by Tamie Dearen
“Then what happened?”
“I stayed with Asher and met a couple of his friends and listened to music.”
“What did you drink?”
“Uhmm, a café mocha. And then Asher bought me a glass of wine. I was so stressed I decided to drink it. But I didn’t feel any better.”
“When did you call Charlie?”
“Oh yeah. I went to the bathroom and called Charlie, but she didn’t answer. How did you know I called her?”
“She called back. She’s on her way here.”
“She’s flying here? And I almost died? Was there a car accident?” She ached all over, but she didn’t feel like anything was broken.
“You drank something with drugs in it.”
“What? Who put drugs in my drink? Asher?”
“We don’t think it was him. What happened after you called Charlie?”
“There was another glass of wine on the table when I came back. I knew I shouldn’t drink more than one, but I was feeling so depressed I drank some anyway. And then I remember feeling sleepy. That’s it. That’s the last thing I remember. What happened?”
“You evidently passed out, and Asher called Grace to come take you home.”
“Why didn’t Asher take me home?”
“He didn’t know where you lived.”
“Oh. That’s right.” She cringed. “And Grace came to get me?”
“Grace and Spencer came to get you. Apparently, Asher was already gone. He left you there, asleep.”
“Wow—great guy. I sure can pick ‘em.”
“You wouldn’t wake up, so Spencer called us when they had you in the taxi. They were taking you to the hospital when you quit breathing.”
“I quit breathing?”
“And your heart stopped, too.” Tears were rolling freely down her mom’s face. “And Spencer did CPR in the back seat of the taxi until they got to the emergency room.”
Emily suppressed a sob, as she clung to her mom. “I really almost died?”
“Yes, we nearly lost you. But Spencer probably saved your life. And then he sat beside you all night, holding your hand. Waiting for you to wake up.”
“I thought I saw him for a minute. I thought I imagined it.”
Anne shook her head, sniffing. “No, you probably saw him when you first woke up. But once he knew you were okay, he left. I... I don’t think he wants to talk to you. He was pretty hurt.”
“That’s okay,” said Emily. “I don’t deserve him anyway.” She turned her head away, tears dropping onto her pillow.
“Emily... Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I don’t. I really don’t. I really want to go to sleep and wake up and find out this was all a bad dream. Talking about it makes it seem too real. I... I almost wish he hadn’t saved me.”
“Emily! Don’t ever say something like that!” Her mom’s voice was angry and frightened.
“I don’t mean it that way. I’m not wishing I were dead, but I don’t feel like facing my life right now.” She turned her tear-streaked face back to her mom and took her hand. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m too much of a chicken to ever actually kill myself.”
“The important thing is you’re alive. You simply need to make better decisions from here on out. And I won’t let you down again.”
Emily opened her mouth to protest, but her mom interrupted. “No. I should have spoken up and read you the riot act when you told me about your lie. I didn’t say anything, but next time, I’m speaking the truth no matter what.”
“I’m a big girl, Mom. I made that choice all on my own. But yes, I hereby give you permission to tell me the next time I’m about to make a huge mistake, even if it makes me angry.”
Anne pushed a curl off Emily’s face and tucked it behind her ear, just like she used to do when she was a little girl. “How do you feel?”
“Pretty much like I’ve been run over by a dump truck.”
“Okay,” said Steven as he swept into the room, “I hate to break up this party, but Emily needs to sleep, and you...” He kissed Anne on the cheek. “You need to go home to sleep. Connie’s already there waiting for you.”
“Connie?” Emily groaned. “Does she know? I guess she does. She probably hates me. I’m sure Grace does. The whole family probably does. That’s good. I deserve it. You should hate me, too.”
Anne and Steven exchanged a meaningful look. Steven said, “I think hate would be too strong a term. No one hates you. Disappointment would be more accurate. But the main thing everyone felt was fear, and now we feel relief. And we feel those things because we love you.”
