Page 20 of Johnathan

“Do you have medicine?” He whispered the question, not wanting to cause her pain. He’d had a few raging headaches over the years, and knew loud noises and motion were a recipe for disaster.

“My car.”

John reached behind him to where her purse lay on the pavement.

“Is it okay for me to look for your keys?”

“Please.”

His hands shook as he opened her bag. It felt too personal, but she needed the medicine. He could do it.

Her wallet took up a majority of the space, but once he removed that, he could see her keys laying at the bottom.

Standing up, John walked to the passenger side and opened the door. The prescription wasn’t out in the open from what he could see, so he first checked her glove compartment, and then the center console. Down in the deep compartment, the bright orange prescription bottle was easy enough to spot.

“Do you need something to drink in order to take the pill?” he asked as he crouched down next to her.

“No. Nauseous,” she groaned and placed her hand over her eyes after taking the pill from him. “Can you call back and tell them I don’t need an ambulance?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You passed out and hit your head.” His fingers made their way around to the back of her head and she winced as he gently pressed along the part that collided with the ground. “Just let them check you out.”

“I ran too long this morning.”

“We’ll see what they say when they get here.”

He waved down the ambulance as they pulled into the parking lot.

“Hey, John. Can you tell us what happened?” Relief flooded him when he remembered that Jackson’s crew was on shift that day, so he already knew the paramedics.

“Hey, Noah. I was late picking up Katy and Abby and I got talking. When we went to our cars, I noticed she was a little off balance. I tried to get back to her in time, but she collapsed and hit her head off the ground.”

“She lose consciousness?”

“Yes.”

“For a few seconds,” Abby said as Erica, the other paramedic, dropped a bag next to her.

“A couple of minutes, Abby. You were out for a couple of minutes.”

“Abby, has this happened before?” Erica asked.

“Yes. Migraines.”

“Okay. Let’s get you looked over.”

She groaned and John wished it was his hand she was holding instead of Katy’s. His insides felt like they were twisting into a knot. Seeing her fall to the ground like that and not knowing how to help her was the worst. It felt like the night she was attacked all over again. Except this time the thing trying to hurt her was her own body. How the hell was he supposed to help keep her safe from that?

A familiar blue car pulled in behind his truck and John stood, taking Katy’s hand.

“My mom’s here to pick up Katy. I’ll be right back, okay Abby?” Her eyes didn’t open, but she mumbled in agreement.

“Hi, ladybug. Are you ready to spend time with Grammy?”

“Grammy! Yes!” Katy ran into his mother’s arms.

“Okay, let’s get you all set in your seat, then we’ll go to my house and make some cupcakes. Do you want chocolate or vanilla?”

“Nilla! With spinkles!”

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