by Amy Wiseman
Edible Delectables
By Amy Wiseman
Copyright 2012 Amy Wiseman
Published: July 2012
ISBN: 978-0-615-65779-0
Published by Wistful Words Press
General Editor Danielle Kornell
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Cover art by Deanne Smith
For my family and friends – your support has meant everything.
Chapter One
“Excuse me, please,” Kara apologized as she backed her chair away from the table and stood up. She could feel the light sheen of sweat forming on her brow as she quickly made her way to the bathroom, anxiety and embarrassment rising.
It was December and the city was in full holiday swing. Kara’s best friend, Evalyn McCartney, had driven out to the Wassailfest in New Braunfels, with her husband Eric and his family. They had extended the invitation to Kara as well, and while Kara adored the McCartney’s, she had given the excuse that she wasn’t feeling all that well in order to get out of going. Instead, she’d said she would just go visit with Ryan, her other close friend, and honorary brother. In reality, she was looking forward to just hanging out and drinking margaritas, while catching up with a good friend she hadn’t seen in ages, due to the recent success of her business.
Edible Delectables, Kara’s bakery, had slowly been gaining in popularity since opening its doors the year before. A booming business was what she had been striving for, but the bakery had yet to earn enough revenue for extra help. The result was limited time outside of work for friends or anything else.
Kara was determined this weekend would be different, so of course it would be that when she finally got around to calling Ryan, it turned out to be his mother’s birthday. Ryan, ever the doting son, had already planned to take his mother to dinner. Marla Wittman was a widow and Ryan made every attempt he could to keep her from being lonely. He invited Kara along, and while it wouldn’t be the same as hanging out at Ryan’s apartment getting drunk and hearing about his latest conquests, it was bound to be better than polite conversations with the McCartney’s, or worse, staying home alone. We could always hang out after dinner, Kara thought, and accepted the invitation.
One thing to remember though, Karma always gets you, even for the smallest of little white lies.
While getting ready to go out to dinner Kara had begun to feel a little off. Her side ached a bit but she didn’t think much of it, she just assumed she was probably ovulating. Her ovaries always hurt during that time of the month, and this reminded her she still needed to call her gynecologist for her yearly appointment. She’d let the time slip past her and subsequently her birth control prescription had lapsed; the lack of gentlemanly company of late didn’t help to make that doctor’s visit a priority.
Only now, just hours later, here she was in the bathroom of Andy’s Steakhouse, sweating and emptying her innards into the toilet of a public restroom, while Ryan and his mom ate their steak dinners and hers cooled at the table untouched. The pain in her side had increased into a radiating pain which intensified when she walked.
Considering she had been in the bathroom for quite awhile, dealing with growing discomfort, she was sure Ryan and his mother would begin worrying soon. Kara pulled herself to her feet; however, buttoning her jeans would be out of the question. She simply un-tucked her shirt, not caring that it was wrinkled, and left her jeans undone. Shuffling over to the sink, she washed her hands before she grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and wiped down her face. She looked into the mirror, and cringed at her reflection. Kara had never really considered herself to be stunning or beautiful, but she knew she wasn’t completely unattractive either. Her body was shapely and toned, and her auburn hair, while not all that exciting, was long, healthy and shiny. Her skin normally held a rosy tone to her cheeks, but the image she saw reflected in the mirror looked gaunt and pale. Kara swore she could actually see a green tint to her skin. She closed her eyes and willed her body to return to the dinner table.
The aroma of food hit her hard as she exited the bathroom. Ugh. Walking over to where Ryan and his mom were sitting, she quietly scooted back into their booth. Ryan looked up, raising his eyebrows at her with a questioning look.