Emily shook her head, refusing to let herself off that easy. “Have you both been here all night?”
“Yes, you gave us quite a scare.” Steven leaned over to kiss her forehead.
“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I can’t believe I was so stupid. I know not to drink something that’s been sitting on the table when I wasn’t there. I’m that stupid girl I always despise in the movies—the one who does stupid stuff and gets herself in trouble. I hate that girl.”
“Charlie will be here soon,” said Steven in an effort to cheer her up.
“Ughh! Charlie will never let me live this down. I was way more irresponsible than she’s ever been.”
Anne chuckled. “I’m afraid you may be right about that. Once she gets over almost losing you, she’ll probably hold this over your head for the rest of your life.”
Emily moaned. “And I’m missing work. I never miss work. I had something I really needed to finish today.”
“Work will wait. Although I hear your boss is something of a tyrant.” Steven winked at her.
“She’s usually a lot harder on herself than any boss,” Anne remarked.
“Well, do me a favor,” said Steven. “Cut yourself some slack here. You’ve discovered you aren’t perfect and you actually make mistakes. I know from experience that’s a hard lesson. Forgive yourself. Learn from it and move on. And you’ll find yourself much more forgiving when others are less than perfect.”
Emily nodded at Steven. But she knew she could never forgive herself. She would do everything possible to make up for her mistakes, but she would never let herself forget. And she would never quit punishing herself. If she did, she might make another mistake, and it might be worse than this one. Look how many people she’d hurt by her reckless actions. She didn’t deserve to be happy.
“Thanks, Steven. Thanks, Mom. You guys go home and sleep. I’ll be fine. I’m planning to go to sleep, too.”
“Are you hungry?” asked Anne.
“No,” she said emphatically. “I don’t think I’ll ever be hungry again.”
Anne chuckled. “I know the feeling, Sweetie. We’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Charlie will see you,” corrected Steven. “Your mom won’t be back until after five.”
“When will I get to leave here?” asked Emily. “I don’t want to spend the night.”
“I don’t know,” Steven said. “It’s possible you’ll get out today or it might be tomorrow. You’ll do whatever the doctor says. Right?”
“Yes, I won’t cause any more trouble.”
*****
Spencer tried to sleep. He was so exhausted he thought he’d sleep all day. But when he closed his eyes, he saw images of Emily in his head. Her surprised face when he saw her sitting with Asher Denning. The picture of her with her eyes closed leaning against him, tucked inside his arm. Her limp body as he tried desperately to give her CPR in the back seat of the taxi. Her helpless form with wires and tubes coming out of her and a machine pushing air into her lungs. Her frightened eyes when she finally woke up with no idea what had happened.
He’d waited all night to see her wake up, but he couldn’t bring himself to stay and talk to her. He didn’t want to hear her meaningless apology. Oh, he was certain she would apologize. She was certainly sorry this had happened. She hadn’t meant for Spencer to see her with Asher Denning. She hadn’t m
eant to swallow a drug-tainted beverage. She hadn’t purposely stopped breathing. But she’d made a conscious decision when she went out with Asher. She’d chosen him.
Grace had told him about Denning. He knew he was an art teacher. He knew Emily had only met him once, that she hardly knew him He was older and artistic, blond and handsome. He had an English accent and all the girls in his art class were hot for him. He was smooth and sophisticated. He was obviously a weightlifter. He was the polar opposite to Spencer. So, Emily had made her choice. It hurt, but he’d learn to live with it. If only she’d been honest with him. He was humiliated to find out the way he did.
Spencer gave up on sleeping and went into the office instead.. At least he could keep his mind occupied and not think about how much he was hurting. His phone buzzed again. Becca continued to call and text, over and over. He was sick of her. He wasn’t sure, but he suspected she’d known Emily would be at the Green Scene last night. He glanced at his phone, expecting to see Becca’s name again. But it was Candace. Finally, she’d gotten the nerve to call him. He answered quickly before she could hang up.
“Candace?”
