Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ruby

I crack open my eyelids and find myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling made of white tiles and recessed lights. My heart starts pounding. Where am I? This isn’t my apartment!

Panic sets in, along with a crushing weight on my chest.

I can’t breathe!

Frantically, I look around at white walls, unfamiliar furniture, machines beeping constantly. There are wires and tubes attached to my right arm. I’m lying on a bed, but it’s not mine. The mattress is too firm, and the room smells strongly of disinfectant.

I’m outside.

I’m vulnerable.

It’s unsafe.

One of the machines standing next to the bed starts beeping rapidly, the sound shrill and piercing.

A woman dressed in a white uniform rushes into the room. “Ruby, it’s okay, honey.” She reaches the foot of my bed and squeezes my foot. “You’re in the hospital, but you’re going to be fine.” She comes around to the side of the bed and lays a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Try to relax, honey. Your pulse is through the roof. Just take a deep breath. You’re okay.”

The lights are so bright, I shut my eyes, but not before I catch a glimpse of a stranger standing beside the bed—an older African-American woman with short white hair. A nurse maybe? Off in the distance I hear a female voice on the loudspeaker, calling for someone.

This is a hospital.

“Ruby, can you hear me?” The woman gently squeezes my shoulder. “Ruby? You’re in the hospital. You’re going to be all right.”

My heart is pounding so hard my chest aches. I try to remember what happened, but my mind is too muddled. I remember bits and pieces—feeling dizzy, sluggish, like I was slogging through quicksand. I was watching a movie with Miguel and then everything went fuzzy. Miguel!

“Just try to relax, dear.”

“Where’s Miguel?” I ask, my voice cracking.

She pushes a button and says, “Ruby Foster’s awake. Call Dr. Callejo. And someone find her father. Check the waiting room.” The woman pats my arm once more. “It’s okay, Ruby. Just relax. We’ll find your father.”

“No!” I shake my head. “Miguel! I need Miguel.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who that is,” the woman says. “Your doctor is on her way.”

My eyes burn as they flood with tears. “I want to see Miguel.”

“Ruby, are you all right?”

I turn to see my father standing at the foot of my bed. He looks… worried. “Dad, where’s Miguel?”

“He’s gone.”

My stomach sinks. “What do you mean, he’s gone?”

“He’s gone, Ruby. Just like that, he left. He quit.”

My heart aches. Miguel can’t leave me. Not like this. Not without saying goodbye. “I need to see him.”

“You don’t need him. You’re coming home with me where you’ll be safe. It was a mistake to let you move out in the first place. You’re not capable of taking care of yourself.”

My lungs seize up on me and suddenly I can’t get enough air. “I’m not moving back home.”

“Yes, you are. End of discussion, Ruby.”

A pretty brunette with short dark hair, dressed in a white lab coat, walks into my room. She smiles warmly. “Ruby! I’m so glad to see you’re awake. I’m Dr. Callejo. I’ll be taking care of you here in the ICU.” She stops in front of the machines I’m connected to and frowns as she reads the printouts. “Your pulse and respiration rates are still pretty high. How are you feeling?”

“Fine. I want to go home. Please, I need to go home.”

The doctor looks at my father, who shakes his head.

“Ruby,” Dr. Callejo says, “I’ll be happy to release you just as soon as we make sure you’re all right. You had a close call, young lady. I want to make sure there aren’t any lingering effects from your overdose.”

“Overdose?”

“You overdosed on gamma hydroxybutyrate and alcohol.  That’s a dangerous combination. You’re lucky you didn’t consume more than you did.”

“That’s impossible. I don’t take drugs, and I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Someone drugged you, Ruby,” my father says. “I think I can guess who.”

“Drugged me?” Oh, my God, my coffee?

“Mr. Foster,” the doctor says. “Can I ask you to wait outside? I’d like to examine Ruby.”

As soon as my father leaves, Dr. Callejo steps forward. “Ruby, can you tell me what month it is?”

My mind is muddled and it takes me moment to think. “It’s June.”

The doctor nods. “Good.” Then she proceeds to check my eyes. “Follow my finger. That’s right. Keep looking at my finger.”

After the doctor leaves, the nurse—Doris, according to her nametag—asks me if I need anything.

“My phone,” I tell her. “Do you know if anyone brought my phone?”

Doris opens the door to a cabinet and searches the contents of a large plastic bag. “I’m sorry, honey, but I don’t see anything here other than your clothes.”

My stomach sinks. Without my phone, I have no way to contact Miguel.

After she sets a glass of water on the bedside table, Doris dims the lights in the room. “Drink some water and try to rest. I’ll check on you in a little bit.” She pats my leg as she walks around the foot of the bed. “Everything’s going to be okay. You’ll see.”

I’m desperate to talk to Miguel. Surely, he didn’t quit. How could he just walk away from me without a word?