by Molly Bryant
I heard Vanessa clear her throat so I looked at her, she was still leaning into Jordan with eyes still on Karen. It's bugging her, exactly the reaction I wanted to see. So can you guess what I do next? I placed kisses on the back of Karen's hand, Vanessa cleared her throat again. I smiled.
“Are you guys ready to order?” I hadn't even noticed that the waiter had approached. He was ready with a pen and paper in hand.
Vanessa looked at all of us and nods to the waiter. “Si, penso di si,” she smiled.
“Fabulous, we will start with you, misses...” he bowed towards Vanessa.
Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal except for me as I took the liberty of ordering myself the 'Buridda' as it sounded something like a burrito. Little did I know, it was fish...I mean, don't get me wrong, the dish was delicious. However, I'm highly allergic to fish.
Jordan was going off about the water wall is Vanessa's lobby, how he had designed it and what not when my throat starts to itch. I coughed once, twice, and it becomes nearly uncontrollable the third time. I took a drink of water, it seemed to help for the moment.
“Ben, are you okay?” Vanessa reached across the table and touched my arm soothingly.
I nodded. “I'm fine,” I looked at Karen who was bumping her gums about the serenity of waterfalls while looking at me from the corner of her eye.
I coughed again and my tongue started to feel a little funny. I took another sip of water, Vanessa jumped in her seat as I coughed again.
“You know, waterfalls help with health and relaxation...” Karen stated.
I continued to cough, my tongue and lips started to itch like crazy. I took another sip of water to find that it is now of no help. My tongue was aching to be itched so I grabbed my napkin, opened my mouth and went to town, itching it like crazy.
“Ben, what are you doing?” Karen whispered.
“Oh my God, his lips are huge!” Jordan pointed.
I looked at him then at Vanessa who gasped as I pulled the napkin away from my mouth.
“Your face is swelling! Ben!” she exasperated as she stood from her chair rushing over to me.
“I'm fine,” I said in a muffled tone due to my swollen tongue.
“You're not fine, what was it you ate?” Vanessa asked.
“Bu-wee-duh,” I answered funny.
“O-okay... uh, um,” She stuttered as she though about it, she rubbed my back trying to soothe me. “Buridda?”
I nodded my head quickly, my tongue was burning so bad. “Yesh,” I answered.
“That's fish,” she furrowed her brows, the hand on my back paused. “Are you allergic to fish, Ben?” she asked, continuing to rub my back.
At this point I wanted to rip my fucking tongue out of my mouth, I just nodded. Screw speaking...
“Oh, my...” She flinched as I looked up at her. “Come on, Ben, let's go. We have to get you to a hospital,” Vanessa said calmly as she placed her hands under my arms trying to rise me from my chair.
I stood up. “Scusi, cameriere!” Vanessa yelled. Our waiter came rushing toward our table.
Please not all of this, just let's go... I thought.
“Miss?” Our waiter was right at Vanessa's side.
“Ben, do you think we can make it if I drive or should we call an ambulance?”
I can't answer as I am now wheezing, I felt my throat closing in. I nod... Yes! Call an ambulance!
“You want me to drive you? Okay...” Vanessa frantically nods ignoring the waiter standing beside us completely oblivious to what is happening.
“Mm, mm, mm!” No, no, no! I shook my head fervidly as I wheezed.
As Vanessa dragged my near lifeless body out of the restaurant, I can hear Jordan and Karen say they will call us later. Kiss my ass!
“It's okay, Ben, we will get you help,” I did the best I could standing to my feet as she opened the car door. I fell into the front seat gasping for air. Please, Vanessa... go! I blinked rapidly as I sat up choking for air.
She gassed it. I could hear several horns honking as Vanessa repeatedly yells, “Sorry!”, and “Screw you, man dyin' here!” as she sped through Manhattan.
I finally decided that it was better to lay back instead of struggling, so I lay my head upon the head rest.
“Ben?” she frantically smacked her hand onto my chest.
I raised my hand asking her to stop, I shook my head 'no'. Just get me there and stop hitting me for Christ sakes!
“Don't die on me, Benjamin...” I could hear the quivering behind Vanessa's every word.
I stopped struggling to breath for a moment and watched her nearly fall apart. Should I use this to my advantage? Or is that too harsh? I closed my eyes although I was still very aware of what was going on around me.
“This double date was such a stupid idea,” she sniffed. “This stupid article,” she sobbed.
Okay... and? Keep talking, Vanessa...
She smacked my chest again and I whimpered. “Hang on, Ben, we're almost there...”
More long honks, and taps of the horn- Beep.
“I didn't want to go to dinner with Jordan, I mean... I like him, he's handsome, nice, a-and sexy but... I only did it because I have to,” she cried.
Why didn't you want to go to dinner with Jordan? He's handsome, nice, and sexy, but what?!
