Trevon Carter

I woke with Arthur convulsing in my arms. His eyes rolled back so I only saw white. Blood dripped from his nose. He coughed once and blood pooled on his lips. Whatever this was, it definitely was not the stomach flu. My heart shattered, my stomach dropped, my entire being trembled.

"Arthur," I called out to him, but there was no answer. His silence was shattering. "Arthur," I called out louder, but with the same result.

911. I had to call 911. I picked up my phone, but in my panicked state I hit the 1 first instead of the 9.

"Yes, sir," the concierge downstairs said to me. "How may we help you?"

"My boyfriend is seizing. He has blood coming from his mouth." I was aware how panicked and shrill my voice sounded, but I couldn't change it. "I'm going to call 911."

"Yes," his pleasant tone immediately changed to one of concern. "Call 911, right now. I'll be sure to lead them right to you when they arrive."

I hung up. This time I took a steadying breath and carefully moved my fingers over the 9-1-1.

"911. What's your emergency?" The male voice asked me.

"My boyfriend is having a seizure," I said as I watched Arthur continue to convulse. It was the most horrible thing I had ever seen. This image was burned into my brain forever and if he died...he couldn't die. He couldn't.

"Does he get seizures often?" the voice calmly asked.

"No," I said. My voice was frantic as I ran my hands over my bleeding lover. "This is the first time and he's bleeding from his nose and mouth."

The 911 operator told me to make sure Arthur was away from any objects that could hurt him while he was convulsing, but I also had to position him in a way so he wouldn't choke on the blood. He then asked me for my address. I couldn't remember it. I watched Arthur with tears on my cheeks and my heart in my throat. His convulsions slowed, but he wasn't answering me when I called out to him.

"Sir," the operator said to me, "I know it's difficult, but I need you to tell me your address." But I couldn't remember it. I tried, but the numbers kept getting mixed and I almost gave them my family home street name.

The bedroom door opened and the concierge walked in. He held out his hand for the phone and I gave it to him. He easily relayed the address. My focus went back to Arthur. Arthur's stillness was much worse than when he had been convulsing. I stared at him while holding my breath. There was no movement. He looked dead, but he couldn't be. He couldn't die. That wasn't possible. His chest slowly lifted and fell as he took in a shallow breath. I bent and fell over his shoulder. He was still alive. He was still breathing. A sob escaped me before I could stop it.

"Sir," a voice said and shook my shoulder. I ignored it as I stayed bent over with my head on Arthur's shoulder. "Trevon."

I lifted my head up and looked at the concierge. He had never called me by my first name before. He held the phone to his ear with one hand, but in his other hand was one of my shirts. The top dresser drawer was slightly open. "The paramedics are almost here," he said to me. "You'll need to go to the hospital. Put on a shirt."

I stayed with my knees on the bed, but I slipped the shirt on. He stayed there with me and Arthur. He stayed on the phone with the dispatcher. After about two minutes that felt like an eternity, he went to the living room and opened the door for the paramedics. They came in and examined the unresponsive Arthur. The concierge gave me back my phone. 911 was no longer on the phone now that the paramedics were there. The paramedics transferred Arthur onto the stretcher and began to wheel him out. I followed.

"Your shoes, sir," the concierge rushed out with my shoes. I slipped them on without putting on socks and followed the paramedics. Down on the main floor I was vaguely aware that one of the other concierges was behind the desk and watching us worriedly. I followed them out to the ambulance. They didn't question me or protest when I got onto the ambulance after them.

"This is the first time he has had a seizure?" one of them asked me as the driver began down the streets with lights flashing and horns blaring.

"Yes," I said. "He's a ballet dancer. He eats healthy, works out. He's never even been sick since we've been dating."

"And how long is that?"

I thought about it. I was a bit calmer now that I saw them working on him, putting an I.V. in his arm, examining him. They knew what they were doing.

"Over four months," I said.

"Was he showing any symptoms earlier?"

"He was complaining of stomach cramps. He thought he might be coming down with the stomach flu, but this isn't the stomach flu."

"No, it isn't," one of the paramedics said. "Is he taking any medication that you know of?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing."

"No blood thinners?"

"No. Why are you asking about blood thinners?"

"Because he is showing similar symptoms to people who take too much anticoagulants. Do either of you keep rat poison around?"

