A Complicated Web

Chapter Fifteen: Distress

Kally tried not to run out of the kitchen and down the hallway as directed. She found the bathroom with little difficulty, though she had a bit of trouble once she got there. The door was closed, though not locked. She put her hand to the knob and felt a spasm of pain fill her belly. "Please no," she whispered as she yanked the door open. Her heart pounded as she tried to find the light switch. She was getting a bit dizzy, though, which didn't help. But she finally found switch and flicked on the light.

Still feeling more than a little sick, she lifted the seat of the toilet and knelt next to it, needing to hold on to the bowl for support. She hated throwing up and tried to will the urge away but the feeling wouldn't abate. It didn't help that her throat felt tighter than it had only a minute ago. In fact she found she was having a hard time breathing as her body sort of rocked back and forth against her will.

She slid to her bottom, still inches away from the toilet. What was wrong with her? She had no idea and knowing that frightened her. Part of her wondered if she was going to pass out. And if she did, would she slam into anything? That wouldn't be good. Why was her body at such odds with itself? Even though the desire to hurl was still quite strong, she knew it wasn't going to happen with her throat feeling the way it was. "Not good," she rasped.

.........................

Tony had just moved the shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate when JARVIS spoke up. "I believe Miss Carmichael is experiencing some kind of distress in the bathroom," he announced.

Hearing that, Hiro's head jerked up, as did the other heroes. Something in his stomach plummeted as his mind quickly went through Kally's most recent appearance. "Baymax!" Hiro called out as he ran in the direction Kally had disappeared. He didn't wait to see if the healthcare companion followed him or not. At least it wasn't hard to find the room in question. The door stood wide open, the light flooding into the hall.

Hiro burst into the room, looking more than a little frantic as he realized where Kally was. Her lips were starting to swell and looked a bit on the blue side. But at least she was still conscious. He rushed to her side, not worrying about potentially hard floors as he fell to his knees. "Hey," he called out to her. "Can you hear me? Can you breathe? Answer me!"

Kally looked like a fish trying to breathe on dry land. She had one hand to her throat. "Can't... breathe..." she managed to rasp as her skin itched. It was maddening, though she was more concerned with her lack of oxygen. She knew that would cause more problems than her itching skin.

"Crap!" Hiro swore, everything confirming what he'd initially thought was going on. He glanced back the way he'd come, realizing Baymax hadn't reached them yet. If Kally was experiencing what he thought she was, she didn't have much time. Not bothering to worry about anything else, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his auto injector. He removed the cap and jammed it into Kally's thigh like he'd been trained to do. He just hoped there was enough epinephrine in his applicator to do some good. He knew each person had their own specific needs.

Baymax waddled into the room moments after Hiro had administered the epinephrine. He took a quick moment to assess the situation, scanning Kally. "Please move back," he instructed Hiro. He waddled forward as Hiro moved out of the way.

Tony moved into view from the hallway, his mouth hanging in a frown. "JARVIS, inform the medical staff we need assistance up here right now."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS responded.

Honey hung back with Pepper, trying to see what was happening without actually getting in the way. "What's going on?" she asked as Baymax pressed one finger up next to the auto injector Hiro had inserted into Kally's thigh. She'd followed after seeing Hiro dart out of the room, not sure what was going on.