“It’s on the house!” she yells after me.
Ruby grabs my elbow, guiding me.
“Call 9-1-1,” I rasp.
Seven minutes later, I’m slumped against the outside wall, Ruby holding my sweaty hand as the ambulance arrives.
A medic hurries over, assesses the situation, and pulls out an EpiPen which he drives into my thigh.
Ruby’s eyes roll back and she crumples beside me.
The second medic hurries over. “We got a fainter!
Chapter Twelve
Ruby
Ihateneedles.The minute the medic showed up with the longest needle I’ve ever seen—seriously, it looked like it could fell a moose—and stabbed Griffin in the thigh, my entire body went into sleep mode. Instant lights-out. Very dignified.
Now I’m propped up, sipping water through a bendy straw like an overgrown toddler, while Griffin sits shoulder-to-shoulder with me under a crinkly Mylar blanket to keep us from freezing. We look like baked potatoes cooling on a ski slope.
The medic returns and I flinch so hard, I nearly spew water all over him. He lifts both hands, palms out. “No needles. Promise. How are you two feeling?”
“Better, thanks,” Griffin says.
“Stupid,” I say, because what’s pride at this point? I tried to consolemy temporary business partner and insteadcollapsed like a fainting Victorian maiden.
The medic smiles. “If I had a dollar for every significant other who passed out on me, I’d be a wealthy man.”
I wait for Griffin to correct the assumption. When he doesn’t, I don’t bother either. The thought of course is preposterous. Griffin and I couldn’t be more different if we were separate species.
The medic turns to Griffin. “You seem stable, but we can take you to Frisco General if you’d like. We always recommend a proper checkup after anaphylaxis.”
“Thanks,” Griffin says, rising slowly. “Not my first rodeo. I’ll take it easy tonight.”
Apparently,I’mnotbeing offered a ride to any hospital.
Griffin looks down at me with something akin to concern. Or it could just be the lingering effects of near-death and a thigh full of epinephrine. He extends a hand and helps me up. We return the blanket, thank the medic, and head to the parking lot.
“I could use a drink,” he says quietly. “How about you?”
Chapter Thirteen
Griffin
I’m sittingon Ruby’s sofa, digging into a cilantro-free pizza. We were driving to the local pub when Ruby pointed out her building. “Let’s avoid the noise and have a drink here.”
Apparently, nearly dying earns me mandatory supervision in a quiet environment and a defrosted pizza.
Her place is loud, not in decibels but in color. Every imaginable hue exists in the living room. Though absolutely nothing matches, the space is welcoming. Polka-dot pillows with paisley blankets. A lamp made from driftwood. Mismatched mugs hanging on hooks. Somehow, it works.
Ruby hands me an ice-cold beer. “I’m really sorry.”
“Light beer’s fine.”
“It’s not that.” Then her eyes moisten, throwing me entirely. “I should have never ordered for you.”
I put my hand on hers and instantly pull back. “What? No. It was my fault.”
