Colt frowns and looks at Theo, whose eyes are practically bulging from his skull.
“I, uh,” Colt clears his throat. “I don’t know?”
“Sorry I’m late,” Kate apologizes, interrupting our conversation.
She isn’t. The waitress has barely delivered our drinks, and we haven’t even ordered our meals yet, let alone the fact Macklin’s still a no-show. The girl looks like a jittery ball of nerves with a side of exhaustion. Not quite sure how she’s able to pull off two contradictory emotions, but she’s doing it in spades. Her hair is a mess, and her shirt is slightly skewed as she unzips her jacket and collapses into the chair across from me like a sack of potatoes while bouncing her leg up and down beneath the table like the Energizer Bunny.
“You’re totally fine,” Ash replies.
“Actually, scratch that,” I interject. My gaze narrows, and I study her carefully as I sit back in my chair. “Are you totally fine?”
She rolls her eyes and reaches for the glass of wine in front of Mia. Once she swallows half its contents, she sets it back on the table without bothering to apologize for stealing Mia’s drink.
“Sure. What’s mine is yours,” Mia jests.
But it’s as if Kate doesn’t even hear her. She’s too busy chewing on her thumbnail.
“Okay, seriously. What’s wrong?” Mia demands.
“I ran into Wes,” Kate mutters.
With a grimace, I exchange worried glances with Ash and Mia as Ash prods, “And?”
“And he was on a date with someone else.” She sniffles, then clears her throat. “I got to serve him and his new…girl for the last forty-five minutes. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly comfortable.”
“Yikes,” I mutter.
Leaning toward me, Theo keeps his voice low and asks, “Who’s Wes? What’d I miss?”
Mia asks another question, but I don’t hear what it is as I answer Theo, “I’ll tell you later.”
“At least he tipped me well,” Kate mentions, her tone laced with acid. “The jerk owes me that much.”
Her fidgeting grows more frantic, her eyelids fluttering as she stares at the white linen napkin in front of her.
“You…sure you’re okay?” I prod.
But she doesn’t answer.
“You guys,” I whisper, my gaze darting around the table as a rush of adrenaline floods my system.
Something’s wrong.
“Kate? Honey?” Ash tries to get her attention. She touches Kate’s arm, her worry heightening and matching my own.
“Shit,” I whisper.
“What’s going on?” Theo asks. He can feel the tension swirling the same way my roommates and I can.
“Kate?” Colt demands sharply, as if he hopes a stern voice will be enough to snap Kate out of whatever she’s going through.
But Kate’s shaking only gets harder. More chaotic. More terrifying. With her back as stiff as a board, she slides off her chair and onto the floor, convulsing in a way that shakes me to my core.
I cover my mouth, my fear taking over.
“What the fuck?” Theo growls as he jumps to his feet.
“She’s having a seizure,” I explain, though I’ve never felt more helpless in my entire life. “What do we do? I don’t––”
“Do we call an ambulance?” Ash asks as she slides onto her knees next to Kate. She reaches for her but pulls back at the last second. “I don’t––I don’t know what to do.”
“Give her space,” a low, strong voice commands. My head snaps up to find Macklin barreling toward us from the entrance, his phone pressed to his ear. I turn to Theo and find him tossing his phone onto the table. He called his brother. Thankfully, Mack was already on his way and must’ve been parking or something, but it doesn't erase the helplessness drowning out my senses. I feel like my hands are tied. Like I’m paralyzed. Helpless. Like I can’t fix a damn thing. I can only watch. And it’s the worst feeling in the world.
Shrugging his arms out of his jacket, Macklin squats next to Kate and shoves his coat under her head, ordering Ash to back up.
Ash jumps back, giving Mack and Kate plenty of room as her eyes well with tears, the same helplessness blanketing her.
“Was she eating when it happened?” Mack demands.
We shake our heads as he pushes away a few of the chairs close to them.
“N-no,” I answer. “She’d had some wine, but that’s it.”
“Good.” He nods, internalizing the information before ordering, “Someone time it.”
“Th-the seizure?” Ash asks. Her voice is nothing but a whisper.
Mack nods again. “How long has she been seizing?”
“Th-thirty seconds or so?” Mia offers, looking just as confused, just as overwhelmed, as the rest of us while Ash pulls out her phone and starts the timer.
“Does she have a history of seizures?” Mack asks, his eyes never leaving Kate’s shaking body.
“Epilepsy,” Ash answers. Her eyes are even glassier now. She blinks, and a drop of moisture glides down her cheek and drips off her chin. “But I’ve never…” Her breath hitches, and she covers her mouth.
“We’ve never seen her have an actual seizure,” Mia clarifies. Her voice is numb. Almost distant. Like she isn’t here anymore. She’s absent. Disconnected. In shock.
With another nod, Mack demands, “What’s her protocol?”
“Protocol?” I ask.
“Usually, people with epilepsy have a protocol in place in case of a seizure. Some request an ambulance. Others ask to wait it out, especially if it’s the norm for them. Do any of you know what she’d prefer?”
“She’s pretty private,” Mia offers. “Sh-she doesn’t like to talk about it, so we don’t really know.”
Mack’s jaw ticks as his attention flicks to Ash. “Time?”
“Thirty seconds,” Ash replies. Colt’s behind her and pulls her against him, wrapping his arms around Ash’s waist and pressing her back to his front.
I turn to Theo, my lower lip trembling, and he pulls me into his embrace, anchoring me.
“Theo, call an ambulance,” Mack orders. “If she won’t tell you what to do when she has a seizure, we’ll decide for her.”
“She won’t want to make a big deal,” Ash murmurs. “And if she can snap out of it––”
“This is a big deal,” Mack grits out. “Theo. Now.”
Letting me go, Theo grabs his phone from the table and dials 9-1-1. I’m pretty sure he’s never felt more terrified in his entire life.
Then again, neither have I.
47
BLAKELY
After Theo called the ambulance, Kate woke up groggy and disoriented. When she realized she was on the ground and we were all standing around her, the blood drained from her face and she tried to get up. But Mack held her back, telling her to stay calm and the ambulance would be at the restaurant any minute to take her to the hospital.
She was furious.
But the worst part? She wouldn’t stop apologizing. Hell, she couldn’t. It broke my heart. We followed in our own cars to the hospital, but she refused to see any of us. It’s like she was ashamed. And I hate how she felt ashamed.