One
I came to slowly, sound returning first. Then touch, as gentle fingers stroked my hair back from my face. Then smell and finally, hazily, sight. The first thing I saw was a pair of beautiful hazel eyes, full of concern and care.
Matthew's eyes, looking down on me. Matthew's fingers in my hair. My head in his lap.
Around my dry tongue, I croaked out a question. "Don't you hate me?"
He shook his head. "Hush, stay still. Ambulance is coming."
"I'm fine."
"You're not. You fainted. And hit your head."
"I'm okay. Let me up."
One of his hands gripped my shoulder, holding me down. "No. You could have a concussion or…" panic and pain blazed through his face, leaving his handsome features twisted and drawn. "Just… don't move."
My vision blurred and I sighed. "Okay."
There was a commotion around us, about me, I assumed, but I didn't really care. As much as my head was beginning to pound, Matthew's touch softened the edge of the pain. "Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?"
"This. Helping me."
He smiled faintly. "I'm just sorry I didn't catch you before you fell."
"Mmm, that would have been better. Try to remember for next time."
Matthew laughed, and the tension in his face eased. His hand stroked my cheek.
I was opening my mouth to speak when a new face appeared above me. A strange face.
"Miss, are you all right?"
"She will be," Matthew said, curling his torso over as if to protect me from this interloper.
"Of course," woman next to him said. "Medical attention is on its way. If you need-"
"Just leave us alone," he spat at her, interrupting. "Don't worry, no one is going to sue the hotel. At least not if you back the fuck off right now."
She cleared her throat and backed up a step.
I choked back a laugh, which induced an agony in my skull that I couldn't describe. My eyelids felt heavy and I let them close, anchoring myself to the world outside by fisting a hand in Matthew's shirt.
All too soon there was a new rush of noise, and he was pulled away from me. A pair of paramedics took over, examining and asking questions. Sounds and lights made my head hurt more and I whimpered throughout the process.
They helped me to my feet and over to waiting stretcher.
"I'm okay," I insisted, to no avail. Regulations or something. So I stopped arguing and just observed the crowd of people watching the scene. Hotel guests and staff milled around at a respectful distance, a few taking photos.
And then my eyes settled on Matthew. He was standing with his arms crossed, bouncing slightly on his feet.
"I… can my friend ride to the hospital with me?" I asked shyly.
"Sorry, no. He'll have to meet us over there."
Matthew smiled and walked over to stand next to me. He reached out and took my hand. "You're going to be okay. I'll grab a cab and be right behind you."
One of the paramedics fastened a strap across me and gestured for Matthew to back up. "We're taking her to University Hospital." He looked down at me. "Time to go."
"All right."
*
The next few hours were a blur of tests and questions. Doctors and nurses. Being rolled from one section of the hospital to another. And a lot of waiting. Finally, a doctor came into the curtained off area where I'd been dozing and told me I was fine.
"So what happened?"
He shrugged, which wasn't very reassuring. "All of your labs came back okay. There's no sign of anything troubling." He looked down at my chart. "Says here you're working long hours and traveling?"
"Yeah."
"I also see it looks like you're not eating enough. Working long hours and not getting the rest you need. That sort of thing will always catch up with you. You've got to take care of yourself, Miss Martin."
I nodded. "Okay."
"Did something happen before you passed out?"
"Yeah, I got into a huge fight with my brother."
"Ah. Considering the state of exhaustion you're in, overloading your emotions on top of everything is probably the cause of the panic attack. Have you had any before?"
"No, never."
"Hm. Well,
I came to slowly, sound returning first. Then touch, as gentle fingers stroked my hair back from my face. Then smell and finally, hazily, sight. The first thing I saw was a pair of beautiful hazel eyes, full of concern and care.
Matthew's eyes, looking down on me. Matthew's fingers in my hair. My head in his lap.
Around my dry tongue, I croaked out a question. "Don't you hate me?"
He shook his head. "Hush, stay still. Ambulance is coming."
"I'm fine."
"You're not. You fainted. And hit your head."
"I'm okay. Let me up."
One of his hands gripped my shoulder, holding me down. "No. You could have a concussion or…" panic and pain blazed through his face, leaving his handsome features twisted and drawn. "Just… don't move."
My vision blurred and I sighed. "Okay."
There was a commotion around us, about me, I assumed, but I didn't really care. As much as my head was beginning to pound, Matthew's touch softened the edge of the pain. "Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?"
"This. Helping me."
He smiled faintly. "I'm just sorry I didn't catch you before you fell."
"Mmm, that would have been better. Try to remember for next time."
Matthew laughed, and the tension in his face eased. His hand stroked my cheek.
I was opening my mouth to speak when a new face appeared above me. A strange face.
"Miss, are you all right?"
"She will be," Matthew said, curling his torso over as if to protect me from this interloper.
"Of course," woman next to him said. "Medical attention is on its way. If you need-"
"Just leave us alone," he spat at her, interrupting. "Don't worry, no one is going to sue the hotel. At least not if you back the fuck off right now."
She cleared her throat and backed up a step.
I choked back a laugh, which induced an agony in my skull that I couldn't describe. My eyelids felt heavy and I let them close, anchoring myself to the world outside by fisting a hand in Matthew's shirt.
All too soon there was a new rush of noise, and he was pulled away from me. A pair of paramedics took over, examining and asking questions. Sounds and lights made my head hurt more and I whimpered throughout the process.
They helped me to my feet and over to waiting stretcher.
"I'm okay," I insisted, to no avail. Regulations or something. So I stopped arguing and just observed the crowd of people watching the scene. Hotel guests and staff milled around at a respectful distance, a few taking photos.
And then my eyes settled on Matthew. He was standing with his arms crossed, bouncing slightly on his feet.
"I… can my friend ride to the hospital with me?" I asked shyly.
"Sorry, no. He'll have to meet us over there."
Matthew smiled and walked over to stand next to me. He reached out and took my hand. "You're going to be okay. I'll grab a cab and be right behind you."
One of the paramedics fastened a strap across me and gestured for Matthew to back up. "We're taking her to University Hospital." He looked down at me. "Time to go."
"All right."
*
The next few hours were a blur of tests and questions. Doctors and nurses. Being rolled from one section of the hospital to another. And a lot of waiting. Finally, a doctor came into the curtained off area where I'd been dozing and told me I was fine.
"So what happened?"
He shrugged, which wasn't very reassuring. "All of your labs came back okay. There's no sign of anything troubling." He looked down at my chart. "Says here you're working long hours and traveling?"
"Yeah."
"I also see it looks like you're not eating enough. Working long hours and not getting the rest you need. That sort of thing will always catch up with you. You've got to take care of yourself, Miss Martin."
I nodded. "Okay."
"Did something happen before you passed out?"
"Yeah, I got into a huge fight with my brother."
"Ah. Considering the state of exhaustion you're in, overloading your emotions on top of everything is probably the cause of the panic attack. Have you had any before?"
"No, never."
"Hm. Well,
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