Page 86 of Breadwinner
The paramedics arrived, crowding around them, but Nell didn’t move. She refused to, not wanting to let go of Sarah’s hand. After the third ask from the paramedics, she backed away, giving them just enough room to work.
Nell stood, her folded arms wrapped tightly across her body, making sure to remain in Sarah’s line of sight as she watched the paramedics take her vitals. It was only then that she really felt the pounding of her own chest. Now that she didn’t have to be strong, she could finally let herself feel the full effects of her fear. Fear of losing Sarah, fear of a life without her.
“She’s allergic to shellfish,” she said, forgetting whether or not she had already said it. “She lost consciousness, and I was able to administer her EpiPen. One dose in her right thigh.”
“How long was she unconscious for?” one of the paramedics asked.
She blinked at the woman who was looking at her expectantly. “I don’t—” She didn’t finish her sentence, cut off by her thoughts. She knew logically that Sarah had been unconscious for no more than two or three minutes. Still, those minutes had felt like years of moments she and Sarah would never get to have together, and Sarah’s voice from that night in Vegas drowned out the rest of her thoughts.I can’t picture my life without you in it.
“Ma’am? How long was she unconscious?”
She shook her head, trying to clear the endless loop of Sarah’s words now running through her mind. “Two, maybe three minutes,” she said, looking at Sarah, who was currently engaged with the other paramedic, running through a series of tests. The paramedic scribbled something down on a clipboard.
“She’s stabilizing. Let’s get her moved to the gurney. We’re going to have to take you to the hospital for observation. Rebound reactions can happen even hours later.”
“Observation?” Nell echoed shakily.
“Standard protocol for anaphylaxis. IV fluids, antihistamines, monitoring for at least four to six hours to make sure she doesn’t have any delayed reactions.”
Nell nodded as she watched the paramedics move Sarah onto the gurney. She followed them out the door, and when they loaded Sarah into the back of the ambulance, she didn’t ask permission before climbing into the back to be with her.
Sarah was still mostly out of it, groggy and unfocused, her hands resting at her side. Nell took one hand in hers.
“You scared the hell out of me,” she whispered.
Sarah’s eyes fluttered as she looked up at her, still a little hazy, and she looked at Nell—really looked at her for a second—before her eyes drifted closed again. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said quietly, squeezing her hand back.
She watched Sarah closely the remainder of the ride to the hospital, her stomach still in knots, her mind still racing. But Sarah was okay. She was okay. And that’s all that mattered to Nell.
They arrived at the hospital a short while later and were quickly whisked into a room by the ER staff. Paramedics rambled off Sarah’s information to a nurse. Her vitals were retaken and recorded, and Sarah was given an antihistamine.Gradually, the hives covering her body had begun to fade from an angry red to a light pink.
Nell smiled as Sarah’s voice cut through the quiet, stronger now but still carrying her quintessential dryness.
“Stop hovering,” she said, as Nell fluffed her pillow for the fifth time since they’d arrived.
But she saw the way Sarah’s lips twitched, telling her she didn’t mind being fussed over.
“I’m not hovering,” she said, dragging one of the standard-issue hospital chairs closer to the bed. “See. Right now, I’m sitting. How can one hover from a seated position?”
She caught Sarah’s eye roll, but Sarah didn’t argue.
The glass door separating them from the rest of the ER slid open, and a nurse entered—the same woman who had been there earlier.
“Just need to do a quick vitals check. Still feeling okay?” She looked at the monitor, scribbling notes on the tablet in her hands.
Sarah nodded her head as she answered. “Yes, I’m feeling much better. The itching is starting to die down, along with the hives.”
“Good. We’ll keep you a few more hours just to make sure there aren’t any secondary reactions.” The nurse smiled at them both before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
The steady beep of the heart monitor persisted, a rhythmic backdrop to the chaos of their day.
“You really don’t have to stay with me,” Sarah said, not looking directly at her. “I’ll sleep for a few hours and have Kelly come pick me up. I’m fine, really.”
Was she serious right now? “I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“Okay, then.” Sarah smirked. “If you’re not leaving, we should probably talk about how you were trying to break up with me at the restaurant. Which iswild, by the way, consideringwe’re not even dating.” She looked at her with those expectant hazel eyes that demanded answers. “Do you want to tell me what’s actually going on?”
Hearing Sarah’s version of what happened, Nell winced. “Do you have to make it sound so cruel?”