Page 15 of The Snowball Effect

Regan couldn’t feel her legs as she ran to it, dropping to the ground and frantically ripping through the front pockets until she found it.

“I got it!” She screamed in relieved triumph. She cradled it carefully as she scrambled back over to Emma.

Terror pounded through her at the red hives outbreaking over Emma’s arms, chest, neck, and face and how audibly she seemed to be struggling for air.

“You – do it,” Emma wheezed, weakly tapping at her thigh.

Regan didn’t need to be told twice.

She thanked whatever higher power there might be for the fact that she’d had to take a first aid/CPR class when she’ddone management training for the café and quickly took off the emergency cap before she stabbed the needle into Emma’s thigh.

As she held the pen firmly to Emma, she stared up at her from the ground, feeling her heart racing as she watched for signs that it worked. Ithadto work.

After several seconds, Emma weakly waved her away. “Take it out. It’s done.”

Regan carefully did so, her hands holding steady until she dropped the EpiPen to the floor beside her. Only then did she start uncontrollably shaking, gasping for breaths, herself.

“Are you okay?” She sat up on her knees, reaching out to take Emma’s hands in her own, squeezing intently. “You seem like you’re breathing better. You’re better?”

Emma’s head was bowed, and she was covered in a cold sweat, but she nodded. “It worked,” she confirmed quietly. “But I still need to go to the ER.”

The nurse that had been tending to Emma since they’d arrived at the hospital three hours ago gave them both a small smile after she checked the nearly empty bags on an IV drip into Emma’s arm. “Everything looks good here. Doctor Allen will be in to see you again soon, but then you’ll be ready for discharge.”

Emma nodded before readjusting her head on her pillow and closing her eyes. “Thanks,” she whispered, sounding completely wrung out.

“Thank yousomuch, Sarita,” Regan effused, finally feeling her own heart return to normal after getting that confirmation that everything really would be okay. She’d been on edge forhours, watching Emma for any sign of distress.

Emma hadn’t seemed to enjoy it, but she’d also seemed to not have the energy to argue. Regan would take it.

They’d arrived via ambulance, so they’d thankfully been taken right back to a room. Since then, Emma had gotten all of her vitals checked several times, she’d been administered more epinephrine, and, in the last hour, she’d had both intravenous fluids and steroids.

But she’d been stable for the last two hours and was looking entirely normal, and Regan could have absolutelymeltedfrom relief. Honestly, she’d already cried several times, much to Emma’s chagrin.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I’msosorry,” she apologized, her throat tight with emotion.

She’d been entirely responsible for this, and that bore heavily down on her. Every time she looked at Emma, whose cheeks had alternated between having an alarmingly ghostly pallor to abnormally pink hues, she’d felt her insides churn so much that she was glad she hadn’t had time to eat anything at dinner, or it would have already made a reappearance.She’ddone this.

They hadn’t exchanged many words in the last few hours, which was fair. But given that Emma was cleared now, it finally felt like the appropriate time to really apologize. And Regan wasburstingwith remorse.

“So, killing me wasn’t part of your plan tonight?” Emma asked, her eyes still closed as she laid her head back.

Regan wasn’t sure if she was joking, but she gasped at the question anyway.

“No! God! What a terrible way to go about doing that. I’d be the only suspect!”

Emma blinked her eyes open, then and nailed Regan with an unamused look. Okay, apparently, Emmahadn’tbeen joking.

Sobering, Regan intently shook her head. “No. I promise you, I hadnoidea that you were allergic to almonds! I made sure thatI didn’t use peanuts because that’s what you’re allergic to. So I thought, anyway,” she mumbled, dropping her head down as she silently berated herself.

“Iam,” Emma confirmed, turning her head completely to look at Regan. Truthfully, she was kind of relieved to see that angry fire back; she’d take any sign of normal Emma right about now. “I’m allergic to peanuts andall tree nuts.”

Contrite, Regan grasped at Emma’s hospital sheet; she was fairly certain Emma wouldn’t be receptive to Regan holding her hand for comfort. But, damn,Regancould really use the comfort. “Now that I know, I swear, I will rid the house of everything–”

“Did you even read the roommate contract I sent you when we decided to live together? That you agreed to?” Emma’s irritation was clear, and Regan couldn’t begrudge her that in this moment.

Guiltily, Regan shifted in her chair. “Um. Well. Not theentirething,” she hedged before her desperation got the best of her. “Emma, the contract was over six pages long, single-spaced!”

“Well, excuse me for thinking you could read at a second-grade level. I guess thatwasmy mistake,” Emma snapped.

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