Rebekah thought it would be for the best if she and Georgio followed the ambulance. After all, her father probably needed her now more than ever. Georgio's protestations made it difficult and a little embarrassing, but she eventually dragged him out of the store, threw him in the car, and drove after the disappearing ambulance.
As she was getting into the car, however, Rebekah thought she saw the girl from the night before. She was about to point her out to Georgio, but thought better of it. If it was the same girl, than she would just get her ring back later.
**********
When Casey saw Ellie, she was beside herself. "Oh...my...God..." she said, hands clutching at her face. "What... Casey, what happened to Chuck? Is he sick?"
"I don't know what's going on" Casey said, trying to stay calm. "All I know is that he wasn't feeling good, I walked away to help a customer at the Buy More, when I turned around, he was fainting!"
"So you have no idea what would make him feel so bad?" Ellie kept asking. "He didn't eat anything bad or...or there wasn't anything you gave to him during sex, or--"
"You think I would do something like this?" Casey asked, voice low and dangerous.
Ellie was about to respond when Devon cried out. "Hey!"
Ellie and Casey turned to look at Ellie's fiance. He smiled and pointed down at Chuck. "Chuck has a ring on his left ring finger!"
Ellie, looking like she was ready to cry, turned to Casey. Casey looked at her. "What?
"Oh, Casey" Ellie whispered. She gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry I blamed you for what's wrong with Chuck. I didn't know..." Ellie stepped back. "It must be so hard."
Casey hugged Ellie back. "Y-Yeah. We...it just happened, too."
"Last night?" Ellie asked, backing off a little.
Casey nodded. "Yeah. I...I just hope we find a way to heal him."
"We will" Ellie promised. She gave him a small, hopeful smile.
Casey nodded back at her. He rubbed his eyes as if he was crying and looked away. "You won't get mad if I--"
"No no no no no!" Ellie said. "You must need to...to calm down and figure out what's going on. Go, get some crappy hospital coffee. I'll call you if there's any change."
Casey nodded, looking as sad as he could muster. "Thank you. I...I won't be long." Casey walked out of the room, his mind whirring as he tried to make sense of the ring.
**********
Sarah and Morgan--who had followed Sarah--arrived at the hospital and instantly went about to looking for Casey or Chuck. Morgan ran off to the cafeteria. Sarah didn't bother to go after him. She needed to find Chuck.
After asking a nurse and getting slightly turned about, Sarah found the elevator. As the doors closed in front of her, she noticed that someone was running up, a hand waving in the air. "Hold the door! Hold the door!" Sarah pressed the open doors button and smiled at the young woman and young man who walked in after her.
"Thank you" the girl said with a kind smile and a nod.
Sarah smiled and nodded back. She tried to look away, but it was hard. She swore she'd seen this girl before. She swore this girl was the theif that had been after the ring she and Casey had picked up.
The younger girl looked up at Sarah. "Uh...what floor--"
"Oh!" Sarah said, a little startled. "Sorry! Uh, what floor do you need?"
"Four" the girl said.
Sarah smiled. "How convenient, that's where I'm going." Sarah pressed the button, then leaned against the elevator wall.
There were a few seconds of silence before the girl thought it best to make small talk. "So...what're you here for?"
"A friend of mine passed out at work. I got a call from his boyfriend. He told me he's really bad" Sarah said.
The girl's brow furrowed. "Oh... I'm sorry."
"What about you?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, friend of my dad is really sick." A pause. "Actually, he fainted at work too."
There were no more smiles, only awkward recognition.
Georgio shifted awkwardly from one foot to another.
The doors opened with a ding. Sarah and Rebekah exited at the same moment. Georgio hung behind, trying to decide on following the two competing women or to go get himself some bad hospital coffee. He figured, in the end, that he needed to keep Rebekah from killing someone. Namely that blond girl.
Further down the hall, Sarah and Rebekah were shoulder-to-shoulder. Their speeds increased steadily the further they walked. They didn't look at each other, instead using the differences in the air to measure if the other was going faster. Halfway to Chuck's room, they were sprinting.
Rebekah threw one arm out, catching Sarah in the gut. Sarah grabbed the arm and took Rebekah down with her. One of Rebekah's flying legs knocked over a nurse's cart. Rebekah tugged on Sarah's hair and pulled the older woman towards her. Sarah reached out and bit Rebekah's other hand. Rebekah kicked Sarah. Sarah punched Rebekah. Rebekah punched back. Sarah kneed Rebekah in the groin. Casey and Georgio pulled the two women apart.
"What the hell--"
"Daddy!" Rebekah cried. "What are you doing with her? She's a total bitch!"
Sarah looked at the man who was holding her. "'Daddy'? Casey, what is she talking about."
Casey pointed at Rebekah. "You need to leave."
Rebekah pushed Georgio off of her. "What? Why?"
Casey pushed Sarah to the side. He approached the young woman. "I do not know who you are or where you came from or whatever the fuck you're getting at, but I want you gone. I will not believe that I am your father until I get some solid proof, and even then I wouldn't care." Casey pointed at Rebekah. "I may have slept with your mother, but that was the extent of our relationship, and that is the extent of our relationship." Casey turned around and walked up to the stunned Sarah. "C'mon, we need to talk."
**********
"How would a ring cause Chuck's illness?" Sarah asked.
Casey shrugged. "Maybe it's radioactive or it's made out of lead and the lead got into Chuck's system."
"Do you think taking the ring off would make him better?" Sarah asked.
"We could try it" Casey said.
**********
Rebekah stared down at Chuck's unconscious body.
Georgio, standing behind her, was holding the younger girl's shoulders. "The girl said that this was his boyfriend."
Rebekah lifted Chuck's left hand. On the ring finger rested the ring she had risked her ass for way too many times. "Apparantly, they've escalated the relationship." Rebekah plucked the ring off of Chuck's finger and shoved it in one of her pockets. "Serves him right."
"Bella" Georgio tutted.
"Are you saying that because I'm taking a ring from a dying man or because of what I said?" Rebekah crossed her arms and looked at Georgio.
"Both" he answered. "This is not the regular you. I know you are obsessed with the Borgia family, but to go so far as to--"
"They've done worse" Rebekah said. She leaned closer to her boyfriend. "You've done worse."
"Only when you're involved, bella." Georgio pecked Rebekah's cheek. Rebekah smiled. "So, are you going to find the other ring?"
Rebekah began to walk out of the room. "Of course!"
"Are you going to help your father's fiance?" Georgio asked.
"Nope" Rebekah answered.
"Oh, now that is soulless."
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" Rebekah recited.
Georgio laughed.
Casey stepped around the corner.