Glow (14 page)

“Vanessa can, she speaks some Italian,” Jordan smiled at Vanessa. “You
should order us drinks and surprise us,” he leaned in and kissed her on the
cheek.

She speaks Italian? How sexy is that truthfully? I watched her tentatively as I
waited for her response.

“Oooh, fun,” Vanessa eyed the drink menu. She whistled lowly for a moment
as we stayed quiet waiting for her to say something. “Alright, I think I got it,”
“Karen will have the Negroni, Jordan the Montgomery, and for Ben...” she
paused, sexily raising her eyebrow at me. “He will have a Lemoncello on the
rocks,” she handed the waiter her drink menu. “Per piacere.”

Ah, God... so sexy. Why does she feel the need to torture me?
I groaned.

 

The waiter bowed. “Ovviamente, con piacere,”

 

“Mille grazie, Villenccio.” Vanessa laughed.

 

“Wow, that was so hot,” Karen said breathlessly as she stared at Vanessa.

 

“Right?” Jordan said touching her cheek with his fingertips. I could shove
those fingers up his ass.

Vanessa speaking Italian was the hottest thing I have ever witnessed. Nothing
like an astounding woman to be that much more astounding by speaking the
most seductive language in the world.
God, I love Vanessa Montello.

Vanessa has turned me on in more ways than one in less than an hour we
have been here. I have to hand it to her though, that the Lemon-whatever you
call it- drink was awesome. I have let my plan of trying to make Vanessa
jealous to the side, until now.

Vanessa is leaning into Jordan listening to Karen go off about working for
Mac make-up, so now is my chance. I leaned over to Karen and nestled my
nose into her neck. I could hear her start to stutter as I gently, and softy raked
my lips against her shoulder. I placed a kiss on her cheek as I sat up, lacing
our fingers together then bringing her hand to my lips.

I heard Vanessa clear her throat so I looked at her, she was still leaning into
Jordan with eyes still on Karen. It's bugging her, exactly the reaction I
wanted to see. So can you guess what I do next? I placed kisses on the back
of Karen's hand, Vanessa cleared her throat again. I smiled.
“Are you guys ready to order?” I hadn't even noticed that the waiter had
approached. He was ready with a pen and paper in hand.

Vanessa looked at all of us and nods to the waiter. “Si, penso di si,” she
smiled.

 

“Fabulous, we will start with you, misses...” he bowed towards Vanessa.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal except for me as I took the liberty of
ordering myself the 'Buridda' as it sounded something like a burrito. Little did
I know, it was fish...I mean, don't get me wrong, the dish was delicious.
However, I'm highly allergic to fish.

Jordan was going off about the water wall is Vanessa's lobby, how he had
designed it and what not when my throat starts to itch. I coughed once, twice,
and it becomes nearly uncontrollable the third time. I took a drink of water, it
seemed to help for the moment.

“Ben, are you okay?” Vanessa reached across the table and touched my arm
soothingly.

 

I nodded. “I'm fine,” I looked at Karen who was bumping her gums about the
serenity of waterfalls while looking at me from the corner of her eye.

 

I coughed again and my tongue started to feel a little funny. I took another sip
of water, Vanessa jumped in her seat as I coughed again.

 

“You know, waterfalls help with health and relaxation...” Karen stated.

I continued to cough, my tongue and lips started to itch like crazy. I took
another sip of water to find that it is now of no help. My tongue was aching
to be itched so I grabbed my napkin, opened my mouth and went to town,
itching it like crazy.

“Ben, what are you doing?” Karen whispered.
“Oh my God, his lips are huge!” Jordan pointed.

 

I looked at him then at Vanessa who gasped as I pulled the napkin away from
my mouth.

 

“Your face is swelling! Ben!” she exasperated as she stood from her chair
rushing over to me.

 

“I'm fine,” I said in a muffled tone due to my swollen tongue.

 

“You're not fine, what was it you ate?” Vanessa asked.

 

“Bu-wee-duh,” I answered funny.

 

“O-okay... uh, um,” She stuttered as she though about it, she rubbed my back
trying to soothe me. “Buridda?”

 

I nodded my head quickly, my tongue was burning so bad. “Yesh,” I
answered.

 

“That's fish,” she furrowed her brows, the hand on my back paused. “Are you
allergic to fish, Ben?” she asked, continuing to rub my back.

