake both Reid and Jeremy who managed to doze off for a while. "There's no need to be sorry…" Reid assures her before yawning and stretching out his back with a wince.
"I feel terrible, this is supposed to be a fun vacation…" She leans back against the bed, turning away from the crew, clearly fighting tears. "It's also supposed to prepare us for the mission and I'd say that was a great trial run in case something happens up there." Reid counters.
"I don't think they have ticks in space…" Jeremy says jokingly. Reid rolls his eyes, "You know what I mean…" Jenni does laugh at that, but Christina can tell that the guilt is still eating at her.
—
By the end of the day, Jenni feels infinitely better than she did the previous night, but the doctors insist that she remains overnight for observation. "I'll stay," Christina volunteers as soon as the doctor leaves the room. All three of them speak up with their own protests. "No-" Reid says first.
"I can't ask you to do that." Jenni says, tilting her head with a small frown. "Christina, you haven't had real sleep in nearly 40 hours." Andre points out.
Throughout the day, everyone has been switching between resting back at the house and staying with Jenni. Except for Christina, she hasn't even left the hospital room since they first got there.
She opens her mouth to insist that it's fine, but Reid's not having it. "Listen, we stayed last night, Andre and Victor can stay tonight." He reasons, already pulling out his phone to make arrangements. Christina reluctantly resigns.
"Call me if you need anything," she tells Jenni before leaving. "I won't," Jenni replies and Christina groans. "Tell her yes or she won't leave," Reid calls from the doorway. "I will text you," she amends. Christina wants to protest, but she doesn't.
—
Christina almost asks Reid to turn around multiple times during the car ride as she anxiously sits in the passenger seat with her messages to Jenni open. "She's fine, Andre's with her. You need to rest before you end up in the hospital too," he tells her sternly.
She huffs in frustration. She knows her limit… and it's a lot more than 40 hours. (Plus, she's had naps!)
Despite her determination, when she stands to get out of the car, she doesn't know if she has the energy to make it inside. "Come on, we'll get you some food and then you can crash." Reid tells her when he sees her eyes droop.
"Yeah…" she tries to play it off, shutting the door with as much force as she can muster. She heads for the main doorway, but Reid redirects her towards the basement entrance.
He unlocks the door for her and she immediately beelines for the couch. "I'll bring you some food," he tells her, giving her shoulder a squeeze before heading for the stairs.
Had she been more alert, she probably would have asked Reid for something specific, worrying about the possibility that he might bring her something she won't be able to eat— especially in her anxious state— but she's too drained to even think about that until he's out of eyesight.
She doesn't even need to worry. Reid returns a few minutes later with a bowl of warm mac and cheese. "Thank you…" she says, feeling tears of relief and gratitude spring to her eyes. He knows her so well. Mac and cheese is literally the only food that she can eat no matter how she feels.
"Of course. Do you need anything else?" She shakes her head. What she needs is a shower, but she doesn't have enough energy for that tonight. Reid settles across from her and after a few minutes, Jeremy joins them. They put the news on for background noise as they talk about plans for the rest of the week when Jenni gets better.
Christina falls asleep before she can even completely finish the contents of her bowl. Reid and Jeremy gently wake her to move her into bed, and then she's completely out again.
—
Christina wakes with a jolt of anxiety, the memories of the previous day immediately coming back to her. She grabs her phone, "Oh my God…" It's 11am. She's been sleeping for well over 12 hours. There aren't any missed calls, but there is a text from Jenni.
Today 9:03 - Jenni Gibbons (to Christina Koch)
They're discharging me this afternoon!
[0.5 Picture of Jenni, Victor and Andre in her hospital room, all with smiles on their faces.]
Christina sighs in relief when she sees how relatively healthy Jenni looks considering the events of the week so far.
—
The rest of the day is relatively normal. Jenni gets home and apart from the antibiotics she periodically has to take, everything feels pretty normal. Since they caught the tick-borne illness relatively early, they were able to treat it quickly and ensure she wouldn't have lasting symptoms.
They spend the evening on the beach at dusk to avoid the heat and crowds, and then everyone finally gets a full night of sleep. Or so they thought…
Jenni and Christina's agreement to share a bathroom for most of the trip brings Christina to Jenni's door at 8am. She knocks, but doesn't receive an answer. "Jenni?" If she's not awake she'll just go upstairs, but something tells her to keep pressing.
When she still doesn't receive an answer, she opens the door. Jenni's not in her bed… which may explain why she didn't answer the door: either she's in the bathroom or she's already upstairs.
