Page 103 of Play With Me
“I wouldn’t say that he does this to himself, per se. And he’s never been out cold like this.” He swallows roughly and then shakes his head. “Anyway, I’ll make sure to bring your stuff to you. Will personally deliver it tomorrow. Don’t worry, I have his address. Now you better go. They must have given him strong stuff.”
With that, I move, hustling to the driver’s seat and slipping inside. I put the car in drive and squeal out of the driveway. As I speed down the road, I put the nearest hospital into my phone. It’s twenty minutes away. An eternity away.
My phone rings, and I answer it as I pull onto the freeway.
“Hey,” Maya says. “I saw it all. I have it all on video. I’m backing it up now.”
That spikes my adrenaline, my body almost trembling with it. “You even got what Dex said?”
“Yep, got the audio. Colton’s phone was still recording. Now, tell me what hospital you’re headed to. We’ll be there in a bit.”
I don’t even bother telling her not to. I just rattle off the name and push down harder on the accelerator. When I arrive at the hospital, I pull up to the emergency entrance and nearly stumble out of the car, pulling Colton into my arms and rushing inside. I’m met by a few nurses who look composed, each speaking to me with clarity and purpose, asking me urgent questions andresponding with clear answers. It’s the first bit of truth I’ve heard in what feels like years, and it’s such a relief.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice cracking.
“It’s okay, honey. We got him.” And with those words, I allow myself to break down. To cry. To let it all out.
One pats me on the shoulder as I watch two nurses maneuver him onto a gurney and wheel him back. I’m left to stand there, trying to explain it all to the nurse who stays behind. All of it comes out muttered and mostly incoherent between hiccups and tears. I describe the pill, telling her he was drugged. The nurse nods, taking it all down before walking briskly down the hall. I sink into a plastic chair in the lobby and stare at the floor, my knee bouncing erratically, for what feels like eons, when Desiree and my mom appear.
They’re frazzled, still wearing their pajamas, but the sight of them is so welcome that the tears come all over again. My mom gathers me in her arms as Desiree rubs my back.
I explain it all, everything I witnessed, everything I saw Colton endure. As each word slips out, I feel sick once more.
“Oh, Myles. That’s awful, but next time, you tell me. Don’t keep something so big from me. You have a mother for a reason. I’m here to protect you and him. He’s your partner,” my mom says, handing me an antacid. I chew on it, hoping it helps keep the bile down.
Hailey appears a few minutes later, and then Maya an hour after that, and we all sit together in the waiting room, my legs jiggling with anxiety as I wait for the doctor to come out and tell me he’s awake, that I can see him.
It doesn’t happen quickly enough, though.
Hours pass, my feet carrying me to and from the vending machine, gulping down cans of ginger ale while the minutes tick down. When a doctor finally appears, I stand up so quickly, I grow light-headed.
“For Colton Cavanaugh?” the doctor asks, a younger man with black hair and blue eyes. He looks put together and collected. Exactly what I need right now.
“Yes.”
“You family?”
My mom doesn’t hesitate. “Yes. I’m his mother.”
She whispersin-lawright after, but I hear it.
“It’s all good news. He’s resting now and doing very well. We had to pump his stomach and we did a blood test. The drug he was given was ketamine. A high dose, it seems.”
“Shit.”
Maya is clicking away on her phone and then gasps. “Not detected on a normal drug test. Shit.”
The doctor nods, meeting Maya’s gaze. He looks intrigued, but then shrinks back slightly when she purses her lips.
“I’m going to eviscerate that man. Pull his balls out through his mouth,” she spits.
The doctor’s eyes widen, and he lets out a small laugh. “Excuse me. It’s been a long night, and I wasn’t expecting that.”
Maya’s eyes twinkle, and she shrugs. “Sorry. But it’s the truth.”
“I won’t ask,” he responds and then turns toward me. “Would you like to see him?”
I nod so eagerly that my teeth rattle in my skull.
