Something Great

10. Oh Priya, my Priya

Everything goes dark. Maddi feels herself floating, light as as feather, through darkness. Her mind is in a daze, probably from the wine. She feels cold.

"Maddi."

If she wasn't so tired, she would make more of an effort to see who is calling her name. She doesn't feel as cold anymore. Something's changed.

"Maddi."

"Agh." Maddi says, barely a whisper.

"Maddi, how are you feeling?"

Maddi squints one eye open, and the harsh light blinds her, making her close them again. She feels more now. She doesn't feel as weightless as before. She's lying down somewhere.

"Maddi," the voice says, a lot more gentle now.

"Huh?" Maddi gets out.

"You're okay," the voice says, "but you're in the medical hut."

Maddi squints her eyes opened again, fighting against the harsh light. She sees that she's lying down on a couch, and there's a woman squatting down next to her. The woman is blonde and older, with pale, wrinkly skin.

"What happened?" Maddi attempts to sit up on the couch, but the lady holds her down.

"Don't get up right now," she says, "You were swimming, and then you passed out when trying to get out of the pool."

Maddi rubs her eyes so she can open them all the way. She sees she's in a small room, with just a couch in it. She's wrapped in a blanket, but still in her damp bikini.

"Maddi, I need to ask," the woman stands up and looks down at her clipboard. "When was the last time you ate something?"

Maddi thinks for a moment. She forgot to eat breakfast this morning, she hadn't eaten dinner last night because of everything going on. Wait, what time is it? Did she forget to each lunch today?

"What time is it?" Maddi asks.

The woman looks at her watch, "3:30pm. Now, when was the last time you ate?"

Shit. How long has she been out?

"Uh," Maddi starts, "I think I ate lunch yesterday... oh and I had grapes last night."

The woman writes something down on her clipboard, not looking very pleased with Maddi's answer. Maddi feels guilty, for some reason. She anxiously chews on her lower lip. Surely no one can be mad at her for forgetting a couple meals?

"Okay," the woman looks back at Maddi in the eyes as she sits down next to her on the couch. "So it's been over 24 hours since you've had a meal, you drank a glass of wine and then decided to swim for an hour for the second time today. Does that sound about right?"

Maddi can't look at the woman, so she starts fiddling with her hands. She doesn't know what to say... she's been an idiot. She should have been paying attention to how she was feeling in the water. She should have eaten. She shouldn't have come on this stupid show in the first place.

"I'm sorry," Maddi says quietly, still not looking the woman in the eyes.

"Oh, hun!" The woman laughs, "You don't need to apologize!"

Maddi looks up at her with her big green doe eyes. "I've been an idiot," her voice cracks as she tries to hide back tears.

The woman leans down to look Maddi in the eyes. "Maddi, hun, you are okay. You're not an idiot. This show puts a whole other level of stress on people. You're not the first girl to forget to eat. You're the first to pass out from it, though." She shrugs her shoulders in a joking way.