“I don’t…know…” He grabbed his left biceps with his right hand. “Ifeel…weird…” Then he moved his hand to his chest. “Trouble…breathing…”
Dwayne picked up on the situation, jumped off his stool, and put ahand on Nick’s shoulder. “Dude. What’s going on?” He looked at Rebecca,panicked. “Jesus, is he having a heart attack?”
“I don’t—” Before she could finish her sentence, Nick dropped tothe floor like his legs had been yanked out from under him, and somebody wasscreaming to call 911 in a horrified shriek. Rebecca didn’t realize right awaythat the shrieking was coming from her.
* * *
“I hate hospitals,” Kevin said, as he paced back and forth infront of the row of chairs. “The sounds. The smell. God, the smell.” He made aface and ran his hand through his hair for what must have been the fiftiethtime, judging by how it stood straight up on its own now.
Rebecca sat in one of the very uncomfortable chairs. They weredeceiving, really, those chairs. All nicely upholstered, pleasing color schemesof turquoise and terracotta, very Southwestern, which was maybe meant to relaxvisitors. But they were hard as slate. Rebecca’s ass protested. It felt likeshe was sitting on plywood. Just one more thing to add to her alreadyskyrocketing stress levels.
“God, when will they tell us what’s going on?” Dwayne’s voice wasa near whine, and as he lifted his hands out from his side, Dave came skiddinginto the room as if he was wearing only socks on his feet.
“What the hell happened?” he asked, breathless. They’d called himout of the theatre where he was on a date, and he hadn’t hesitated. “Is he okay?”
“Michelle’s in with the doctor now,” Rebecca told him. “We’rewaiting.”
“Jesus Christ, he had a heart attack, didn’t he?” Dave droppedinto a chair next to Rebecca. “I knew this would happen. I knew it. I kepttelling him it was only a matter of time. The way that guy eats.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Dwayne said quietly.
“Dude, you know I’m right.”
“Yes, I know you’re right. I just don’t want to hear about itright now. Okay?” Dwayne glared at him and Dave held up his hands in surrender.
“Yeah, okay. Okay. Sorry, man.”
Quiet settled over them again, no sound in the waiting room exceptfor the soft hum of the wall-mounted television in the corner broadcasting thelocal news.
Rebecca was worried. She couldn’t remember the last time she’dbeen this worried. Nick’s face, the gray pallor of his skin, the terror in hiseyes as he fell. He didn’t know what was happening to him, to his body. She’dheld his hand the entire time he lay on the floor, waiting for the ambulance.The bar had gone eerily silent, people standing around him, trying not to stareand failing. The ambulance had arrived in record time, thank God, and they’dloaded him in and promised Rebecca they would take good care of him as shereluctantly let go of his hand and watched them zip away with her best friendin the back.
Dave was so right about Nick’s eating habits. His exercisehabits—or lack thereof. Honest to God, if he pulled through this, Rebecca wasgoing to beat him into shape with a club if she had to. Damn him. Why didn’t helisten to her? Why didn’t he listen to anybody?
If he dieson me…I swear to God, if he dies on me…
She didn’t have time to finish the thought because Michelleappeared in the doorway. Everybody looked up at her, and it was as if everymovement in the world stopped. Just froze. Breath held. Nobody blinked.Michelle’s expression was still worried, but Rebecca could sense a slightrelief.
“He’s going to be okay,” she said, and the entire room let out onehuge breath.
“Thank fucking Christ,” Dwayne muttered.
“What did they say?” Rebecca asked.
“An acute case of angina, which can mimic the symptoms of a heartattack.” Michelle shook her head. “He’s had this pain before, just not as bad.I keep telling him he has to take better care of himself…” Her eyes welled upand Rebecca crossed the room, wrapped her arms around her best friend’s wife.
“He’s a stubborn bastard,” she said. “It’s going to take more thansome heartburn on steroids to keep him down.”
They all laughed softly as they gathered around. Michelle lookedat them. “They’re going to keep him overnight for observation, but he said tosend you guys home.” She reached out and laid her hand on Dwayne’s cheek. “Comeby the house tomorrow night and visit him.”
“You’re sure?” Dwayne asked.
Michelle nodded as he leaned in and kissed her temple. “I’m sure.”As Rebecca turned to gather her things, Michelle held fast. “Not you. He wantsto talk to you.”
* * *
Spencer sat back in her chair and squeezed her eyes shut for aminute. They burned a little bit, given how long she’d been focusing throughthe freestanding magnifying glass. The day had been fairly gray, but now sherealized it was evening. Her living room was dark, except for the light fromher craft desk, and for a moment, she had a vision of those old black-and-whitefilms where the bad guy was being interrogated and the entire room was void ofanything but a simple table, a chair, and one swinging lightbulb.
In one hand, she held an almost-finished earring, a simple greenstone accented with gold. In the other, her crimping tool. Another pair ofearrings for Mary Beth, this time for Christmas, and Spencer would add them tothe pile of things she’d made since yesterday. It was slightly alarming, thatpile, as she had been creating nonstop since her talk with Lucy, a prettyaccurate sign that she was stressing out.