Taking a huge breath and blowing it out slowly, she shook her head. She didn’t believe the woman, but Jon needed to know about this. She opened the door, looking to see if the woman had gone. She had and others from the party were coming down the hallway. Nodding and smiling, she moved back to the main rooms. It took her a few moments to locate Jon as he had wandered a bit from where she has last seen him. She kept scanning the room, trying to spot the woman again but there were simply too many people.
Unknown to her, the guys were all keeping a bit of an eye on her and more than one saw her looking around the room again and again. Since she was already walking in Jon’s direction, both Tico and Richie, who were paying the most attention, wondered why she kept looking around. They both noticed that her eyes were a bit wide and she never stopped searching the room. Glances passed between the two and they moved to intercept her before she reached Jon.
Richie’s hand touched her arm to get her attention and she swung around almost wildly, with a real look of fear on her face. She relaxed visibly when she saw who it was. Her smile at the two men was a weak shadow of its real self.
“Oh hey. Sorry, got startled. Thought you guys were on the other side of the room. This is a really great party. I’ve never been to anything like this. Do you guys go to things like this all the time or is it a special thing just before the holidays? Do they have parties like this when new albums come out or when you’re announcing tours or just for other occasions?”
Richie and Tico noticed she was talking extremely fast and not waiting for answers to any of her questions. What she was doing was completely out of character for her and they exchanged looks with each other.
“Where were you coming from, chica?”
“Oh, just the ladies’ room. Jon was busy talking to some people and I took myself off for a moment.” Even when talking to them, her eyes continued their constant movements around the room.
Richie took her arm again. “Let’s go get a drink, babe.” He guided her to the bar where she asked for a white wine. She quickly downed the wine and asked for another. Again, out of character.
“Hey Teek! How about telling our bro’ where his lady is?”
“You got it, man.”
Keeping her back to the bar, Amanda answered Richie’s small talk rather distractedly. “Sorry, Rich, guess I’m a little more small town girl than I thought.”
Sure ya are, babe, he thought, what the fuck happened now?
Tico had obviously relayed some sort of information to Jon as they were walking back to the bar as Jon’s face showed some concern.
“Hey, there’s my girl!” He smiled at her.
She gave him a small smile back. “Hey, hon, I was looking all over for you. Richie and Tico must have thought I had whiplash the way I was searching the room!”
Richie looked at Tico. She’s lying, why? Was the unspoken thought. Tico shrugged. Surrounded by the three men, she let herself relax a bit. The woman hadn’t threatened her, so she just needed to tell Jon later, after the party, what had been said so he could watch out. It sounded like the woman knew Jon or at least thought she did. She began to act more naturally and the men resumed their mingling. She urged Jon to do what he needed to do, as there were many people he had to talk to, even during a social event, as business seemed to always intrude.
Leaving her wine on the bar, Amanda had turned to keep her eye on Jon and also to watch the room, looking for the woman. With her back to her glass, she didn’t see the woman who had stopped her in the bathroom slip a powder into her drink. The woman was so unremarkable that she slipped in behind Amanda and while the bartender was at the other end. She was gone as quickly as she had come.
Amanda continued to sip from her full wine glass, glad she had eaten before they came to the party. There was food everywhere, but Linda’s meal allowed her to enjoy a few glasses without worrying about becoming tipsy. She wanted Jon to be proud of her in front of his friends and associates. She finished her wine and asked for a glass of water. She stood up to go and join Jon when she noticed her balance was a bit off. That’s funny, I only had three glasses in the last two hours. She actually stumbled a bit and looked to see if anyone had noticed. She sat for a few more minutes, but she was not feeling better. In fact, the truth was she was feeling much worse.
She noticed how stuffy it seemed to be in the room. It seemed she couldn’t draw a deep enough breath. She needed to get out into the fresh air for a few minutes. That would clear her head. Jon saw her stand, stumble a little, shake her head, and move toward the back of the club. He looked to see what was there and noticed an exit door. Holding onto a wall, she was moving to the door. She stumbled again and almost fell. Jon turned immediately to find Richie and saw him less than 10 feet away.
“Rich!” He motioned with his head toward the back of the club and Richie immediately followed Jon.
“Amanda’s going out the back exit and she’s stumbling. She almost fell. Was she drinking a lot?”
“No way. A few glasses of wine, that’s it. Didn’t you guys say you ate a ton before you came tonight?”
“Yeah, so why’s she stumbling all over?”
Amanda seemed to be walking down a long tunnel with her only goal a sign that read “EXIT”. Her vision seemed to be narrowing and she was losing track of where she was. She had to get out to breathe. She hit the door with her full body and almost fell flat on her face. She caught herself at the last second, but only managed to get three steps before she sank to her knees.
