Matters of the Heart

Chapter 11: Stress Test

Chapter 11:

Stress Test

Hanna was on her way back to the loft when she ran into Spencer, Aria, and Toby. They'd been on their way to the loft to talk to her and Emily about a new development in the hunt for Charlotte's killer. They heard the cries for help and recognized the voice immediately. Spencer and Toby were the first two to rush towards the sounds of the screams.

When they rounded the corner they saw Alison on her knees next to Emily. Her hands were on Emily's face. Ali looked up and met their gaze. She looked at them helplessly. She had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Emily?" Spencer gasped.

"Oh my God!" Aria exclaimed.

"Help! Please..." Ali sounded like a terrified child.

Hanna let out a choked cry. Aria grabbed Hanna's arm and a quiet squeak came out of her mouth. Spencer started hyperventilating. She automatically reached for Toby's hand. He closed his warm calloused palm around her trembling hand. They rushed to Emily's side.

Aria fell to the ground next to Alison. Ali's whole body shook as she cried. Aria felt her own emotions boiling to the surface. She reached out to Ali to comfort her.

"What happened?" Toby kneeled down across from Alison and started looking Emily over for signs of injuries or trauma.

"I don't know. She just collapsed." Alison was crying so hard they could barely understand her.

Hanna stared absentmindedly at her best friend. She felt her pulse quicken. She thought back to the way Emily's hands had been shaking at breakfast. Had that been something more than nerves? Was it more than just the new medication? Had Emily gotten so used to living with her declining health that she had become numb to the warning signs her body was sending her?

"I don't understand. We were...she..." Ali put her palm against Emily's forehead. "...she was fine."

"No..." Hanna barely recognized her own voice. Was she getting ready to watch Emily die? "...she's just gotten really good at pretending she is."

"What do you mean?" Spencer looked at her to elaborate. "Hanna?"

As quickly as she'd gone into shock, Hanna came back to her senses.

"Her bag." Hanna looked around frantically for Emily's purse. "Get her bag." She saw it a few feet away and grabbed it.

"Hanna, what's going on?" Spencer kneeled next to Toby.

"It's her heart." Hanna started digging through Emily's purse. "Her meds are in here somewhere. Maybe there's something that will help..."

"Her heart?" Alison looked at Hanna with wide eyes. She turned back towards Emily. "Oh, Em...no..." She cupped Emily's face with her hand and stroked her cheek gently with her thumb. Her skin was cool to the touch.

"What's wrong with her heart?" Aria put her hand against Emily's arm.

"I don't know exactly." Hanna's voice was shaking. She tried not to panic. "I barely understand it. She just told me about it. But she's been sick for a while."

"What?" Ali whimpered. "Why wouldn't she tell us?"

Hanna pulled Emily's pills and a bag with her injectable medications out of her purse.

"She...uh...she took these this morning." She looked at the bottles and tried to remember which ones and how many Emily had taken.

While Hanna tried to sort through the pills, Toby reached for his walkie-talkie and radioed for an ambulance. He assessed Emily's condition. Her skin was pale. Her lips and fingernails were turning blue.