Page 102 of Moonstruck at Midnight
A CHEMICAL TANGtriggered my nose, and my throat itched. I let out a faint cough as I tried opening my eyes with little success. My right bandaged hand stung and burned like crazy.
Ow!
“Billie, hey,” a soothing voice called. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
“Thomas?”Where’s Caleb? I felt dizzy and couldn’t focus on his face. I tried to sit up, but a woman I didn’t recognize grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back again on my pillows as I took the place I was in—my bedroom.
“Billie, my name is Lauren. I’m a paramedic. How are you feeling?” she asked loudly.
“What happened? I’m fine.” I lied. My head hurt, and I couldn’t recall why I was lying here on my bed. I could hear a whispering voice outside my room, asking if I was okay. I recognized that voice; it was Tobias. I was suddenly reminded of the burning cake.
“You burned your hand and fainted. You were found on the kitchen floor. Do you remember this?” Lauren asked.
“I—do, yes.” I stammered. It was all coming back to me. I could see Thomas clearly now, standing beside the bed.
“She seems stable. But I would still like to have her come over to the hospital so that—”
“No, no, no. I’m fine. Really.” I interrupted her before she finished giving her opinion to Thomas. I didn’t want to leave.
Tobias knocked on the open door. “Hi, sorry to interrupt, but a doctor is arriving any minute now. He’s our family doctor, and um—we insist he takes a look at her.” Thomas acknowledged him with a gentle frown, and Lauren beamed at Tobias with agreement.
“Okay, but if the doctor feels like you still need to go to the hospital, I think you should consider it,” she replied, blushing. I shrugged on the inside. I didn’t blame her, though. She packed her stuff and dismissed herself, handing her card to Tobias, justin casewe needed to reach her.
Ha!
“Billie, do you mind if I come in?” Tobias asked, looking at Thomas, probably seeking his authorization. I nodded.
“I’m sorry I ran off like that earlier. I was freaking out.”
“I’m sure you were. After you left, Grant and I heard the alarm, so we stepped out of the gym and saw Caleb coming out of his apartment. We told him how you mentioned something about a cake. We assumed the fire alarm was triggered at your place. Caleb rushed to get you and found you on the floor. He carried you out of the kitchen after you passed out. Grant and I brought the fire extinguisher.” Tobias looked tense and worried.
Thomas was pacing slowly in my room with his hands inside his pockets as Tobias explained what had happened.
“The smoke was controlled quickly after that, but the firefighters paid a visit. They checked your kitchen to rule out any damage, but everything was okayed. You’ll have to get a new oven, though. Aaron and Caleb handled the firefighters and answered all of their questions. So, I stepped out and made a few calls,” he said, widening his eyes. “And so—we decided to call our doctor.” I felt like he was trying to tell me something, but it was apparent he couldn’t speak freely in front of Thomas.
“Thomas, could you bring me some more water, please?” I needed to know what Tobias wanted to tell me.
“What are you not telling me?” I asked Tobias as soon as Thomas stepped out of the room.
“Billy’s caught up at work, he doesn’t know when he’s getting out, but he’s getting on my nerves,” he murmured. He paused and looked over his shoulder. “He insisted on the doctor. I hope that’s fine with you.”
Thomas walked back into the room, so I nodded.
“Anyway, I think I’m gonna get going, Billie. I just wanted to know you were okay. I didn’t want to leave without being sure. Let me know if there’s anything you need.” I thanked him, and he nodded at Thomas before stepping out of the room.
“I was so worried,” Thomas said, grabbing my hand and kissing it. This situation was not going to be helpful. I couldn’t even open my eyes fully. How was I going to talk to Thomas about seriously breaking up with him? I didn’t have the energy to do so.
“Where’s Caleb? I want to talk to him.”
“He’s busy, I think. I’ll let him know you want to talk to him.”
Busy doing what? I was sure he was out there. He must’ve been worried sick, and I wanted to thank him for saving my life. I felt like Thomas didn’t want me to talk to him.
The door to my bedroom was open, but Caleb knocked on it anyway a few minutes later.
Busy, huh?
His eyes darted from my left hand, being held by Thomas, to my eyes in a fraction of a second. I hadn’t even noticed that my hand was being held until he looked at it. I instinctively released myself from Thomas’s grasp, and Caleb’s mouth went into a tight line. “The doctor’s here, Miss Murphy.”
