Chapter 94 The aftermath
I ride with Simon in the ambulance, my nerves haywire as they try to stabilize him.
"Blood pressure keeps dropping!"
"His pupils are dilated!"
"Ma'am! Is he using any drugs?"
My mouth gapes open, the video of him snorting cocaine fresh in my mind. "I.... I don't know."
They wheel him in fast when we reach the emergency room, and I just stand there in shock.
God, please I hope it's not drugs. He never used any before.
"Are you his family? We have to get his insurance information." An administrative person asks me, but I'm still just standing there, dumbfounded.
"I'm his friend."
Friends are supposed to know about your health insurance. Does the company even offer health insurance? I don't even fucking know.
"Do you know how we can get in touch with his family?"
Simon is from a small town. He's their breakout star.
"I'm going to call our company and find out." I take a seat and call work, asking them to inform Simon's family.
Gregory, and his anonymous husband burst through the doors, beelining straight for me.
"What did they say?" Gregory asks frantically, his usually cool facade gone.
"Nothing yet."
We sit there, waiting for some news. Gregory's husband gets us coffee and sandwiches.
Guilt blooms in my chest, going into my veins. They asked about drugs. Did it have something to do with the boyfriend? Who is connected to Ben?
This is all my fault.
Simon would have never met that guy if it wasn't for me.
T.J. calls me and I excuse myself. "Hey."
"Is Simon going to be okay?" He wants to know.
"We don't know anything yet." I clear my throat. "What did you find out about Robert?"
"The guy is actually pretty decent." T.J. sounds confused. "He comes from very humble beginnings, but he's smart. Got a scholarship to Yale, works for one of the top finance companies. The only thing that is concerning to me, is that he dated women."
"He could've been in the closet, or bi, that's not unusual."
"Yeah, aside from being in the same fraternity, he's not been seen around with Ben."
"That doesn't mean anything, that could be deliberate." I'm starting to sound cynical, something I've never been. "Do you think you can corner him maybe? Ask a few questions?"
"On it. Let me know when I should pick you up from the hospital."
"Bye." I rush to Gregory's side when a doctor approaches him.
"You're his colleagues?" The doctor asks, looking at his clipboard.
"Yes." Gregory and I answer in unison.
"He's a ballet dancer, his family is not in the city." I clarify in case he's thinking of holding out information.
"Okay." He nods, his serious eyes looking at us. "We found drugs in his system. Cocaine and alcohol, and then a peculiar combination of chemicals, it's something we haven't seen before."
I frown. "Is it something new?"
"We honestly don't know. His body had an allergic reaction to the drug, we have to notify the police."
"Is he in trouble?" Gregory asks the question on my mind. "Does he need a lawyer? Is he going to be okay?"
"I don't think he will be in any trouble, we're just concerned this drug will show up again, so we need to know what it is that he took and where he got it." The doctor says. "We have himnon some medication to combat the allergic reaction, he will probably have to stay overnight. But please, talk to your friend about the drugs, we have some organisations that may help with that."
"Can we see him?" I want to know.
"He's still unconscious, maybe you can come back a little later." The doctor nods and walks away.
"Simon has never had any problem with drugs, has he?" Gregory asks me with concern. "He's very gifted, I would hate for him to throw that all away."
I purse my lips, the worry for the people close to me increasing. "I think Ben may have had something to do with this too. I'm not sure, T.J. is looking into it."
Gregory shakes his head and exchange a knowing look with Malik, the husband we didn't even know about.
"That asshole." Gregory rubs a hand over his face. "Your family has to do something about this."
"I know, I know." I hold up my hands. "I'm so sorry about everything, Gregory."
"It's not your fault." He lays his hand on my shoulder. "Sometimes when our light shines too bright, there are always people trying to distinguish it, but it's time you start standing up for yourself."
I nod, knowing he's right. It can't go on like this. And if he finds out about Miguel, the whole situation will be exacerbated.
Fuck, I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do.