Three days passed of weaving in and out of thick crowds and keeping their heads down until finally they spotted a temporary place to rest. William motioned for Elizabeth to sit down to which the latter quickly obliged. He watched their surroundings while she tried in vain to catch her breath before muttering something unintelligible as her head drooped down drastically.
Panic and fear overwhelmed every sense as he aborted their surroundings and the people chasing them to focus entirely on an unconscious Elizabeth. He placed a frozen calloused hand beneath her nose to find her breathing hadn't steadied; this caused him to panic even more before remembering the black burner phone in his jean pocket.
He pulled it out and glanced up shaking his head at two men turning the corner opposite them. He wasn't about to let them take her. William took a shaking breath as his fingers glided over three numbers; he placed the phone up to his ear as an elaborate lie escaped his lips.
"Please send someone immediately. My wife is having trouble breathing and she's not responding. I'm not sure what to do. Yes, she is sitting down but she's unconscious. We were just taking a walk like we usually do except we're not from here and got lost. She did say something before falling unconscious but we don't speak the same language so I'm not sure what it was. I'm standing up right next to her and I'll be waving my arms so you know where we are."
As he spoke he watched their trackers all come to a complete standstill on every street corner within eye sight. His grin was devilish as nobody moved when he put his phone back in his pocket. Now the tables had turned and soon sirens were heard heading closer. He watched as the same look of hatred flashed across their eyes before watching them retreat before an ambulance arrived.
Three men got out of a beat up white and red ambulance under the scrutinizing gaze of a man who looked like he'd been through hell. He watched two of them run to retrieve a gurney as the third came forward to ask some questions. William rolled his shoulders back as the man pulled him aside to ask who exactly they were and why they looked practically homeless. He lied without a second thought and didn't stop the man when he told the others Elizabeth was his wife and to be extremely careful.
They tried to feign worry but didn't reject him from entering into the ambulance after watching them load a still strikingly beautiful woman; with one last glance at their surroundings he waved as the last of their unwanted trackers got into cars.
Within minutes they were at the hospital and he was watching her be carted into a room. They refused to let him in but upon added lies they allowed him to see her. He stayed by her side in a flimsy plastic chair as several nursing staff and doctors came in to ask the same repeated questions.
It took a few hours but eventually Elizabeth became conscious again. They tried bombarding her with questions that they'd asked him until he reminded them she couldn't speak English. That's when one of the nurses asked the question he'd been dreading,
"If she can't speak or understand English how did you two manage to get married?"
William hesitated for a moment before coming up with a viable single worded answer,
"Interpreter."
Many of the nurses that had gathered in the room nodded their heads at his answer but one still seemed unconvinced. Before another string of questions could be hurled at him the doctor came in to dismiss everyone.
She checked the vitals already written on a piece of paper before turning her attention toward William and asking,
"Are you two hungry?"
He nodded before turning toward Elizabeth and motioning for food, to which she nodded eagerly. He laughed at her enthusiasm as the doctor went to tell the nursing staff to get them something to eat.
A few minutes and two full stomachs later she brought up a series of questions he'd dreaded having to answer,
"So, you called saying that your wife had become unconscious correct?"
She paused long enough to watch him nod his head before continuing,
"We found something in her system that we would like an answer for."
Again she waited for his response; his face contorted into realization as the memory of seeing her drink from the water bottle resurfaced and he began stumbling over his answer,
"She was drugged. I tried to warn her but didn't know how. We're not from here. We're trying to get home and someone said they'd help us. Instead they didn't and I grabbed her. We took off before anything could get worse."
A mixture of fear and worry etched itself across her features after listening to his explanation. She mumbled under her breath as he watched her make her way out the door; his anxiety skyrocketed in that moment because he had no idea what was about to happen. Elizabeth had been watching their interaction enough to now that where they were was no longer safe.