Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lance
I’m not sure how long the EMTs take to load both of us up. Or how long the ambulance ride is, but they have me back here with Phoenix. It isn’t until the tube is forced down my throat that I realize what the hell is happening.
I’m only vaguely aware that I’m not alone after my stomach gets pumped. Someone takes my hand. “Izzy?”
“Not even close,” Honey Badger says, “and I’m a little offended.” Her shiny black designer dress is such a sharp contrast to the sterile aesthetic of the hospital.
Squeezing her hand I say, “You shouldn’t be here.”But the words burn my throat and I regret it.
“Please. I signed a few autographs for the hospital staff, and they sent me right back.” Still holding my hand, she leans back in the hard plastic guest chair. Her eyes drift down the hall.
From my station, I can see nearly everyone in the ER. There’s a disturbance at the entrance. Nurses and a security guard are trying to hold back Hurricane Alana. I’ve got to admit they’re doing a pretty good job, but I think it’s because the fighter isn’t putting much effort into it. She’s squirming around, basic evasive maneuvers. The phone rings at the nurses station, and my boss stands still. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but I know her well enough. She’s probably saying, “You should answer that.”
One of the nurses answers the phone, nods a few times, then slams the receiver down. The nurse side steps the officers , she offers her hand to Alana, and they walk back toward me. But Alana stops at a bed where doctors are feverishly working on someone. The curtains are pulled, and I can’t see, but the way her body tightens and the slight change in her expression, I know exactly who’s there. Phoenix.
The nurse places her hand on Alana’s back. It’s like petting a lion. This woman is either brave or stupid. Only a few beds away, I can tell they’re talking about something, and Alana takes out her cell phone and types away.
By the time both women arrive at my bed, my boss lifts her head from the screen. She glances at it again and tilts her head at Honey Badger. Anyone who knows Alana would’ve flinched at her glare. Not Honey Badger. That’s how she got her code name. She’s fucking fearless.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. King?” the nurse asks.
Her voice is calm, even a little soft, with hints of kindness. “Yes. I would like the preliminary toxicology report for both patients A and B. The full report should be sent to this number.” Alana hands the nurse a card—with an elephant skydiving. Failed design 176 if I remember correctly. “Both patients A and B will have police protection while they are here.”
What? That’s overkill. “I’m probably going home in a few hours.”
Alana turns her head and narrows her eyes. Yep, I spoke way too soon. “He will be staying overnight for observation. Since there are so few people who survive an encounter with Majesty, this is an important opportunity for research.” She returns her deadly stare back to the nurse. “In roughly three hours, Patient A’s mother will be arriving. Please take care of her. Notify me every two hours about his progress.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The nurse nods and begins to turn away.
“Sheila? Your ex-husband owes you thirty thousand dollars in back child support, is that correct?”
Nurse Sheila’s head whips back, and she blinks at Alana a few times. “How did you know?”
Alana loves playing Mrs. Claus. She says it’s the only benefit of the life she chose. “The money will be in your account by 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. Thank you for everything. And please take good care of my boys.”
Nurse Sheila gasps, touching her chest. “Um, of course. Thank you.” There’s a pause like she’s debating if she should hug Alana, but thinks better of it and hurries down the hall.
Alana steps forward, closer to my head, pushing my hair out of my eye. “And what life lesson did we learn today?”she asks softly, her fingers tenderly stroking my forehead.
“Don’t skip drug training?”
She flicks the bridge of my nose, and it explodes in pain. “Don’t take your coat off because you’re hot.” It’s a huge undertaking to move my hand to rub my nose, so I frown at her instead. Alana continues,“Macie already placed an order for better masks.It was one of the few things we hadn’t gotten around to upgrading since I took over.” She rolls her shoulders back. “I’ve been very busy not picking out a logo for the company.”
The machine next to me beeps a few times, demanding attention. But when the beeping stops, Alana continues her inquisition. “And what are you doing here?” She slides her hands in her jacket pockets.
Honey Badger puts both hands behind her head and leans back in the chair. “I figured you’d be pissed, and it would be a good show. What can I say? I’m an entertainer. Game respects game.” She puts her feet up on my bed. “And I’m staying with my personal protection agent. He’s keeping me safe.”
More machines beep, and I can’t really move without getting tangled in the many IVs and electrodes attached to me. I’m not much help at all.
Honey Badger hates silence, so Alana waits. It takes exactly ten seconds before the pop star throws her arms up in the air. “I’m in sister mode right now.” With great effort she swings her legs off the bed and onto the floor, launching herself up. Honey Badger walks over and wraps her arms around my boss. “This wasn’t your fault.”
Alana flinches, surprised by the words and the affection. She closes her eyes and rests her head on the tiny singer’s skull. “I didn’t say it was.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not blaming yourself, cycling through different ways you could’ve prevented it.” Honey Badger squeezes harder.
