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31. Sounds Like a Hiccup

Vic looked around tensely in Taylor's apartment. She hadn’t expected to land in a different state at all.

"Take us back to Oahu right now," she growled.

"I don’t know it well enough there," Colby countered, disappointed, feeling Charlie’s hand on his shoulder. "I don’t want to accidentally kill you."

"Oh, bringing us here is okay, but taking us back is too dangerous?!"

"I know every spot on the walls in this apartment. Not in Oahu. It’s too risky."

Harper helped Taylor settle onto the sofa, studying the group with confusion. "What’s going on? Who are these people?"

"Long story," Taylor murmured tiredly. "But they saved my life."

Charlie cast a skeptical glance at Sage and Vic while continuing to engage with Colby.

"And what if you teleport yourself alone, find a safe spot, and then bring us there?" Sage suggested thoughtfully.

"I trust myself with a lot of things. But not that. Sorry."

"You’ve got to be kidding me!" the pirate woman screamed.

"Vic... maybe this is our chance. For a new life," her brother looked at her sadly.

"No. No! Proxley, California?! Proxley! Sounds like a hiccup! Maybe I liked our life, huh? Ever thought of that?! Maybe it was only you wanting to leave, not me?! Huh? Am I really the only one here who can think logically?!"

Sage was stunned. He had no idea how his sister truly felt. He never considered that Vic might actually be attached to this life. In his mind, they had always dreamed of starting a new life together, away from all the dangers and uncertainties.

"Vic..." he began softly, but she interrupted him.

"No, asshole. You just don’t get it. This life, as shitty as it may be sometimes, is the only thing I know. What I can control. And now you want to force me to give all that up, you bastard?"

Taylor watched the two siblings, trying to defuse the tension between them. "Vic, I understand your worries, but maybe... maybe you could really have a chance here. Without constantly being on the run."

Colby nodded. "We’ll help you as much as we can. Seriously, I stole money from some creepy rich movie producer, there’s still some left. You can have it and use it to start a new life. You’ll never have to rob people again."

"But you see the irony in that, right?!" she continued to scream. "Take me back immediately! I can’t just hop on a plane! All our stuff is on the Dorothea-"

"I can get it," the frat boy calmly suggested. "I have to pick up our stuff from the Kai Lani anyway. It wouldn’t be a problem."

"Oh, wouldn’t that be a problem, huh?!"

"I just explained-"

"Screw you!" she yelled loudly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Colby, please get our stuff," Sage said, taking his sister into his arms, who immediately tried to push him away, but he didn’t allow it. "Lower deck in the Dorothea. Everything that’s important to us should be in there."

He nodded and was gone.

Vic looked around the group with a deathly glare. "Who gave you the right to decide about my life?! You understand how fucked up that is, right?!"

Charlie wanted to say something, but he held back.

And then Taylor suddenly felt a stabbing pain in her chest and began to breathe heavily. She grabbed her throat, feeling her face grow warm and her lips go numb. Panic surged within her.

"Taylor? What’s wrong?" Harper asked worriedly, rubbing her back.

But she couldn’t answer. She just gasped heavily, desperately trying to get air. Her head started pounding, and her face slowly swelled.

"What the hell is happening now?!" Charlie asked in shock to the group.

"Oh, shit, she’s having an allergic reaction!" Vic quickly wiped away her tears and immediately felt Taylor’s throat. "It’s possible she doesn’t tolerate the antidote for the stonefish poison."

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"The what for the what?!" Harper interjected.

Then Colby returned, followed by several suitcases and some items from the Dorothea. "I left a note in the suite so they don’t look for you, Tay-Tay. And don’t worry, you two pirates, the cops didn’t notice anything, is that all or did I overlook something-"

Then he saw Taylor. "W-what’s wrong with you?!" He immediately walked to his girl and took her hand. "What’s going on?!"

"Allergy," Vic said shortly, watching Harper dial emergency services. "To the antidote."

Colby's eyes widened in shock. "You gave her an antidote she can’t tolerate?!" He shouted with his demonic voice, intimidating Vic, but not Sage.

"That was the only way to save her life. Vic didn’t do anything wrong," he justified his sister.

Vic threw Colby an apologetic glance as she watched Taylor’s face continue to distort. "I’m sorry," she said softly. "I didn’t know she was allergic. But it wouldn’t have changed anything, she needed the antidote for the poisoning."

Colby shook his head, unable to find words. He felt helpless and simultaneously responsible for Taylor’s condition. He felt the anger boiling up inside him.

The minutes passed like hours as they waited for the rescue team. Each moment was filled with fear and uncertainty about whether Taylor would even survive the severe allergic reaction.

