Page 91 of How We Fooled

“Where is she?” Mom asks.

“They took her to the hospital. I think she’s okay. I just don’t want her to be alone.”

“Okay, we’re on our way,” Mom says, and I hand the phone back to the officer so he can tell them exactly where I am and where she is.

Once he hangs up, he takes me back to a cell, opening it for me and waiting for me to walk through. I pause, knowing taking those last few steps will pretty much wipe all my baseball dreams away at the same time.

Liza

I’m sitting in the emergency room in an area only big enough for a bed and some medical equipment. There are only curtains that separate me from the other people sitting here as we wait for someone to come help us, and all I can think about is how everyone will hear what happened to me.

I still don’t understand it. I have zero memory from the time I got up to go to the restroom to when I was throwing up outside. Once I arrived at the hospital, they rolled me back here and have left me sitting here this entire time. At first, I felt pretty weak, but the longer I sit here, the more I start to panic, feeling like I need to go help Eli.

I’m completely helpless, having no one I can call and no way to get to Eli. Even if they do let me out of here, I don’t have a car, and I know there’s no way I can get an Uber here at this late of an hour.

How did I get myself in this mess?

That’s pretty much the lowest of the low, when you’re in the ER with no one to call because you shouldn’t be here in the first place and you’re seriously wondering if you can find an Uber to take you home at this hour.

I’m absolutely pathetic.

The curtain is finally pulled open a little, and a nurse walks in. “Hi, I’m Katherine. I’ll be your nurse tonight. I hear you’ve had a pretty rough night. What can you tell me?”

I tear up as I try to remember. “I was having dinner with my boyfriend. I stopped to get a drink at the bar, then took the drink back to the table we were eating at. A little while later, I got up to go to the restroom, and I don’t remember anything after that.”

“You only had one drink?”

“Two actually.” I pause, trying to remember. “The waitress brought me another one as she was closing up. I don’t remember if I finished that one fully though.”

“Was anyone around you when you got the first drink?”

I nod my head slowly. “There were two guys there when I was ordering.”

“Did they distract you in any way?”

I close my eyes, feeling so stupid as I say, “One bumped into me, so I set my drink down to wipe my arm off.”

“Okay. Have you examined yourself in any way while you sat here?”

I narrow my eyes, confused as to what she’s asking. “Examined?”

She places her hand on my knee in a caring way, which only makes my heart beat a little faster. “Do you think there’s a chance that they could have hurt you?”

I open my eyes wide, realizing now that if I don’t remember anything, I don’t know how to answer that.

Remembering I was in a public place, I shake my head. “It’s not possible. There were a lot of people at the bar.”

The nurse’s shoulders sag. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. You’re not the first person to come in with these symptoms or situation. I think we have a serious problem going on.”

Nausea races through my stomach. If I hadn’t already thrown everything up, I might have to right now.

She stands to come by my side. “I don’t want you to panic. I’m not saying anything happened. When was the last time you had consensual sex?”

My time with Eli early today flashes through my mind. “Today, before we went to dinner …”

She purses her lips and nods slowly. “Okay, then we won’t do a rape kit.”

“A rape kit?” My words are unsteady and shallow, as if I can’t believe that’s coming out of my mouth.

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