by Lexy Timms
“Fill out what you can, dear.” The woman slid a packet of stuff toward her.
“Okay.” Jamie glanced up to see her mom and dad rush into the door to the ER. “Mom. Dad.”
“Jamie.” Her dad moved toward her, grabbing her mother's arm and pulling her that way, too.
“Where is she?” her mom called out loudly. “Where’s my baby? The staff here better not let her die! She’s not dying because of some pills. There’s obvious a mistake going on here. My baby’s not depressed. Where the hell are the doctors?”
Tears lined her mother's face, but, try as hard as she could, Jamie couldn't force any empathy for the woman. She was so full of shit that it was stifling. Where there was no doubt that she loved Christine, her antics were over-exaggerated and completely focused on gaining attention.
“She's in the ER getting her stomach pumped, Mom.” Jamie turned to her dad, who pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“How are you? You must be terrified, having to see all of that.” He squeezed her tightly.
“Why would Jamie be terrified? It's Christine who's fighting for her life.” Her mother huffed loudly and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Mom, give it a rest. It's both of us. I found her face first on the kitchen floor. Excuse Dad for wanting to make sure in the trauma of having to come face to face with all of that shit that I'm okay.” She barked at her mom, not willing to back down. There was too much at stake for her mother to steal the show, as she did no matter who was around, or what it might do to anyone. She shouldn’t be doing it in public, but at this point she didn’t really care.
“Are you going to let her talk to me like that?” her mother barked at her father.
“She's a grown woman. If she feels the need to express herself to you, then, yeah, I am.” He pulled back and looked down at Jamie. “Give me the details. Tell me what you know.”
“Someone needs to fill out paperwork.” Jamie moved back. “I don't know half of the things on the forms.”
“Well, why don't I just do it? You two are ganging up on me anyway.” Her mother grabbed the papers and dropped down in the seat Jamie was sitting in moments ago. A loud sob left her as Jamie's dad put an arm around her shoulder and walked toward the lobby.
“She's upset, but she's overdoing it. I'm sure you knew that.” Her dad glanced down at her and shook his head. “As soon as this stuff is over with Christine and we have her back home, I'm leaving. I can't stand another minute in that house.”
“Christine is going to be okay, right?” Jamie stopped and glanced up at him. “Right?”
“Yes, Pumpkin. This isn't the first time she'd done this.” He averted his eyes. “I shouldn't have left tonight. She's just gotten so good at faking the fact that she's doing okay when she's not.”
“She's done this before? OD'd on drugs?” Jamie pulled back and narrowed her eyes. “When?”
“Right before we came to see you. That's why she was so out of it that night. She had just gotten released the day before. She's having a really hard time with the situation with Stephen. We should have gotten her help. This is all our fault.” He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced around. “I swear I feel like I'm going to crack in half any minute.”
“Well don't, please. We already thought we were going to lose you. This place should know us by first names at this point.” She stepped up to wrap her dad in a hug. “It's going to get better, but we need to get Christine some help, and get you out of the house with mom.”
“Agreed. Christine first, of course.” He moved back. “Alex just walked in.”
Jamie turned and jogged toward him as he opened his arms to her. “Damn, baby. How many nights are we going to end up here?”
“Right?” she whispered and pressed her face against his chest.
Mark's voice sounded beside her. “I'm sorry, Jamie. We should have stayed with you. If you had told us you were going out to the house, we could have taken you. The last thing you needed to see was your sister like that.”
She nodded and turned to face him, keeping her cheek against Alex's chest. “I know. I wasn't going to go, but something kept nagging at me. I'm glad I did now. She wouldn't be alive otherwise.”
“Very true.” Alex kissed the top of her head. “She'll thank you for it when she's back to full health.”
“I don't know about that.” Jamie pulled back and turned to find her dad over by her mother. He'd taken over filling out papers, and her mother was bitching about something loudly beside him in between loud, ugly sobs.
“Come on, Jamie. No one is that much of a bitch.” Mark reached over and squeezed her shoulder.
“I know, but she called yesterday and I should have talked to her. She was being bitchy and angry over Stephen, and I just couldn't take it. I should have listened to my intuition. She was reaching out for help. I knew it, and yet I didn't want to help.” Tears burned Jamie's eyes. “This is my fault.” She felt silly. This wasn’t about her, but she felt she could have stopped it.
“It's not at all your fault.” Alex leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “And you're going to stop telling yourself that. You have two little babies inside of you who need you healthy. This situation tonight probably put more stress on you than you can handle. The minute Christine is okay, we're going home, and you're going to let me take care of you. Understood?”
She nodded and sank back into Alex's hold. “Okay.”
“Wow. I thought I was getting ready to see one hell of a marital fight.” Mark laughed and walked to a long row of chairs. “Not that I want you guys fighting, but you know.”
“We don't really fight.” Jamie moved away from Alex and sat down next to Mark. “He gets testy and we have sex. It works pretty well.”
Alex shrugged. “I try to get testy a lot. Works out well for me.”
