Page 13 of Atlas
“What the fuck?” I say, looking around for what could’ve attacked her.
Janie pushes in and curses. “Fox, go find some juice. Atlas call 911 and tell them there is a diabetic going low and possibly into unconsciousness.”
I don’t hesitate as I dial the number. I put the phone on speaker as I go to my knees and pull Ren to me, she doesn’t need to pass out on a public bathroom floor. I hear her moaning something as she presses her head into my neck.
“Shhh…” I whisper into her hair, feeling completely useless as Fox rushes in with a bottle of juice.
“Ren, do you have your kit?” Janie asks while opening the bottle. Ren moans in response, giving us no indication. “Smell her breath.” Janie tells me. “Is it fruity smelling?” I try to mask my confusion as I grip Ren’s jaw and open her mouth as I inhale through my nose.
Shaking my head, I look back at Janie. “It’s not fruity.”
“She can’t talk. I’m not waiting for her to fall unconscious and the EMTs to finally show up.” Janie growls as she crawls over to me to help Ren drink. Janie curses as her hands shake too much to hold the bottle steady. Janie has Essential Tremors,a disorder that causes her body to involuntarily shake, and when she is anxious, the tremors become worse, like at this moment.
I grab the bottle and bring it to Ren’s lips who moans and moves her head. “Ren, stop it,” Janie says calmly as Ren moves again. “She’s getting confused, it’s not her fault.”
I growl in frustration as I sit her up against me so that her back is against my chest. “You’re going to drink this, either from the bottle or my mouth, so open up.” I bark out. Ren lets out a small groan, but I am able to get her to drink some. I stop when she coughs and sputters. I’m about to try again when I hear commotion outside and thank the universe when an EMT knocks on the bathroom door.
Her blood sugar was low.Very low. Too low for the juice to help. Thankfully, the EMTs were fast and able to get her sugars back up.
I stare intently at the woman who is sitting on the chair in the chapel’s lobby as the EMTs check her out. She had forgotten her kit at home. We were planning to get food after this, but the dress shopping took a little longer and things got pushed back. She hadn’t had any drinks or food: she had no monitor.
I’m so pissed off at her that I want to scream. But I’m also pissed off at myself because I know nothing about diabetes. If I had known, I could’ve stopped this from happening. I take blame for that part, and I will make damn sure it doesn’t happen again.
“Are you her husband?” I furrow my brows at the petite woman walking up to me.Husband? Oh, wait, shit, that’s right.
“Uh yeah,” I laughed awkwardly. “As of an hour ago, I guess I am.”
“She’s refusing to go to the hospital to get checked out, but her levels are increasing and she is awake and coherent now, so we cannot force her to go.” I walk past the woman towards the curvy blonde still sitting in her pretty wedding dress.
“You have to go to the hospital.” I state firmly as the other EMT grabs his bag and walks away from us.
Ren gives me a tired, uncomfortable laugh. “No, actually I don’t. I was low, I bottomed out. I’m fine now. I’ll feel crappy this weekend and be fine by Monday. When I get home, I’ll hook myself back up to my monitor and I’ll be good to go.”
“Ren, you were fading in and out of consciousness on the bathroom floor!” Is she insane? How can she not go and get checked out?
“Look,” she says calmly, as if she is trying to talk me off the edge. “I am sure that it looked scary but–”
“Yeah. It fucking did.” I snap while clenching my fist. “You have no idea how scared I was, holding your limp body while your eyes kept rolling back in your head, knowing I couldn’t help you.”
Ren’s eyes soften, and she stands up in front of me. I’m not happy that she’s standing, if it were up to me, her pretty ass would be laying in the back of that ambulance on a stretcher. She takes two steps and then leans into me, curling her arms around me and gives my torso a squeeze. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
I feel a lump in my throat and I make a noise as I try to talk around it. “It’s fine,” I somehow manage to huff out. “I would just feel better if I could at least take you to the apartment now.” Thankfully, Ren agrees to this and after we say our goodbyes to Janie and Fox, we make our short trip back to the apartment.
Once we stepout of the elevator, Ren unlocks the door and goes to step in when I stop her. “I’m supposed to carry you in, right?”
Ren lets out a loud, unexpected laugh, despite how worn out she looks. “Atlas! You can’t carry me in!” I frown, annoyed at her comment hitting me harder than it probably should. Without a second thought, I grab her arm and pull her to me before grabbing her legs and holding her against me. Her body goes tense and I can feel her nearly trying to levitate so I cannot feel her weight.
“Guess what,” I whisper in her ear and I watch the goosebumps run down her arms. Now that is fucking hot to watch. I wonder where else those goosebumps are. “You can’t fly, so I still feel you, even if you wiggle your ass out of my arms.”
“Atlas,” she breathes, and I hear the panic in her voice as her arms hold tight around my neck. “T-this isn’t funny. I could hurt you, or you could drop me.” I roll my eyes as I walk into her apartment, kicking the door shut with my foot.
“I know everyone thinks I’m an idiot,” I grumble as I set her down, easily. “But I’m not that dumb, I know how much I can hold and I know you aren’t close to it. Just because the other men in your life have been too weak to carry you, doesn’t mean I am. Maybe your problem has been you’re dating boys but you’re built for a man.”
Ren opens and closes her mouth several times, and I smile in satisfaction as I spin on my heel and prance my ass into my room to change.
“You know,”Ren says as she tapes her monitor on the back of her arm and looks in the mirror to make sure it’s secure. “I don’t think you’re an idiot.”
I frown as I look up from my tablet. I've been sitting on the couch “sketching” for a client for the last two hours, which is a lie. I have downloaded multiple audio books about type one diabetes. I am determined to know what symptoms to look for, things to have at the ready and I’m making a list of things to get after community service tomorrow. I pull out an earbud and look at her. “What?” I ask.
