I can’t tell if he’s trying to hug me or what, but he squeezes my ribs, and I hear a strangled cry as it tears from my throat. Embarrassingly, it’s followed by a whimper, but I can’t help it.
I hate that he’s seeing me like this…but I’m glad he’s here.
It’s the only thought I have the energy for before my world fades to black.
Chapter 15
Talon
Eloise and I came straight to Ricochet this morning after Victoria forwarded me Zeke’s resignation email, asking not to work any more shifts with me. She had questions, but so did I. I’d asked her to say nothing and keep this to herself until I could get to the bottom of it.
Rebecca was my first stop. She was understandably hesitant to discuss another employee with me when I’d demanded to know if Zeke had said anything to her or tried to contact her this morning. I’d had no choice but to tell her who I was when I’d asked for Zeke’s address so I could make sure he was okay. In fact, we were just going over the address on file when the man himself fell on his way to the host stand after stumbling off the gondola.
“Zeke,” I plead, falling to my knees in the snow next to him as I lightly tap his pale cheeks. “Zeke, please wake up,” I beg again.
I place the back of my hand against Zeke’s forehead.
“He’s burning the hell up,” I tell Eloise. “We’ve gotta go. Zeke, hold on,” I tell him pointlessly. I’m pretty sure he doesn’tunderstand a word I’m saying, but it makes me feel better to talk to him.
His eyes won’t focus, and they keep closing. It looks like he’s trying to fight going under, but he’s losing.
“Please keep everything you’ve learned today to yourself. Your discretion is appreciated, but can become mandatory if needed,” my sister says to Rebecca, stepping into full-blown HR mode.
Eloise can worry about the company.
I just care about getting Zeke to the hospital.
“I love Zeke like a brother,” Rebecca cries. “I won’t say a word. Just help him, please. And text me updates as you get them.”
Having no time to waste, I scoop Zeke off the ground as gently as I can and walk back toward the gondola. I know it’s bad when he doesn’t even protest the help. Instead, his head falls limply against my shoulder as his lungs struggle for breath against the altitude.
The operator in the gondola lift-house nods at me, telling me it’s okay to enter the platform and get on. Because I have Zeke in my arms, he does me a favor and stops the rotating boxes until I’m seated, cradling Zeke against me with Eloise at my side.
When we exit the gondola at the bottom of the mountain, we walk straight to my Range Rover, and Eloise helps me get Zeke strapped in.
“Hang on, Zeke. You’ll feel better soon,” I tell him again.
“Sorry,” he says, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes are now completely closed.
“Sorry? Zeke, you have nothing to be sorry for,” I tell him, turning onto the road that will take us away from the resort and toward the hospital.
“I…said…no.” He has to work to get the sentence out, each word taking strength he doesn’t have right now.
“It’s okay. Just rest. We’ll be there soon,” I say, trying to reassure him.
I pull into the roundabout entrance at the hospital, throw the SUV into park, yank his door open, and pull Zeke into my arms again. It’s amazing how light he is, and I briefly make a note to make sure he eats something as soon as he can.
When I get him checked in, the medical staff ask all the usual questions.
Who is he?
Who am I?
What brings us in today?
When they get to the part about health insurance, I tell them I honestly have no idea, but I put myself down as the guarantor. Even if they run every test known to man, I can cover it financially.
Satisfied with the information I provided, the triage nurse moves us to a room, and another team immediately begins examining Zeke. I watch from the corner as they start an IV of fluids and push acetaminophen for his fever, which is currently at one-hundred-and-four degrees.
