Page 73 of Steeling Her
“Okay, okay! Calm down! Erm, how long has she been like this?” she asks me, and I rack my brain, thinking how long she’s felt this way.
“Well, she’s been tired for the past week, but it only got really bad in the past few days.” Danielle rushes back into the room and places the towel on her forehead, her eyes wide and her body shaking. Danielle has now lost the color on her face, and it looks like she’s going to collapse any minute now.
“Okay, Nick, I need you to listen to me. If she’s not waking up, you need to get an ambulance for her. NOW!” I hang up and dial 911.
“Is she going to be alright, Nick?” Danielle stares at her while she asks me. Her once confident figure is hunched and shaking uncontrollably as she stares at her washed out roommate lying next to me.
“I don’t know, Danielle.” I’m shaking as I watch the girl who was just beside me lay unconscious as her face turns nearly blue.
“Nine one one, what’s your emergency?” That was the last thing I heard before I zoned out with shock. The next moment, I see a man and a woman in paramedic uniforms racing into the room and pulling me away from her. I watch them check her pulse and lay her on her back to check on her airways. I feel my heart pumping at the sight of her. I run my hands through my hair out of stress, hoping she’s alright.
“Sir, what’s her name?” the female paramedic asks me.
“Carter Steel . . . Is she going to be alright?” I ask one of the paramedics, hoping they could answer me.
“We’re not sure, she’s not responding. We need to have her checked at the hospital.” the male paramedic responds. I nod and see Danielle on the verge of crying. I rush to comfort her. “Are her parents nearby?” the male paramedic calmly asks me. I shake my head.
“They’re in New York—”
“I can call them.” Danielle’s voice is shaky and she notices it toward the end, so she clears her throat. She nods, and they carry her down the hallway on a stretcher. I put my shoes back on and rush out behind them.
“What hospital are you bringing her to?” I question and the female shouts up the crowded stairs to tell me where I need to go. I rush back to the room and grab Danielle’s hand, pulling her down the stairs and through the crowd, who are whispering and gossiping about what just happened. I rush out of the dorm building, and see the blue and red lights attract our attention. I then see TJ jogging over to me.
“Yo! Who’s the ambulance for?” he asks nonchalantly but I’m about to give him a wake up call.
“Carter, she didn’t wake up,” I respond quickly.
“What? Fuck! Are you serious?” he replies in shock.
“I’m hardly fucking joking, TJ!” I boom back at him and he flinches at my sudden outburst. I make my way to my car with Danielle. The anxiety is getting to me. Not knowing if she’s going to be okay is freaking me out. Everything is happening too fast right now and I’m processing none of it. The look on her face when she was just lying in bed tore me in half.
I can’t lose her.
“Nick,” Danielle whispers beside me and rests her hand on my arm and I face TJ who looks worried too.
“I’m sorry. I-I’m just worried, TJ. I need to see if she’s okay. You didn’t see how she looked . . .Listen, you get Haley and meet us at Baptist Memorial North!” He nods and pats my shoulder before jogging away. I watch his figure leave and see Maya standing there with shocked look on her face in the crowd that has gathered outside. I don’t have time for her, I need to see if Carter is alright. “Hop in,” I order Danielle, who is still in a daze. “Do you have her parents’ number? I can call them if you want?” She nods and scrolls through her phone, looking for a number. She calls it and I take her phone and hold it with one hand. I put it on speaker. If I’m caught doing this by the cops, I’m so screwed.
“Hello, Elaine Steel speaking,” her mom answers and I sigh in relief that she didn’t give me Carter’s father’s number.
“Hi, Mrs. Steel? It’s Nick and Danielle here!” I begin.
“Oh, hi there! How are you both?” Her sweet voice soothes me, just like Carter’s. I have to tell her now. I hate to break her heart, but she needs to know what just happened.
“Um, well, see, I’m calling you because Carter has been rushed to hospital right now—”
“Oh my God! What happened? Is she alright?” I can hear her fumbling around in the background down the line.
“We tried to wake her up because she wasn’t feeling well, but she wouldn’t wake up so I had to call an ambulance. She’s on her way to Baptist Memorial now!” I can hear the sniffles and panic set in.
“Oh no, my poor baby . . .” I can hear her start to cry. I feel bad that she’s so far away from her daughter. I know if it was Haley or me in a similar situation, my mom would also be panicking. “I’m booking a flight. I should be there by morning! I’ve got to call her brothers and her dad!”
“I will call you if there’s any update on her, but I doubt they’d tell us since we’re not part of her family . . . but you can call the hospital yourself if you can. We’re on our way now to keep her company if she wakes up. I’ll look after her, Mrs. Steel,” I promise her. I’ll be there for her daughter until and after she arrives at the hospital.
“Alright, thank you both for calling me! I’ve got to go and tell the others! Text me updates if you find out anything! Please look after my baby!” She hangs up before I could reply. She’s means a lot to me; a lot more than she thinks.
I speed down the street, heading to the hospital. I’m not sure how long it took us, but we’ve arrived and I park up in the nearest spot. Both of us hop out of the car and make a break for the hospital entrance. Seeing the reception, I run over and breathlessly say, “Carter Steel, she should’ve been brought in a few moments ago?” The young woman looks at me in a daze. Her smile comes out and she starts to compliment me.
“Listen here, lady, my friend is seriously sick, and we need to know where the fuck she is. Now, are you going to tell us and stop flirting with him or do I have to ask someone else for help?” Danielle barks at her and the receptionist glares at her. But if she wasn’t going to say it, I was. I need to find Carter.
