you wake up with a jolt, immediately sitting up from the sofa you are lying on. your hand ghosts over your chest as you realize you can finally breathe again.
"oh, (y/n), thank god." debbie pulls you in for a hug which you are more than happy to return. next to you on the couch is tammy, and across from you on the armchair is lou. they both look incredibly relieved.
"what happened?" you manage to croak out, your voice hoarse and raspy.
"we found your spare inhaler in your room," tammy quickly fills in. "you had an anxiety attack, (y/n), a bad one."
debbie releases you from her iron-grip and you offer her a weak smile. "you scared me half to death, too."
you run a shaky hand through your hair, memories of the day flying back to you. "i-i'm sorry," you apologize shaking your head. "i could've sworn my inhaler was out here. i took it with me when i went to talk to amelia," you explain, glancing around, hoping that you could easily find it and ease your worries.
"trust me, kid. it's not out here. i had to stop debbie from tearing the wood off the floor," lou remarks.
your eyebrows furrow. that was too strange for your comfort, but you had more things to think about. "so, what do we do?" your quiet voice asks.
"well..." debbie begins but trails off with a sigh. "we don't know."
"it just doesn't make any sense," tammy starts. "nine-ball is the most reliable and thorough hacker i've seen. she wouldn't have missed something like this, especially since it's about someone important," she explains, primarily to debbie, but you understood the gist of it.
without realizing it, your breathing begins to quicken again. what the hell was going on?! "(y/n), i think we should get you into bed. it's been a long night and you must be really tired--" debbie tries but you're quick to shut her down.
"no. this is a problem... that i caused. i'm not going to stop until there are some answers," you bluntly say with pleading eyes.
debbie, tammy, and lou exchange concerned glances, understanding your determination but also worried about your well-being. "sweetheart, we understand you're worried, but your health comes first," tammy gently insists, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.
you nod, acknowledging their concern but firm in your resolve. "i know, but i can't just sit here and do nothing. whatever is going on with this 'amelia carter' person, is too suspicious to ignore."
tammy's hand remains on your shoulder, her touch gentle but firm. "we're going to figure this out together. but we can't be running on fumes, since we're pushing ourselves too hard."
debbie nods in agreement. "we'll start fresh in the morning. maybe a good night's rest will give us some well needed clarity."
you take a deep breath, trying to calm the racing thoughts in your already clouded mind. "okay, okay. i'll try and go get some rest," you concede with your hands in the air. with the help of tammy and debbie, you managed to climb up the stairs to your bedroom, only loosing your breath a couple of times in the process. debbie's face was riddled with concern each time you slowed down or stopped.
walking into your room, you make your way toward your bed, turning on the lamp on the end table next to it. settling into bed, exhaustion washes over you like a heavy blanket. your mind races with unanswered questions, but the comfort of your own room quickly eases your racing thoughts. debbie tucks you in with a motherly tenderness, her worry evident in every gentle touch. "try to get some rest, kiddo. we'll tackle this together in the morning," she says softly, brushing a stray hair from your forehead.
you merely nod, giving debbie a smile she could see right through. "good night," you murmur.
tammy offers a reassuring smile from the doorway, her presence a source of comfort. "sleep well, (y/n). we'll be right here if you need anything," she says before quietly closing the door behind her and debbie.
alone in the darkness of your room, you try to push aside the swirling thoughts and focus on finding some much-needed rest. slowly, the events of the day fade into the background as sleep begins to claim you. you turn over to the lamp, turning it off, before settling back into your soft bed.
amelia's smile widens ever so slightly as she watches the light in your room flicker off, signaling that you had finally went to sleep. with a sense of satisfaction, she turns her attention to the women pacing anxiously in the living room below.
their worry and panic fill her with a jolt of happiness. oh, how she wished she could hear the conversations! it was all a testament to her meticulous planning and cunning manipulation. It had been all too easy to infiltrate their lives, to sow the seeds of doubt and fear.
as she observes them from the comfort of her car, a wave of excitement washes over her. they have no idea what's coming, no clue about the extent of her power and influence. debbie didn't even recognize her! it was all to easy.
pulling down her sun visor, a picture falls into her lap, next to your stolen inhaler. she places a tender kiss on the photo, momentarily feeling bittersweet, before placing it in her bag. giving your house one more glance, she rolls her window down, dropping your inhaler onto the street. the inhaler that you and your family tore up the house in a desperate attempt to locate. if she knew you'd had a spare, she would have taken it too. starting her car, she drives off into the night, her tires running over your inhaler – crushing it into the road.
( a.n - sorry this chapter is so short, but i didn't want to leave you all hanging! my midterms were last week, so i really didn't have the motivation to write. but now that it's spring break, hopefully i'll get more inspired. i'm not too sure where this story is going to go after i wrap things up with this new villain, so i was thinking maybe it could be some type of collection of one-shots, with the pre-existing relationships? please let me know your thoughts! have a great day/night, you're amazing! )