by Harper West
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. My hands were shaking as I tried to both dial 9-1-1 and keep an eye on him.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” said the operator on the other end.
“My... there’s a man staying in my house and he just collapsed,” I managed.
“Is he breathing?” she asked, and I reached over to check. Luckily, he was. I was pretty sure I was going to collapse if I had to do CPR. I remembered taking a course on it in school, but I didn’t remember the specifics.
“Yes.”
“Alright,” said the operator. I had no idea how she stayed so calm taking these calls all day. “What's your address?”
I rattled off the address and she promised that she would send an ambulance She stayed on the phone with me but instructed me to put it down and attend to Ricky in case something changed. I was pretty good at following directions and dropped my phone to the ground. I pulled him closer, to make sure that he was breathing, and squeezed his shoulders.
“Ricky?” I asked. “Hey, bud, are you there? Are you able to hear me?”
He didn’t answer, and my heart sunk. I was being selfish, but if he died in my house, I was quite sure that Natalie would never speak to me again
It seemed to take ages before the ambulance got there. I had to leave him lying on the floor in order to answer the door. When the paramedics finally got to him, they looked worried.
“He’s sick,” I said. “Like really badly sick. He’s dying.”
“Do you know of what?” they asked, and I shook my head.
“I don’t. He’s a friend of a... friend. I could call her, if you want?”
“It would probably be a good idea,” one said, as he started strapping wires to Ricky’s chest and hands. “We would need to know the medical history, especially if he has some sort of chronic condition. Or terminal, you said?”
“I’ll find out,” I said. “Where are you taking him?”
“Mercy General?” one said, and the other nodded. “Do you want to follow us there?”
“I do,” I said. “I’m going to call his friend to get all the answers as well.”
“Good idea,” one said as he helped his partner load Ricky onto the stretcher
Once they were gone, I considered calling John to come with me, especially if Natalie wasn't going to pick up the phone. However, I knew I should call her first, even if she ignored the call.
Once I dialed her number, it rang though the first time. I got her voicemail and I contemplated leaving her a message, but I decided to try once more. If she still didn’t answer, I would give her the details and hope that she checked her voice mail soon.
“Hello?” she finally answered on the second try, right before her phone went to voicemail.
“Natalie, it’s Reed,” I said. “I’m sorry to bother you…”
“I’m on a date, Professor Baron,” she said. “So, I can’t do any work right now.”
“No, that’s fine,” I replied, even though my heart sunk at the word date. “But it’s Ricky. They’ve just taken him to the hospital.”
“What?” she asked, and her entire tone changed. “What happened?”
“He just collapsed,” I replied. “The paramedics just left, but I said I’d call you, because I didn’t know any of his medical history. Can you help?”
“Yes, of course,” she said. “What hospital?”
“Mercy General,” I replied. “If you just want to tell me, I can tell them…. you know, if you don’t want to leave your date.”
“No, I’m coming,” she said. “I’ll meet you there.”
She hung up then and I breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t exactly the way I had hoped to get her back into my line of sight, but at least it had worked. I felt better knowing that I would see her in a few hours.
I called John as I headed to my car, and he sucked in a deep breath.
“Man, that sucks,” he said. “Do you think he’s going to be alright?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I said. “He looked pretty bad. Do you think you can meet me there?”
“I totally can,” he said. “You called Natalie already, though, right?”
“Yes,” I said. “And she’s coming too. It wasn’t the way I hoped to see her again, but…”
“Maybe it’s fate,” he said.
“Well, fate is pretty cruel,” I said, “If this is the way that we are going to see each other again.”
“Do you want me to come?” he asked, and this time, I said yes. “I’ll be right there.”
“Great,” I said. “Thanks, John.”
“I’d say anytime, but I really don’t want this to be anytime,” he replied. We said our goodbyes and then I got in the car. I wasn’t sure how this was going to play out, but I really hoped everything would be alright. Otherwise, my relationship with Natalie could go in a whole other direction entirely.
Chapter 14
John
Reed and I had always called upon each other, in various parts of our lives. We had called each other when we were happy and when we were sad, and also when we were panicked. Today, panicked was obviously top of the list.
“Hey,” I said, when I got there. “What’s going on?”
“They are working on him now,” Reed said. “He was breathing, but he wasn’t... conscious”
“What the hell happened?” I asked. “He just collapsed? Is Natalie here?”
“Yeah, he just collapsed,” I said. “No warning. I feel like I did something wrong. Natalie isn’t here yet, but I’m sure that she will be here soon.”
“Dude, I don’t think that you did anything wrong,” I said. “I’m sure they will tell you that.”
“Yeah,” he said, although he didn’t really seem like he believed me. We waited a few minutes, and then Natalie rushed in the door. Reed and I both stood up to see her, and she looked absolutely panicked.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“There’s no news yet,” Reed said. “I said that we would be waiting here when they needed the past medical history.”
“Yeah,” Natalie said. “Caitlin is just parking the car. She will be in here in a few minutes.”
