Turning the large woman over wasn't easy, but she managed. She placed her head on Kerrie's bare chest and let out a relieved breath when she heard a heartbeat. A second later, she felt Kerrie take in a shallow breath. At least she was still breathing.Breathing is good,she reassured herself.
She shook Kerrie, hoping to get a response, but there wasn't one. She then lightly smacked Kerrie's face a few times; on the last smack, Kerrie's eyes opened briefly, but then they rolled back as she let out a short, gravelly groan.
"Fuck! Kerrie, please wake up!"
Nothing; she got nothing.
Panic rising, she frantically searched her robe for her phone and then dialed 911.
"911, what is the location of your emergency?
"510 Nixon Lane. I need an ambulance.
"510 Nixon Lane?" the shrill voice on the other end asked.
"Yes, my girlfriend is unconscious."
"Is she breathing?"
"She is, I checked. I don't see any blood either. She's just out cold on the bathroom floor."
Bette's lip began trembling as she took in Kerrie's weakened form. She put the phone on speaker, realizing Kerrie was shirtless. She knew it was probably silly, but the idea of strangers seeing her in that state made her uncomfortable, so she began tugging the nearby t-shirt on the floor over Kerrie's head as she continued to answer the woman's questions.
"What is her name?"
"Kerrie Matthews. K-E-R-R-I-E."
"And do you know of any other health problems she has?"
"Uh, hold on."
She left Kerrie and went to the top of the stairs. "Kenny, which of you has the high blood pressure and which has the low?"
"I'm low," came the reply from below.
"Kerrie has high blood pressure," she answered.
"Who else is there with you?"
Bette returned to the bathroom and resumed dressing Kerrie.
"Her twin brother is the only other person. He's special needs and was the one that found her."
"Okay, the police are almost there, and the ambulance isn't far away. Can you make sure the door is unlocked?"
"Yes." She finished tugging Kerrie's arm through the sleeve of the shirt and walked to the stairs once more. "Kenny, can you unlock the front door so the police and ambulance can come in?"
"Yes," he replied, not as hysterically as before, but she could still hear the fear in his voice. Her heart broke for him.
What felt like an hour couldn't have been more than 10 minutes from when she first dialed 911. A policeman arrived first, calmly greeting them both, followed by another, then the EMTs. While they assessed Kerrie, Bette checked on Kenny, pulling him in for a hug. When they began bringing Kerrie down on the gurney, she made Kenny stay in the kitchen, unsure if letting him see her in such a state was wise.
When they left with Kerrie, the quietness of the house was overwhelming. She wasn't sure if she needed to go to the hospital or stay with Kenny. She didn't think dragging Kenny to the hospital would help. But the thought of leaving Kerrie alone at the hospital was hard. It was just more than she could stand.
"Kenny, do you know how to get in contact with Mabel?"
"My phone." His face was red, and his eyelids were swollen from crying.
Bette frowned. "You have a phone?"
