Chapter 3
893 Words
When it came time to order, Noah listed the requests with practiced familiarity. "Medium rare. No roasted garlic. Char the edges a little more."
Every preference belonged to Julie. Only after the server asked, "And for the lady?" did Noah seem to snap back to reality and finally look toward Ivy.
"Anything is fine." Ivy lowered her eyes and stirred her coffee slowly while steam drifted upward, blurring the expression in her eyes.
The dishes arrived quickly.
Ivy ate little, absentmindedly picking at the sautéed vegetables in front of her, until a sudden itch flared violently in her throat. She looked down and immediately saw the mushroom slices floating in the creamy mushroom soup.
She was allergic to mushrooms.
Noah had once memorized every single one of her dietary restrictions. During field rescue operations, he would even arrange separate protective equipment for her because of her allergies.
And now he had ordered an entire pot of mushroom soup without noticing.
"Ivy?" Julie suddenly cried out in alarm. "Why is your neck turning red?"
Noah looked up sharply. The moment he saw the rash spreading rapidly across Ivy's skin, he kicked his chair back and stood up. "You ate mushrooms?"
Ivy's breathing became harder and harder. Her vision blurred at the edges. Through the haze, she saw Noah instinctively moving toward her, only for Julie to suddenly clutch her stomach and scream.
"Ryan... I'm bleeding..."
Everything seemed to freeze. Ivy watched Noah stop in place, his eyes torn violently between the two of them. Then, in the end, he bent down and scooped Julie into his arms.
Before rushing out, he threw a hurried instruction toward the stunned server. "Please take this lady to the hospital."
The server's anxious voice faded farther and farther away. "Ma'am! Stay awake! Please stay with us!"
Just before darkness swallowed her completely, Ivy heard Julie's trembling, tearful voice again. "Ryan... our baby... is the baby going to be okay...?"
The sharp smell of antiseptic made Ivy frown the moment she regained consciousness. A nurse was adjusting her IV drip beside the bed.
"You're finally awake." The nurse let out a relieved breath. "If you had arrived ten minutes later, the anaphylactic shock could have killed you."
Ivy tried to speak, but the swelling in her throat made even breathing painful. Yet what truly suffocated her was the image repeating endlessly in her mind of Noah carrying Julie away without hesitation, never once looking back at her.
Ivy slowly closed her eyes, and silent tears soaked into the pillow beneath her. During the three days she remained hospitalized, no one came to see her.
The allergic rash spread across her body like fire ants crawling beneath her skin, while her swollen throat made swallowing almost unbearable. On the worst nights, she could hear nurses whispering outside in the hallway.
"The woman in Room 408 only had contractions from emotional stress, but her husband hasn't left her bedside once."
"Yeah, she's so lucky. The patient in 402 nearly died from anaphylactic shock, and her husband hasn't shown up a single time."
Ivy buried her face deep in the antiseptic-smelling sheets as the truth slowly hollowed out her chest. Her husband had already died six months ago in that cross-state wildfire. Or perhaps he had died the moment he willingly chose to become another woman's husband instead of hers.
The day Ivy was discharged, the sunlight outside was so harsh it stung her eyes.
She had only just reached the bottom of the hospital steps when the familiar roar of an engine echoed through the air. A dark green fire command vehicle screeched to a halt outside the outpatient building, and the passenger door flew open.
Noah stepped out immediately and hurried around to help Julie from the prenatal clinic.
One hand rested protectively against her lower back while his voice softened almost unconsciously. "The doctor said you are fragile. Don't walk too fast."
It was the exact same gentle tone he had once used while carrying Ivy down a mountain road after she sprained her ankle, yet now all of that tenderness and care had been given to someone else.
Standing beneath the sycamore trees, Ivy silently watched the command vehicle drive away, crushing dry leaves beneath its tires. Not once did Noah look back.
*****
By evening, the cold wind had begun sweeping dead leaves across the apartment steps.
By the time Ivy dragged her exhausted body home, she immediately spotted Noah waiting outside her door with several paper bags at his feet filled with nutritional supplements, throat lozenges, preserved fruit, and the EpiPen she always relied on whenever her allergies flared up.
"Ivy." Noah crossed the distance between them in only a few strides. His combat boots crushed dead leaves beneath his feet. "Is your allergy any better?"
The irony was almost laughable. During the day, he had treated her as though she did not exist. Now he suddenly remembered she needed medicine.
"Thank you for your concern, Ryan." Ivy turned away and reached calmly for her keys. "Fortunately, I'm still alive."
Noah slammed a hand over hers before she could unlock the door. His palm burned with heat. "Please," he said hoarsely. "Just take these..."
"Ryan!" Julie's panicked voice suddenly tore through the courtyard. "I... I got caught selling fire department relief supplies! The FBI found out!"
- Writer
