Rick snorted and reminded me that emergency rooms were expensive. He asked if I had the money to pay for one myself. My mother pointed out that we had insurance, but she added that we didn’t even know if this was a real emergency yet.
I told her that it was serious and that I couldn’t even sit up straight anymore. Chloe’s phone made a loud notification sound, and she suddenly let out a cry of panic. She told the car that her phone was at ten percent and was about to die.
Nobody else said anything, so she continued with rising desperation. She explained that a boy she liked was going to call her in twenty minutes and that he would think she was ignoring him if she didn’t answer. She was convinced he would ask another girl to the dance if she missed the call.
Rick muttered something about teenage emergencies, but he said it with a fond smile. I opened my eyes and croaked out the word “hospital” one more time. Meredith and Rick exchanged a look that I recognized instantly.