Chapter 25 Jackson
“Come on. Come on. Hurry up. Damn it!”
Pounding fills my ears as I wait for the elevator to finally reach the floor where the huge suites are located. Two minutes ago, I got a call from one of the bridesmaids saying that Cassidy doesn’t feel well.
Luckily, I was in my room alone so I didn’t have to explain anything to anyone. I was in the elevator in under thirty seconds, but this ride is taking too damn long.
The moment the elevator doors slide open enough for me to slip out, I dart out and rush down the hallway to the suite where the door is open and there’s quiet murmuring inside.
“Where is she?” I ask the first person I see when I enter, my pulse throbbing in my neck.
The bridesmaid points toward the center of the suite where a small group has formed around the couch.
I stride over there and pass through the opening they give me. “Cass?”
Cassidy lifts her glassy eyes as I crouch down in front of her.
I can see why the girl on the phone was so worried. Cassidy is eerily pale, and her breathing is slow but heavy. She barely looks like she’s present right now.
“Hey, I heard you’re not feeling well,” I say, my voice shifting to a gentler tone. One that I often use when dealing with hurt or scared people while I’m on the job.
Cassidy shakes her head before closing her eyes and grimacing. “I’m fine. I just…I’m tired.”
I take her wrist and place my thumb over her pulse point, concentrating on the thumps I feel through her skin. Her heart rate is elevated, but that doesn’t surprise me.
“Get her some water,” I tell Sarah as she stands to the right of me with fear written on her face. All of them look scared. “Have you been drinking any, Cass?”
“No…I…can’t,” she murmurs, her head lowering like it’s too heavy to keep up.
I press the back of my hand against her forehead. She’s sweating at this point, and her skin is warm and clammy. “Do you feel sick again? Like you ate something bad?”
“No. I’m dizzy,” Cassidy tells me, placing her hands on her temples like that’ll stabilize her.
I take the bottle of water from Sarah when she hurries back over. I twist the cap off and wrap Cassidy’s fingers around the bottle, coaxing her to drink a few sips.
“What do you think is wrong?” Becca asks me. “She seemed fine earlier. She was talking and stuff. Then, she started moving a lot and ended up like this.”
I’ve done my fair share of medical training for my job, but I’m not a doctor. I wish I wasn’t the only first responder in the bridal party.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to give up, though.
“I know she’s been overworking herself,” I reply before gently taking Cassidy’s chin and tilting her head up so that I can meet her gaze. “Have you eaten anything today?”
Cassidy swallows hard. “I was eating a slider.”
“You had like two bites, Cass,” Sarah says. “She hasn’t eaten anything else for the entire party.”
“Did you eat anything earlier today? Lunch? Breakfast?” I ask Cassidy, realization creeping in.
Cassidy shakes her head with a wince. “I wasn’t hungry.”
I’ve barely seen her take more than a few bites of whatever she’s eating when we’re out at brunch or dinner together. I didn’t think much of it because I thought she was eating more during other meals.
“Why aren’t you eating enough?” I question her, concern slicing into my heart like a glass shard. How did I miss this?
“I want to lay down,” she says.
“You need to eat something. No wonder you almost fainted,” I tell her before looking over at Sarah and the other bridesmaids. “Grab her something to eat. Something light.”
“I don’t want to eat anything,” Cassidy protests.
“You have to,” I say firmly as I cup the frame of her face. “You can’t just not eat. You’re hurting yourself!”
Cassidy’s eyes start to water, her bottom lip trembling slightly.
My heart sinks. “Why are you doing this?”
“What’s going on?”
I release Cassidy’s face and draw back from her as Ryan rushes into the suite. “They called me to come check on her.”
Ryan frowns as he sits down next to Cassidy. “Why you?”
My voice locks up for a second as he stares at me with suspicion on his face. Shit. Does this look too obvious?
“Firefighters have medical training. I don’t know any doctors around here,” Becca speaks up. “He’s the only one in the bridal party who could probably figure out what’s wrong with her.
“And he did,” Kara adds.
Ryan wraps his arm around Cassidy’s shoulders, his brow creasing in worry. “Hey, what’s wrong? You look like you’re coming down with something.”
I stand up, letting him fawn over his little sister without butting in. He can become a real mama bear pretty quickly. I’ve seen it before.
Cassidy leans into him. “I didn’t eat enough today.”
“Why not?” Ryan asks.
That’s a good question. And why has she been doing that since the start of this week?
Is it for the same reason she wasn’t wearing a swimsuit? Is she insecure about her body or something and feels like she needs to starve herself to look good?
I just don’t understand.
“I forgot. I got caught up in everything going on,” Cassidy replies.
“At least eat this. It’s just carrots, celery, and ranch,” Sarah says as she places a small plate in Cassidy’s lap. “You need nutrients.”
“I’ll eat them back at my room. I just want to lay down,” Cassidy says.
Ryan picks the plate up and stands. “Let’s get you back to your room.”
“I can help,” I offer, not wanting to take my eyes off her yet.
Something is going on that she’s trying to hide.
Ryan shakes his head. “It’s fine. I’ve got it covered.”
My shoulders drop a little, and I have to fight the urge to ask him if he’s sure. It already looked really suspicious when he walked in on me caressing her face like that.
I shouldn’t push it.
“Yeah, okay.”
Ryan helps Cassidy to her feet. “I’ve got you.”
Cassidy walks toward the door with him. She glances over her shoulder at me for a moment, but her expression is unreadable. She disappears out the door a second later.
“Thank you for coming to check on her,” Sarah tells me as she places her hand on my upper arm. “Sorry about him. You know how protective he can be over her. I’m sure he’s grateful that you came by.”
I give her a small nod. “We should keep an eye on her. I don’t think she’s been eating enough this week.”
Sarah’s expression becomes more serious. “You might be right. Things have been so hectic that I didn’t even notice. Does that make me a terrible friend?”
The guilt in her voice sounds incredibly familiar. I feel it all the time.
“No. She’s really good at hiding things,” I reply, patting her hand. “I’ll leave you guys to your party.”
“I think we’re all going to turn in early,” Sarah says before tightening her grip on my arm before I can step away. “Don’t tell Cassidy that we ended things early. She’ll just feel bad and think she ruined the night.”
I nod in agreement. “She’d feel better if you guys raved on without her.”
A light laugh leaves her. “Yeah, well, I’m kind of tired anyway.”
I don’t think it’ll be easy for me to sleep tonight. I’ll just keep thinking about Cassidy, and as badly as I want to text her and ask if she’s truly okay, I don’t want to risk Ryan seeing the text on her phone.
Things are becoming a little too risky. Lines are being crossed too often.
But I’m not going to hesitate to run to her if she calls.
Talk about hooked.
And talk about screwed.