Snakes In The Grass

23

Just waving the white flag now..

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Out of precaution, I set up the playpen in our bedroom and moved Briar into our room. I wasn't sure who was on edge more, myself or Dimitri.

Dimitri kept glancing at Briar's room, gritting his teeth. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched Briar breathe. Her breathing was still very raspy and it was getting heavier as the night went on.

"I think we should take Briar to the doctor," I said quietly, "I don't like the sound of her breathing."

Dimitri looked at the playpen and frowned. "It has gotten worse," he observed. I pulled out my phone and did what I had been doing all day, texting Janine. I didn't want to come across as an anxious mother, but I was genuinely worried about the sound of her breathing.

I looked up when I heard a knock on the door.

"That's got to be Croft," I murmured as Dimitri got up. I watched him walk away and I leaned into the playpen, picking Briar up and holding her against my chest. I sighed quietly and kissed her head, resting my cheek against her skin. It was still hot, even after giving her medicine to bring down her fever. I laid her on our bed and carefully stripped her sleep set off. I picked her back up and held her against me as Dimitri came back up the stairs.

I walked out of our bedroom and nodded at Croft. He nodded at me and frowned at Briar.

"I heard she isn't feeling good," he said as she started to cough, his face pinching.

"I know that sound, that is most definitely croupe," he said, "IF you take to the hospital, ask for Jaymie and tell her that she needs the steroid treatment. If you've already tried the hot/cold air, that's the best thing for her. It'll help exceptionally."

"I was worried about that," I said quietly and looked at Dimitri, "Do you want me to take her or do you? I know one of us needs to be here."

Dimitri looked between us before taking Briar out of my arms. "I'll take her. You've had her alone most of the day, you need a bit of a break," he said and kissed my head, "I'll text you when she's being looked at."

I nodded and kissed Briar's cheek and then turned to Croft. "You got the blueprints?" I asked, gesturing to the tube in his hand.

"Yes," he said and we walked into Briar's room. "This is where you said it was?"

"Yeah, in the closet," I said pointing at it.

Croft cleared his throat. "Now, that's a problem. None of the blueprints show any kind of hidden doors or passages. Which is an even bigger problem."

"Why?"

Croft sighed and walked to the closet and pulled open the trap door. I followed him down the stairs and turned my flashlight back on. When we got to the door I couldn't open earlier, he forced it open. The air inside was stale and made both of us cough, but I grimaced at the room inside.

"Because it was a stationmaster's house, and nobody knew," he said through his coughing. I frowned.

"What is that?"

"You know what the Underground Railroad is?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Stationmasters let runaway slaves stay and eat at their homes. This room was one of those rooms. That's why it's not on any blueprints."

The room was bare of any decoration or outside light, nothing but old oil lamps and dirty bed bundles on the floor. There was even an old shirt in the corner.