Watch Me Drown

28. Normal

(Abby's point of view)

I couldn't believe that we were already packing for tour. Well, starting to pack. I had gotten a few outfits together, one for each concert. I made sure to consist the outfits of some sort of merch, whether that meant a boygenius hoodie or a Lucy Dacus shirt. Other than that, I needed Julien's help. I didn't know what else to pack.

Julien had gone to grab phone chargers from the office. I was bent over my suitcase, folding clothes and organizing them. I stood up straight and turned around to get the extra socks I'd temporarily put on my bedside table. When I turned, I got very dizzy. I stumbled, and sat down on the bed. I waited for my head to stop spinning. It slowed, but didn't leave completely.

"Hey," Julien walked back in and placed the chargers in my suitcase. "You okay?"

I swear, she was like a vampire, aware of every little change in my body.

"I just got dizzy." I said.

Dorothea waddled into the room, and started inspecting our suitcases. When we were on tour, she would be staying with Ethan and Lucas. We would have brought her with us, but she wasn't as used to being around tons of people like Maxine, Phoebe's dog, was. Also, she had never traveled, and we were traveling across the country. We would miss her, but leaving her was best.

I stood up to continue packing, but my vision blurred and I got lightheaded. I sat right back down. Dorothea started pawing at my legs. I opened my mouth to say something, but when I inhaled to talk, I got that stabbing sensation around my lungs.

"Abby?" Julien said.

I put my hand to my chest. It felt impossible to talk.

"Breath slowly." Julien instructed me, placing her hands on my shoulders.

I tried to, but I just kept getting stabbed. I breathed in as much as I could before it hurt. Once more, I was hit with a wave of vertigo. I tried not to panic. I had felt this. It would pass, and I would be fine. But it's hard to stay calm when breathing is painful. I grasped Julien's arm, hoping that the familiar warmth from her skin was enough to keep me conscious.

"I think I...need to...lay down." I fought for breath. It sounded like I was being strangled.

I think Julien helped me lay down. I wasn't paying much attention to anything. It was hard to. I was very disoriented. It had come on very quickly! I wondered if the feeling would pass, or if it would progress, and I'd end up unconscious. A part of me hoped I would faint, just so I could escape the pain. Look at what it had driven me to, hoping I would black out, so I could get some relief!

"I...want it to stop." I said as I felt myself fading fast. I don't even know if the words got out.

***

(Julien's point of view)

"I..." Abby whispered.

"What is it?" I questioned. "Abby, what is it, baby?"

Her eyes closed, more than they already had. Her eyelids fluttered, and her breathing slowed. I sighed. At least she wasn't in pain. I lifted her wrist from her side to look at her watch. Her heart rate was high, but not the worst it had ever been. Compared to numbers we'd seen before, this was good.

I watched her like a hawk, waiting for any changes. The apartment was quiet, besides Dorothea's occasional whimper, and the buzz of electronics. I bent down a little to make sure I could hear her breathing. For about a minute, her breathing was normal. A bit fast, but safe.

Then she exhaled...and didn't inhale.

I stopped, listening very intently to make sure I was right. I was. My hands were shaking as I checked her airway. No obstructions. I placed my fingers on her neck, searching for a pulse. I let out a small breath of relief when I found a pulse. I looked back at her watch.