I take the light from Beth’s hand and pull down Emma’s blanket, thinking of Russell’s gun now hidden in my stateroom. I run the light over Emma’s whole body, half expecting her to be lying in a pool of blood. I lift her shirt, but there’s no trace of any injuries on her long, toned body.Of course not,I think. If Russell had shot her, we would’ve heard the gunshot.
I shake her unmoving form by the shoulders. “Emma! Wake up.”
Her head flops limply to the side. I scan the sides of the bed and turn to Beth and Russell.
“Was she drinking before she laid down?”
“No,” Beth says. “Not that I know of.”
The only thing on her bedside shelf is an empty bottle of Gatorade. I turn her on her side and stick my fingers into the back of her throat.
Behind me, Beth gasps. “What are you—”
Emma gags and vomits orange liquid as I withdraw my fingers from her mouth. I hold her steady, keeping her on her side so she doesn’t aspirate before sticking my fingers down her throat a second time. She gags and vomits again. This time, her glassed-over eyes flutter open as I hold her.
“That a girl. You’re okay,” I tell her.
I twist toward Beth. “Help me prop some pillows behind her to keep her head up. Russell, get her some water,” I add while Beth crawls on the bed beside me.
Emma moans, and I help her lie back on the pillows Beth arranged. Her eyelids close.
“Here.” Russell hands me a cold bottle of water.
I take it from him. “Emma. Hey, stay awake. Okay? I’m gonna give you some water.”
Her eyelids open slowly.
“I’ll help you. Just take a drink.”
Emma sighs and opens her mouth as I tilt the bottle toward her lips.
“There you go. That’s great,” I praise her after she swallows.
I get a rancid waft from Emma’s vomit on the bed next to us.
“I’m so tired,” she groans.
“I know you are, but you need to drink more water, okay?”
I help her take another sip.
“Did you take any pills before bed?”
“No,” she mutters.
I glance at Beth, who stares back at me blankly, then turn back to Emma before I become consumed by Beth’s messages to my husband.
“Did you have alcohol?”
Emma shakes her head. “No.”
I hold up the half-full water bottle. “I need you to drink the rest of this. We need to flush out your system. You should also have some caffeine. It will help stimulate your heart rate and increase your blood pressure, which I’m sure is low.”
“What happened to her?” Russell asks.
As if he doesn’t already know. I swing my light toward his face. He stares down at Emma with seemingly genuine concern, then looks to Beth and me for an answer.
“Russell, I think there’s an energy drink in the fridge. Can you bring it to us?”
