Eduardo comes over to our table and introduces himself to us. I wave at him and thank him for allowing us to hang out without waiting in line.
“Think nothing of it, Liv.” He leans over into Emma’s ear and says something. She smiles and then looks at him, and he kisses her on the top of her head. He then goes to the security guard and leans over to talk to him out of earshot. He looks to the other security detail and pats him on the shoulder as he walks off.
“Come on, girls. Let’s take some shots and go dance.”
The girls take a couple of shots each, and we stand, making our way to the dance floor. Again the security guard stays at our table, but as we make our way down the staircase, another security guard is waiting to watch us.
“I wonder if this is part of the VIP experience?” I mouth this into Emma’s ear, and she looks at me with a smirk on her lips.
“Must be.”
She grabs my hand, and we get to the dance floor. We dance to a couple of songs, and then Nelly’s “It’s Getting Hot In Here” comes on, and Emma gets all excited. The girl can dance, and she draws a little attention to herself. She pulls me in closer, and we lose ourselves in the song. Some guys head over our way and start to dance with us. I don’t care as long as they don’t get handsy. I look up and see a big muscled guy with a tight-fitted Henley shirt that fits his body like a glove. He starts to grind alongside Emma, and I notice that his tattoos creep up from under his chest, extending to his neck. I look over at a small commotion by the dance floor and catch a security guard that was with us upstairs approaching the dance floor, followed by a very pissed-off Eduardo. He walks over to the dance floor and taps the guys on the shoulder. The guy turns around, and recognition seems to register on his face. He puts his hands up and says something I cannot hear to Eduardo. He backs off and leaves the floor. Emma is now being led off the dance floor by Eduardo. I go to follow, but suddenly a wave of nausea hits me, and I lean over, holding on to a barstool nearby.
I see Emma running over to me, with Eduardo calling one of the security guards to come over to me. I feel the security grab me, lead me off the crowded area, and take me in through a side door. I hear footsteps echo, and Emma is right by me, telling me I will be alright.
I hear Eduardo’s voice shout, “Pick her up and take her to my office now. We need to call Dax to come and get her.”
That was the last thing I heard until I passed out. I awake to Emma folding a cool compress onto my forehead.
“There you are, Liv. You made us all so worried.”
I look at my surroundings, and confusion was on my face. I’m on a leather sofa.
Emma explains, “You were dizzy, said you felt like passing out, and then did. Eduardo had one of the security guards bring you to his office, and they called Dax. He is on his way.”
I smile and think that I can’t wait until Dax shows up. Then I will feel better. He makes everything feel better. I lower my head on a very comfortable cushion and close my heavy eyes.
I must have passed out for a while because a few minutes later, another security guard called to say that Dax was at the door outside asking for entrance into the club.
“Let him in and show him back. I called him, and we are expecting him,” Eduardo relays to another person on his phone.
Five minutes later, Dax is rushing through the door to find me. He sees me trying to sit up and runs over. “Liv, are you okay? What happened?”
“I was feeling sick today, and all the business with school and work finally caught up to me.”
Emma quickly turns to me and glares with her eyes. I look at Emma and then at Dax.
“Why do I sense there is more to this story Liv? We’ll talk about it later when I get you to my house. Can you stand? Do you want to go to the ER?”
I shake my head no.
“Okay, let’s see if you can stand. Here let me help you.”
I try to stand but feel nausea come at me again. I shake my head and sit back again.
“Okay, to the ER, it is. Eduardo, can you help me get her to my car?”
“Sure, bring your car around back, and I will help her and have my security team escort you to the car. I’ll have someone follow you there just in case you need help.”
“Thanks.” Dax turns around to leave quickly through the door.
I look over and see Emma staring at me. She comes over and moves my hair out of my face.
“You probably are dehydrated and might need some IV fluids. Please keep me posted, Liv, okay? I will get the girls home, and I’ll see you tomorrow. I expect complete reports from you then.” She winks at me and stands to return to Eduardo’s side, where he takes her in a possessive embrace.
Dax comes back through the door with the security guys, and they take me through the back hallways leading to the outside alley. As soon as they open the door, the cooler air hits me, and I feel I can breathe better. The crowds and heat produced by the dancing and all the bodies around me must have been too much and added to my feeling of being unwell today.
Of course, the emergency department is busy tonight, but Dax pulls some strings to get us back sooner, considering I probably look terrible, almost passing out in the chair. The triage nurse gets me right in, and I am shown to a room off to the side hallways. The nurse comes through, starts an IV, draws some labs from it, and then hangs an IV bag of fluid at a steady pace. I don’t see anyone I know working tonight, and I am immediately thankful for that minor miracle. I don’t want to explain to anyone why I am here, especially if what I suspect is my problem is confirmed and also made known to the entire department.