“Hey, Spencer. I got all of your messages. I’m sorry, but I just got them. I’ve been in Mexico since Monday night. I guess you’re not a Facebook friend, or you would have seen my posts. What’s up? What’s so important?”
“You went out of town on Monday and just got back today?”
“Yes. Me and Sherry and Brianna. Why?”
“Becca said you might be at the Green Scene last night.”
“Really? She must have forgotten I was in Mexico, but she knew I was there. She even posted several comments on my pictures. Why? Was I supposed to be there last night?”
“Do you know anything about a picture that was in the NYC Word on Tuesday?”
“You mean Monday? The one I called you about?”
“No, I mean the one on Tuesday. A different picture.”
“No. I admit I usually read it, but I didn’t read it this week. What was it?”
“A picture of the Gherrings, taken when she was coming off the hiking trail last Saturday.”
“No way! Becca put that in the paper? Did she put any of the others in? She took quite a few. I promise I didn’t know she was planning to do that.”
“You saw her take the picture?”
“Sure. You mean, when we were standing around waiting for them to come back to the parking lot? She took several pictures.”
“That’s interesting. She denied it and suggested you must have taken the picture.”
“I can’t believe it! We’re not really close friends, but I thought I knew her better than that. I promise I didn’t take it. I don’t know how to prove it was her, but I promise it wasn’t me. I felt really bad for Mrs. Gherring. So was the paper right? Is she sick?”
He sighed. “Well it’s old news now, but she’s actually pregnant and having a difficult pregnancy.”
“Pregnant—oh, that’s crazy. She’s kind of old for that, isn’t she? I mean, I’m happy for her and all. She was brave to even go on the hike. Listen, Spencer. I didn’t take that picture. I hope you believe me.”
“Sure, Candace. Thanks for calling me back.”
“You’re welcome. I really am sorry it happened. And the Gherrings were so nice to give us a ride to the hike. By the way, are you going on the overnight hike this weekend?”
“I’m not sure. I was planning to, but I’m awfully tired.”
“Same here. I only got back from Mexico a few minutes ago. Do you know if Landon’s going?”
“I don’t know, but I think so. Look Candace, I need to get back to work.”
“Okay. See ya.”
Spencer hung up the phone. He wasn’t sure whom to believe. But he was beginning to think it really might be Becca. At this point, it didn’t seem to matter. He planned to have nothing to do with Becca anymore. In fact, he could take care of that problem right now. He pulled out his phone and blocked her number. Feeling a sense of relief, he started concentrating on his work. Despite his fatigue, he poured himself into his project, enjoying the respite from his painful memories. Perhaps there was life after Emily Best.
*****
“Hey, Sister.” Charlie’s gold eyes studied Emily from a close perspective. “I’ve been waiting hours for you to wake up.” She smiled. “Well, maybe only about five minutes. But, you slept right through some really loud humming and several throat clearings. Eh-hem!”
“What time is it?” Emily croaked.
“Almost two o’clock. How do you feel?”
“Better than before. My head feels a little better, and I’m not dizzy. But I still feel nauseated.”
“We’ll give you something for that,” said the nurse who entered the room to take vital signs.
“No, I don’t want anything. I really don’t like taking any medicines. They mess with my head.”
“Okay, but the medication would make you feel less nauseous. And I’m also authorized to give you something for pain.”
“I’m not hurting anywhere,” Emily lied, anxious to avoid taking pain medication. “And I don’t really feel that queasy, either.”
The nurse tsked behind her teeth. “Okay. I won’t give you any meds. Let me know if you change your mind.”
“Can I go home?”
“You want to leave already?” asked the nurse. “You just woke up at five a.m. The doctor hasn’t seen you yet, has he?”
“Maybe he came while I was sleeping.”
The nurse shook her head as she checked the patient notes. “Nope. He hasn’t come. But your vitals are fine. It’s possible you could get dismissed today.”
