Page 7 of Montana Freedom

The terrible, paralyzing thought slipped into my mind—I might have waited too long. I should have faced my fear and gone into the town yesterday and gotten something to stop this.

The money. I needed the money. Grabbing it off the table, I somehow was able to get it into my pocket.

I shut the door behind me, feeling unsteady on my feet. It was so hot out here; I was going to combust. If I actually made it down the mountain, it would be a miracle.

My hands were sweating, slipping on the steering wheel, but I did make it down the mountain and onto the main road. I wasn’t going as fast as I should, but it didn’t matter. As long as Istayedon the road, I didn’t care.

One of the other grocery stores was off the main road through town, and I lurched into the parking lot, not fully bothering to park between the lines. I got close enough.

“Garlic and honey,” I muttered to myself. “Garlic and honey.”

First though, I would go to the pharmacy. The worst they could say was no. I leaned heavily on the shelves as I waited behind the two people in front of me. Standing on my own would make me look crazy, swaying back and forth on my feet. I couldn’t afford to look crazy, even if I felt like it.

A red-haired woman smiled from behind the counter. “How can I help you?”

Focus, Emma. “I was wondering if there were any…” My mind blanked, and I had to pull it back. “Antibiotics you could sell me over the counter? My sister cut her arm, and we can’t see the doctor for a few days.”

She frowned, and I saw her looking me up and down. Had I sounded convincing? I had no idea. “Unfortunately, I can’t. I have some cream we can sell you, but if you come back in a couple of hours, the pharmacist will be here. That’s one of the things they can prescribe, but you’ll have to bring your sister with you.”

“I’ll take the cream,” I said, my throat dry. “And come back.”

Crap. I didn’t have that kind of time. Maybe I could try the last grocery store in town and see if their pharmacist was in. Otherwise? I was out of options, because a hospital wasn’t one.

Seemed like maybe Simon might get what he wanted—me, dead, and he didn’t even have to do it himself.

She gave me the box of cream, and I managed to pay her and grab the change. “Hey, wait—”

I didn’t. I tried to remain focused—remainconscious—as I part walked, part stumbled out of the pharmacy and down the block to the grocery store. I made it inside, forcing back the gray along the edges of my vision.

“Garlic and honey,” I muttered.

What kind of garlic did I need? Shit, I hadn’t read that on the website. I searched my memory. Because of the fever, I hadn’t fully processed the page and therefore couldn’t remember what it had said.

I pulled a jar of minced garlic off the shelf, knowing I wouldn’t have the strength to crush it. A small bottle of honey, too. The lights in the store were blowing out, brighter than they had any right to be. Everything that had a reflection seemed to swim.

Was this what it was like to be on acid? If it was, I couldn’t recommend it. Every breath hurt, and my pulse pounded in the cut so it marked out the time in painful heartbeats.

The cashier took one look at me and did a double take. “Whoa, lady. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I nearly dropped the bottle of honey onto the belt, knocking over the garlic with it. “Promise.”

He was a kid. A teenager, maybe. Black hair and bright eyes. He reminded me of me when the world wasn’t so bad. Hopefully he’d have a good life.

It took me way too long to count out the money, focusing on every individual movement I had to make. “Keep the change.”

“Seriously, ma’am, are you sick? Do you need me to call someone?”

“I’m fine.” I grabbed the plastic bag and held it to my chest. “I’m fine, thanks.”

It was a lie. I was very much not fine. My balance was nearly gone. My head felt huge and heavy, and my feet felt like they were both feathers and weights at the same time. Everything was reduced to echoes of pain radiating through the wound in my side.

True, cold fear struck me to the core as a single thought penetrated my fever.

I wasn’t going to make it.

There wasn’t any coming back from this now. I wouldn’t make it to the hospital. Hell, I was barely going to make it to my car. At least if I made it to the car, I could lie down.

But I could lie down on the pavement too. Wouldn’t that be nice? The world began to tilt, and it no longer seemed like a bad thing. Somewhere, I heard shouting.

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