“It’ll be a whole party,” I said, and she turned to me.
“Were you there?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “Reed called me, probably after he called you.”
“Oh,” she said and turned to Reed. “I’m really sorry, it must have been so scary.”
Reed gave her a funny look.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I mean, I’m glad someone was there for him.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to take care of those things,” she said. “That wasn’t the plan.”
“It’s fine,” he said, although he didn’t look fine. After a few minutes later, as promised, the doctor came out, and Natalie went to talk to him. She talked to him for several minutes, and based on the expression on the doctor’s face, I could see things were not going well.
“Oh good, she found you guys,” Caitlin said when she came in. “I was wondering whether you would be in a room somewhere.”
“Yeah,” Reed said. “Sorry, I didn’t know what else to do.”
“No, you absolutely did the right thing,” she replied. “Natalie and I are the ones that know the information. Poor Ricky.”
Natalie came back from talking to the doctor, and Caitlin touched her shoulder.
“What's up?” she asked.
‘It’s just uh... ya know,” Natalie didn’t look particularly happy. “He’s at the point where things just decline from time to time.”
“So, it isn’t serious?” Reed asked, hopefully.
“Oh no, it’s serious,” Natalie replied. “And it won’t get better. But there are things we can do to manage it.”
“Ladies, I’m so sorry,” I said, and Natalie gave Caitlin a sad smile.
“It’s OK,” she said. “I think that we were expecting it... just not so... soon.”<
br />
“What can we do?” Reed asked. “Do you all want to stay over? At least if we’re in one big house, we can do our best to be there for each other.”
“I….” Natalie paused. “Let me think about it.”
“Of course,” Reed said. “Just know that there’s nothing else in my offer... as in I have no ulterior motives.”
“Thanks,” Natalie said. “That's good to know.”
“Can we see him?” Caitlin asked, and she nodded.
“We’ll wait here,” Reed said.
“You don’t have to stay,” Natalie said. “Really…”
“We’re all in this together now,” Reed replied, and I couldn’t help but smile at him as the girls walked off.
“We’re all in this together,” I said. “That’s cute.”
“I’m just trying to be nice,” he replied, and I chuckled.
“Well, you’re succeeding,” I said. “They seem into it.”
“Really, I just... I don’t know,” he said. “I just don’t want her to be sad. Like, even if she’s not with me.”
I paused. Of course, I had been thinking of the amazing night that the three of us had together. But I guess that I didn’t realize that I had also been thinking about the fact that I kinda wanted the same thing for her.
What was this? This wasn’t normally how I felt about women. I usually just banged them and then left them. I wasn’t cruel to them, but I certainly didn’t get attached to them either.
At least, I didn’t get attached to them until I fell in love. I had been in love once before, and it had ended badly. I never told anyone about it, and I tried not to think about it, because really, it had been a scary thing that I wasn’t ready for. That was nearly 10 years ago. This was an entirely different thing.
“I…” I said. “I think I get you.”
“You do?” Reed asked in surprise.
“Yeah,” I said. “I hate to admit it, but I think I do.”
“Well,” Reed said, “We’re best friends. It makes sense that we share literally everything.”
“Literally,” I said as I watched the hallway where the girls had gone. “Do you think that Natalie knows that Caitlin and Ricky are sleeping together?”
“What?” Reed turned to me in surprise. “How do you know? You’ve seen both of them like twice, maybe, and you’ve never seen them in the same room together.”
“I just know,” I said. “I’ve been in that position often enough myself. I know what it looks like, when you are trying to hide it.”
“Why would they hide it?” Reed asked and I shrugged.
“Probably because it’s complicated,” I replied. “I mean, isn’t he grieving a dead girlfriend? And she’s supposed to be like a sister to him?”
“I guess,” Reed said and then shook his head. “I feel like we are far too old for this.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I know what you mean. But it's kind of invigorating."
“Speaking of invigorating,” Reed said. “I could use some food.”
“I’m starving too,” I said. “Let’s go and get some and then come back.”
“I don’t want to be gone too long,” he said. “Maybe we can just order something?”
“To the hospital?” I smirked. “Wow, you really do have it bad for her.”
“I just... hey, why are you teasing me? You have it bad for her too.”
“I guess,” I said. “Fine, whatever, let’s order food.”
It was nearly an hour before the girls came back, and their faces were sombre.
“Any news?” Reed asked, and Natalie shook her head.
“I think he’s going to be... asleep for a while. It’s exhausting, to just watch and know that it could be... forever.”
“It won’t be,” Reed said. “He’ll be fine. These things take time.”
“Yeah,” Natalie said, although she didn’t seem like she believed him. “That’s for the confidence boost, though.”
“Anytime,” Reed said with a grin. “Do you want to go home? John and I already ate, but I’m sure we could order food and eat again if we needed to.”
“Oh,” she replied. “Yeah, I’m starving.”
It was the first normal thing I had heard her say, and I was proud of her for saying it. Natalie was strong, but she was also the type of friend to hang around forever if you needed her.