"Jen…?" The bathroom door is wide open and when Christina steps into the doorway, she gasps. Jenni's laying on the tiles, completely unconscious. (Granted, the position she's in suggests that she may have chosen to lay down and fall asleep on the floor, but Christina panics nonetheless.)
"Oh my God." She drops to her knees and grabs her wrist. Her pulse is strong and steady, she releases a small breath of relief. "Jenni… hey," she says kindly but firmly, touching her face gently. Jenni's eyes open slowly, and she looks up at Christina with a confused expression before realization clicks.
"Sorry… did you need to use my bathroom?" She rolls onto her back slowly. "I… that's unimportant. What happened? Why are you on the bathroom floor?" Christina asks, worry gnawing at her.
"I… felt like shit last night so I just…" she sighs, waving her hand around herself. "Why didn't you come get one of us?" Christina asks, a deep frown forming on her face.
"You guys spent the last two days taking care of me. I do feel better, just… sometimes you gotta spend a night on the bathroom floor and then move on with your day…" she tries to laugh it off, but Christina isn't going to let it go that easily.
"No… no," she shakes her head, but bites back all the affirmations she wants to rain onto her. They'll talk it out later; right now, she just needs to know how she can help.
"What exactly are you feeling?" she asks with a slight sigh. "I'm honestly feeling better now… just had a rough night. I'm sure another dose of antibiotics will do me some good."
Christina hates that Jenni keeps trying to make herself smaller. She understands the guilt that accompanies needing to be taken care of when that's not something you're particularly used to, but she wants to take care of her. It pains her to see her this way.
"We can get you that… but please, talk to me. Were you throwing up?" She shakes her head immediately. "No… but I thought I might, hence…" she points to the toilet, still trying to crack jokes.
"Okay, nausea… anything else?" She helps Jenni sit up as slowly as possible. "I… just a general gross feeling? I had to use the bathroom and then I was too dizzy and nauseous to get back to bed…"
Okay, she understands that, but she can also see her phone on the floor next to her. She 100% could have called someone for help, even without the ability to get up.
"I'm sorry you're feeling so awful… let's get you into bed, okay? We'll get you some breakfast and medicine and go from there." She stands, helping Jenni up and taking it as a win when she doesn't topple over.
"Can I actually sit on the couch upstairs? I'm sick of being isolated from you guys... get me a puzzle or something and I'll be fine," she says, heading for the door to the hallway.
"Yeah, we can definitely do that, I just thought you might want to get some sleep, it's still early-" she tries but Jenni's determined and already halfway to the stairs. "Nevermind…" she rushes after her before she can trip up any of them.
—
The day actually goes really well. Jenni pleads Christina not to tell anyone about what transpired earlier, and she reluctantly agrees. They spend a few hours in the pool and try to plan some outdoor activities where they shouldn't run into any ticks.
When they eventually sit down for dinner at around 6:30pm, things start to go downhill. Jenni excuses herself to the bathroom and goes downstairs, which Christina finds a little strange, but she doesn't say anything.
They finish setting the table and wait for Jenni to come back before they start to eat. After five minutes, they start eating without her. And after ten… Christina can't shove her concern down anymore.
"I'm gonna go check on her…" she says, rising from her seat and heading for the stairs. The rest of the crew offer varied acknowledgments.
"Jenni?" She's calling her name before she's even all the way down the stairs. The bathroom door is closed this time, so Christina gives her the courtesy of knocking. "I'm fine!" Jenni calls immediately, but her voice is incredibly strained.
"No… I don't think you are… what's going on? Are you feeling sick again?" She hears the toilet flush and Jenni opens the door as if to prove that she's okay… but she's pale and sweaty… and it's clear something's not right.
She washes her hands as she continues to insist that she's perfectly fine, "I'll be right there…"
"Jen… it's okay if you're not. We're here to help." She shuts the water off and grabs a towel. "No. You're on vacation, you're here to relax," she says, walking past Christina.
"Jenni…" there's a deep sadness in her voice. She knows exactly what she's feeling. Perhaps it's a female experience: whether it's taught or just internalized, when you're hurting, you feel like such a burden to everyone around you. But when it's the other way around, all you want to do is to take their pain away.
"I'm okay, I swear… let's go eat." Now she just feels like she's being lied to. She follows her with a sigh… because the other option is to pick a fight and she knows that's exactly what Jenni does not need right now.
—
Dinner goes surprisingly well. Victor and Reid had grilled burgers and hot dogs for everyone and they were amazing. After dinner, a few people start to drink casually. Christina has a few sips of wine. Jenni, notably, doesn't drink at all.
