Page 17 of Billionaire's Desire
“I think I have food poisoning,” she says, sounding weak.
I jump out of bed and go to her bunk. I can see she’s sweating, and her face is pale. I feel her forehead and it’s burning up.
“Shit, you’re burning up,” I say, feeling worried. “What can I do to help, Hilda?”
“Just leave me here to die.”
I gently shake her arm, “C’mon. I am being serious. What can I do?”
“I think I need to go see the nurse.” Hilda says, her voice barely above a whisper.
I nod, knowing we have to act fast. I grab my clothes and get dressed, then help Hilda get dressed too. I grab a blanket and wrap it around her, trying to keep her warm.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the doctor,” I say, trying to sound reassuring despite my heart beating a mile a minute.
We make our way down the narrow hallway, trying not to wake anyone up, but judging by the sounds of retching, I don’t think anyone is sleeping tonight.
The yacht is moving gently with the waves, and I can hear the sound of the water lapping against the hull.
We finally reach the doctor and I knock on the door. A nurse answers, looking bleary-eyed.
“What’s going on?” she asks, rubbing her eyes.
“Hilda has food poisoning,” I explain. “She’s burning up and she’s in a lot of pain.”
The nurse nods then lets us in.
There are a bunch of other people laying in beds in various states of distress. Hilda was right, almost everyone is sick. This is a shit show if there ever was one.
The nurse, whose name is Matilda from the lanyard hanging off her neck, helps Hilda onto a bed and starts to examine her. I stand to the side, feeling worried and helpless.
“We need to get her hydrated,” the nurse says. “I’m going to give her an IV.”
I nod, feeling relieved that Hilda is in good hands. Matilda starts to work, and I watch as she inserts the IV and starts to give Hilda fluids. Hilda starts to relax and the color starts to come back to her face.
“Thank you,” Hilda says, looking up at me.
I nod, “Don’t mention it. I need you to get better.”
I am feeling hopeful that she’s going to be okay. I stay by her side for another half hour or so keeping her company, until she falls asleep.
This day just needs to end.
I’m making my way back to my cabin feeling relieved that Hilda is going to be okay. I’m exhausted and just want to crawl back into bed, but as I turn a corner, I see another stewardess leaning against the wall, looking pale and sick.
“Are you okay?” I ask, feeling concerned, although the look on her face tells me that she is far from okay.
The stewardess shakes her head. “I think I have food poisoning,” she says, looking miserable. “I don’t know how this happened.”
I nod, feeling worried. This is not good. We’re on a yacht and half the staff is now sick.
“I was just on my way back from the doctor,” I say. “Hilda is sick, too.”
The stewardess nods, then looks at me with a serious expression.
“Maggie, the head waiter just informed me that you’ve been upgraded to a hostess and stewardess,” she says. “Half the staff is down and they need someone to step in.”
I feel a surge of panic.