“Geez, Ben... I called maria when I was supposed to be sick, but I wasn't,”
My breathing had become more shallow. At first I closed my eyes to see what I could get out of Vanessa's panicky state, but I was near anxiety mode, I couldn't open my eyes.
I felt Vanessa's hand on mine, she squeezed it tightly. “It was wrong of me to lie, I wasn't sick... I just wanted to change, I wanted to make you want me,” she sobbed. “I wanted to make you want me because-”
Yup, you all guessed it, at the utmost importance of what Vanessa was about to say, I blacked out from lack of oxygen.
Well, isn't karma a bitch?
Chapter Seven: Dr. Love
I pulled up to the medical center and hopped out of the car. I ran to the passenger side to an unconscious Ben with very shallow breathing. His face was swollen beyond recognition, I turned hysterical.
“Hang in there, Ben,” I grunted and sobbed as I placed my hands under his arms then pulled him out of the car. His feet fell to the asphalt with a thud. I kicked the door closed with my silver heel as hard as I could then dragged his heavy, near lifeless body into the emergency room.
“Help!” I sobbed as I entered the automatic doors. “He’s barely breathing,”
No response, so I turned my head to see the waiting room was packed with people; some bleeding profusely, some sneezing, and some in wheelchairs with blankets draped on their legs.
“Somebody help us, please!” I said louder as I cried. “He can’t breathe!”
I heard the receptionist from behind me pick up her phone then call for help. My arms were going numb, a thousand prickles of needles coursed through my fingers. I gently lay Ben onto the white linoleum as two nurses and a doctor came rushing to his side.
“What happened?” the tan-skinned doctor with short black hair and blue eyes said as he listened to Ben’s breathing.
“He ate fish,” I sobbed.
“Get me a gurney, now,” he placed his hands under Ben’s arms. “He’s having a severe allergic reaction with respiratory distress,”
The small-framed blonde nurse ran into the room closest to the reception desk and within seconds was back with a black, padded bed with a white fitted sheet draped across that barely fit. With the doctors’ hands under Ben’s arms, the pudgy red headed nurse with her hands under his back, and the blonde with her hands under his ankles, they lifted him onto the gurney. I ran behind them as they wheeled him into a room.
“Epi,” the doctor demanded as he and the blonde hooked Ben up to check his vitals. The doctor unbuttoned the wrist of Ben’s dress shirt, ripping it up the arm to expose his shoulder.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked, my
hands were shaking.
“He will be fine, we just have to give him an Epi-shot, a steroid, and some Benadryl,” he smiled at me.
Oh, my… dimples.
“Dr. Roberts,” the red headed nurse said breathlessly as she rushed back into the room with a shot.
“This will just take a few moments to kick in,” he jabbed the needle into Ben’s shoulder. I winced then wrapped my arms around me for comfort.
“Some Prednisone, and Benadryl please, Natasha,”
“Yes, sir,” the blonde nurse smiled at Dr. Roberts. I heard the heart monitor start to beep rapidly.
“It’s working already,” he smiled at me reassuringly. The blonde nurse- Natasha- was back with the other shots. With a shot in both hands he jabbed Ben’s shoulder again. I turned my head.
I could see Ben’s chest rising higher with every breath. Thank you, God! I thought he was going to die.
“You would think with an allergy this bad he would be carrying an Epipen,” Dr. Roberts laughed slightly.
“You would think so,” I glared down at Ben.
“He will be back to normal here in a few minutes. But the swelling will go down gradually within the next few hours to a day or so,” he sighed. “I’m going to give him a prescription for an Epipen in case this were to happen again, a few doses of steroids and a higher milligram dosage of Benadryl to take which should help get the swelling down.”
“Thank you so much,” I smiled.
“Your boyfriend will be just fine,” he jotted down some info on a piece of paper. “Registration will be in here shortly to ask a few questions,”
“Oh, but um…” I shook my head. “He’s not my boyfriend,”
“Oh?” Dr. Roberts looked at me with a sly-sexy smirk.
“Yeah, no… he’s not,” I chuckled. Ben my boyfriend? Highly unlikely.
“I’m Chase,” he held his hand out to me. “Chase Roberts,”
“Vanessa Montello,” I shook his hand. Hm… Not too soft of a shake, but not too strong to tell me that he is a control freak. It was just enough to let me know that he is confident. I smiled.
“Ah, the infamous Miss. Montello from Glow,” Chase winked.
“Guilty,” I laughed. Ah, crap… again, this could be a good thing or a bad thing.
“You caused my sister to divorce back in 2010,” he gave me a skeptical look. His blue eyes were burning a hole through my retinas.
FAIL…
“Oh, I-” I dropped his hand. “I’m so sorry,”
How uncomfortable is this?! I mean, come on!
“I’m kidding! Her marriage was doomed from ‘can I get you’re number’,” he laughed.
