He laced his fingers on top of the table and leaned forward, his clear-blue eyes intense.
“We need to talk.”
“About what?” She couldn’t even look him in the eyes.
“Are you okay? I mean, is everything all right?”
“Sure. Why?”
He started to answer, but then seemed to rethink it, and he leaned back in the chair again. He stretched out his legs and crossed his arms over his chest.
“The volleyball team’s doing well. I saw the article in this week’s paper.”
Her brain struggled to shift gears. Something wasn’t right. There were unspoken accusations in his eyes.
“Uh, yes. I guess so.”
“Sounds like Saturday’s game is a big one.”
“It is. If we win, and keep Georgia Southern’s score low enough, we’ll win the western side of the conference.”
“And host the tournament, I read.”
“Yeah. Everyone’s pretty excited.”
He began to bounce his knee up and down. “Okay. I’m just going to ask you about this. Just humor me if it sounds weird.”
She nodded.
“Has anything strange happened lately?”
“Like what?”
“Like odd phone calls or texts, something like that.”
She started to say no, but then she remembered all the hang-ups, and the email.
“There was an email that seemed strange.”
He stiffened, and his eyes widened. “Do you still have it?”
She pulled back, dread growing inside of her. “It didn’t even make sense. Probably just a prank.”
“Maybe not. What did it say?”
“I don’t remember exactly. I deleted it. Something about being careful who you play with.”
“Did you recognize the sender address?”
“No. But I think it was fake.”
He leaned his forehead down into his hand and rubbed it. Then he glanced back up at her.
“Can we go for a walk?”
She scanned the club for her friends, hoping for an escape somehow. Nothing about this felt right, and it had nothing to do with her guilt.
“Uh, well-“
“Come on. It’s too loud in here. I just need to talk to you for a minute.”
“Okay.”
She stood and followed him through all the people as they shifted and moved like schools of fish. She tried to stay right behind him, but she was definitely not putting her hands in his pockets.
Once outside, the fresh air bathed her lungs with relief. But he didn’t even seem to notice. He strode down the sidewalk like he was on a mission, and they ended up in the parking lot a couple of blocks down. He began pacing in front of her as she watched him.
“I’m worried about you,” he said. “Something’s wrong. I feel it.”
“Why are you acting like this?”
He stopped and faced her, a frown creasing the edges of his mouth.
“I got something in the mail,” he said.
“What do you mean you got something?”
“Pictures. And a note written on one of them.”
“What kind of pictures?”
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out several photos bound by a rubber band.
“See for yourself.”
She slid the rubber band off and took a look at the first photo—the one from Jackson’s senior prom. He and Lily were nestled close in a horse-drawn carriage. She recognized it from the yearbook. The next photo was one of Lily dancing with Shane at Jasmine’s the previous week. The angle of the photo made it look like they were much closer than they’d actually been. Who would be this creepy?
The last photo was the one that sent her stomach rolling. She was with Alex in the alley in Charleston, and they were kissing, his hand pushing her shirt up much higher than she’d remembered.
“Turn it over,” Jackson said.
She flipped the photo over and read the note on the back, her skin crawling as she read.
Your little flower isn’t so innocent anymore.
The world tilted beneath her feet. Who would do this? She had to get out of there. She had go back to her dorm.
“Lily?”
She looked up at him, her questions and fear reflected in his eyes. She tried to stammer out an explanation.
“I don’t, I don’t know what this is.” She took a step back. “I have to go.”
She ran back into the club, the rhythmic noise even more sickening. Her head throbbed and swam. Where was the table? She needed her keys. Where were Emily and T.J.? She searched for only a moment before giving up. She’d just call them later and tell them she’d left.
She finally found her table just as Jackson caught up to her again. He grabbed her elbow and spun her around.
“Talk to me, Lily. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know!” she yelled over the music.
“Is something going on between you and Alex?”
“What do you mean?” Her stomach swam again, and her throat ached. She wanted to claw at it, but she reached for the coke still on the table instead. It was mostly water now, but who cared? She gulped half of it down before an unfamiliar taste assaulted her.
She slammed the glass down. Emily!
“Lily!” Jackson shouted, still gripping her elbow. “The photos came from Brunswick.”
“What?”
He let go of her and stepped back just as T.J. rejoined them.
“Hey! J-Man. You look like you need a drink. Here, take this.” T.J. handed off his beer bottle, but Jackson didn’t even look at him. He just set it on the table and looked at Lily.
“Are you okay?” Jackson yelled. He seemed to be getting farther away.
“I’m just confused. Who would do this?”
He leaned down and looked her over more closely. Her lungs constricted and her stomach continued to swim.
“Come on, Lil. Who else do you know that lives in Brunswick?”
No, it couldn’t be Alex. The thought sent another wave of nausea through her, but this time her knees buckled. She put her hand on the table to steady herself, trying desperately to breathe.
