Matters of the Heart

Chapter 25: Shock and Awe

Chapter 25:

Shock and Awe

She remembered reaching for her phone. She remembered her shaking fingers dialing Ali's number. And she remembered the call going straight to voicemail. Then she'd sent a pleading text:

"Are you okay? Please call me."

After that, Emily zoned out. She wasn't entirely sure what was happening. Her phone slid out of her hands again. She saw Hanna close to her face, reaching her hand out to her cheek and asking if she was okay. Emily managed to nod. Her ears were ringing and her vision started to blur.

She blinked several times and when she looked down she saw the ground moving beneath her feet. Her movements didn't feel real to her. She was walking towards the car, Spencer gripping her arm to help her from stumbling and falling. Then she blinked again and everything was different. They were driving down the road. She heard someone talking to her, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She couldn't answer either.

Everything felt like it was happening in slow-motion, like she was living in quicksand. One minute she was looking out the front windshield of Caleb's car watching the road disappear underneath the hood, and the next...her entire world started to fade away. She felt blank. Empty. For a few seconds, maybe it was longer...she wasn't sure where she was or how she got there. Then the floodgates opened and everything came rushing back to her. All of A's threats. The phone call about the accident. Alison.

Oh, God. Ali.

Emily moaned and fell forward. The only thing preventing her from collapsing in between the floorboard and the center console was the seatbelt across her lap. She snapped back so suddenly that she could feel the whiplash in her neck.

"Whoa, easy." She heard Toby gasp out a surprised breath.

"I – I think I'm..." But Emily couldn't finish her thought. Her mouth felt thick, frozen. She slid down against the seat, her body suddenly feeling too heavy to support. She felt herself falling to the right, against Spencer.

"Em?" She felt Toby's hand on her arm.

"What's happening to her?" Spencer choked out.

Emily's neck felt strained. Her head was throbbing, a dull ache radiating through her temples. She could hear her friends talking over her, but she was having trouble pulling herself out of her muddled mind to reply.

"Hanna! Hanna, stop, pull over!" Aria cried.

"Oh my God." Spencer huffed.

"Emily?" Toby tried to rouse her.

Emily felt her body shake gently. There was an eerie moment of silence, and for a second Emily thought she'd died.

"We need to elevate her feet." Toby quickly took charge.

She heard shuffling. Something clicked, and she realized it was someone unbuckling her seatbelt. Emily felt them moving her. She didn't resist. She couldn't even if she wanted to. She felt the car stop moving. Someone was stroking her cheek.

"What...what do we do? Do we call an ambulance?" Spencer asked, her voice strained. The backs of her fingers were pressed against Emily's face, gently moving across her jaw.

"No." Toby had his hand on Emily's wrist right below her heart monitor. "No. She's okay." And then he looked down at Emily and tried to calm her. "You're okay, Em. Everything is okay."

"Toby..." Spencer's tone wavered in uncertainty.

"Just give her a minute. She's in shock," Toby explained. "The news about the wreck must have hit her harder than we thought."