Page 65 of Giovanni
Even though there’s pride in my voice for her, I stop talking as I realize I’m delaying myself.
“Where did they take her?”
“Memorial Hermann.”
She steps back, a roll of paper towels and cleaning supplies next to her.
“I’m going to clean this up so she doesn’t have to when she comes home.”
I thank her and rush out of the apartment, only to skid to a stop and dash back in.
“Which Memorial Hermann?”
“Medical Center.”
I run back out, my mind a scattered mess, trying to piece together what could have caused her to pass out and lose so much blood. Did she hit her head on the floor? Hit it on the way down? I didn’t want to ask any more questions of her neighbor when I could be speeding to the hospital instead. The drive is a blur, my thoughts consumed with her. They circle in a loop, each amplifying my worry to the point I want to vomit.
Arriving at the hospital, I park haphazardly in the garage and sprint to the emergency room. The lobby is in absolute chaos, with first responders unloading patients, gurneys lining the hallway to the left, and no empty chairs in the waiting room.
The reception area is equally busy, with a line waiting to talk to the intake people. A police officer is sitting in a glass partition next to the reception area, keeping an eye on the place to ensure safety first. The moans, groans, and people in pain make me fidget with concern for her. When it’s my turn, I manage to get the attention of a nurse.
“I’m here for Kacie Yacob,” I explain, suddenly feeling out of breath with the panic compressing my lungs. “She was brought in by ambulance.”
“Are you family or related to the person in question?”
My eyes flicker to the cop beside her, who is steadily staring down a guy that high as a kite by the doorway. Having been around medicine my whole life, I know exactly what to say to get the information I want. I lay it on thick.
A cousin on her mom’s side, which explains the difference in our skin tone, comes to pick her up for dinner and finds out from her neighbor what happened. She nods, believing it when she asks for my identification to scan into her computer system before printing out a visitor badge with my name on it.
“She’s being admitted right now. They are getting her room ready while they run some tests on her. She won’t be up there for several more hours. When they have a room number assigned, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, you can have a seat if you can find one.”
She slides my identification and the badge through the cutout at the bottom of the glass and then points to the crowded waiting area.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Preparing myself for a long wait ahead in one of the busiest emergency rooms in the city, I turn to walk away when she calls my name.
“Yes?”
“She came in with these belongings.”
She hands me a clear plastic bag through the partition. Inside are Kacie’s cell phone and wallet. But as the bag bumps against the glass, Kacie’s phone screen lights up, revealing an image that shocks me.
The image on Kacie’s phone screen is a brutal punch to the gut. Jenna and I were captured in a moment that’s nothing like the truth. The angle is damning, painting me as the initiator of the kiss. My heart thunders against my ribcage, a mix of anger and panic surging through me.
Fuck
Dread and disbelief swirl inside me. This picture, so falsely representing what happened, threatens to shatter the trust and honesty I’ve built with Kacie. The newly formed relationship is on the brink of collapsing, sending me into an absolute panic.
I clutch the plastic bag tighter, feeling the edges dig into my palm. My mind races frantically, scrambling for a way to explain this and not lose the person I cherish the most.
Once a place of anxious waiting, the emergency room now feels like a suffocating cage. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights, the murmur of voices, and the occasional beep of machinery blend into the loud chaos in my head.
I pace back and forth, each step heavy and haunted. How did this picture come to exist? Who took it? And most importantly, how will I explain this to Kacie? She knew I had a crush on Jenna. Not that long ago. What will she think? Will she believe me? Believe the last week is more real to me than anything else in this world. The thought of losing her, of her looking at me with doubt and betrayal, is unbearable.
I need to act, to explain everything before this image does irreparable damage, ending us forever. But Kacie’s health is paramount. I need to be here for her, to support her through this crisis, and then, when the time is right, I’ll face this new challenge head-on. My resolve hardens. I won’t let this misunderstanding destroy what Kacie and I have. The stakes are too high, and I’m unwilling to lose her. I do the only thing I can do. Collapse on the curb outside the emergency room doors and wait.
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