Weathering Stormy

by Auburn J. Kelly

  “Hold on a second, Stormy. I need to tell you something else but I don’t want you to freak out. I just want you to be prepared just in case….”

  “What is it, Nozz?” What else could he possibly have to tell her right now?

  “Stormy, she was vomiting blood.”

  ****

  Stormy made it to the hospital in record time and threw the truck in park before it even came to a complete stop. It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she sprinted through the automatic doors of the emergency room entrance. Once inside, she bent over and put her hands on her knees, silently begging them to stop shaking while she tried to catch her breath and compose herself. When she erected herself to standing, she realized that there were a handful of people in the waiting area. They were all looking at her suspiciously. If they were thinking she was a basket case…well, they‘d be right.

  But did she give a damn?

  No.

  Once she caught her breath enough to speak, she made her way to the glass window. To her dismay, on the other side of the window sat the very same woman who registered her on the night she sprained her ankle. And, once again, she was jabbering away on her cell phone and giggling.

  The mere sight of the woman made her want to scream. She didn’t have time for this bullshit. She started slapping the glass with her palms to get the woman’s attention, “I need information on my mother,” she started to say, but the woman held up a finger, signaling for her to wait while she giggled into the phone some more. Stormy was dying on the inside and she wasn’t going to stand there like a moron for one more second when she had no idea what was happening with her mother.

  She’d had enough.

  “Look, lady! My mama might be dying right now! Get your lazy ass off the phone and do your damned job!”

  The woman didn’t even flinch. Apparently she was used to the insults, which spoke volumes. She simply rolled her eyes and Stormy could hear her tell the person on the other end of the line, “I’m gonna have to call you back.” She then stood up and straightened her scrub top as she sauntered over to the window. “How can I help you?”

  Stormy took a deep breath. You could start by coming out of that little room so I can put my foot up your ass. As bad as she wanted to say it, she bit her tongue. “Marni Black…she was brought in a little while ago…I’m her daughter.”

  “Hold on,” she huffed as she starts punching keys on her keyboard. “What was the name again?”

  Right as Stormy was about to unleash on the woman for the second time, the stainless steel doors opened… and, like an angel sent from Heaven, out walked the nurse that was so nice to her on the night of her accident. It was Angela. And, thankfully, she recognized her. “Hey, Stormy.”

  “Angela, thank goodness! Is my mama back there?”

  “She sure is, hon. She was asking for you earlier. Come on, I’ll take you to her.” She snaked an arm around Stormy’s shoulders and led her toward the big double doors leading to the treatment area. Stormy couldn’t help but cast a dirty look at the receptionist… the one who now stood with her mouth ajar and a disbelieving look on her face.

  As they passed curtain after curtain and the antiseptic smells began to assault her nose, the reality of the situation crashed down onto Stormy like a tidal wave. She had no idea what she was about to encounter and the urge to flee was overwhelming.

  “She’s right here, sweetie,” Angela chirped while sliding the pink and gray curtain aside. The apprehension must have been obvious on Stormy’s face. “It’s okay. Go on in. She’s just sleeping.”

  Stormy had never seen her mother so still...and so small. The lifeless lump curled up in a ball on the gurney could have easily passed for a child. Stormy took a few cautious steps forward to confirm that it was in fact her mother lying there, because a part of her simply couldn’t believe it. The person on that gurney looked so helpless and vulnerable. It barely resembled the loud, surly spitfire of a woman that had raised her.

  The quiet was deafening. The only sounds were that of the beeping heart monitor and Mama’s soft snores. Stormy half hoped that Mama would wake up and start hurling insults at her just to make the situation feel more real.

  Stormy wiped at something warm on her cheek. A tear. She hadn’t even realized she was crying.

  “We’re going to admit her so we can run some more tests.” The doctor’s voice startled her. It was the same white-haired man that had treated her on the night she sprained her ankle. Stormy was starting to wonder if the hospital had any other staff.

  “What happened to her, doctor? Why is she here?”

  There was something grim hidden behind his watery blue eyes.“Well, apparently some of the neighbors saw her collapsed in the driveway when they drove by. They called 911. From what I can tell so far, she’s severely dehydrated…and highly intoxicated.

  Stormy swallowed down the humiliation and tried to focus on what was in front of her. “Is it true that she was vomiting blood?” The doctor’s face twisted into a scowl and he looked down at the floor while running a hand down the back of his head. He was obviously trying to find the right words. “I’m a big girl, doc. Just tell it to me straight. Please.”

  He looked back up at her and clutched his clipboard to his chest. “Yes. I’m afraid so.”

  “Well, what does that mean?” Stormy’s fuse was getting shorter by the minute. Cryptic answers were not going to cut it.

  “Stormy, your mom…she’s been a heavy drinker for quite a while, hasn’t she?”

  The words slammed into her like a two-by-four. She’d asked for honest answers, but she hadn’t been prepared give any. The truth was bitter in her mouth, “For as long as I can remember. Why?”

  “Well, I can’t be sure of anything right now…but sometimes when the liver gets damaged, it can cause other problems…. But let’s not jump the gun right now, okay? Let’s get her upstairs and see what the tests turn up.”