They play games, Monopoly first then a Never Have I Ever style card game. They're halfway through their second round of the card game when Christina starts to pick up on the fact that Jenni is once again waning.
She tries to get her attention subtly, but she seems too out of it to even perceive any of her attempts to silently check in on her. Christina bites her lip, trying to decide at what point she should put her foot down and carry her to bed.
Jeremy looks over at her and follows her extremely worried gaze to Jenni who's growing paler by the second. He's sitting next to her so he whispers something in her ear. Christina assumes it's something along the lines of 'are you alright?'
She nods instinctively, but doesn't otherwise acknowledge him. If they were all standing, there's no way she wouldn't be on the floor right now. Christina looks away to take her turn and when she looks back there are very clearly tears in her eyes.
Okay, that's enough, she decides. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, Jenni lets out a choked sob and drops her cards. "Hey," Jeremy places a hand on her back as she curls into herself. The other boys are silent while Christina moves around the table to kneel beside her.
"What's wrong?" Jeremy asks quietly. "My stomach hurts so bad…" she sobs, gripping the table with one hand while the other is wrapped around her abdomen.
"I thought you were getting better…" Andre says, his voice a mix of confusion, concern and sympathy. "I was, I'm sorry, I don't know… fuck." She buries her head in Jeremy's shoulder, pulling her knees up to her chest as she lets go of all semblance of composure.
Christina gently rests a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, just try and focus on taking some nice, deep breaths for me… Do you feel like you need to go back to the hospital?" she asks, sharing a worried look with Jeremy over her shoulder. "No… I just… do you have a heating pad? I almost asked earlier, but…" She lets a few tears fall.
"I do actually…" Jenni perks up slightly when she hears that. "Take me there… now," she gasps, turning and grabbing Christina's arm. "Oh-okay, I've got you…" She and Jeremy help Jenni stand, but her knees immediately buckle and she goes crashing into Christina with a pained gasp the second her stomach muscles are no longer compressed by her fetal position.
Christina does her best to support the unexpected weight, but Jeremy quickly steps in to help. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me… I'm so sorry…" Jenni cries, holding onto both Jeremy and Christina like they're her lifelines.
For a moment Christina makes panicked eye contact with Reid— a mission specialist desperately looking to her commander in a crisis. He bites his lip and stands to help them.
"I really think you might need to go back to the hospital… this isn't normal. If the antibiotics aren't working-" Christina tries to reason but Jenni cuts her off. "No, they're working. This is different… food poisoning probably. I'll be fine in the morning."
They all know that it doesn't make sense. They've all been eating the same food and she's been sick like this for a day (although only Christina knows that part). But if Jenni is adamant that this is something unrelated to her previous hospital stay and also insistent on avoiding another trip there, then Christina will listen… for now.
Jeremy and Reid help Jenni to bed, while Andre and Victor instruct them to call out if they are needed, and begin to pack up their card game. Christina continues down to her room to grab the promised heating bad before returning to find Jenni already curled up on her side, gritting her teeth in pain as Reid dabs her forehead with a washcloth.
"Here we go," Christina murmurs reassuringly, bending down to plug it in before tucking the device against Jenni's abdomen. She preemptively sighs from the relief that she knows the heat will bring her. "I know you don't want to… but I'm worried that this is something serious… what if your appendix burst?" Reid says from his place next to her on the bed.
She shakes her head, "Mmm, already happened. And it didn't feel like this." Reid sighs, "And if it's something else equally as serious?"
She considers that for a moment. "It's not," she decides. Christina closes her eyes, trying to summon all her remaining patience. "Jenni… do you know what's wrong?" Jeremy asks hesitantly and Christina perks up because he might be right on the money.
"…No." Christina rolls her eyes (the only person who can see that is Reid who returns the sentiment by glancing off for a second). "Jen…" Jeremy presses gently.
"Just…" she gestures towards Christina, who rounds the bed so she can see her. "You said earlier that you would be here to take care of me when I was ready to admit that something's wrong… Can you just do that? Just…" her voice drops to a near whisper, eyeing Reid self-consciously. "I don't need to go to a hospital, I just wanna be held… I'm in pain… and I don't want to be alone."
The vulnerability in Jenni's voice makes Christina's chest tighten. There's still a huge part of her that wants to call an ambulance, but this is a step in the right direction. She's expressing her needs and she's accepting help (even if she may be refusing medical treatment). So Christina concedes.
