Honey and Glass

~10~

        "Domestic call. Guy got into it with his wife. Claims she broke a picture frame over his head," A police officer said as I followed Bobby and Chim up a set of stairs. A man was sitting on the stair with his hands cuffed behind him. He had a small gash across his forehead and Chim leaned in to inspect it.

"I'm not claiming anything," He said. "That's what happened. Look, forget about me. There's something going on with my wife."

"Sir, just relax, we have to take a look at your head," Bobby said as Chim brushed away a piece of the man's hair that was covering part of the gash. "Doesn't look too bad, does it, Chim?"

"No. Couple stitches. Easy-peasy. Let me clean it up first," Chim said, grabbing his head kit. I saw a woman emerge from the stairway above us with Athena by her side. I moved past Bobby and made my way up to her to make sure she was okay.

"David, the bobbies are asking if I want to press charges," The woman said with a strong British accent.

"The bobbies"? Baby, there is something wrong with you," The man said as I gave the woman a look over for any noticeable injuries.

"Ma'am, you don't have to decide right now," Athena said. "We can take him-"

"No, Officer, you don't understand," The man insisted, getting to his feet.

"I understand just fine," Athena said as the other officer grabbed the man's shoulders.

"No. You don't. She's not British. Yeah, that's not her voice. She was born in Brooklyn. The bobbies? The closest she's ever been to England is binge-watching episodes of Downton Abbey."

"I don't know what he's talking about. David, you're frightening me," His wife said and I looked between the pair.

"Look, we woke up this morning and she just starts speaking like that. It's bloody this, bloody that. A spot of tea. All this weird British slang that I've never heard before. At first, I thought she was joking, but then it didn't stop and I don't know what the hell's going on. So, I try to take her to the hospital. She freaked out, so I called 911," The man explained as the woman hiccuped and rubbed her chest.

"Did she hit her head? Was she in an accident recently?" Chimney asked.

"No, not that I know of."

"Ma'am, are you feeling lightheaded?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"No, I just don't understand why David is acting like this," She said.

"She told me she woke up this morning with a margarine," Athena said. "That and violent hiccups. That coupled with obvious chest pains, I- I think she's having a stroke."

"A stroke? Wouldn't she have slurred speech or paralysis or something?" David asked. I grabbed a small flashlight from my pocket and began to move it across the woman's eye, checking for her pupil's responsiveness.

"A man would, but a woman learns that symptoms can be different," Athena said. "Big-ass hiccups is one of them."

"She's right," I said putting the flashlight down. "Stick your tongue out for me," I asked her. She did but her tongue came out sideways and curled. "When's your birthday?"

"Right, it's, um... April." She noticed her own hesitation and began to panic.

"Okay. Take my hand, come with me," I told her, reaching out for her hand. "Chim, get the TPA injection ready," Bobby said as I lead the woman down the stairs. "Take it easy. Just sit right here." We reached the bottom of the stairs and the woman took a seat on the last step.