Gone with the Wind, Never to Return

Synopsis

At 10 PM, I suddenly came down with a nasty stomach bug. The cramps in my lower belly were so bad I curled up in a ball on the couch, breaking out in a cold sweat. Half out of it, I nudged Alex, who was busy gaming next to me. He gave my forehead a quick, careless touch, then went right back to his game, muttering without even looking at me. "Just go to the bathroom, you'll be fine," he said. Feeling helpless, I forced myself to get up and look for some medicine. Just then, Alex's phone rang with that special ringtone he'd set just for Emmy. He quickly got dressed and was ready to head out. I called out to him, told him how bad I was feeling, and asked if he could take me to the hospital first. He hesitated for a couple of seconds as he walked past me, but ended up walking out anyway. He just threw a careless line over his shoulder without even looking back. "Something's up with Emmy, I need to go check on her. Just take some medicine," he said. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut, leaving the room in a dead silence. It was like my heart had a gaping hole, and the cold wind was howling right through the emptiness inside me. When I was sprawled over the toilet, puking and feeling completely drained, I mindlessly scrolled through my phone and saw Emily's latest post. She wrote: [Just a minor burn, but someone was so worried they rushed me to the hospital right away.] The photo was just Alex's back.