“I'm not sure whether to be disgusted or hella impressed.” Mark laughed and closed his eyes. “Everything’s going to be okay. It has to be. We’ve been through far too much lately. This shit has to turn from bad to good before too long. Shit eventually turns into fertilizer.”
Jamie nodded, but wasn’t sure whether to hope too much for his words to come true. They all needed it, and yet every time it seemed that things were getting better, another bomb hit.
*
Four hours passed before a doctor finally came walking toward them. Everyone was sitting together, most of them in a zombie-like state when the tall African-American woman stopped in front of them. She had a nice smile, but from the weariness that sat around her eyes it was obvious that she’d been putting in too many hours for far too long.
“Are any of you Christine Connor's parents?” She glanced around at everyone, before stopping on Jamie’s dad.
Jamie's mother and father rose to their feet. “We are.”
“She's doing much better, and is resting right now. We were able to pump her stomach and pull out most of the sleeping drug she ingested. We'll be moving her to a room for observation overnight, and then we need to talk with you and her about treatment. Attempted suicide is a serious situation, as I'm sure you're aware. We need to get this young woman help and now. We almost didn't get to her in time. I had to bring her back twice on my OR table.” The woman shook her head. “She's going to have to go to rehab, and I would even think about taking about putting her into a mental health facility so that the staff can keep an eye on her twenty-four-seven until the threat passes.”
“It will pass though, right?” Jamie's father's voice broke, and Jamie stood up, moving up beside him and slipping her hand into his.
“It will, but it takes some time and lots of counseling, sir. Be prepared for a long road ahead of you all.” She glanced at everyone else. “Everyone is going to have to help this young woman. If life isn't worth living, then the people living around you have to remind you of the small things and bring color back into your grey world. Between your love and involvement and some medication to help her un
til she heals, we have a good chance of bringing her though this darkness.”
“Can I see her?” Jamie's mom stepped up, the woman far more docile than Jamie had ever seen her.
“You both can, but everyone else is going to need to wait until the morning. She's extremely tired, as you might imagine.” The doctor turned. “Follow me.”
Jamie gave her father a quick hug as her mother darted down the hall after the doctor, asking her a million questions and leaving Jamie there without another word.
“Go home, Jamie and Alex. We’re here with Christine now. There’s nothing you can do tonight. You’ve done more than enough, Pumpkin.”
“I love you, Dad.” Jamie tried not to yawn, but it escaped her anyway. “Call if you need anything. I'll come see Christine tomorrow, or I'll come to the mental hospital or whatever.” Jamie ran her hands over her stomach before cupping it. “I need to get some rest for these little ones.”
“Okay, Pumpkin. I love you, too.” Her father hugged her before shaking hands with Alex and Mark. “Take care of my girl, please, and my precious grandbabies. Both boys, right?”
“That’s where my bet is, and of course I’ll take care of Jamie. That’s something you’ll never have to worry about.” Alex put his arm over Jamie's shoulders as they walked out into the parking lot. He squeezed softly and rubbed her upper arm. “You holding up okay, baby?”
“I've been better, but we'll get through this like we have everything else.” She wrapped her arm around his waist and let out a long sigh. “I’m just ready for something to relax me. I need to chill out for a while.”
Mark moved up beside her and pressed his shoulder against hers. “Beer and sex?”
She chuckled before glancing over at him. “That sounds like a great remedy, but I just meant by putting one foot in front of the other. It seems like it's been nonstop lately.”
“Well, you just remember that everything is going to get better.” Alex stopped in front of the car and pulled her into a hug. “I don't want you to stress out about anything and end up back here yourself. You're carrying precious cargo.”
“I know. I keep trying to calm myself. Knowing that Christine is okay has me calming down, but I need to get to bed. I'm worn out.” She pressed her hands to her face. “I just wish I could get the image of her lying on the floor out of my mind. That had to be one of the most terrifying things I've ever been through.”
Mark tapped the car and shook his head. “I can't imagine. If I walked in and found Alex unconscious, I'd probably lose it.”
“It's like me seeing you in the garage on the floor.” Alex kissed her forehead. “This has been a fucked up month. I'm ready to put it all behind us. Surely there are better days ahead of us.”
“And if not?” Mark asked and opened his door. “Beer and sex?”
“Yep. Count me in... after I have the babies.” Jamie got in the front seat, buckled up and leaned back, letting her eyes close. Things were stressful and left her tense and worried, but nothing could be worse than where Christine was mentally. To think that life was better over had to be a darkness that was unsearchable. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.
She had to help her sister see that there was more to life than Stephen. So bloody much more.
Chapter 15
A Month Later
“How's the food here?” Jamie reached over and touched her sister's hand.
Christine didn't look her way, but stared at the window absently, her mind lost to the drugs they had her on. She'd tried to commit suicide again a week after being released, and was committed to the mental hospital under doctor’s orders shortly thereafter.
“If you don’t like the food, I can ask if Alex’s cook can make something for you. MacBane is amazing in the kitchen.” When her sister only blinked, she tried again. “Do they let you play games in the main hall?” Jamie moved closer and ran her fingers through her sister's long hair.