"Rat poison? No. Nothing like that. We don't have any need for something like that. Why are you asking?"

"I've seen similar cases in people who ingested rat poison," he said. "Some rat poisons contain anticoagulants."

My blood ran cold and spread everywhere inside me. "He said the water from his water bottle tasted funny," I said. Was this something I should have been aware of? Should I somehow have known that this wasn't a mere stomach flu? I should have insisted he go to the doctors earlier.

"We won't know for sure until tests are done," the paramedic said. "The hospital can do that. We're almost there." I was vaguely aware that while he asked me questions and took care of Arthur, the other one was relaying information to the hospital so they would be ready.

We arrived at the hospital and they ushered Arthur in. I followed. Nurses and a doctor waited for their arrival. I started to follow them as they wheeled him back, but a nurse stopped me. "Stay out here for now," she told me. "The doctor will tell you more when we know more."

The paramedics were already gone. I sat heavily in one of the seats in the waiting area of the emergency section. I put my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands.

"Excuse me," a woman's voice said. They weren't speaking to me so I kept my face buried in my hands. "We've been here for a long time. Why was that person who was just brought in allowed back first? When are we going to be taken back?"

"Ma'am," the nurse who had addressed me before now spoke to the woman. She sounded exasperated as if she had spoken with this other woman multiple times that night. "You should be grateful you have to wait. That means your daughter's isn't a life and death case. The ones that need to worry are the ones that get taken back right away."

Arthur. A sob escaped me as fresh tears fell into my palms.

"Oh, god," the nurse said. There was shuffling and then a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said to me. "Our doctors are some of the best. They will do their best to make sure he is alright."

I nodded, but didn't remove my head from my hands.

"Does he have family you can call? He isn't conscious to give us permission to talk to you about his medical information and HIPAA regulations won't allow us to say too much to you. Also, we're going to need his insurance information."

I took a deep breath to steady myself. I wiped away my tears and sat up. "I have his parents' phone numbers. I can try to call them."

The nurse nodded sympathetically to me and then said, "Do you have someone you can call to come support you through all of this?"

I immediately thought of Alex and Vincent. They would come to support me. I nodded. She patted my shoulder once again and then went back to the desk. The woman who had first inquired when they were going to be brought back looked sheepish when she saw the state I was in.

"I'm sorry," the nurse said to her. "I should have handled that more professionally. As I explained earlier, the emergency section does not serve on a first come first serve basis. Those with the most dire medical emergencies are seen first. I know your daughter has a broken arm and that can be painful and traumatic, but it isn't going to kill her. We have given her pain medicine and she doesn't seem to be in too much pain at the moment. As soon as we can, we will take her back. Please be patient."

The woman nodded and went back to sit next to her teenage daughter. The daughter's arm was carefully placed on top of a pillow. She was careful to keep it still. I wondered briefly what her daughter had been up to this late at night to get a broken arm, but decided I didn't care that much.

I pulled out my phone and called Arthur's mom. Arthur had told me his parents were heavy sleepers. We might have been able to get away with sex at his house if it hadn't been for his sister. She wasn't a heavy sleeper. The phone rang and rang and finally went to voicemail. "It's Trevon," I said into the message, "I need you to call me. It's urgent. It's about Arthur." I hung up and tried calling Arthur's dad. The result was the same so I left another message. It occured to me that I might have better luck calling Eva, but I got the same result when I called her.

I stood up and paced along the white, tile floor away from the desk, the nurse and the mom with her daughter. My fingers shook when I called Alex. He answered on the second ring.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

My throat closed off. I couldn't speak. Fresh tears burned my eyes.

"Trevon? What's wrong?" he sounded more alert.

I took a deep breath. "Can you come here? Can you pick up Vincent and you both come?"

"Yes," he said. I could hear rustling in the background. "I'm coming now. Where are you?"

"The hospital. I don't know which one." I looked around for a name of the hospital.

"Why are you at the hospital? Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "The paramedics said they think Arthur was poisoned."

"Poisoned? I'm on my way, Trevon. I'll pick up Vincent and we'll come."

I found the hospital name and relayed it to him. "I'll call Vincent so he knows you are coming," I said. "Please hurry."

"We will."

I hung up with him and called Vincent. He didn't answer as quickly as Alex.

"Hello," Vincent said. I could tell he had just woken up.

