𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲

7- 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀

Guilt. It was all Ines could feel as she walked through the abandoned house. Why did she let her do this? She was supposed to take care of her.

"Where is she?" Ines asked, her voice full of concern but she realised the boy she was talking to was passed out.

Everything around Ines was a blur as she wandered through, the floorboards creaking underneath her feet.

And then she saw her.

"I'm s-sorry, I didn't know what to do-" A boy rushed out, panicking as his hands were shaking- not only to do with his nerves, but the drugs in his system.

Arabella was laid on the floor, her body limp- she wasn't breathing.

"Move the fuck over" Ines spat, pushing the boy aside as she checked Arabella's pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

"Call the fucking ambulance" Ines yelled at the boy, but he was now snoring slightly as he laid down.

Shit. What had she done?

Ines pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialling 911 as she put it on speaker on the floor.

"I need an ambulance right now at the abandoned house on Boulevard Street" Ines told the call responder as she started performing CPR on Arabella.

She shouldn't be doing this. She shouldn't be trying to save the life of the girl she swore to protect after her own mistake. Ines shouldn't have let her go with that boy, she should have kept her safe.

"Is the casualty responsive?" The call responder asked and Ines could feel tears start to form in her eyes.

"Her pulse is weak and thready and she's unresponsive-" Ines started, pausing as she felt a lump form in her throat.

"It's a presumed overdose and I don't know how much longer her heart will continue to pump- you need to be quick."

Tears were now free falling down her face- she'd failed. She'd failed like she had done at so many things in her life, but the one thing she didn't fail was at being a doctor- she hoped that it wouldn't fail her now.

A few minutes passed as perspiration covered her skin, her face flushed as she was determined to not stop. She couldn't stop.

Paramedics rushed in and took over CPR from Ines and she just sat to the side, her eyes wide in shock. Tears continued to fall from her cheeks as Arabella was put onto a stretcher, starting to get pushed away.

And then Ines got up, following after her. She couldn't feel grief or sadness, she had to make it right. She had to be there after not being there for her.

Arabella got pushed into the ambulance, paramedics surrounding her as they were about to close the door.

"Wait, let me get on" Ines told them but she was stopped.

"Miss, we can't-"

"It's Dr. Maxwell, and I'm getting in this damn ambulance."

And they let her on. Not only because of her doctor status, but because the hospital they were heading to was named after her.

She was going to fight for her, fight to save her and protect her like she should've done from the beginning.

———————

Ines sat there in the waiting room, feeling helpless. They wouldn't let her in the operating room, she only hoped they would- but she knew it was a rule not to perform on those you loved.

Her knees bounced up and down as her flushed cheeks were stained with dried tears. All she could do was look at the floor, think about all the things she should have done.