CODA

Thirty

⚠️ TW//mild ⚠️

It's all a blur to Calum. Flashes of what happened.

Carter taking a bite of her dinner.

The sudden unexplainable gut feeling that something was wrong.

Catching her as she passed out.

Ashton yelling through the restaurant for someone to call the paramedics.

KayKay digging through the meal and finding no trace of fish or any meat anywhere.

The waiter running over confused before informing them the dish was seasoned in part with a fish sauce that may have (obviously did) contained traces of shell fish in it.

KayKay's less freaked out brain tearing through Carter's clutch for an EpiPen.

Watching in horror and relief as it was stabbed into Carter's leg moments later.

The tears that sprang to his eyes as the paramedics took Carter away.

Ashton leading him out quickly after, following the ambulance to the local hospital.

It all seems like a bad dream, but the burning in his eyes, the now wrinkled clothes he is still wearing, and the girl still asleep in front of him remind him it wasn't.

"Still out?" A nurse with a strong Dutch accent knocks, poking her head into the room.

"Nothing yet." He nods, gripping Carter's hand tighter between his own.

"She will wake soon. The allergy was taken care of, she's just recovering from the exhaustion of her body reacting so harshly. Give her a little more time." She smiles before leaving again.

"Come on, Car. You have to wake up. Okay, baby? We have to make up, we have to figure this out. I'm so sorry I let my stubborn anger stop me from just talking to you. I'm so sorry, Carter. I should have known it wasn't that you didn't feel the same. I should have stayed in DC. I was hurt, and embarassed. I'm so sorry, baby. I love you so much, Carter. I love you so much, please wake up." He mumbles into her hand as he presses kiss after kiss to her knuckles.

"Fuck, I can't believe I almost lost you while we were at odds. It would ruin me to lose you, Car, to really lose you. It's killing me to be in this fight with you. Wake up so we can fix this, please, baby. Please." He isn't surprised when tears fall onto their intertwined hands, the emotions of the night, along with the entire last month getting to him.

After what feels like hours, he feels her thumb twitch before rubbing across his hand in a gentle rhythm. "Carter?" He sniffled, wiping his eyes as he looks up at her face.

"Hey." She whispers, blinking a couple times.

"I'm so sorry, Car." He blubbers out, standing and leaning over to hug her tightly.

"What happened?" She coughs, letting him take her hand back as he sits beside her.

"Dinner last night. Your meal had some sort of oyster or fish sauce or something in it. You reacted so fast, the first bite and you were gone. It was so scary."

"Well fuck."

"You're okay now. KayKay found your EpiPen, and luckily knew how to use it. Your swelling had started to go down by the time we got here. They brought you by ambulance, we got here just after. You've slept for twelve hours straight, counting from when they finally left you to just sleep off the attack."

"Guess I better order a new one. I haven't had to use my epi in years." She coughs slightly.

"I'm so sorry, Car. I should have never left you in DC. I should have stayed to talk things out, to figure out why you ran instead of just bolting." He bursts suddenly, feeling relief as he gets it off his chest.