Reaching the exit door, Jon and Richie opened the door and were confronted with Amanda on her knees, swaying and just about to fall over. They caught her and raised her to her feet. She couldn’t stand. Her breathing was ragged and gasping. She tried to focus on her surroundings but she was barely hanging on. Jon could not imagine what was the matter with her. He looked at Richie, who also shook his head.
“Jooonnn,” her voice was so slurred he almost couldn’t understand her. “Air…can’t breeaathee…shumthinnn…wrong…” She then slumped in their arms.
Richie already had his cell out calling for an ambulance. He told the dispatcher the location and Amanda’s symptoms. “She says she can’t breathe…!!!”
“Sir! Is she breathing?”
“Jon! Is she breathing?” Jon put his face down by hers and felt very faint breaths that were slowing as he measured them.
“FUCK! She’s breathing, but it’s slowing down. Tell them to fuckin’ hurry!”
The dispatcher had heard and assured them an ambulance had already been dispatched.
Jon felt for her pulse and was terrified when it was so slow he thought it wasn’t there. He turned stormy eyes to Richie. The two men stood there completely helpless as they had no idea what had happened to her. They heard the ambulance drawing closer and then saw the lights. Richie started waving at the paramedics who stopped close to the scene. Immediately jumping out, they began to assess Amanda’s condition.
Jon and Richie heard calls for oxygen…”get an IV started”… “anaphylactic shock”… “she’s not breathing! Get a tube in her!…”
They loaded Amanda on a stretcher and hurried her into the ambulance. “Who’s with her?”
Jon called out, “I am!”
“Hurry, buddy, get in here!”
“Rich! I’ll call you where we’re going. Get there fast, man!” Richie has never seen Jon’s eyes so wild or so scared.
He sat quietly as the paramedics continued to work on Amanda. They fired questions at him. What was her name? Did she do drugs? Was she on any medications? Did she have any allergies? Was she drinking tonight? When did she last eat? He gave them all the information he had and provided a further description of what he saw, how she stumbled and how slurred her speech was. He told them she said something was wrong.
The paramedics looked at one another. “Sounds like a Roofie – Rohypnol - and she’s having an allergic reaction to it.”
Jon looked at them. “What the hell are you talking about? Who would give her a Roofie?”
“No idea, sir, but she’s having a bad reaction and we need to get her to the hospital right now.”
Unknown to her, the guys were all keeping a bit of an eye on her and more than one saw her looking around the room again and again. Since she was already walking in Jon’s direction, both Tico and Richie, who were paying the most attention, wondered why she kept looking around. They both noticed that her eyes were a bit wide and she never stopped searching the room. Glances passed between the two and they moved to intercept her before she reached Jon.
Richie’s hand touched her arm to get her attention and she swung around almost wildly, with a real look of fear on her face. She relaxed visibly when she saw who it was. Her smile at the two men was a weak shadow of its real self.
“Oh hey. Sorry, got startled. Thought you guys were on the other side of the room. This is a really great party. I’ve never been to anything like this. Do you guys go to things like this all the time or is it a special thing just before the holidays? Do they have parties like this when new albums come out or when you’re announcing tours or just for other occasions?”
Richie and Tico noticed she was talking extremely fast and not waiting for answers to any of her questions. What she was doing was completely out of character for her and they exchanged looks with each other.
“Where were you coming from, chica?”
“Oh, just the ladies’ room. Jon was busy talking to some people and I took myself off for a moment.” Even when talking to them, her eyes continued their constant movements around the room.
Richie took her arm again. “Let’s go get a drink, babe.” He guided her to the bar where she asked for a white wine. She quickly downed the wine and asked for another. Again, out of character.
“Hey Teek! How about telling our bro’ where his lady is?”
“You got it, man.”
Keeping her back to the bar, Amanda answered Richie’s small talk rather distractedly. “Sorry, Rich, guess I’m a little more small town girl than I thought.”
Sure ya are, babe, he thought, what the fuck happened now?
Tico had obviously relayed some sort of information to Jon as they were walking back to the bar as Jon’s face showed some concern.
“Hey, there’s my girl!” He smiled at her.
She gave him a small smile back. “Hey, hon, I was looking all over for you. Richie and Tico must have thought I had whiplash the way I was searching the room!”
Richie looked at Tico. She’s lying, why? Was the unspoken thought. Tico shrugged. Surrounded by the three men, she let herself relax a bit. The woman hadn’t threatened her, so she just needed to tell Jon later, after the party, what had been said so he could watch out. It sounded like the woman knew Jon or at least thought she did. She began to act more naturally and the men resumed their mingling. She urged Jon to do what he needed to do, as there were many people he had to talk to, even during a social event, as business seemed to always intrude.
