Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Ari
People cheer, laugh, and clap, but above the din comes a shriek.
The shriek is followed by gasps from the crowd and someone shouting, “Call 9-1-1!”
Our hands locked together, Foster and I rush out onto the stage.
Maddie is on the floor.
I lock eyes with Foster. “Oh shit.”
“It’s going to be okay,” he says, both of us rushing to her side.
Just as we do, Maddie opens her eyes and struggles to sit up.
“Maddie, what happened?” I ask.
“Oh, nothing. I’m fine,” she says, but her pale face is worrying.
It’s then that I notice the shaking. Everyone is mumbling and asking questions. Maddie looks like she’s just seen a ghost.
Double shit. She looks bad.
“Maddie?”
“He’s…I…”
“He what?” Who? Who is she talking about?
“It’s nothing,” she says, her hand on her chest. “I thought I saw someone…”
This is nuts. She needs to be checked.
“Foster, could you please help me get her off the stage?”
He acts quickly, without questioning me, scooping up my five-foot-two friend and carrying her off the stage with me not far behind.
Moments later, we’re in the safety of the community center’s kitchen, which has already been cleaned up and vacated by all the caterers.
I urge Maddie to drink some water and then encourage her to tell me what happened.
After she regains her composure, she looks at me and relaxes her face into an appeasing smile.
“Oh. I’m so sorry for causing such a fuss. I thought I saw someone that looked like…well, you know.”
She bats her lashes and takes a drink of water.
“Ewan,” I say.
Maddie chokes on the water, spluttering. “Let’s not be dramatic. I’ve been working too hard, and I’m just tired, that’s all.”
I know that smile. And I know that tone of voice. Her pageant mom taught her well.
Once she goes into “everything is fine” mode, there’s no pulling out the truth. Not tonight.
“Okay. Let’s get you to the clinic,” I say.
“If the parking lot’s not clear of that power line yet, we can take my car through the snow,” Foster says.
I’m going to have to marry this man, aren’t I?
I call Riley on the way to the urgent clinic.
“What’s happening? Why are you calling instead of texting? Who died?” Riley says immediately upon answering.
I almost laugh. “Nobody. Maddie sort of…collapsed at the dance. She’s okay, but we’re taking her to the urgent care clinic.”
“Oh god, they aren’t open at this hour,” Riley says.
Shit. I hadn’t even thought about the time.
“Urgent care is closed,” I tell Foster from the back seat of his SUV.
“It’s fine. I’m perfectly fine,” Maddie insists.
Foster looks at me over his shoulder briefly as he navigates the roads, and he sees the worry in my eyes.
He gives a curt nod and then takes a sharp left, headed toward the main highway south.
Maddie clucks. “My house is the other direction.”
“We’re going to the ER in Asheville,” Foster says.
“It’s an hour away!” Maddie protests. “Ari, tell your boyfriend—”
“To take you to the ER? I just did,” I inform my best friend.
I give her the look that she knows too well. Maddie might have a one-track mind, but she has met her match when it comes to downright stubbornness.
“Seriously, I’m fine,” Maddie says.
“Great,” I tell her. “Then an ER nurse or doctor in Asheville will confirm it.”
Riley and Rowdy meet us at the ER in the city, and we women help Maddie fill out paperwork while Rowdy and Foster disappear to the vending machine room to gather snacks for what will no doubt be a long night.
Before too long, Maddie gets checked in and is seen by a nurse, who takes her vitals and has her hooked up to an IV drip.
Rowdy and Foster find us in one of the curtained-off rooms and come bearing coffee, hot chocolate, chocolate, chips, and candy.
“It’s the best we could do,” Foster says.
Riley takes the hot chocolate, and I happily take the coffee.
“Thanks. What do I owe you?”
Foster frowns. “Nothing. Don’t even start with that.”
I sigh at the resolute look on his face, knowing I won’t get anywhere with him. But still, I have to offer some compensation. “Let me give you gas money at least.”
“Knock it off,” he growls, but there’s no bite behind it.
After a doctor stops in to see Maddie, we learn that she’s suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, and she’s running a slight fever.
“Exhaustion,” Riley says. “See? I told you, you were running yourself ragged.”
“I told you that I hadn’t seen you eat a full meal in weeks,” I add.
The nurse comes in later and says they’re going to keep her for another 2 hours of observation, and she should be well enough for discharge if nothing changes. But we’re under orders to make sure she eats, rests, and gets plenty of fluids.
I turn to Foster, who’s been standing back, giving Riley and me room to fuss over our friend and ask the attending doctor and nurse questions.
“You can go,” I say to Foster. “You probably don’t want to hang around doing nothing for the next two hours.”
Maddie adds, “Yes, thank you for driving, Foster. Riley and Rowdy can bring us home.”
I nod. “Riley and I will stay with her.”
“If you’re staying, I’m staying,” Foster says.
“Foster…”
“I decided I was going to bring you home from the dance no matter what happened. Blind date or no blind date. And that’s what I plan on doing,” he answers firmly.
I smile at him. He’s tired, I’m tired, this is not a dance, but I know what he means.
“Thank you, Foster. That means a lot to me.”
When I turn back to the group gathered around Maddie’s hospital bed, Rowdy, Riley, and Maddie are all staring at me.