“I think I’m actually going to stay,” Caitlin said. “I think we should take shifts.”
“Really?” Natalie asked. “I mean, that’s fine, but…”
“I would feel better if we did that,” Caitlin said. “Besides, I brought my laptop and I can get a ton of work done. I’ll call you if anything changes?”
“Sure,” Natalie said, and reached to give her a hug. “Thanks for being awesome.”
“Of course,” Caitlin said. “Thank you for letting me take the first shift.”
“Just call me if you get tired,” Natalie said. “I can take over.”
“I don’t actually have time to get tired,” Caitlin said. “Because I have 10 pages of my thesis due tomorrow for review, and I haven’t done any of it.”
“The plot thickens,” Reed said. “I won’t tell your advisor.”
“Please don’t,” Caitlin said, shaking her head. “Professor Abrams would murder me.”
“I think he’d understand, under the circumstances,” Natalie said.
“I mean, yes, he’d understand if a page or two wasn’t done,” Caitlin replied. “But the fact that all of it isn’t done is kind of a no excuse thing.”
“Yes,” Reed spoke up. “It’s true. I always wondered about students who asked for extensions at the last minute. Like, what were you doing up until now?”
“Procrastinating,” Natalie said, and Reed laughed.
“I know that’s true,” he replied. “It just... was so obvious. Like, ask a week in advance and we’ll get it done.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Natalie said, with a timid smile.
We said goodbye to Caitlin and then we headed out into the parking lot. Standing there, in between the two cars, Natalie looked torn.
“Why don’t you go with John?” Reed asked. “I don’t have a lot of food in the house, but you can stop and get whatever you want, and I can get home first?”
I realized that he wanted to clean up the mess that Ricky had likely made. I didn’t blame him for wanting to spare Natalie. I thought it was noble, and I put a light hand on her arm.
“Come on,” I said. “We’ll get McDonald’s or something comforting.”
“That actually sounds really good,” she said. “Thanks guys.”
“No problem,” I said. “I kind of want McDonald’s too, so I’m killing two birds with one stone.”
She got into my car, and I turned on the engine.
“Do you need to stop at your house for anything?” I asked her.
“I uh... maybe,” she said. “I kind of left a date to come here, so I didn’t pack an overnight bag.”
I smiled.
“Must not have been a very good date,” I answered.
“Forget me, what about you?” she asked. “You’re running this whole company. You shouldn’t have to drive me around.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “The company is a well-oiled machine. It can basically run without me.”
“But then... why are you there?” she asked.
“Basically, I set up the company so that it can run without me, and every day I go in and work on company growth. And then, when I grow a part of it and it’s running, I do another hand-off and work on something else.”
“Wow,” she said. “That’s actually... really smart.”
“Thanks,” I grinned. “You sound surprised.”
“I don’t mean to!” she said. “I guess I don’t have a lot of experience in business management, so I don't think about how these things run.”
“Yeah it took me awhile to figure it out,” I said. “For awhile, I was doing everything myself, and I w
asn’t sleeping. I basically had to learn how to trust people.”
“Yeah,” she said. “That makes sense. But how did you know that they weren’t going to sink your business?”
“I didn’t,” I said. “But I had a choice. I could play it safe and stay stagnant forever…. or I could grow and take risks. And I’d rather die than play it safe and stay in the same place forever.”
She stayed silent as we drove, picking at her skirt. I eventually picked up the conversation again.
“You don’t agree?” I asked her.
“It’s not that I don’t agree,” she said. “It’s just that I’m too much of a chicken shit to actually do something like that.”
“Nah, don’t say things like that about yourself,” I said to her. “You are brave, Natalie. You can do whatever you want.”
“Maybe,” she said as she looked out the window. “Maybe.”
Chapter 15
Natalie
I normally didn’t eat McDonald’s, but I ordered two double cheeseburgers and a large fry. It smelled amazing and I couldn’t believe that I somehow managed to wait until I got to Reed’s to eat it. It looked like it was full of calories and fat, and my figure would probably hate me in a few hours, but I didn’t care.
“Hey,” Reed said when he answered the door. He had changed into old clothes and he looked kind of adorable with his floppy hair in his face. I was so used to seeing him all dressed up that I was taken aback by his casual appearance I really liked it, I just wasn’t used to it. “That smells awesome. What?”
I realized I was staring, and I blushed.
“Sorry,” I said. “You just look... different.”
“Yeah, I had to do some cleaning,” he said. “And I didn’t want to stain my suit. Although, it wouldn’t matter. I’ve had that suit for like 10 years.”
“How is it,” I asked, as I stepped in, “That you have a billion dollars and you still have the same suit?”
He grinned.
“I guess I just don’t go clothes shopping very often,” he replied.
“That’s not really an excuse,” John said, from behind me. Both of them took off their coats and were hanging them up on the hooks. “Because you can pay people to go shopping for you. I mean, I don’t have billion dollars and I have more than one suit.”