Page 93 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2
Then my pocket buzzed. I grinned, wondering what Dougie was texting now and pulled it out. My eyes widened when I realized it was a call, cautious joy filled me when I sawwhowas calling.
“Jamal?” I turned from the girls, walking a few steps away. “Hi! Jamal how are-” His frantic words tumbled over each other and in minutes the room started to spin around me. I heard him, knew he was speaking but the roar building between my ears distorted his words. The intense wave of pain inside my chest disappeared as fast as it occurred, and the room kept spinning. My balance was off…but that couldn’t be right. Balance was my business. I was a ballerina. So why could I see my own reflection falling to the marble floor in the mirror? The roaring was so loud, too loud, then everything wentblack…
“Daddy!”
Matt jumped, startled at the shriek coming over the soft strains of music and the background hub of guests chatting. He turned from his conversation with Adam, frowning even as his brother asked, “Was that Nikki?”
“I don’t know.” Matt was already moving with Adam towards the sound. They pushed their way through the throngs of people and were halfway across the immense space when they spotted Stuart with Hannah on his heels. Both wore frenzied looks as they forcefully moved people out of their way.
“Daddy!”
Adam looked at Matt. “That’s Nikki.”
Then they themselves hurried through the people, catching up to their sister and her husband soon after. Nikki stood by the private entrance from the Reception into the Ballroom. Her face was pale, her blue eyes wide with fright.
“Darling, what is it? What’s wrong?” Stuart reached her first, grabbing her face between his hands as Hannah began to fuss over her.
She pulled away and gestured behind her. “It’s Madi, she fainted.”
Matt blinked once. Frozen at the sight of his other niece crouched over his wife who laid still on the marble floor.
“Poppet?” In seconds he was kneeling beside them, pulling her unconscious body into his arms and shaking her lightly. “What happened?”
Natty was visibly upset as Stuart rushed over and started taking charge.
“Let her go, Matt.” Stuart ordered brusquely. “Matthew! Bloody hell, man. Let me check her over. Natty, darling, did she hit her head in the fall?”
“I don’t know, Daddy. It h-happened so fast.”
Heart in throat, Matt reluctantly allowed Stuart to gently take her from his arms.
“What happened?” he asked hoarsely, anxiously observing Stuart check her pulse.
“She just fainted, Uncle Matt.” Natty said tearfully. A crowd was gathering around them. Natty wrung her hands as she continued. “She got a call moments ago from someone named Jamal, then she fainted.”
Stuart was carefully arranging her limp limbs into the recovery position.
“Give us some room.” Adam barked at the onlookers. The concierge began to politely herd people back.
Matt’s mind was racing. God. She wasn’t moving. He searched around the voluminous skirt of her dress. “Where’s her mobile? Damn it. Natalia! Where’s her bloody phone?”
“There.” Natty pointed a few feet away and Matt scrambled towards it.
“Hello? Hello? Jamal?” The line was still open. Thank God. Seconds later he heard Jamal’s voice calling for Madi. “It’s Matt here. Madi’s fainted. What’s going on?” His face became drawn as Jamal brought him up to speed. Bollocks.
A low groan came from her and Matt’s eyes snapped in her direction. She was coming to. “I’ll call you back shortly. She’s waking up.” Matt advised before hanging up the call and going to her side.
“What on earth is going on here?” his father’s loud and annoyed voice came from the back of the crowd.
Matt focused on his wife, stroking her cold face, willing her to open her eyes.
“Give her some room, Matt.” Stuart reminded him. She groaned again, eyelids fluttering.
“Poppet,” Matt called soothingly. “Sweetheart, open your eyes.”
It took her a few tries, and when she did open her eyes Matt’s chest tightened at the look of horror on her face.