I relaxed with a sigh placing my hand on my heart.
“It’s fine, you actually helped her see what a dirt-bag he was,” Chase placed his hand on my shoulder. “She would possibly have a heart attack if she knew you were here in my department. She thinks you’re brilliant.”
“I don’t know about brilliant,” I blushed.
He just stared at me with a thoughtful look upon his handsome face.
“What?” I asked him with a smile.
“Why don’t we go out sometime,” he suggested. Dr. Hot Stuff is asking me out? Yes! Yes!
“Possibly,” I played casual.
“Here,” he wrote his number down. “You decide and text me when you come to a decision,”
“Okay,” I smiled taking his number, I put it in my clutch.
An older woman with shoulder length silver hair and brown corduroys walked into the room with a mobile computer on a cart.
“I’ll let registration take over,” he sighed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on your friend.”
“Thank you,” I said sweetly as I took a seat in the chair next to Ben’s gurney.
Since I know nothing about Ben really, it was a tedious task rolling him over and holding his back with my shoulder as I dug his wallet from his back pocket.
“Just one second,” I grunted as I pushed him harder with my shoulder.
“Sorry,” I dug into his pocket. Ooop- there goes a nail.
“It’s okay, take your time,” she watched patiently.
“Here you go,” I handed the registration lady his black-Gucci wallet.
“Thank you,” she took his drivers license out and ran it through a scanner.
“Do you know his phone number?” she asked.
I scrolled through my contacts and gave it to her, she typed away adding it to the computer.
“Insurance?” she looked at me.
“If he has any, which I’m sure he does, it should be there in his wallet.” I smiled. She found his insurance card and added in the information.
“Thank you,” she handed me Ben’s wallet.
“You’re welcome,” I threw the wallet in my clutch.
She moved the curtain then wheeled her computer out of the room backwards. I stared at her brown corduroys and slightly laugh. I will never be like that when I get older.
I looked over at a sleeping Ben. He looked so peaceful and well, swollen. I smirked. I was so scared when he nearly stopped breathing, I thought he was going to die.
I stood up taking a few steps to his bedside. I grabbed Ben’s hand holding it tightly as I ran my fingers through his hair with the other. Poor, Benjamin. To be honest, he is kind of growing on me. I felt a little pang in my stomach when I saw him all over Karen. It really shouldn’t have mattered to me either way which I found odd that it did.
I leaned down slowly, letting my lips hover centimeters from his forehead. No matter what my feelings are or what they will be for Ben, I will never let him know. I will never succumb to the disaster of relationships. I refused to become one of my readers that fell in love so easily and ended up with a broken heart. I will stay single for the rest of my life, I don’t really care.
My lips graced his soft skin, I kissed his forehead. My feelings, or whatever this is will remain a secret. My secret.
“Vanessa?” Chase pushed the curtain away.
I quickly dropped Ben’s hand making a loud clink as the bones of his hand hit the metal railing on the side of his bed. That’s going to bruise. I clenched my teeth.
“Chase,” I turned and smiled at him as he checked Ben’s vitals.
“I have a few minutes,” he shrugged. “Do you want to get some coffee? I mean, the coffee from the cafeteria here isn’t the greatest, but it suffices.” he laughed.
“I shouldn’t leave him,” I frowned.
“His vitals are great, breathing normal,” he looked at Ben then back at me. “He should sleep for another hour or so,”
“Coffee…” I thought about it for a moment. I could use some and what a better way to forget about whatever it is I am feeling for Ben than to have coffee with the sexiest doctor in all of New York?
“I’d love some coffee,”
Ben
I groaned as I felt a stabbing pain from the side of my left hand and down through my fingers.
What the hell happened to my hand? I wondered, fluttering my eyes open as I heard beeping in the background.
The smell of disinfectant burned my nose, I find myself in the emergency room. I smiled… Vanessa. Thankful that I was now breathing freely, I took a deep breath as I tried to sit up but failed miserably as I felt completely weak and slightly lightheaded. I blinked rapidly a few more times not being able to open my eyes completely. I reached my sore hand up and lightly touched my eyes, they were seriously swollen. How ridiculously embarrassing. I am such a dumb-ass leaving my Epipen on my dresser. I usually just stay the hell away from fish. Now my plan is a complete and utter failure.
“Oh, my gosh, you did?” I could hear Vanessa laughing outside of the room.
Who is she talking to?
“Yes, I did…” a guy laughed with her. I didn't recognize the voice.
I slowly sat up and turned my body so my legs were hanging off the side of the gurney. After ripping the vitals machine cords off of me, I took
a second for the dizziness to wear off before I staggered to my feet.
“Because I had mixed up the files I had told an eighty-five year old woman she was pregnant, and the seventeen year old she had high blood pressure and diabetes.” he laughed.