plan. Plus, her mom had called and asked where she was, and I had to lie and say I was on my way to pick her up at Kate’s house.
“It’s not Ani.”
“Kate?”
“Yeah, look, you’ve got to come to county hospital.”
“What? What’s happened? Where’s Ani?”
“She’s here. But listen, she didn’t want me to call you. Or her mom. And they said they couldn’t contact anyone without her permission. But you need to come.”
I scrambled around my room, searching for my keys. “I’m on my way. What the hell happened?” I couldn’t swallow. My mouth had gone completely dry.
“I’m not really sure. I mean, I was at that party with her last night. There were lots of guys there. I didn’t think she was drinking that much, but then she started acting sort of crazy. Her words were a little slurred and she kept leaning on people. Mostly the guys. She sounded like she was really drunk, but I swear, I was pretty sober and she didn’t seem like she had more than two or three drinks.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. Ani was at the hospital? This wasn’t happening. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely get the key in the ignition of my Jeep.
“Does she have alcohol poisoning or something?” I asked, but my voice sounded like it came from someone else.
“No. It’s not like that. Just come, Ben. She needs you even if she isn’t saying it.”
I drove so recklessly on the way there, I knew I was going to get at least two of those red-light photo-enforcement tickets. Everything seemed loud and bright as I slammed my way into the ER, where Kate sat wringing her hands around a bottle of water. County. The hospital of crappy service, long wait times, and the incessant smell of sickness. Why had Ani gone there?
“Start at the beginning,” I said as calmly as I could. “Where’s Ani now?”
“They’re prepping her for a surgical procedure.”
“What?” I shouted, and the nurse from the triage desk glared at me.
“Okay, just sit down and listen,” Kate said, tugging me into the pea-green plastic chair next to her. “You knew I went with Ani to that party, right?”
I nodded. The party Ani invited me to, but I passed on. It was at some random house west of the city with a bunch of those raver freaks, and I hated house music.
“Well, like I said, I thought she only had maybe two drinks, but then she started acting all nuts, like table dancing in the kitchen and being superclingy to everyone.”
“Table dancing? What? She was table dancing?”
“Shh . . . just listen. I’m not going to be able to do this if you interrupt.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and nodded.
“Anyways, I asked if she was okay, and she pointed to this group of guys and told me she was going to get with them. I told her we should call you, but then this guy sort of pushed me away and then she was kissing him.”
“What? She was table dancing and kissing another guy? Why didn’t you call me?” My head was spinning. Too much. Too fast. I couldn’t digest everything Kate was saying.
Kate looked at her hands clutched tightly around the water bottle. An ambulance sounded in the distance. “I thought maybe you two had a fight and Ani was rebounding. That she just didn’t want to talk to me about it. Like she was letting off steam or something.”
“She said girls’ night,” I choked out.
“Yeah. She was staying over at my house, but it was a party. And you were invited. Why didn’t you come?”
I shook my head but couldn’t speak. Kate’s words ripped through me like a machete. My eyes focused on a thin old woman across the room, her yellow skin shaking as she hacked into a handkerchief.
“I kept telling her I’d take her home, but she said she was fine,” Kate continued. “That she knew what she was doing. I didn’t really know what to do, but she told me to back the hell out of her life.”
“Did you know the guy? The one she was kissing?” I asked.
“No, he was with a big
“It’s not Ani.”
“Kate?”
“Yeah, look, you’ve got to come to county hospital.”
“What? What’s happened? Where’s Ani?”
“She’s here. But listen, she didn’t want me to call you. Or her mom. And they said they couldn’t contact anyone without her permission. But you need to come.”
I scrambled around my room, searching for my keys. “I’m on my way. What the hell happened?” I couldn’t swallow. My mouth had gone completely dry.
“I’m not really sure. I mean, I was at that party with her last night. There were lots of guys there. I didn’t think she was drinking that much, but then she started acting sort of crazy. Her words were a little slurred and she kept leaning on people. Mostly the guys. She sounded like she was really drunk, but I swear, I was pretty sober and she didn’t seem like she had more than two or three drinks.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. Ani was at the hospital? This wasn’t happening. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely get the key in the ignition of my Jeep.
“Does she have alcohol poisoning or something?” I asked, but my voice sounded like it came from someone else.
“No. It’s not like that. Just come, Ben. She needs you even if she isn’t saying it.”
I drove so recklessly on the way there, I knew I was going to get at least two of those red-light photo-enforcement tickets. Everything seemed loud and bright as I slammed my way into the ER, where Kate sat wringing her hands around a bottle of water. County. The hospital of crappy service, long wait times, and the incessant smell of sickness. Why had Ani gone there?
“Start at the beginning,” I said as calmly as I could. “Where’s Ani now?”
“They’re prepping her for a surgical procedure.”
“What?” I shouted, and the nurse from the triage desk glared at me.
“Okay, just sit down and listen,” Kate said, tugging me into the pea-green plastic chair next to her. “You knew I went with Ani to that party, right?”
I nodded. The party Ani invited me to, but I passed on. It was at some random house west of the city with a bunch of those raver freaks, and I hated house music.
“Well, like I said, I thought she only had maybe two drinks, but then she started acting all nuts, like table dancing in the kitchen and being superclingy to everyone.”
“Table dancing? What? She was table dancing?”
“Shh . . . just listen. I’m not going to be able to do this if you interrupt.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and nodded.
“Anyways, I asked if she was okay, and she pointed to this group of guys and told me she was going to get with them. I told her we should call you, but then this guy sort of pushed me away and then she was kissing him.”
“What? She was table dancing and kissing another guy? Why didn’t you call me?” My head was spinning. Too much. Too fast. I couldn’t digest everything Kate was saying.
Kate looked at her hands clutched tightly around the water bottle. An ambulance sounded in the distance. “I thought maybe you two had a fight and Ani was rebounding. That she just didn’t want to talk to me about it. Like she was letting off steam or something.”
“She said girls’ night,” I choked out.
“Yeah. She was staying over at my house, but it was a party. And you were invited. Why didn’t you come?”
I shook my head but couldn’t speak. Kate’s words ripped through me like a machete. My eyes focused on a thin old woman across the room, her yellow skin shaking as she hacked into a handkerchief.
“I kept telling her I’d take her home, but she said she was fine,” Kate continued. “That she knew what she was doing. I didn’t really know what to do, but she told me to back the hell out of her life.”
“Did you know the guy? The one she was kissing?” I asked.
“No, he was with a big
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