Page 41 of Hold the Pickle
“Oh, God. I should have slowed her down.” Camryn starts crying.
Max wraps an arm around her. “She’s a grown woman capable of choosing her drinks.”
Nadia lurches up. “I’m going to throw up again.”
“On your side so you won’t aspirate,” I tell her. “You’re too weak to get up.” I pull her hair out of the way.
She coughs and heaves, but nothing comes out. She’s gotten it out.
“Jesus Christ.” Max turns around. “Where is the fucking ambulance?”
But I hear the terse instructions. “Move aside, please. Let us through.”
That’s the paramedics.
“Back up. Let them get her loaded,” I say. I slide Nadia to her back again.
Max, Camryn, and I move aside as the two men enter the bathroom.
“Dr. Murphy?” one says. I recognize him from the ER. He came in a couple of hours ago with a heart attack patient.
“I’m her roommate,” I say. “She called me.”
“What happened?”
The other one kneels beside Nadia to take her vitals.
“Looks like regular alcohol poisoning. No definitive sign of toxins, but I’m sure they’ll run a panel to be sure. She called me. It took me a good ten minutes to get here.”
The other man stands. “Let’s get her loaded.” He turns to me. “You coming with us?”
I glance over at Max.
Camryn takes his arm. “Let him go, Max. He’s a doctor. We can follow.”
Max nods.
They load Nadia onto the stretcher and strap her in. When they lift her, her eyes flutter open. “Dalton?”
She asked for me.
I throw my shirt back on. I’ve had worse on it in the ER. “I’m here. You’re all right, Nadia. We’ve got you.”
“Dalton?” Nadia asks again. Now she’s confused. “Where’s Max and Cam?”
Okay, so she maybe didn’t mean to call me.
“We’re here,” Camryn says with a cry. “Nadia!”
“I’m okay,” she says. “I think it was bad tequila.”
“We’re taking you to the hospital,” the paramedic says.
“Okay.” Nadia closes her eyes. “I might throw up again.”
“We’ll take care of you,” I tell her. “Don’t worry.”
She reaches out for me, and I take her hand.
