Caramel | Rip Wheeler

Caramel - Chapter Twenty Eight

TRIGGER WARNING!

The next couple of days were awkward and quiet. There was a sense of longing in the air. Rip would make attempts to touch or even just speak to Maria, but ultimately was shut down every single time and waited with bated breath for anything out of her. He was desperate and stressed, his mind running in different directions.

He worried about her, her sunken features and pale skin portrayed how unhealthy her mind was. She would pace back and fourth as if she had lost her mind, he would watch from the other room without a word. She became oddly close to Kayce, which didn't necessarily bother Rip, he was very secure in their relationship and speaking to Kayce about her problems was better than speaking to nobody.

He clenched his teeth against the tooth pick that sat in his mouth, he had been looking for her yet again, hoping to make yet another attempt to speak to her, but she was no where to be found on any part of the ranch. Blue Jeans was unmounted and lonely inside of his enclosure, so that sparked his curiosity. He hummed, shutting the barn doors behind him before making toward the lodge. John sat on the porch, a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked up when he heard the heavy footsteps coming up the steps.

"Mornin'." He greeted with a small nod of his head. "Why have I been watching you pace from one side of the ranch to the other for the past three hours?"

"I can't find Maria." He huffed. "Have you seen her?"

"Well, son, you should've started with that." He chuckled, his chest rising and falling with the action. "She's inside, think I heard her talking to Kayce." He raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"

Rip hesitated, John noticed. "Everything's fine, sir." John only shook his head a bit and Rip sighed, shaking his head. "She's not doing great."

"How so?"

"I'm worried about her." He motioned his head in a way so John would understand he was in a rush.

He took a sip from his mug. "Go find her, we'll speak later."

He nodded, stepping through the open door. He shuttered as if a ghost had passed through him, something was completely wrong. "Baby?" He called throughout the large house, glancing from side to side hoping for a sign of her. All he received in exchange was an echo.

He heard foot steps ascending, which made him spin around quickly to find them. Kayce was walking up to him. "Everything alright?"

"Have you seen Maria?"

"Yeah." He pointed at the kitchen. "We were having breakfast but she said she had to go to the restroom like fifteen minutes ago and hasn't come back, so I figured she left." He shrugged. "After that, I'm not sure."

"Fuck." Rip mumbled. "Which bathroom, Kayce?"

"Uhm.." He pointed toward the staircase. "Upstairs on the left."

Rip took off without another word, jumping the steps eagerly. The water was running, but that was the only noise coming from the bathroom. "Maria?" Rip knocked three times with his hard knuckles. "Baby?"

There was no response, other than Kayce walking up the steps asking what was going on. "What did you two talk about?" Rip continued to knock, ignoring his questions.

"Nothing, she was just apologizing..." Kayce's heart froze as he realized why she had been so adamant on fixing things with him for the past week. "For Everything."

"Get back." He all but shoved Kayce away, stepping back to send his foot flying through the door. His heart sunk as he noticed Maria laying on the floor, a puddle of vomit surrounding her and an empty prescription bottle at her feet.

He rushed in, yelling at anybody that could hear to call EMS. "Baby, baby." He panicked, picking her up. A soft grunt escaped her lips but it seemed to be her soul leaving her body and it was the most horrific noise he had ever heard. It sounded like a rattlesnake baring its warning.

He studied her, prying her eyelids open one by one. Her brown eyes had rolled back, displaying just the whites of her eyes, it made him nauseous. "Fuck, baby please don't leave me!" He held her body tight, pressing his fingers against her neck in attempt to find a pulse. "She has a faint pulse! Where's the fucking EMS!"

John appeared at the door way, watching with his heart in his hands as Rip lifted her limp body and Kayce yelled into his cellphone. He noticed the helicopter becoming closer, hearing the blades cut through the air. But it wasn't close enough, he was scared she wasn't going to last the next five minutes.

So, he took her outside and did anything in his power to help save her. He laid her on the gravel, carefully setting her head down and then prying her jaw open before he stuck his fingers down her throat as tears rolled like barrels down his face. "Baby, please." He pleaded. "Please don't leave me, Maria. I'm not ready." He began chest compressions, pressing his lips against her bile covered ones to blow air into her lungs and force her to breathe. "Come back to me, darling."

The wind began blowing in every direction as the helicopter landed. He almost refused to release his grip on her, but John and Kayce forced him to let go and let them do their job. They made an attempt at consolation, but to no avail.

He begged to go with her, but they denied and told him to meet her at the hospital and that they were going to do everything they could. He sat on the ground, bawling like a toddler as they took his wife away, she was almost lifeless, he was terrified of her passing on the way to the hospital and him not being there to comfort her on her journey to the other side.

"Let's go, son." John offered his hand. "Let's go. We have to go right now."

He took his hand, his knees felt weak as he stood. "She's strong, Rip." Kayce nodded. "She's gonna be alright."

"She's not stronger than herself." He wiped his face, shaking his head. "That's the one thing she can't beat."