She'd come every day for the last week to see her sister. She knew her dad was doing the same, but her mom wasn't able to emotionally handle such a strain. It was disgusting at best, but Jamie had come to expect nothing less from the woman. She was heartless, and nothing would change that. She was still her mother but the realization of the effect she’d had on Jamie and Christine was almost too much too bear. It was probably better for Christine that their mom wasn’t coming to visit. It still sucked, though. She ran her fingers through her sister’s hair again. “Want me to braid your hair?”
Christine's eyes shifted a little, and she gave a slight nod.
Jamie smiled and got up out of her chair to move behind Christine. She worked her sister’s tangles into a pretty braid and reached down to kiss the top of her head.
Whereas her sister hadn't been much better to her over her life, there was something to be said about the darkness she was living in. Jamie didn't care what the past contained. She was going to help Christine get better. Even if her sister resorted back to being the hateful bitch she always had been. It didn't matter. It was more about being true to who she was and less about trying to win over someone who would never change.
“I need to get to work, but I can come again tomorrow. Would that be okay?” Jamie touched Christine's arm.
“Why are you here?” her sister whispered as her eyes turned down toward her lap.
Jamie didn't realize that Christine was crying until her tears landed on her folded hands in her lap.
“Because you're my sister. I love you.” Jamie rubbed her arm and squeezed her shoulder. “I'm always going to be here.”
“I don't deserve that.” Christine glanced up, and the pain on her face would haunt Jamie for a long time. What had Stephen done to her?
“Sure you do. Just because we fight and treat each other like shit doesn't mean that we don't love each other. Even if you don't love me right now, it's okay.” Jamie leaned in to pull her sister into a hug. “I still love you.”
Christine's sobs tore Jamie apart, and she stayed another twenty minutes, holding her sister until the other woman calmed down. She slipped back into her catatonic state, but it was for the better. Jamie could only hope that she couldn't really feel anything in her numbness.
She left the hospital after talking with the doctor for a few minutes. They really believed that, with time and lots of patience, Christine would make a full recovery.
The doctor’s words echoed in Jamie's mind as she walked to the car, her heart full of sadness for her sister. “Some people are mentally susceptible to deep depression, and the only way out is death, in their minds. We need to pull her past that, but it's not going to be easy.”
Jamie got in the car and tried to pull herself together. Her phone buzzed in the seat next to her. Alex.
“Hi, baby,” she whispered and locked her doors.
“You still there with Christine?”
“No, I'm leaving.” She turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “She let me braid her hair today, and she actually spoke for a few minutes.”
“That's great news.” Alex cleared his throat. “Are you headed this way, or do you need the day off? You know I don't want you overdoing it.”
“I'd rather be at the office than at home alone. I think I would just work myself into a depression.” She turned the radio down and let out a long sigh. “It apparently runs in the family.” She forced a laugh. “Besides, I want to see you.”
“Good. I'm going to talk with Zander about moving into upper management today. I think he's the best candidate. Put him as a Senior Advisor.”
“I agree. You've been working with him for quite some time.” She pulled the car onto the freeway and hit the gas, needing to feel like she was in control of some part of her life.
“Good. I was hoping you would think so. He's more of a backseat, in the shadows kind of guy, but I think this will help bring him out of his shell. He's a brilliant businessman.”
“I'm almost there. I can help with anything you need me to.”
“Me, too.” She dropped the call and set the phone in the cup holder next to her. Going home sounded like a tempting idea; she could crawl into bed and cry for a little while, but life went on. She didn’t want to mope. She needed to focus on the good things in her life and on her growing family. She glanced down at her growing bump and smiled.
Mark had started looking at houses and condos to buy and it made Jamie sad as well. She was excited for him to be ready to find his own space, but she loved having him around. When the babies came, he might be an extra set of hands. She had teased him about that and he’d grinned and offered to be their only free babysitter, but he wasn’t changing diapers.
They needed to find an apartment for her dad, and Mark had been willing to give his place up for him. Alex said that anything Jamie wanted, he would accommodate. Jamie wasn’t so sure. She had the feeling her dad needed some of his own space and had quietly asked Mark to let her know if he saw any condos or retirement living areas, as he was on the prowl for a place of his own. Mark promised to look and also promised he wasn’t in a rush to move out.
Her dad had found a temporary place that had an extra room in case Christine was released before he found a more permanent location. He had already started to work on the divorce papers. Her mom hadn't taken the news too well, and had left town that night after he'd told her.
Jamie hoped like hell that the wayward bird would show back up, if nothing else, to help pull Christine out of her depression. It was sad to think all the years that they were growing up that she acted like she loved Christine more. It was a lie. Her mom only loved herself. If she gave two shits about Christine, she would have been sitting beside Jamie at the mental hospital, but she wasn't. She hadn't visited more than once. Jamie wasn’t angry, she was just sad. All of it was really sad, for all of them.
