Like Bees to Honey | gxg

29. When the Bee Stings

Mr. Chibana began to hyperventilate. "I've been stung. That was a bee, wasn't it? Was that a bee?"

His wife put her hands on his shoulders and spoke to him in a calm voice.

Even as Sabina pushed through the crowd towards them, she could feel her award chances slipping away. It was her worst nightmare: her negligence causing someone to get hurt. Helena's accident all over again, only this time it was also going to destroy the last chance she had to change her future.

"Can I help?" she begged. "I know how to use an EpiPen."

Mrs. Chibana looked up at her and nodded in recognition, still squeezing her husband's shoulders. His breathing was speedy but didn't sound laboured yet. "He's only a little allergic. No need to panic."

Was there such a thing as 'a little allergic'? "You should get the stinger out right away. Do you know how to do that? You just want to pinch-"

"We're okay here," Mrs. Chibana said in a kind but firm voice. "If you want to help, why don't you get the medics?"

Sabina nodded. "Right. The medics."

Before she turned away, she glanced at the dead bee on the bench. It had a huge round body, fuzzy as a cattail, and blunt amber wings. It wasn't one of the slimmer, smoother honeybees from her exhibit hive. Relief splashed over her. Not her fault. She couldn't have prevented this with better case design or by telling her parents not to bring the exhibit hives.

"It's a bumble bee," she said, pointing. "Not a honeybee. Not one of mine."

"The medics, dear."

Mr. Chibana was starting to go a little red in the face, which couldn't be a good sign. She hurried back to the edge of the midway, where a tall flag marked out the medical tent.

He'll be okay, she said to herself like a mantra as she squeezed through the shifting crowds. This won't change anything, and we'll all laugh about it later.

A pair of medics sat out front of their tent, handing out bottles of water from a bucket of melting ice beside them. Inside, a third medic adjusted a fan to face another person who sat with an icepack on their neck and more against their belly and between their legs, their face the sickly pale colour of heat stroke.

At her quick explanation, the two medics out front leapt to their feet and threw backpacks over their shoulders before following her back to the bench.

By the time they'd returned, Mr. Chibana was laid out flat on the bench.

"I brought the medics, Mr. Chibana."

The medics immediately dropped their bags and got to work.

"We'll take it from here," one of them said when Sabina continued to hover. "He's in good hands. Just give us some space."

Biting her lip, she moved away to give them some space. Just because it looked like Mr. Chibana wasn't about to keel over of anaphylactic shock didn't mean her anxiety went away.

"He's gonna blame me," she said to Mel, who had come over to check on her.

"Babe, you had nothing to do with this."

"Sure, but does he care? I brought bees. He got stung by a bee. I'm gonna lose the award now."

She flashed a grin. "I guess you weren't joking when you said you weren't good at empathy, huh?"

"His wife said he's only a little allergic!"

"Okay, look, it's cool that you're so passionate about the things you care about or whatever. But hear me out. A guy who is allergic to bees just got stung by a bee. Are you sure the award is the most important thing right now?"