Summers' Heat

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Makayla doesn't know when Mateo arrives but she's getting checked out by the EMTs when he does come over to her. Before she can say anything Mateo beats her to it except it's not her he addresses his inquisition at but the EMT guy.


"Is she okay?"
The man gives a nod and starts packing up his apparatus.
"She'll live. Slight to mild concussion to keep an eye on. Ms Summers, if you start vomiting, experience seizures, fluid or blood draining from the nose or ears or any other symptom that doesn't get better over time then come into the hospital. Otherwise, you should be better in a few days to weeks with sufficient rest."
After delivering the practiced lines, he shrugs off his gloves and closes up his case when Mateo stops him by the arm.
"Should she be allowed to sleep?" he asks.
Makayla shrugs off the blanket they'd given her since clearly apart from having a slight shock there's nothing much wrong with her. Of course, her throbbing head would protest that opinion.
"Wait a while to ensure her symptoms don't get worse. Then if she's able to hold a conversation and walk okay, it should be safe for her to sleep."
"Great. Thanks."


She hops down only to stumble into Mateo. He catches her by the waist and keeps his hold on there even as she straightens up. She would argue to be released but truthfully, she is still feeling slightly nauseous caused in part by the vertigo.

"It was him. Mateo, it was him," she mutters while he helps her onto the sidewalk.
"Okay, let's get you home."
"I tried to get a look at him. He was tall. Taller than you..." she winces trying to remember the rest of the details she'd caught.
"Makayla stop. Let's get you home first. We'll talk there."


Since thinking too hard makes her head pound Makayla allows him to escort her home. Even though it's not a long way, Mateo had driven so they take his car which Makayla's grateful for.

When they make it up into her house, she doesn't have so much trouble with walking. It's the blinding headache that bothers her the most. Nonetheless she persists with the knowledge the day that had started out rather well then gone to shit is almost over. As soon as they're inside, Makayla hangs up her coat and turns to Mateo.


"Thanks for walking me home," she mutters, "I gave my statement to the cops on the scene but I don't think it made much sense. I was still pretty out of it."
"You were, I talked to them. We decided it was better I take your statement tomorrow. Luckily the witness was helpful."
Tomorrow sounds like a good idea that Makayla's grateful for. Of course, that will mean she'll have to take some time off work.
"I'll come in tomorrow. But how did that guy know to get you? Did the uniforms figure it out from seeing me?"

He doesn't answer for a second, instead his brows coming together in confusion before he smooths out his features.

"You told the witness, chica," he explains gently.


This time it's Makayla who looks at him in confusion. Did she say that? Go her. But she can't remember when she said it. She remembers the guy with the running, a man helping her and then she fell asleep. No, not asleep, unconsciousness. When she woke, there were cops around her, the EMTs arrived and well, the rest she knows. So when between that did she tell him to get Mateo? What else has she forgot? There's a sharp stab of pain at her head when she tries to recall her evening. She fights through it because what if she's already starting to forget things? What if tomorrow she'll have permanently forgot it all?

"Right, right, of course. Maybe we should talk now before I forget anything else."


Mateo places an hand on her shoulder and disagrees, "it doesn't work like that. You're only going to hurt yourself trying to remember tonight. You heard the EMT, you need rest."


She sighs with no small amount of relief.
"Alright, thank you Mateo. I'll come by the precinct tomorrow then-"
"Not so fast, Makayla. I'm not leaving you here alone tonight. You asked for me for a reason and it wasn't just because I'm the lead on this case."


Makayla opens her mouth to correct them but has to quickly shut it again. True, she doesn't remember telling the man who helped her to call for Mateo however, there is a prickle at the back of her head that tells her what she'd been feeling at that time was the need to see him not so he could catch the guy but to just be there with her.