Mine to Have (Southern Wedding #1)(9)

"Funeral flowers?" Bennett asks them as we walk down the stairs.

"We got the wrong flowers," Presley states as she follows us. "Instead of the wedding flowers, we got funeral flowers. We didn’t want to tell you because, well, how much can go wrong with one wedding?"

"Isn’t it like a three-strikes-and-you’re-out kind of thing?" Bennett asks, and Presley slaps his shoulder. "I’m just asking, how do I know? There was the fridge." He holds up one finger. "The fire, and now this. Oh, and we forgot that Harlow showed up, so it’s really four strikes."

"It’s going to be fine," Clarabella reassures me. "We just had to call the ambulance because, well, her throat started to get scratchy, and then well." We all stop and look at her. "Her face blew up."

"You," Shelby says. "Stay here." She looks at Bennett. "You keep him here. It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

"Trust me, this isn’t what is going to bring bad luck to this wedding," Bennett counters, and all my sisters glare at him. He holds up his hands. "Fine, I’ll man the station. Jeez, you try to make a joke and everyone wants to jump down your throat."

My sisters run into the room at the same time as the ambulance technicians come in through the back door. "Excuse us," they say and go into the room. I can hear the commotion in the room, and all I can do is pace in front of the door.

"This is crazy." I run my hand through my hair and hold my neck, the tension coming all through my body.

"Look at the bright side," Bennett says. "How many people can be like, on my wedding day…"

I shake my head and stop moving when the doors open, and Jennifer is rushed past me on a gurney.

"What is going on?" I ask, running next to her, and I can’t see her face.

"We have to get her to the hospital. She’s having a severe allergic reaction," one of the EMTs says, and everything is happening so fast I don’t have a minute to think.

"Oh my God." I run out toward the ambulance and see them placing the gurney inside. One of the ambulance technicians looks at me.

"I assume you are the groom. Are you coming with us?" he asks, and I nod my head, and he moves to the side to give me a chance to get up. I put my foot on the step and get into the ambulance.

"Let us know," Shelby starts to say when the ambulance technician closes the back door. The ambulance takes off a second later.

"Jennifer," I say, getting to her side, and she looks over at me, and I try not to freak out. Her lips are swollen ten times their size. One of her eyes is sealed shut. The other one is slowly going to close. "Are you okay?" I hold her hand in mine and try not to show her how freaked out I am.

"My throat is scratchy," she says and tries to clear her throat.

"Did you guys give her an EpiPen?" I look over at the technician, who just nods his head.

"We are four minutes out," he says. "And we already gave her one."

"Well, it’s clearly not working," I point out, looking over at Jennifer, who is wearing a white satin pjs set. Her black hair is half curled, and she has makeup on one side.

"Is she allergic to any medications?" he asks, and I have to admit that I have no idea. The phone buzzes in my pocket, and I ignore it.

"Not that I know of," I say and then look back at Jennifer, who shakes her head. I bury away the voice in my head asking me how I didn’t know she was allergic to anything.

The ambulance comes to a stop, the back door opens, and they whisk her out. I keep up with them. They usher her into the room, and the doctor comes in. I stand in the corner out of the way, while they are talking about what they gave her. The doctor orders epinephrine. "She’s going into anaphylactic shock." He injects her right away and then looks over at me. "Why don’t you step out?"

I put my hand on my head, and the nurse comes over to me. "She’s going to be fine," she says to me with a smile. "Why don’t you go get something to drink?" she says. I look over at Jennifer, who lies with her head back, while the doctor checks something else and is telling the other nurse to get him something.

I walk over to Jennifer and put my hand in hers. "I’ll go and get you some water." She groans, and I just look over at the nurse who smiles at me. The phone vibrates again in my back pocket, and I walk out of the room. I close my eyes as soon as I get in the hallway and then put my head back. The phone buzzes again in my back pocket, and I’m one second away from throwing it against the wall.

Taking a deep breath, I head down the hallway and away from her door before I take my phone out of my pocket and find that my phone has five missed FaceTime calls and then texts from everyone.

Mom: Do you want me to come to the hospital?

Shelby: Any news?

Mom: I’m going to keep everyone calm here. Jennifer’s mother is a mess.

Clarabella: Let me know if you are okay.

Bennett: Don’t worry about anything here!!!!

I’m about to answer Bennett when the phone rings again, and I see that it’s my sister Shelby FaceTiming me. I press the connect button. "Why the hell would we say that the waitstaff got into an accident?" She glares at Clarabella, who just shrugs. "The last thing he needs is to hear more bad news."