Insatiable (Completed)

Chapter 46- Deja vu

Riley

Deja vu.

What a fucked up feeling.

There was a soft thud on the floor before everything and everyone around me seized to exist. Zabdiel was still on the line, I think, as the phone slipped out of my hand. My chest walls felt as if they were closing around my lungs, suffocating me to the point where I found it difficult to breathe. I knew what was coming next as my body went numb and my vision blurred.

"Riley?" Chris was next to me, and through my panic I could see the look of concern on his face as he picked up my phone from the floor. "Hey man? What's going on?" I heard him ask Zabdiel.

I felt a wetness that soon clouded my vision and my breathing became almost painful.

Remember your steps, Riley- I tried to tell myself in order to stop the inevitable panic attack from coming on.

"Shit. Uhm, yeah no problem. I'll bring her." I heard my phone beep off and just as fast, Chris in front of me.

"Riley, look at me," he coerced, his hands on my face forcing me to look at him. The pad of his finger brushed the dampness away from under my eye.

"Chris, I-I can't-"

"I know, Ri. Look, we gotta go okay? C'mon." Even though we weren't exactly seeing eye to eye a few moments ago, I didnt protest when he grabbed my bag from my desk and led me out of the office.

I was in no condition to drive given my current mind set that was racing with countless thoughts of the worst case scenario. Could you blame me? My track record of loved one in car accidents wasnt exactly spotless. I hopped in the car wordlessly when he opened the door and remained silent for most of the drive, the dampness in my eyes never leaving me.

In the period of time that Zabdiel had worked at the hospital, I could count on one hand the number of times I'd been to see him at work. Hospitals gave me anxiety. Anything dealing with sick, injured and occassionally dead people freaked me out. I felt my heart slamming against my chest as we drove through the entrance to the parking lot just outside the emergency department.

I struggled to put one foot in front of the other as we walked towards the automated doors that opened instantly before we could pass through, my mind screaming at me to brace myself for what I was about to find awaiting me inside. The emergency department looked like a mad house, with nurses and doctors working at a faster pace than the rest of the world, attending to patients left, right and center. My eyes frantically scanned the room for the person I was dreading to see, in fear of what their condition might be.

"Ay, Zabdiel!" I heard Chris call out and my blonde hair house mate came rushing over, looking all professional with his white coat on and a stethoscope around his neck.

"Ri!" He was seemingly breathless as he spoke. "Is Anna here yet?"

"Anna? No, I-I dont know. Zab, what happened?" My voice was shaky and a stream of tears wouldnt stop falling down my cheek but I tried to hold it together.

"I was hoping Anna would be here so I could tell you both."

"Where is he?" I asked the one question that i had been fearing the answer to.

"They're taking him up to the OR. Him and Joel actually. It's bad, Ri." That icy cold feeling from back in the office when Zab had called came rushing back.

"What exactly happened?" Chris asked when I was unable to say anything further.

"A truck's brakes failed at a traffic stop. They both lost a lot of blood and Joel was only semi conscious when the paramedics brought them in. He might have a serious head injury and Richard had multiple penetrating injuries from the debris. I wish I could explain more to you but I need to scrub in."