Alana wraps her arms around the singer. They aren’t biological sisters, more like they found each other, and best friend wasn’t an accurate label. But Honey Badger is one of the few people on the planet who can accurately read Alana’s mind.
Shit. I’m so focused on not dying, I didn’t even consider how much this was killing Alana.
Once she has her emotional bucket filled, Alana drops her arms and kisses Honey Badger on the forehead. She inhales and pulls out her phone. “Macie. You’re picking up Honey Badger and taking her back to her house. Then you’re going to come back to the hospital and wait for Phoenix’s family. They shouldn’t go through this alone.”
My stomach tightens, and I don’t think it has anything to do with a medical reason.
“Any updates on Delta?” I can’t hear what Macie says over the phone, but Alana’s face darkens, and any comfort Honey Badger provided vanishes. Her knuckles turn white as her grip on the phone tightens. She only says one word, but it rips me to the core. “Understood.”Her voice drips so much ice, even I shiver.
She closes her eyes again ,and her chest rises and falls three times before she speaks. “The team is conducting a search of the party site. They are testing every surface for Majesty. Specs was able to get into Delta’s phone.”
The heart rate monitor betrays me as it starts to spike. I know Alana’s “I’ve got bad news face.”
“Izzy?” I ask. Alana dips her head, and I reach to rip the IV cords out. Where are my clothes, my car keys, fuck what hospital am I even in?
Alana puts her hand up, and I freeze. “I’m personally taking care of it and moving her to a different safe house. Off the books and bought with my money…in my real name.” Hmm. Clever. “I suspected we had a mole two months ago.” Her shoulders sink. Having a backup plan is still considered a failure because she didn’t get it right the first time.
“This still isn’t your fault,” Honey Badger reminds her, but I don’t think the words are landing the way they did before.
Nurse Sheila drags a man in his mid thirties toward us. He has a lab coat, all wrinkled like he threw it on. “Ms. King, this is one of our lab guys, Trevor.” She pushes the confused tech guy forward. He has a printout in one hand and a tablet in the other. “Go on, tell her,” Nurse Sheila demands.
Trevor steps forward, looking at his tablet, tapping the screen. “How much do you know about Majesty?”
“I know quite a bit,” Alana says, then tosses her head in my direction, “but this one skipped the drug training. So explain it like he’s in fourth grade.”
Trevor hands his tablet over to Alana but directs his attention to me and Honey Badger. He blinks a few times at her, “Holy shit! You’re Lena Goodlove.”
Alana snaps her fingers in his face. “Focus.”
Trevor nods. “Okay, so it’s in this new category of drug. It’s as addictive as an opioid, and in some ways behaves like one, but also has the same effects as a stimulant like cocaine. This makes treating ODs very difficult. More so, the very few cases of people who have survived an OD eventually relapsed. It’s a sneaky bastard because you think you’re on the mend, but it lingers in your system much longer than most drugs. And once it’s fully out, your body craves it twice as much.”
He glances up at me. “You had trace amounts of it, so it should be out of your system in twelve hours. I’m not a doctor, but I would keep you here for at least twenty-four hours.”
Alana glances at me with an “I told you so” look, then asks, “What about Patient A?”
Trevor scratches his head and motions over his shoulder several beds down. “He had a lethal dose. I’m not sure how he’s lasted this long. Maybe it was the other prescription medication found in his system, or that he seems to be otherwise healthy. Most likely fast medical attention saved his life. For now.”
Alana hands him back his tablet, her icy voice back. “If he survives the night, how long do you expect him to be here for observation?”
Trevor shakes his head. “Again, I’m not a doctor, but with the half life of the drug and his dosage, I would guess at least five days. Plus he’ll need rehab.”
If Alana is fazed by this, she doesn’t show it. Instead she types on her phone and doesn’t take her eyes off the screen. “Nurse Sheila, please share the phone number I gave you with Trevor so he can be in constant contact with my team. I’d like two-hour reports on both patients, thank you,” Alana states, jamming her hands back into her pockets.
Suddenly the multiple alarms scream in different tones and the already busy ER turns into a frenzy. Someone in green scrubs grabs a crash cart. Nurse Sheila doesn’t say goodbye but sprints toward the chaos loud with commands.
Alana takes a step forward and pauses before turning toward Honey Badger and me. Her voice strains against her emotions. “Macie will be here soon to take you home, Lena. Lance, when they discharge you tomorrow, I’ll pick you up and take you to Izzy.” She shakes her head, and her long blonde hair falls in front of her face. “Don’t say this wasn’t my fault, I don’t want to hear it right now.”
We watch her walk down the hallway on her way out, pausing at Phoenix’s bed, but Nurse Sheila rolls the curtain around the shouting doctors.
Honey Badger touches my shoulder. “She shouldn’t be alone.” If there’s anyone who understands what Alana is going through, it’s the tiny fearless singer. History is on an endless loop, it’s just the characters that changed this time. When it happened to Honey Badger, she had a team of friends and employees for support.
I don’t have the heart to tell her. Alana’s always alone.