Clarice pointed at the door leading to the terrace, and the two of them followed her out. “It’s glorious. I feel right about this place.”
“Good news?” Nate asked Manuela.
“So far, yes. Sometimes, you just have to revisit in broad daylight and see how you feel about something,” she said.
Nate exchanged a glance with her, that lingered until it squeezed her heart. Did he understand what she meant? She was hoping he’d meet her halfway, but was it fair to expect that from him? He didn’t even know she’d always crushed on him. Would it change anything if he had?
Ah, she hated all this dating what-ifs.
But she had to remain strong, no matter how she wanted to declare her love for him. She was afraid to tell him she loved him and sway his decision of taking a chance with her. He had to want to be with her, not just for pity.
“I understand,” he said. “Revisiting certainly brings things to perspective.”
She stepped toward him, eyes entranced by his. Breath caught in her throat. Nothing could shake the feeling he’d meant more with those words—that they were on the same page at last. “It does, doesn’t it?”
Clarice’s sudden scream cut through their tension, and Manuela turned to see the client on the floor. Color drained from her face, and she touched her chest, her breathing labored. “I… don’t…”
Manuela’s own blood chilled in her veins.
“Call 911,” Nate said, then knelt next to Clarice, and opened the first top buttons of her blouse, then touched her wrist, checking for her pulse. “It’s okay, Clarice. You’ll be fine. Help is on the way. Try to breathe.”
With her heart throbbing in her ears, Manuela called 911, gave them the details she could, then sat on the floor next to Nate. Feeling so helpless.
When her brother died, drowned in a river while they swam, she felt helpless too. She couldn’t do much, and back then she’d been a child. Her mother threw herself in the river, screaming, crying for help, but when she reached them it’d been too late. Her father had cried for weeks.
Now it wouldn’t be too late, she told herself. They’d see that Clarice would get help.
Paramedics came, and in a blur she translated the questions they asked, and soon, put her in a gurney.
“I’m going with her,” she told Nate.
“Thank you. I’ll close the house and meet you at the hospital,” he said.
She was in the waiting room, after they had taken Clarice in for checking. So far, all she knew was that since Clarice had changed her blood pressure medication a couple of days prior. Her system didn’t get along with the new drug. So they had to run tests and bloodwork to make sure nothing else was wrong with her.
She crossed and uncrossed her legs, unsure about what to do as she waited. She’d tried getting in touch with Clarice’s son, her emergency contact, but he was out of the country. Hopefully he’d see the voicemail and call back soon.
“Hi,” said a deep familiar male voice, and she looked to the side to find Nate walking up to her. “Any news?”
She massaged the back of her neck, trying to alleviate a kink. “Not yet. They’re talking about the change in medicine maybe provoked some of it, as it didn’t control her blood pressure.”
“That’s wild. She didn’t seem like she was in distress before it happened.”
“I know. It was very quick.”
“Yes.”
He sat next to her, and squeezed her shoulder. “How are you?”
She intertwined her fingers, fidgeting. “I’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“You seemed very shaken when it happened,” he said in a soothing voice.
She glanced at him, wondering if she should change the subject or be honest. Pretending to be okay when she wasn’t always took more effort. “I, hmmm. My brother Saulo drowned when I was little, and I saw him die,” she said, her voice heavy with all those dormant emotions coming to the surface. She’d never told Nate about Saulo, and why would she? A lot of times she preferred not thinking about it. Not hurting again.
“Manuela,” he said in a low, intimate voice. “I’m so sorry,” he said, then pulled her into a hug.
She knew he wasn’t just the kind who hugged people for no reason. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time he embraced her like this, with his strong arms around her. Warm energy bounced in between them, and a quiet glow flowed through her. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, thankful for the way he stroked her back. Then, before she lost control of her emotions, she gently disengaged, tears brimming her lids.