“I’m really sorry; I’m suddenly not feeling so hot.” She looked down at her cold steak dinner and slowly pushed her plate away. She was going to need a box, there was no way she could eat it tonight - even waiting for Ryan and his mom to finish their meal was pure torture. As the seconds passed, she was regretting not driving herself to the restaurant more and more. She couldn’t ask them to hurry; after all, it was Mrs. Wittman’s birthday dinner, but good grief - could the woman please chew a little faster?! Kara momentarily considered reaching over to cut the steak for her in hopes of speeding things along. Instead, time crawled by while the pain in her side grew.
The waiter, concerned over Kara not touching her food, asked if everything was ok. She assured him the food was fine, and she would just need to pack it up and take it with her. Dutifully, the waiter obliged and quickly returned with a Styrofoam to go container and their bill.
As Ryan paid for the entire dinner, Kara finished boxing her meal to go; she’d have to remember to repay him later. Finally they were ready to leave. Kara was sure her relief was palpable and once again felt guilty for interfering with Ryan’s mother’s birthday dinner, but she pushed those feelings aside, and soon they were dropping Mrs. Wittman off. After ensuring his mother was safely inside her house, Ryan backed out of the driveway and began driving them back to his apartment. They drove in silence for a couple of minutes before Ryan turned and gave Kara a concerned look.
“You look like hell, K,” he joked, while subtly leaning further away from her. Kara noticed and grimaced. For all either of them knew whatever was making Kara sick was catching, and she was sure it was the last thing he would want to be exposed to. If she had been feeling even a tiny bit better than she was, she might have laughed seeing his finger twitch toward the button to roll down the window, obviously considering airing out the truck just in case.
“Ever the gentleman, Ryan,” Kara glared at him from the corner of her eye, as her head dropped to the headrest. He chuckled at her reply.
“Guess gossip and margaritas are out, huh?” Ryan asked, but Kara was sure he already knew her answer, even without her rolling her eyes, and he confirmed with a nod of understanding. Of course that didn’t make the situation any less disappointing.
“Sorry,” she nodded apologetically. “I think I may actually look better than I feel right now.” She let out a sigh, “I hope I don’t get you and your mom sick.” She’d feel terrible if Ryan’s mom ended up coming down with whatever this was from Kara crashing her birthday dinner. Some birthday gift, she thought.
Ryan pulled his SUV into the apartment complex and parked in his reserved spot. As Kara leaned forward to open the door, she let out a small groan. Ryan watched her closely, not missing her obvious discomfort as she climbed out of his SUV, to slowly make her way over to her van. He smiled remembering when Kara bought the mini-van. He had asked her what unmarried twenty-five year old needed a mini-van? Her reply: One that owns a bakery and has to cart tiered cakes around. Ryan had to admit, she had a point - that and surprisingly, the damn van was a smooth ride. Of course you’d have to pull his eye teeth to get him to admit that to anyone else.
“You sure you’ll be okay? Maybe you should stay he
re?” He obviously meant it as a question, his voice rising into a tell-tale squeak at the end of the sentence, and Kara knew he likely hoped she would turn him down. Knowing Ryan, he probably had a date on Saturday night, and she didn’t want to get him sick for that.
Kara smirked; she knew what he was really thinking. “Yeah, I’ll be alright, I’m just going to head home to die in peace.” She unlocked her van and gently slid behind the wheel, groaning as she buckled her seat belt. Beginning to feel nauseous, she really wanted to make it home before she hurled. However, barely five minutes into her drive she realized that wasn’t going to happen. Leaning over and digging into her purse, she felt around until her fingers grasped her cell phone. Hitting the number three, which was preprogrammed for her best friend, Kara prayed Eva would pick up. Since it was that kind of day, she got Eva’s voicemail instead.
“Hey, it’s Kara, I think I’m dying. I went to dinner with Ryan and his mom and I think I’m getting sick. Okay, I know I’m getting sick. I was thinking maybe I could come hang at your place tonight? Please? Risk contamination for me? I’m kind of freaking out; I don’t know what’s wrong and my stomach really hurts,” she pleaded, “Call me back.” Kara hung up the phone. Next she tried Eric’s number with the same result.