“Can you ask the doctor to come? As soon as he can?”
She chuckled. “I’m betting you’ll see the doctor pretty quickly. You’ve been designated a priority one. Everyone likes to keep Steven Gherring happy around here. He was evidently on a rampage last night.” Then she leaned in as if to tell a secret. “But I’ve seen him come up here and visit with the kids on the cancer wing he built. He’s really a sweet man even though he sometimes looks really stern.”
“Yeah. We’ve seen that side of him more often than not,” agreed Charlie.
“Well, I’ll send a message to the doc and see if he’ll get up here to see you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your help.”
When the nurse left the room, Charlie said, “So... Let me make sure I have the story straight. My smart, sensible, conservative sister decided to go on a date with an older guy she hardly knew. And she ended up drinking something with drugs in it and almost killed herself. Does that about sum it up?”
“Please, Charlie. I was technically dead less than twenty-four hours ago. Can’t you cut me some slack?”
“Hmmm.” She held her chin, tapping a finger on her lip. “Let me think. What would my dear sister do if the circumstances were reversed? Hmmm... No, I don’t think I can cut you any slack.”
“I would too cut you slack.”
“When I tried that ski jump and broke my wrist, you lectured me on the slope before they even strapped me onto the sled.”
“That was one time—”
“When I wrecked the car, you yelled at me before you even asked if I was hurt.”
“But you weren’t hurt.”
“I could’ve been. You didn’t know.”
“Fine. You might as well yell at me. I’m so angry with myself I can’t stand it. I admit it—I was really stupid.”
Charlie leaned over and hugged her fiercely, blinking back tears. “I’m mad, too. And I’m mad at myself I didn’t hear your phone call. I could’ve lost you. What would I do without my sister?”
“I don’t know, I think you’d be better off.”
“First of all, the drink. Don’t you know—”
“Yes, I know. I know I should never drink something that was left on the table. But, Asher was there. I would’ve thought he’d watch it.”
“For all you know, he di
d it. You don’t even know him.”
“The police don’t think he did it. But you’re right—I didn’t know him. I was... I don’t know... I was flattered, I guess. All the girls liked him, and he picked me. At the time, it seemed really great. I was blinded by his petty star status. I can’t believe it, now.”
“So, tell me about Spencer. I know he was there. I know he saw you. Steven told me, despite everything, Spencer ended up giving you CPR and saving your life. So, what’s the deal? After all that, you don’t like him? You still want to be friends—nothing more?”
“No... I... That is, yes. I like him. I really do. But, it’s too late. I finally realized it, but it’s too late. I was so awful. I lied to him, and I hurt him.” She turned her head away. “I don’t even think we can be friends, now. And I’ve probably lost Grace as well.”
“You haven’t lost me yet,” said a voice from the doorway. Grace’s face appeared around the door. “I was eavesdropping. I could apologize and say I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t be true.” One corner of her mouth kicked up in a smile. “You know how nosey I am.”
“Hi, I’m Charlie. You must be Grace. Have you come to help me yell at my sister?”
“Absolutely.” Grace moved to stare down at Emily with her arms on her hips. “It’ll be so much more fun to do it together.”
Emily felt tears welling up. “I’m so sorry. You have every right to hate me. I know I do—I hate myself.”
“Oh, no,” said Grace. “You will not feel sorry for yourself. No one hates you, and you know it. If you’d seen my brother last night, you’d know he doesn’t hate you. Crying while he gave you CPR. Sitting by your bed for hours holding your hand. Quite the opposite—I think he’s in love with you.”
“He can’t be,” Emily declared. “He’s too good for me. Even if he does love me, I don’t deserve him—not anymore.”
“Last night, I was inclined to agree. But my opinion is subject to change. It all depends on what you do next.”
“But, it’s too late. I saw his face. I hurt him. He thinks... I mean, he knows he can’t trust me. He knows I lied to him. I don’t even think he likes me anymore, and I really can’t believe he loves me.”