"I can… but if I decide you need to go to the hospital at some point tonight, do you promise not to hate me forever for going against your wishes?" she asks hopefully. Jenni frowns, "Fine…"
Christina fully intends to stay up all night in Jenni's room. They get her some medicine, extra comfortable clothes, and put on one of her favorite shows. Once everyone else has left the room, Jenni curls into her, one hand holding the heating pad to her stomach and the other gripping Christina's shirt as if afraid she might leave if she lets go. She seems to relax after a while, eventually falling asleep in the security of her friend's arms.
Christina really does try to stay awake in case Jenni needs her in the night… but she's so comfortable and…
—
When Christina wakes up in the morning Jenni claims to be perfectly fine. And for once, she actually believes her. She looks so much better. Maybe it was just a touch of food poisoning?
Today 09:46 - Andre Douglas (to Christina Koch, Jenni Gibbons, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover)
Bacon, eggs and pancakes for breakfast?
Multiple people confirm that they would like that, including Jenni. Christina adds her own confirmation, watching Jenni get ready in her peripheral vision.
"Thank you for last night… and I'm sorry, I know that was probably awkward," she says when she notices that Christina's awake. Christina legitimately laughs out loud. "I actually really like that kind of thing… it was no trouble at all." She blushes slightly at her own admission, but it's true.
Jenni smiles at that and they head up to breakfast together.
—
Three hours after breakfast they're all gathered in the pool. Christina is sitting in the shallow end, preferring not to actually swim for fun. Jenni was swimming with Jeremy, playing with water guns like kids and shooting at Reid and Victor who were defenseless up until the point when they grabbed a few water guns of their own.
But Jenni swims up to her after a while, with a strange look on her face. "What's up?" Christina asks, trying to ignore the sense of fear rising in her chest. "I don't…" she takes a breath in that sounds way too labored.
"Woah, hey, okay…" she stands and grabs Jenni's arms, pulling her out of the pool and setting her on the pavement next to it. "What's wrong?" She rephrases, looking right into her eyes.
"I can't… breathe… very well…" Her hand flies to her throat for a second. Christina swears, getting out of the pool in one fluid motion, not caring about how much she's dripping as she swiftly walks into the house. Her instinct could be totally wrong, but she'd rather be safe than sorry…
She returns with an Epi-Pen in hand. Jeremy and Andre are at her side, trying to figure out what's going on. It's clear Jenni's starting to panic. "Move," she tells them both sternly and they quickly scramble out of her path.
She already has the device half-prepared by the time she kneels next to Jenni. "You're okay…" she says, pulling off the cap. "I…" she wheezes, reaching out with trembling fingers to grip Jeremy's hand.
Christina plunges the medication into her thigh and Jenni gasps, flinching away from the sudden pain. "You're alright," Christina soothes, stroking her back with her free hand. She whines, turning her head away from the sun. Christina removes her sunglasses and slips them onto Jenni instead.
Mercifully, the Epi-Pen does its job. The swelling in Jenni's throat and slight hives around her mouth subside within minutes. "What was that about?" Reid finally asks when it seems like the worst is over.
"I have a theory." Victor speaks up and they all turn to him. He's mostly been a silent observer of not only this incident, but the prior incidents too. "Well?" Christina asks, adrenaline still coursing through her body.
"I think she has alpha-gal syndrome." Christina does actually know what that means… it's one of her greatest fears. But most people don't know it by name. "Sorry?" Jeremy asks with a slight laugh.
"It's a tick-borne illness that causes allergies to meat and sometimes other animal products." Christina explains with a sigh, turning back to Jenni who looks incredibly distraught at this information.
"So… I stop eating meat and I get better?" she murmurs with hopeful incredulity. "Maybe… but if it's all animal products… you're going to be in for a really intense lifestyle change," Christina replies with a sympathetic frown.
"Okay, what do we do right now? Does she need to go back to the ER?" Reid asks, standing behind her. He's reverted back to his protective commander stance without even realising it.
"Maybe not… we should just be careful with what we feed her and watch out for cross contamination to try and limit symptoms… also we're gonna need to get another Epi-Pen." Christina carries one because she feels like everyone should, same with Narcan, but she doesn't have multiple.
Reid nods along with the rest of the group, "I think we can do that…"
They do end up bringing Jenni back to the hospital when they realize that after receiving an adrenaline injection you need close monitoring in a hospital for at least a few hours. While they're there, the express their concerns about alpha-gal. A few allergy tests later determine that Victor was spot on.
Christina's right: it's a huge lifestyle change, but they're all ready to do everything they can to help.