The official diagnosis: allergic to shellfish.
Unofficially: I was tired of almost dying.
The second Eddie carried me into the ER, a team of people surrounded me, some of them I recognized. I was swept away on a gurney, and Eddie was forcibly told to stay back while they stabilized my condition.
How was I supposed to feel stable when he wasn’t right beside me?
I’d been out of it; I still slightly was. My vision was going dark; my lungs refused to expand. My tongue felt as if it had grown about ten sizes, and my skin was on fire.
But someone tried to kill me. And I wasn’t talking about the lobster roll.
Actually, okay, they hadn’t tried to kill me. They just stood over me and literally wished I would die. Also, they were angry I cut my hair.
Maybe I was delirious, because that seemed outrageous, even for me.
Who cares if I cut my hair? If they couldn’t be bothered to tell me my own name, then they certainly had no say in how I styled the hair on my head.
I tried to tell everyone in the room with me, but every time I tried to pull the oxygen mask away, they would push it back into place.
Exhaustion grabbed hold of me. The adrenaline and fight inside my limbs started to wane, leaving behind someone more lethargic and slow thinking.
I got another IV, a shot, a breathing treatment, and eventually was wheeled into a private room.
Nurse Ellen bustled in and tsked at me. “Didn’t plan on seeing you back this soon,” she said, patting me on the hand.
Tears welled in my eyes.
“Oh, hush now. It’s all gonna be all right. You’ll be out of here in the morning.”
I glanced at the door, silently asking for Eddie.
“I’ll see if I can find him. The doctors gave him a good talking to and told him to stay out.”
I shook my head.
Nurse Ellen laughed. “I know. I’ll find him. You’re stable now, so the doctors won’t complain.”
Before she could go anywhere, I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.
She smiled. “You’re welcome, honey.”
The slow, methodic beeping of the machine beside the bed lulled me into a sort of sleepy trance. I wondered where Eddie was and if he was okay after everything that happened.
There was something I needed to tell him… but I couldn’t quite recall what.
My eyes grew heavier and heavier until they drifted closed and I fell asleep.
The feeling of not being alone crept over me, disturbing the sleep I found. Eyes still closed, body still heavy with sleep, awareness washed over me in the form of something or someone hovering over me. Goose bumps broke out along my arms and tingles of awareness flowed down my spine, causing my toes to curl beneath the blankets.
I lay still, fighting the urge to jerk upright out of terror. All my effort went to breathing naturally, something that was made a little easier because the oxygen mask was still over my face.
I knew it wasn’t a nurse or doctor. They wouldn’t just stand over me so creepily. They wouldn’t practically hum with nefarious intent. It wasn’t Eddie either. Even though he was at times very intense, he never scared me. He never just lurked over me without saying a word.
Recalling what happened earlier today, the person who’d been there during my allergic reaction, my body involuntarily stiffened.
Immediately, the mask was snatched off my face, yanking some of my hair with it. I cried out, reaching for the spot on my scalp that stung. My eyes flew open, caught a flash of dark fabric, and anger stole over me.
Why couldn’t I ever see their face? Why did they keep coming back? What in the hell was going on?
My hand shot out to grab the cloak concealing their identity, but my arm was instantly knocked away. A strong arm held my hand down, and I struggled, bringing my other hand up to shove them away.
“No!” I yelled.
A thick, white cloth appeared in the person’s hand, the strong smell of some putrid chemical hitting my nose, and they rammed me back against the pillow.
“Help!” I screamed.
The person brought the rag down to my face, trying to cover my nose and mouth, but I twisted, rolled away, and fell off the bed.
Jumping to my feet, I braced myself, feet wide apart, ready to fight. I felt woozy from everything that happened earlier, my throat still slightly tight, but I shoved it all back.
We stood with the bed between us, effectively creating a barrier. I expected them to leap over the mattress or rush around. But they didn’t move. Instead, they just stood there, head down so the cloak concealed their face, the rag clutched in their hand.
I was shocked to realize they weren’t much taller than me. Not nearly as big as I’d thought before. I couldn’t make out the size or shape of their body because the stupid cloak was gigantic, covering them like a tarp.
“What do you want?” I demanded, my heart pounding relentlessly.
The person lifted their arm, pointing at me with a gloved hand and arm. They said nothing, just stood and pointed.
I think that single act was creepier than them trying to drug me with a chemical-drenched cloth. I jolted into action and started around the bed to run for the door. To get out of there, to get some help!
The person shoved the bed into me, the mattress swinging inward. I fell back, screaming, grappling for something to break my fall, and caught hold of the curtain that hung around the bed. I dragged it down with me. The popping sounds it made coming unhooked from the track in the ceiling were so loud they were like gunshots.
“Help me!” I screamed again, getting tangled in the fabric.
“Amnesia?” someone yelled. “Call security!”
Out in the hall, another voice shouted, “Stop right there!
After fighting off the curtain, I clambered to my feet.
Mary Beth was there helping me up, steadying me. “Oh my gosh, what happened?” she asked.
“Someone tried to drug me,” I said, glancing wildly around the room. But the person was gone. The only thing they left behind was the tinge in the air of whatever they were trying to poison me with.
“Chloroform,” Mary Beth said, making a face. “I’d know that awful scent anywhere.”
“Amnesia!” Ellen exclaimed, rushing into the room. “Are you all right?”
“Did you see them? Did anyone see?” I asked desperately.
“I did,” Ellen said sagely. “I saw them run down the hall, all covered in black.”
I sagged in relief.
Mary Beth put her arm out to steady me. “Back to bed,” she told me, steering me toward the crooked bed.
“I’ll call the police,” Ellen said, rushing from the room.
Tears fell down my cheeks and trembles overtook my body.
“What can I get for you?” Mary Beth asked, concern in her voice.
“I want Eddie,” I wailed.
Where the hell was he?