There was no way she’d make it back to her own apartment in her condition, and with Eva and Eric not answering, Kara decided to head for Eric’s parent’s house as it was close by. It was getting late; surely they’d be back from the Wassailfest by now. Their house was just a few miles away and Kara hoped Eva and Eric would still be with his parents visiting. If not, maybe Kara could lay down for awhile and wait for Eva to call her back.
As she pulled into the drive she almost cried with relief when she spotted the McCartney’s black Cadillac. Cringing as her side flared, she pulled herself from the car and hobbled up to the front door to ring the bell. Eric’s mom, Victoria, answered the door, her face showing obvious surprise at seeing Kara, before instantly turning concerned at the sight of her daughter-in-law’s best friend.
“Hey Vicki,” Kara said, giving the woman a quick hug as she entered the house before launching into her reason for visiting. “I was hoping Eva and Eric were back from the Wassailfest, I tried calling but it went straight to voicemail.” Kara could feel her face flush, but instead of embarrassment, she was pretty sure it was a fever causing the heat in her cheeks.
“Are you okay, Kara?” Vicki asked looking worried.
“Not really, no,” Kara answered, breathing heavily in an attempt to squelch the urge to heave that was slowly overtaking her.
“I think Eva and Eric were stopping at the store, but they shouldn’t be too long. Do you want to lie down and wait for them?”
“You have no idea how bad I want to do just that.” Kara gave a weak smile, “Seriously, thank you so much, I hate to impose on you like this.”
“Don’t be silly, Kara!” Vicki replied, her voice heavy with concern. Eric’s parents really were very nice; Kara began to feel bad about not wanting to spend the afternoon with them earlier. She would have to try and make it up to them some other day, maybe bake them something in a rich chocolate. She’d have to think on that later though; right now the pain in her stomach was consuming her thoughts. Kara made her way upstairs to the guest room and eased herself onto the bed. She wasn’t sure how long she had been lying there, shifting every few minutes trying to find a comfortable position, when Vicki popped her head in to check on her.
“Hey honey, how are you feeling?” Vicki asked, her apprehension clear. Kara hated being the focus of attention, and she hated burdening her best friend’s parents even more.
“Do you need anything?” Vicki reached over to rub Kara’s arm as Kara’s cell phone began to ring out with Peanut Butter Jelly!, Kara’s ringtone for Eva. Vicki smiled and patted Kara’s arm before quietly leaving the room andshutting the door behind her, allowing Kara privacy to answer the phone.
“Where are you?! I need you!” Kara answered the phone in a hushed, but whiney breath, not bothering with pleasantries.
“Eric and I are headed over to his parent’s house. Why? What’s wrong?” Evalyn asked, sounding suddenly worried, and Kara could hear the ding of the car door as Eva opened it.
“I’m currently lying in the McCartney’s spare bedroom dying, and waiting for you,” Kara whimpered in reply.
“You’re at Vicki and Doug’s?” Evalyn asked, confusion evident in her voice as the sound of a car engine started in the background.
“Yes. I was having dinner with Ryan and his mom for her birthday and I started getting really sick. I couldn’t make it home. My side is killing me; I think I need to go to the ER.” Kara’s voice trailed off with the last part. She knew if Eva could hear the tears in her voice, along with her willingness to prepare for a trip to the emergency room, Eva would understand something had to be wrong and hurry.
“We’ll be there in ten babe, just sit tight,” Eva assured her.
“Thanks, Eva.” Kara hung up the phone and moaned into the pillow as she gently tried to roll herself off the bed. The pain in her side flared.
~*~
The ER was busy, as it always was on a Friday night. The problem was that this Friday, they were down two residents and one attending due to the recent flu outbreak. Tonight it was going to be all hands on deck, regardless of department.
