struggling to find her breath. “I didn’t...make it.” She
breathed in and out rapidly and suddenly the room was spinning and
then she fainted, hitting her head on a chair before she landed on
the floor.
Chapter 22
Dante headed down to the ground floor again,
hoping he’d find Emily and convince her to stay. When he arrived in
the lobby, however, he saw a crowd that had gathered. A few women
were crying and there was a fire truck parked in the emergency lane
in front of the hotel.
“ What’s going on?” he asked
the first person he came upon, one of the cleaning staff
members.
“ I think somebody passed out
or something,” the man said. “That’s what everybody else is
saying.”
Dante continued on through the crowd. This
was his resort and he needed to know what was going on right now.
He saw Dr. Stacey, one of the therapists, outside with her hands
crossed, so he pushed the glass door open and said, “What’s going
on here?”
“ Oh my gosh, Mr. Champion,”
Dr. Stacey said, her hands trembling. “She fainted.”
“ Who fainted?”
“ Emily.”
Dante frowned. “My Emily?”
“ Yes. She was trying to
share with the group and she just blacked out.”
For a moment, Dante felt
like he was going
to faint. Had he heard her correctly? Emily fainted? He gathered
himself enough to get his head on straight and had one of his
resort drivers escort him to the hospital as quickly as he
could.
Once he arrived, he rushed in the emergency
room entrance, and summoning the first nurse he saw, he asked,
“Where’s the woman that just came in? Emily Champion? Where is
she?”
“ Sir, she’s being checked
out by a doctor at the moment.”
“ I need to see her,” he said
desperately, feeling like his heart was about to jump out of his
chest.
“ Sir, if you would just calm
down a moment—”
“ No. I need to see my wife,
now! Where is she?” When the nurse hadn’t responded, he looked at
the double gray doors behind her and walking past the nurse,
ignoring her calls to come back and sit the waiting area, he
continued on, pushing the doors open and walking the emergency room
corridor, frantically looking for Emily. Straight ahead he saw her,
sitting on the edge of a bed with a few band-aids at her
temple.
Hearing nothing but the beats of his own
heart, he ran to her as fast as he could.
Emily didn’t realize he was there until the
seconds before he wrapped his arms around her, the side of her face
pressed against his chest. While he held her there, she could feel
his rapid, uncontrolled heartbeats against her face.
“ I’m sorry, baby. I’m so
sorry,” he said, taking full responsibility. He was the one who’d
pushed her to relay her story to the group, even when she told him
she wasn’t ready to do so.
“ I’m okay,
Dante.”
“ I’m sorry,” he said again,
his arms still wrapped around her.
“ I’m okay.”
He released her so he could see her face. He
held her head between his hands, pressed his lips against hers and
said, “Are you okay, baby? Please tell me you’re okay.”
“ I’m okay,” she said,
staring longingly into his worried eyes.
“ She had what we would call
an anxiety attack,” the doctor told him. “In addition to that,
she’s dehydrated. We’re going to give her a few IV drips overnight
while we observe her and she may be ready to be discharged early in
the A.M.”
“ Why does she have the
band-aids on her temple?”
“ From what I gather, when
she fell, she bumped her head. We’ve already given her a CT scan
and there’s no internal damage there...just the cut.”
Dante swallowed hard.
“ If you would step out in
the hallway for a moment, Sir, we can get her set up.”
“ No. I’m staying here. I’ll
move in a corner so I’m out of your way, but I’m staying here with
my wife.”
“ All right, Sir.”
And he did just what he said. Dante stood in
the corner, while the nurses prepped Emily in the hospital bed,
connecting an
breathed in and out rapidly and suddenly the room was spinning and
then she fainted, hitting her head on a chair before she landed on
the floor.
Chapter 22
Dante headed down to the ground floor again,
hoping he’d find Emily and convince her to stay. When he arrived in
the lobby, however, he saw a crowd that had gathered. A few women
were crying and there was a fire truck parked in the emergency lane
in front of the hotel.
“ What’s going on?” he asked
the first person he came upon, one of the cleaning staff
members.
“ I think somebody passed out
or something,” the man said. “That’s what everybody else is
saying.”
Dante continued on through the crowd. This
was his resort and he needed to know what was going on right now.
He saw Dr. Stacey, one of the therapists, outside with her hands
crossed, so he pushed the glass door open and said, “What’s going
on here?”
“ Oh my gosh, Mr. Champion,”
Dr. Stacey said, her hands trembling. “She fainted.”
“ Who fainted?”
“ Emily.”
Dante frowned. “My Emily?”
“ Yes. She was trying to
share with the group and she just blacked out.”
For a moment, Dante felt
like he was going
to faint. Had he heard her correctly? Emily fainted? He gathered
himself enough to get his head on straight and had one of his
resort drivers escort him to the hospital as quickly as he
could.
Once he arrived, he rushed in the emergency
room entrance, and summoning the first nurse he saw, he asked,
“Where’s the woman that just came in? Emily Champion? Where is
she?”
“ Sir, she’s being checked
out by a doctor at the moment.”
“ I need to see her,” he said
desperately, feeling like his heart was about to jump out of his
chest.
“ Sir, if you would just calm
down a moment—”
“ No. I need to see my wife,
now! Where is she?” When the nurse hadn’t responded, he looked at
the double gray doors behind her and walking past the nurse,
ignoring her calls to come back and sit the waiting area, he
continued on, pushing the doors open and walking the emergency room
corridor, frantically looking for Emily. Straight ahead he saw her,
sitting on the edge of a bed with a few band-aids at her
temple.
Hearing nothing but the beats of his own
heart, he ran to her as fast as he could.
Emily didn’t realize he was there until the
seconds before he wrapped his arms around her, the side of her face
pressed against his chest. While he held her there, she could feel
his rapid, uncontrolled heartbeats against her face.
“ I’m sorry, baby. I’m so
sorry,” he said, taking full responsibility. He was the one who’d
pushed her to relay her story to the group, even when she told him
she wasn’t ready to do so.
“ I’m okay,
Dante.”
“ I’m sorry,” he said again,
his arms still wrapped around her.
“ I’m okay.”
He released her so he could see her face. He
held her head between his hands, pressed his lips against hers and
said, “Are you okay, baby? Please tell me you’re okay.”
“ I’m okay,” she said,
staring longingly into his worried eyes.
“ She had what we would call
an anxiety attack,” the doctor told him. “In addition to that,
she’s dehydrated. We’re going to give her a few IV drips overnight
while we observe her and she may be ready to be discharged early in
the A.M.”
“ Why does she have the
band-aids on her temple?”
“ From what I gather, when
she fell, she bumped her head. We’ve already given her a CT scan
and there’s no internal damage there...just the cut.”
Dante swallowed hard.
“ If you would step out in
the hallway for a moment, Sir, we can get her set up.”
“ No. I’m staying here. I’ll
move in a corner so I’m out of your way, but I’m staying here with
my wife.”
“ All right, Sir.”
And he did just what he said. Dante stood in
the corner, while the nurses prepped Emily in the hospital bed,
connecting an
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