“No-“
She tried to tell him it wasn’t Alex, but her tongue was cotton in her mouth. She sucked in more air, but it only hissed and trickled into her lungs. Her chest tightened even more, like an outside force was squeezing every drop of oxygen out.
“Lily?” He reached out for her and steadied her. Then realization struck them both at the same time. “Where’s your Epipen?” He gripped her shoulders, holding her up as more nausea rolled through her body.
She shook her head, unable to speak anymore. She grabbed his arm, fear spreading with her nausea. Suddenly there were two Jacksons.
Air. Breathe.
As her knees finally gave way, Jackson caught her in his arms. The last thing she heard was his voice drifting up through a tunnel. “T.J. get the door! Now! And call 911!”
Lily wheezed and her body shook as Jackson pushed his way out of the front door of the club, cradling her like a baby. Fear was about to split him wide open. He took a deep breath and focused on what he needed to do until the ambulance arrived.
Lay her down flat. Keep her still. Elevate her feet.
T.J. paced the sidewalk, giving their location to the 911 operator. Then he closed his cell phone and turned to Jackson.
“They’re on their way. What do we do now?”
“I got to lay her down.” Jackson hurried over to the edge of the sidewalk closest to the building. He leaned back against the wall and slid down until he was sitting. T.J. helped him stretch her out. “Get her feet up!”
T.J. knocked over a nearby trash can and slid it across the sidewalk, nearly tumbling over himself in the process. Jackson lifted her feet and rested them on top. She exhaled, but it sounded more like the slow leak of a punctured tire. Her cheeks and throat looked swollen, and her eyes kept opening and closing. Where was her EpiPen? He du
g into her pockets. Nothing, but he did find her keys.
“T.J., where’s her car?”
“I don’t know.”
He tossed the keys at T.J. “Go to the parking lot and find her car. Look for her EpiPen. You know what it looks like?”
“Yeah.” He sprinted away.
“Check the glove compartment!”
He leaned over and stroked the hair away from her face.
“Lily. Lily. Can you hear me?”
Her mouth opened, but there was no sound. She started to move, but he pressed his hand to her abdomen.
“Don’t move. An ambulance is coming. Just lay still. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
A scratchy noise came from her throat. She moved her lips again. His heart pounded in his ears, followed by the distant sound of sirens. Finally. If she could just hold on a little longer.
A small crowd was gathering around them, but Jackson kept his eyes on Lily. He stroked her hair and held her hand, mumbling prayers under his breath.
Her breathing grew more shallow, and her lips began to turn blue. The ambulance finally turned the corner.
“Come on Lil. Breathe.”
She sucked in another shaky gulp of air, and then stopped all together—like her throat had sealed shut. He forced her mouth open wider and covered it with his own, pushing in a breath, hoping to force it through. Nothing happened.
“I got it!” T.J. yelled as he pushed through the crowd.
Jackson swiped the EpiPen from his hand and plunged it into her thigh. An EMT knelt beside him.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Anaphylaxis. She’s not breathing.”
The EMT took over at CPR as Jackson pulled the EpiPen out. He watched her chest, waiting. The epinephrine was supposed to work immediately, but moments seemed like hours. Finally, she gasped and coughed. She inhaled a precious mouthful of oxygen, and he fell back against the wall. He closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands.
“Thank you, God,” he mumbled.
Chapter Twenty-One
October 31
Birmingham, Alabama
Jackson was sick of hospitals. Literally. Just being in the room with Lily’s shallow breathing brought back every nightmare he’d experienced at this very place, and his stomach was swimming with nausea. Her eyes fluttered for a second, and she let out a low groan.
“Lily?” He pushed her hair away from her forehead, hoping his touch might bring her back. “Come on, Lil.”
Her eyes finally opened, but they seemed to look right through him. She took another shaky breath and coughed.
“Jackson?”
He couldn’t understand why she was still so out of it. She should have been alert and back to normal by now.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Strange. My throat hurts.”
He reached for a cup of water on the table nearby and helped her raise her head for a few sips. Then she dropped her head back onto her pillow.
“What happened?” she asked.
“You had an allergic reaction to something. Do you remember getting stung?”
“No.”
“What were you drinking?”
“Usual. Coke.” She coughed again, but then her eyes widened. “It tasted funny.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought Emily had spiked it. She always jokes about it. But I don’t think-“
“Hang on a second.”
He walked over to the door and stuck his head out, catching T.J.’s eye down the hall.
“Hey, where’s Emily?”
T.J. walked toward him, his steps more even now.
“Bathroom. She’ll be right back. Lily awake yet?”
Jackson stepped back and let T.J. in the room. He grinned at her.
“You all right Lil?”
She nodded her head, but her eyes were still glossy and hollow. She blinked slowly, like she might fall asleep again.
“Ugh,” she moaned. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
That was T.J.’s cue. He slipped back into the hallway, and Jackson came back to her side.
“You need the bucket?”