 

At this point I wanted to rip my fucking tongue out of my mouth, I just
nodded. Screw speaking...

“Oh, my...” She flinched as I looked up at her. “Come on, Ben, let's go. We
have to get you to a hospital,” Vanessa said calmly as she placed her hands
under my arms trying to rise me from my chair.

I stood up. “Scusi, cameriere!” Vanessa yelled. Our waiter came rushing
toward our table.

 

Please not all of this, just let's go...
I thought.

“Miss?” Our waiter was right at Vanessa's side.
“Ben, do you think we can make it if I drive or should we call an
ambulance?”

I can't answer as I am now wheezing, I felt my throat closing in. I nod...
Yes!
Call an ambulance!

 

“You want me to drive you? Okay...” Vanessa frantically nods ignoring the
waiter standing beside us completely oblivious to what is happening.

 

“Mm, mm, mm!”
No, no, no!
I shook my head fervidly as I wheezed.

 

As Vanessa dragged my near lifeless body out of the restaurant, I can hear
Jordan and Karen say they will call us later.
Kiss my ass!

“It's okay, Ben, we will get you help,” I did the best I could standing to my
feet as she opened the car door. I fell into the front seat gasping for air.
Please, Vanessa... go!
I blinked rapidly as I sat up choking for air.

She gassed it. I could hear several horns honking as Vanessa repeatedly yells,
“Sorry!”, and “Screw you, man dyin' here!” as she sped through Manhattan.

 

I finally decided that it was better to lay back instead of struggling, so I lay
my head upon the head rest.

 

“Ben?” she frantically smacked her hand onto my chest.

 

I raised my hand asking her to stop, I shook my head 'no'.
Just get me there
and stop hitting me for Christ sakes!

 

“Don't die on me, Benjamin...” I could hear the quivering behind Vanessa's
every word.

I stopped struggling to breath for a moment and watched her nearly fall apart.
Should I use this to my advantage? Or is that too harsh?
I closed my eyes
although I was still very aware of what was going on around me.
“This double date was such a stupid idea,” she sniffed. “This stupid article,”
she sobbed.

Okay... and? Keep talking, Vanessa...

 

She smacked my chest again and I whimpered. “Hang on, Ben, we're almost
there...”

 

More long honks, and taps of the horn
Beep.

 

“I didn't want to go to dinner with Jordan, I mean... I like him, he's
handsome, nice, a-and sexy but... I only did it because I have to,” she cried.

 

Why didn't you want to go to dinner with Jordan? He's handsome, nice, and
sexy, but what?!

 

“Geez, Ben... I called maria when I was supposed to be sick, but I wasn't,”

My breathing had become more shallow. At first I closed my eyes to see
what I could get out of Vanessa's panicky state, but I was near anxiety mode,
I couldn't open my eyes.

I felt Vanessa's hand on mine, she squeezed it tightly. “It was wrong of me to
lie, I wasn't sick... I just wanted to change, I wanted to make you want me,”
she sobbed. “I wanted to make you want me because-”

Yup, you all guessed it, at the utmost importance of what Vanessa was about
to say, I blacked out from lack of oxygen.

 

Well, isn't karma a bitch?
Chapter Seven: Dr. Love

I pulled up to the medical center and hopped out of the car. I ran to the
passenger side to an unconscious Ben with very shallow breathing. His face
was swollen beyond recognition, I turned hysterical.

“Hang in there, Ben,” I grunted and sobbed as I placed my hands under his
arms then pulled him out of the car. His feet fell to the asphalt with a thud. I
kicked the door closed with my silver heel as hard as I could then dragged his
heavy, near lifeless body into the emergency room.

“Help!” I sobbed as I entered the automatic doors. “He’s barely breathing,”

No response, so I turned my head to see the waiting room was packed with
people; some bleeding profusely, some sneezing, and some in wheelchairs
with blankets draped on their legs.

“Somebody help us, please!” I said louder as I cried. “He can’t breathe!”

I heard the receptionist from behind me pick up her phone then call for help.
My arms were going numb, a thousand prickles of needles coursed through
my fingers. I gently lay Ben onto the white linoleum as two nurses and a
doctor came rushing to his side.

“What happened?” the tan-skinned doctor with short black hair and blue eyes
said as he listened to Ben’s breathing.

 

“He ate fish,” I sobbed.