"Can you come?" I asked. "Alex will pick you up."

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding more alert.

"It's Arthur," I said. "We just got to the hospital. The paramedics said he might have been poisoned." My voice broke and the tears spilled. Poisoned.

"How could that happen?" Vincent asked.

"I don't know," I said. "We were in bed and he...just come." I didn't want to relive that memory of him convulsing in my arms with blood from his nose and lips.

"I'm coming," he said. "Do you need me to call Alex?"

"I called him first. He'll go pick you up. He'll be there soon."

"Okay," he said. "Have the doctors seen him yet?"

"They are in with him now. They won't let me in with him. I tried calling his parents, but they didn't answer. Arthur told me before they are heavy sleepers. I don't know what to do, Vinny."

"We're coming, Trev," Vincent said. "It's going to be okay. He's going to be okay."

I didn't know how much I needed to hear those words until he said them. I believed him. There was no reason for me to, but I did.

"Okay," I said. I needed them both here with me in order to get through this. "Hurry, please." I knew it wouldn't be quick. They were in a different state.

"We will," he said. We hung up and I put the phone back in my pocket. I went back and sat in the seat.

I pulled my phone back out and called Eva again.

"Trevon?" she answered sleepily. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," I said and my throat closed off again.

"With Arthur?" she asked more alert.

"Yes," I said in a firmer voice. "We're at the hospital. The doctors are in with him now."

"What happened to him?" she asked. I heard her shuffling as she got out of bed.

"The paramedics think he was poisoned."

"Poisoned?" she whispered. "How? Why?"

"I don't know," I said. I was vaguely aware that the woman and her daughter were now paying close attention to my phone call, but I didn't care.

"The nurse said they need Arthur's insurance information and he isn't conscious to give them permission to speak to me so your parents are going to have to give them permission. But they aren't answering my calls."

"Okay," she said. "Hold on."

A few moments went by and then I heard her say, "Mom?"

"What is it?" her mom's groggy voice said in the background.

"Trevon says Arthur is in the hospital and might have been poisoned," Eva said.

"What?" her mom asked alarmed. "Okay. Okay. Find out which hospital and tell him we are coming."

"He also says the hospital needs the insurance info and that they'll need permission from you in order to talk to him about what is happening since he isn't family."

"I'll call," her mom said. "Just find out which hospital. Tell him we are on our way."

"Trevon," Eva said into the phone.

"I heard all that," I said. I relayed the hospital information and hung up. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

About five minutes later the hospital phone rang.

After the nurse answered and went through the greeting process she said, "I'm ready. Go ahead and give me the information." I didn't open my eyes, but listened carefully to the following silence. Then she said, "Thank you. I've made note of it in the system. That should be sufficient for permission." I hoped that was Arthur's parents giving permission for me to speak with the doctors. After another slight pause she said, "He is still in with the doctors, but they are doing their best."

I was sure it was Arthur's parents then. They hung up. The only ones in the emergency waiting area were me, the woman and her daughter. After awhile, an old couple came out from the back, thanked the nurse at the desk and left. It was a couple of minutes later when the mother and her daughter were called back and I was left alone in the empty waiting room.

I was startled when my phone rang. I immediately answered it.

"We are on the road now," Eva said. "My parents called and gave them permission to talk to you. They also gave them Arthur's insurance info. Have you heard anything yet?"

"Not yet," I said.

"Marie, David and Joseph are going to come too. Marie and David are going to Joseph's and they'll all drive up together in Joseph's car."

"Okay," I said.

There was a slight pause and then she said, "Are you alright?"

Was I? I hadn't stopped to analyze myself. But even after I took a moment of internal reflection my answer was, "I don't know."

"Hang in there," she said. "We're on our way. Keep us updated if you find out anything."

"I will," I said. We hung up for the second time that night.

I sat there in the silent room with only the occasional clacking of the keyboard as the nurse worked behind the desk. This was the worst night of my life. I hoped it got better and not even worse.

I got up and walked into the men's bathroom. It was empty. I put my back against the cold, tile wall and said, "God." Whether there really was some omniscient being out in the universe or not, in that moment I needed to believe there was. "Please let him be okay." Tears spilled from my eyes again. I didn't think I had ever cried as much as I had that night. "Please," I pleaded. My back slid along the wall until I sat on the cold floor. I hugged my knees and cried into the emptiness.