As soon as they arrived and began attending to Taylor, Harper turned to Sage. "Can you drive?" she asked quickly, and Sage nodded. She dug her car keys out of her pocket and handed them to him. "Good. You guys follow in my car, Charlie knows where the hospital is. I'll stay with Taylor and Colby." Then she looked skeptically at Charlie. "Keep an eye on them." The spirit nodded.

Then she also climbed into the ambulance where Taylor, breathing heavily, lay and held Colby's hand, who was nearly exploding with anger.

The twins and the ghost finally arrived at the hospital and parked Harper's car right in front of the emergency room. They jumped out of the car immediately and hurried inside to see how Taylor was doing.

In the bright lights of the emergency room, there was frantic activity. Doctors and nurses rushed back and forth, patients waited for treatment, and stressed-out relatives occupied the waiting area. Sage, Vic, and Charlie pushed their way through the crowd, their eyes desperately searching for Taylor and Harper.

At the reception desk, Sage stopped and inquired, "Taylor..." "Lautner," Charlie interjected. "Taylor Lautner. She was just brought in. Where is she?" The receptionist nodded and glanced briefly at her computer screen. "She's being taken to a treatment room. You can take a seat in the waiting area until we have more information." "No, that's not good enough. Where exactly is she?" "I'm sorry, but you really need to wait in the waiting area," the receptionist spoke professionally and firmly. "Come on, Sage," Vic said, gently pulling him towards the waiting area. "There's nothing else we can do right now."

They sat down on the uncomfortable plastic chairs, and the minutes dragged by agonizingly slow. Each of them lost in thought, the uncertainty about Taylor's condition gnawing at their nerves.

Charlie paced nervously, walking back and forth. "Why is this taking so long? Why?"

"It's normal for an allergic reaction," Vic explained. "But worst-case scenario, they need to stabilize her."

Charlie looked at her incredulously. "No offense, but how do you know that?"

And Vic's face turned into an impenetrable fortress again. "I had a fucking training to be a triage nurse, you annoying dickhead. Never finished, but I know what I'm fucking talking about."

Then Harper came around the corner. When she saw Charlie and the others, she breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with them. "She has a tube in her throat to help her breathe. Colby almost punched the doctor when they inserted it."

"Will she be okay?" Sage asked.

"They're trying. That's what he actually said. They're trying."

"And what about Colby?" Charlie interjected.

"He's fucking furious. At everything and everyone."

Charlie looked at Harper seriously. "But you don't believe that..."

"Believe what?" Vic and Sage asked simultaneously.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled and the walls shook. It grew stronger.

"G-given the fact that the most powerful being in the fucking world is a possessive fratboy with a brutally strong protective instinct, his most important person, slash girlfriend, is fighting for her life right now and the earth is shaking... Shit, I think so," Harper trembled.

The receptionist looked at her blinking pager and then over to the waiting area. "Code E!" she shouted decisively. "Earthquake! Stay away from windows and seek shelter under tables and other objects, cover your head!"

The walls seemed to sway and the shaking of the ground was clearly felt. People screamed, others ran around confused, while the receptionist and other staff tried to maintain calm and take safety measures.

Vic grabbed Sage's arm and pulled him under the coffee table in front of them. Harper followed their example as the earth continued to tremble. Everywhere there was the clatter of glass shards and the crashing of falling objects. The emergency lights flickered, the power repeatedly shorting out, making the situation even more threatening.

Only Charlie didn't hide. "I have to get to Colby. Otherwise, he'll destroy the whole hospital."

"Are you crazy?!" Vic shouted.

"He's right," Harper chimed in. "I'm coming with."

"Absolutely not!" Charlie quickly retorted. "I can't die, but you can!"

"Think of the beach!" Harper countered quickly.

"What?"

"Think! Of! The! Beach!"

Then Charlie understood what Harper meant. He remembered her "What if, for a change, I want to protect you guys?" and her desire to finally contribute something. Not just be the poor girl. She didn't just want to go. She had to.

"O-okay. But watch your head!"

Harper nodded and jumped out from under the table.

"Hey, girl! Stay here, damn it!" Vic shouted quickly, trying to grab her leg, but Harper kicked her straight in the face. "Shit, you fucking bitch! I just want to save your life, you shitty fuckface!"

Harper quickly apologized and then ran off with Charlie. The receptionist called after Harper, but she also fell on deaf ears.

Sage looked challengingly at his sister and grinned. "Proxley is wild, huh." He held out his hand to her. "Ready?"

Vic looked at him angrily. "...Fuck!" she shouted and shook her head in annoyance. "Fine by me!" She took his hand, and now the twins came out from under the table and ran after Charlie and Harper with determination.