Dr. Jason Dietrich’s shift started at eight that morning and it was now closing in on ten o’clock at night. Most of the patients had the flu, or some complication resulting from having had the flu, but there were also a lot of the typical Friday night cases. Jason knew the later it got, the more they’d see of those; the drunks making bad decisions and hurting themselves or somebody else. Working in pediatrics generally spared him from these cases, but on nights like tonight it didn’t matter your department or specialty, you hit the floor running and didn’t stop until there was another doctor there to cover you. Of course, when a child came in Jason handled the case, but thankfully there weren’t many minors in the ER tonight. As much as he loved his specialty, he hated to see children suffering, especially during the flu season and this close to Christmas.
Jason was just finishing up in the bathroom when his pager once again sounded. Sighing deeply, he washed his hands and braced himself against the sink, leaning slightly to relieve the pressure on his feet. Staring at his reflection, he could see light circles under his eyes. His face was pale in contrast to his dark hair and his fatigue was clearly written in his features. He was tired, but this was nothing new to him - although lately he’d been feeling quite a bit older than his twenty-eight years. Standing up straight he stretched his arms above his head and popped his neck and back as best he could before heading back into the pit.
Chapter Two
Kara grunted as Eric helped her out of the car. The ER appeared busy. Evalyn and Eric shared a concerned look and crossed their fingers they wouldn’t have to wait too long to get called.
“Have you called Paul yet?” Evalyn asked, as they made their way inside the building. She dug in her purse for a hair band and quickly pulled her long strawberry blonde hair into a pony tail. Eric walked beside her, his arm around Kara’s midsection, trying to help ease the discomfort caused by walking. Paul was Kara’s father, her mother had passed away while Kara was in high school, and ever since her father had raised her alone He’d done a fine job and Kara had grown up happy, but he tended to overreact where Kara’s health and well-being were concerned.
“Hell no, you know how he worries. It’ll probably end up being…” Kara waved her hands in an offhanded gesture.
“Gas?” Eric snickered. Kara groaned and swatted at Eric’s arm as he and Evalyn helped ease her into the waiting room chair. Eric scrubbed his nails through his blond hair and rubbed his face vigorously. It had been a long day, and Kara knew the last thing her friends wanted was to be sitting in an ER waiting room. Kara was one of their best friends, though, and she needed them right now. She was gratef
ul as she watched him shift in his seat and get as comfortable as he could, settling in for the long haul.
“I’ll go check you in.” Kara nodded and Evalyn walked to the window at the front of the room where a receptionist sat behind the glass. As Evalyn talked to the receptionist, Kara continued to try and find a comfortable position, sitting up straight, slouching, then stretching out her legs, but nothing alleviated the pain in her side. Finally, she pulled herself from the chair and leaned with her back against the wall in obvious discomfort.
As her pain intensified over the last hour, Kara’s nausea returned. Evalyn returned with a clipboard full of forms and began asking her questions. They were still working on the forms when Evalyn’s cell phone rang.
“Hi, Vicki,” Evalyn answered, handing the clipboard off to Eric to complete then walking outside to take the call. Eric took over asking questions, but when they got to the section asking about her last menstrual cycle and whether or not she could be pregnant, he got flustered. With a huff Kara yanked the clipboard from his hands, to finish by herself.
Eric returned the completed forms to the receptionist and asked if he could get an estimate on their wait time. He was given the standard clipped reply, “This is a triage, and the most critical patients are seen first.” Nodding his head in understanding, Eric returned to Kara, looking slightly concerned that she was obviously getting worse.
After an hour of shifting, leaning and groaning Kara could take no more. Slightly hunched, she made her way to the receptionist.
“Excuse me,” Kara spoke quietly, trying to get the woman’s attention. The brown haired receptionist, whose name tag read Laura, glanced up looking slightly annoyed.
“Can I help you?” she asked, her bored voice obviously reflecting her disdain for her job.. Kara couldn’t help but think perhaps Laura was working in the wrong field. Surely, there was a small dark file room someplace in the hospital where her professionalism would be more suited.