“I don’t know.” She rolled her head from side to side, and the color completely drained from her face. “I just want to sleep.” Her eyes closed, and she didn’t open them again.
He reached for her hand and strummed the back with his thumb, remembering the first time they’d realized she was allergic to bees. They’d been fishing down at the creek the summer before his eighth grade year. He’d never forgotten the look of terror on her face, or the panic that raced through him when she began struggling to breathe. He’d had to carry her the last block to his house then call 911. He’d known that day, in those moments of caring for her, that they belonged to each other in some forever kind of way. Maybe he’d been too young to fully understand it, but he had loved her. He still loved her.
God, he always would.
Emily pushed open the door and peeked inside. She was still in her Cat Woman outfit, and her mascara was smeared around the edges.
“T.J. said she was awake.”
He motioned her into the room. “She was for a few minutes. But now…”
“She doesn’t look good.” She walked to the other side of the bed.
“She said her drink tasted funny, like there was something in it. Did you spike it?“
“No, no way. I mean, I know I joke around with her but I would never really do it.” She paused as realization hit them both. “But that means…”
“Someone else did.”
“Are you sure? Maybe it was something else. Maybe she’s allergic to something new.”
Jackson’s stomach tightened again. He didn’t want to believe someone could have intentionally put something harmful in Lily’s drink, but it was beginning to look like a strong possibility. He pushed himself up from the chair he’d pulled beside her bed.
“I need to take care of something. Can you stay with her for a little while?”
“Sure,” she said.
He squeezed Lily’s hand again before releasing it, and then he headed out the door with his cell phone. Maybe the police would be able to figure out what was going on.
November 1
Birmingham, Alabama
“Do you remember being at the club?”
As her dad paced beside her bed, Lily tried to answer his questions, but everything seemed to be floating up to the surface through a fog.
“What were you doing there?” He threw his hands up and finally collapsed into a chair.
“Just hanging out with Em and T.J. for Halloween. How did I end up here?”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“I hate when you go to those places, Lily. This is exactly what I’m always afraid of. Why don’t you ever listen to me?”
“Dad, what are you talking about? What happened?”
“We think someone may have put bee venom in your drink last night. Apparently you can buy the stuff in a bottle.”
“Wait a minute. Bee venom? Are you sure?”
“The doctor found antibodies in your blood. It’s the only explanation. You went into shock. If it hadn’t been for Jackson and T.J.…” He shook his head and turned to the window.
Jackson. She’d been with Jackson. The fuzziness lifted briefly, and she remembered talking to him at the club, the music pounding in her ears, and Addison slinking away from their table. He had been upset. They got up and walked out. He showed her the pictures.
The pictures.
“Dad-“
“Lily, you have got to be more careful!” The fear in his eyes sank into her, igniting her own. “You can’t just leave your drink lying around. You could have died! And you know you’re supposed to keep your Epipen on you at all times.” He shook his head. “You shouldn’t even be in places like that!”
A knock on the door startled her, and she looked over to see Alex pushin
g his head through the door.
“Okay if I come in?”
“Alex! What are you doing here?” Her heart leapt, and she nearly jumped out of the bed.
He came through the door and gave her dad a nod. Her dad stood and reached for Alex’s outstretched hand.
“Mr. Brennon. I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m Alex Walker.”
“Nice to finally meet you.”
“I wish it were under better circumstances.” Alex moved beside Lily and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. He gave her a tight smile. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. How did you know I was here?”
“I called your room this morning, and Emily told me what happened.” He lowered his chin as if to scold her. “Your dad’s right, you know. You don’t need to be in those places.”
“Can we get into that later, please? I’m still pretty confused about everything. I just want to figure out what happened.”
He looked over at her dad. “What do you know so far?”
“Nothing definitive. She said her drink tasted funny, and the doctor said there were antibodies in her blood, so it had to be bee venom. Apparently you can buy it in droplets.”
“Have you talked to the police?”
“The police?” Lily’s nerves sparked to life.
Alex looked at her like she was crazy. “Bee venom doesn’t just happen to get in your drink by accident. Someone did this to hurt you. Someone who knows you.”
Her dad crossed his arms over his chest. “The police don’t have much to go on. All they know is that she had an allergic reaction. In fact, I got the distinct feeling the cop I spoke to had better things to do.”
“Maybe I should talk to him,” Alex said.
“Would you? I’d really appreciate it.” Her dad dug into his wallet. “Here’s his card.”
Alex took it and shoved it into his own wallet. “Look, I’ll go see what I can find out. I’ll make some calls and be back in a little bit.”
“You’re leaving?” Lily asked. “You just got here.”
He leaned down and kissed her lightly across the lips.
“I won’t be gone long. I want to take care of this while your dad is here with you. Then I promise, we’ll get everything figured out. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
He straightened and nodded once again to her dad. He headed for the door, but as he reached it, Jackson pushed it open, and they almost collided. Lily’s breath caught in her throat.
Love's Providence: A Contemporary Christian Romance Page 26