Page 124 of Flirty Dancing

“Yes, please,” he said, letting go of Eileen’s hand and gripping Mateo’s instead as they moved back.

Caroline and James knelt next to Eileen’s small figure.

“Eileen, can you hear us?” Caroline called.

Eileen’s eyes fluttered again.

“Eileen?” Caroline gave her shoulder a shake.

Her lips moved, as if she were mumbling something, but Archer couldn’t hear any words.

Once their assessment was complete, they lifted Eileen onto the stretcher. Archer, Mateo, and Mrs. C followed the medics up the path.

Eileen’s eyes drifted open as they approached the ambulance. “Archer,” she croaked when she saw him.

“Eileen!” Archer took her hand again. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” she breathed. “I was walking up the path and…” Her voice faded and her eyes closed again.

“It’s going to be alright,” Archer said, doing his very best to keep his voice calm. “The paramedics are here, and they’re going to take you to the hospital.”

She looked so small and frail in the back of the ambulance, surrounded by medical equipment and sterile white walls. Her eyes opened again. “Will you stay with me, Archer?”

“Of course I will.” He turned to Mateo. “I’m going to go with her. I’m sorry, I know—”

Mateo cut him off. “I’m coming too.”

“What? No! Mateo, it’s the final show.”

“I don’t care. I need to be with Eileen. And you.”

“Okay.” Archer nodded, relenting. Of course Mateo would want to go. “Thank you.”

“Do you have a car?” Caroline asked.

“You can take mine,” Mrs. C offered.

“We’re going to St. Luke’s,” James told them. “If you go to registration in Emergency, they can tell you where Eileen is.”

“Okay, thank you so much. Eileen”—Archer turned back to call to her—“we’ll be at the hospital, okay?”

She didn’t reply, her eyes closed again.

It was a blur as Mrs. C handed them her keys and told them where to find her car. They ran to the staff parking lot and, breathless, Archer texted Betty from the passenger seat.Something happened to Eileen. Mateo and I are going with her to the hospital. We’re so sorry to miss the show. We know you guys can fill in the gaps.

Of course,Betty replied right away.Send Eileen our love if you can. Let us know how she’s doing, please.

I will. Love you.

Love you too.

He texted Lynn too, then didn’t remember much of the drive, only staring blankly out the window, watching the trees go by in a green smudge. At the hospital, they were directed to a waiting room and were told someone would come find them with an update once Eileen was stabilized.

Archer paced the dingy linoleum until Mateo handed him a bag of Reese’s Pieces from the vending machine. He sat and ate them in three handfuls, leg jittering.

“Are you Eileen Lamb’s friends?” A woman in a white coat with kind, tired eyes approached them.

Archer shot to his feet again. “Yes, that’s us.”

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