"I'm not sure what happened."
"I'm really sorry..."
"She's gonna be okay, right?"
Through the haze of semi-consciousness, Kaya registered various disconnected comments.
She briefly registered the feeling of an oxygen mask... The movement of a stretcher... The hum of an engine.
The next time she came to, the sound of machinery and an IV were the things that woke her.
Kaya groaned. A hospital. Again. How did she always manage to end up in these situations? She should have asked about the ingredients again. Made sure they were kosher for her to eat.
"You're awake?"
Kaya pried her eyes open, only to see Ransom's face above her, staring down with so much earnesty that Kaya could hardly stand it.
Ransom rested a hand atop Kaya's head. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I think I should be asking you that question." Kaya shut her eyes again. "I'm a little unclear after the point where I couldn't breathe."
Even now, her voice came hoarse and breathless. Never in her life had she reacted so violently. It didn't make sense.
Speaking of things that didn't make sense...
Kaya opened her eyes again. "How did you know to come?"
"You called me."
"I did?"
Ransom nodded, his thumb stroking against Kaya's hair. "You did."
"I don't remember that."
"You weren't answering when I picked up. The part-timer grabbed your phone when he realized you had called someone."
"Oh." That made sense. The kid had seemed friendly enough. "Did you call the ambulance?"
"No, the store did. I arrived at the same time as the medical team." Reluctantly, Ransom lifted his hand from Kaya's head. "Should I get the doctor to come check on you?"
"I'll be fine."
Ransom quirked his brows in an expression that said he didn't quite believe her. "They said it looked like an allergic reaction. Are you allergic to anything?"
Kaya nodded. "Seems like there were mangoes in the ice cream I ate."
"Mangoes?"
"Yeah, random isn't it? It isn't hereditary, but I'm allergic to mangoes. My mom always said 'thank God it's not a common fruit'." Kaya laughed wryly.
"Are your reactions always this bad?"
"No..." Kaya pulled her lip between her teeth. "Quite honestly, I don't think there was enough mango listed in the ingredients to make me react like that. Usually, it just gives me hives. I've never done the anaphylactic thing."
Ransom's concern etched frown lines into his face. "Did anything else happen?"
"No. And I'm fine now, so please don't freak out."
Ransom sank into the chair beside the bed. "Because you asked, I won't do anything. But I don't like the conspicuous nature of this incident."
"It's a fluke thing, that's all."
Sadly, the lie didn't work to convince Kaya, either. Ransom had a point. These days, things that didn't seem right were usually, suspiciously wrong.
"Do you... think something nefarious happened?" Kaya asked softly.
Ransom softened. His shoulders loosened and his face relaxed. With a gentle touch, Ransom tucked his fingers around Kaya's hand. "It's possible, but you shouldn't worry about it. If something else went wrong, it will be brought to my attention sooner or later."
"It feels odd."
"What? Everything that happened this evening?"
Kaya shook her head. "Being cared for by someone else. I can't remember the last time I let someone take care of me."
"That's what I'm here for. Rely on me, please." Ransom gave Kaya's hand a squeeze. "I don't want you to flounder alone when you can ask for help."
As usual, Ransom's logic negated any argument that Kaya could have made. She should let him take of her this time. If only to pay him back for all the trouble she had put him through.
Trouble... Wait...
"Did you tell Jade and Lina about this?"
They would inevitably freak out.
Ransom shook his head. "They didn't need to know."
Kaya smiled. She liked how Ransom handled her besties. She wouldn't have told them about this, either.