 

“Get me a gurney, now,” he placed his hands under Ben’s arms. “He’s having
a severe allergic reaction with respiratory distress,”

The small-framed blonde nurse ran into the room closest to the reception
desk and within seconds was back with a black, padded bed with a white
fitted sheet draped across that barely fit. With the doctors’ hands under Ben’s
arms, the pudgy red headed nurse with her hands under his back, and the
blonde with her hands under his ankles, they lifted him onto the gurney. I ran
behind them as they wheeled him into a room.

“Epi,” the doctor demanded as he and the blonde hooked Ben up to check his
vitals. The doctor unbuttoned the wrist of Ben’s dress shirt, ripping it up the
arm to expose his shoulder.

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked, my hands were shaking.

 

“He will be fine, we just have to give him an Epi-shot, a steroid, and some
Benadryl,” he smiled at me.

 

Oh, my… dimples.

 

“Dr. Roberts,” the red headed nurse said breathlessly as she rushed back into
the room with a shot.

 

“This will just take a few moments to kick in,” he jabbed the needle into
Ben’s shoulder. I winced then wrapped my arms around me for comfort.

 

“Some Prednisone, and Benadryl please, Natasha,”

 

“Yes, sir,” the blonde nurse smiled at Dr. Roberts. I heard the heart monitor
start to beep rapidly.

“It’s working already,” he smiled at me reassuringly. The blonde nurseNatasha- was back with the other shots. With a shot in both hands he jabbed
Ben’s shoulder again. I turned my head.

I could see Ben’s chest rising higher with every breath.
Thank you, God!
I
thought he was going to die.

 

“You would think with an allergy this bad he would be carrying an Epipen,”
Dr. Roberts laughed slightly.

 

“You would think so,” I glared down at Ben.

“He will be back to normal here in a few minutes. But the swelling will go
down gradually within the next few hours to a day or so,” he sighed. “I’m
going to give him a prescription for an Epipen in case this were to happen
again, a few doses of steroids and a higher milligram dosage of Benadryl to
take which should help get the swelling down.”

“Thank you so much,” I smiled.

 

“Your boyfriend will be just fine,” he jotted down some info on a piece of
paper. “Registration will be in here shortly to ask a few questions,”

 

“Oh, but um…” I shook my head. “He’s not my boyfriend,”

 

“Oh?” Dr. Roberts looked at me with a sly-sexy smirk.

 

“Yeah, no… he’s not,” I chuckled. Ben my boyfriend? Highly unlikely.

 

“I’m Chase,” he held his hand out to me. “Chase Roberts,”

“Vanessa Montello,” I shook his hand.
Hm…
Not too soft of a shake, but not
too strong to tell me that he is a control freak. It was just enough to let me
know that he is confident. I smiled.

“Ah, the infamous Miss. Montello from Glow,” Chase winked.

 

“Guilty,” I laughed.
Ah, crap…
again, this could be a good thing or a bad
thing.

 

“You caused my sister to divorce back in 2010,” he gave me a skeptical look.
His blue eyes were burning a hole through my retinas.

 

FAIL…
“Oh, I-” I dropped his hand. “I’m so sorry,”

 

How uncomfortable is this?! I mean, come on!

 

“I’m kidding! Her marriage was doomed from ‘can I get you’re number’,” he
laughed.

 

I relaxed with a sigh placing my hand on my heart.

“It’s fine, you actually helped her see what a dirt-bag he was,” Chase placed
his hand on my shoulder. “She would possibly have a heart attack if she
knew you were here in my department. She thinks you’re brilliant.”

“I don’t know about brilliant,” I blushed.

 

He just stared at me with a thoughtful look upon his handsome face.

 

“What?” I asked him with a smile.

 

“Why don’t we go out sometime,” he suggested.
Dr. Hot Stuff is asking me
out? Yes! Yes!

 

“Possibly,” I played casual.

 

“Here,” he wrote his number down. “You decide and text me when you come
to a decision,”

 

“Okay,” I smiled taking his number, I put it in my clutch.

 

An older woman with shoulder length silver hair and brown corduroys
walked into the room with a mobile computer on a cart.

 

“I’ll let registration take over,” he sighed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to
check on your friend.”

“Thank you,” I said sweetly as I took a seat in the chair next to Ben’s gurney.
Since I know nothing about Ben really, it was a tedious task rolling him over
and holding his back with my shoulder as I dug his wallet from his back
pocket.

“Just one second,” I grunted as I pushed him harder with my shoulder.