Leaving her wine on the bar, Amanda had turned to keep her eye on Jon and also to watch the room, looking for the woman. With her back to her glass, she didn’t see the woman who had stopped her in the bathroom slip a powder into her drink. The woman was so unremarkable that she slipped in behind Amanda and while the bartender was at the other end. She was gone as quickly as she had come.
Amanda continued to sip from her full wine glass, glad she had eaten before they came to the party. There was food everywhere, but Linda’s meal allowed her to enjoy a few glasses without worrying about becoming tipsy. She wanted Jon to be proud of her in front of his friends and associates. She finished her wine and asked for a glass of water. She stood up to go and join Jon when she noticed her balance was a bit off. That’s funny, I only had three glasses in the last two hours. She actually stumbled a bit and looked to see if anyone had noticed. She sat for a few more minutes, but she was not feeling better. In fact, the truth was she was feeling much worse.
She noticed how stuffy it seemed to be in the room. It seemed she couldn’t draw a deep enough breath. She needed to get out into the fresh air for a few minutes. That would clear her head. Jon saw her stand, stumble a little, shake her head, and move toward the back of the club. He looked to see what was there and noticed an exit door. Holding onto a wall, she was moving to the door. She stumbled again and almost fell. Jon turned immediately to find Richie and saw him less than 10 feet away.
“Rich!” He motioned with his head toward the back of the club and Richie immediately followed Jon.
“Amanda’s going out the back exit and she’s stumbling. She almost fell. Was she drinking a lot?”
“No way. A few glasses of wine, that’s it. Didn’t you guys say you ate a ton before you came tonight?”
“Yeah, so why’s she stumbling all over?”
Amanda seemed to be walking down a long tunnel with her only goal a sign that read “EXIT”. Her vision seemed to be narrowing and she was losing track of where she was. She had to get out to breathe. She hit the door with her full body and almost fell flat on her face. She caught herself at the last second, but only managed to get three steps before she sank to her knees.
Reaching the exit door, Jon and Richie opened the door and were confronted with Amanda on her knees, swaying and just about to fall over. They caught her and raised her to her feet. She couldn’t stand. Her breathing was ragged and gasping. She tried to focus on her surroundings but she was barely hanging on. Jon could not imagine what was the matter with her. He looked at Richie, who also shook his head.
“Jooonnn,” her voice was so slurred he almost couldn’t understand her. “Air…can’t breeaathee…shumthinnn…wrong…” She then slumped in their arms.
Richie already had his cell out calling for an ambulance. He told the dispatcher the location and Amanda’s symptoms. “She says she can’t breathe…!!!”
“Sir! Is she breathing?”
“Jon! Is she breathing?” Jon put his face down by hers and felt very faint breaths that were slowing as he measured them.
“FUCK! She’s breathing, but it’s slowing down. Tell them to fuckin’ hurry!”
The dispatcher had heard and assured them an ambulance had already been dispatched.
Jon felt for her pulse and was terrified when it was so slow he thought it wasn’t there. He turned stormy eyes to Richie. The two men stood there completely helpless as they had no idea what had happened to her. They heard the ambulance drawing closer and then saw the lights. Richie started waving at the paramedics who stopped close to the scene. Immediately jumping out, they began to assess Amanda’s condition.
Jon and Richie heard calls for oxygen…”get an IV started”… “anaphylactic shock”… “she’s not breathing! Get a tube in her!…”
They loaded Amanda on a stretcher and hurried her into the ambulance. “Who’s with her?”
Jon called out, “I am!”
“Hurry, buddy, get in here!”
“Rich! I’ll call you where we’re going. Get there fast, man!” Richie has never seen Jon’s eyes so wild or so scared.
He sat quietly as the paramedics continued to work on Amanda. They fired questions at him. What was her name? Did she do drugs? Was she on any medications? Did she have any allergies? Was she drinking tonight? When did she last eat? He gave them all the information he had and provided a further description of what he saw, how she stumbled and how slurred her speech was. He told them she said something was wrong.
The paramedics looked at one another. “Sounds like a Roofie – Rohypnol - and she’s having an allergic reaction to it.”
Jon looked at them. “What the hell are you talking about? Who would give her a Roofie?”
“No idea, sir, but she’s having a bad reaction and we need to get her to the hospital right now.”
Jon called Richie and told them where they were taking Amanda. “I’m on my way, man!”
Oh my God, I knew there would be trouble with that woman, but i wasn't thinking anything like this! I didn't see this coming, but thank goodness you posted another chapter. It wouldn't be very nice to keep us in such suspense for too long!
Great chapter! Now I need to go read the next one..bye