  Stormy turned her attention back to the motionless form on the bed as she wiped more moisture from her face.

  Oh, Mama. What have you done to yourself?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Brylan had been twirling Stormy’s apartment key between his fingers for so long that they were starting to tingle. It was the last thing he had expected to find when he checked his mail this morning. It shouldn’t have shocked him that Stormy moved out, and yet it did… right down to his very core. And the accompanying letter…he’d read it so many times he had it memorized.

  Dear Brylan,

  There aren’t enough words to convey how grateful I am for your generosity. You gave me a place to stay when I had nowhere else to go, and you offered me kindness and friendship when I needed it the most. For that, I will carry you in my heart always.

  Unfortunately, there are circumstances beyond my control that are calling for me to move back home. I’ve enclosed your key along with a partial rent payment. I know it isn’t much, but I hope that it helps.

  I wish you all the best.

  Stormy

  She was gone.

  The apartment was empty. She had left during the night and unknowingly took a piece of Brylan’s heart with her. He could only imagine what “circumstances” could have driven her back to her mother’s house. Worry was already starting to eat a hole into his gut.

  He stuffed the money inside the yellow padded envelope with all the other “rent payments” that she’d been leaving in the mailbox. Then he put it back in the desk drawer in the bedroom along with the apartment key.

  Lying on his unmade bed, he looked up at the dust bunnies that had accumulated on the ceiling fan and willed himself to sleep, but it just wouldn’t come. The events of the last few months swirled around in his head until he was dizzy. Stormy. His dad. His boss. So many things. So many mistakes and missed opportunities.

  The rattle of the front doorknob jolted him out of his thoughts.

  “Helloooo? Brylan?”

  Shit. It was Pam. She was the l
ast thing he wanted to deal with and the woman had the worst timing. If Brylan could have gotten a key back, it would have been Pam’s copy of his house key. It was a real bonehead move, giving her a key to his house in the first place.

  Maybe if he were to lie really still she would think he was sleeping and go away.

  “Hey, sweetie! What are you doing in here in the dark?” She flipped the light switch, flooding the room with unwanted light and causing him to shield his eyes.

  “I was taking a nap…or at least I was trying to,” he snarled at her.

  “Well aren’t you Mr. Grumpy…. Get up out of this dark room. We can go for a drive. It’ll make you feel better.”

  He rolled over and punched his pillow before settling back down on it. He didn’t want to take a drive. He didn’t want to feel better. All he wanted to do at that moment is wallow in misery. Geez, couldn’t the woman take a hint?

  “Pam, I don’t feel like…” His ringtone cut him off and he grabbed his phone off the nightstand despite the scowl Pam was shooting at him.

  “Hello?”

  “Coach?”

  Brylan tensed at the sound of Nozz’s voice. There was a crackle in it that wasn’t quite right. “What’s wrong?” There was sniffing on the other end of the line.

  “I…my…he….” Nozz couldn’t seem to get the words out.

  Brylan’s grip on the phone tightened and a muscle in his jaw ticked. “Nozz?” There was more sniffing. “Just calm down and tell me where you are.”

  “I’m at the city park… over by the basketball court…under the pavilion.”

  “Okay. Give me five minutes.” He shoved his phone in his pocket on the way to the kitchen to fetch his keys.

  “Brylan, where are you going?” A clearly agitated Pam leaned against the door jamb with her arms crossed across her chest. Brylan had forgotten she was even there.

  “A friend of mine needs help. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

  “Let me guess…one of those kids that you’re so insistent on hanging out with? That figures. And just where do I come in on your list of priorities?”

  “Pam, I don’t have time for this right now.” He grabbed his wallet and headed for the door.

  “Brylan, I really need to talk to you about something. It’s important,” she whined.

  With his back to her and his hand on the door knob he rolled his eyes, “Fine. Stay here. We’ll talk when I get back.”

  ****

  It didn’t take long to spot the scruffy blond kid in the hoodie, sitting all alone with his head in his hands. From a distance he looked okay, but as Brylan exited the car and got closer he could see the puffy eyes and the bluish discoloration along the side of his jaw. “Hey, Coach,” he rasped. He’d obviously been screaming, or crying…or both. Brylan took a seat beside him on the concrete picnic table, reminding him of the day Stormy had told him about her mother’s creepy, stalker boyfriend. Brylan shook the memory away and sat quietly, waiting for Nozz to take the lead in the conversation.

  “I’m sorry to make you come out here like this, Coach, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “It’s fine, Nozz. I didn’t have anything going on,” he tried to assure him by leaning back on his elbows nonchalantly. “I’m guessing this has to do with that bruise on your face. Did you get into a fight?”

  He looked down at the ground, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I guess you could say that.”

  “With who?”

  “My dad,” he reluctantly answered. Brylan sat straight up, his senses on high alert. Damn. He’d known something was up with the kid, but this…he didn’t see this coming. But maybe he should have—always looking at his watch, never letting Brylan drive him to his house—Brylan knew something was out of kilter. He should have picked up on the clues. Should have figured out he had problems at home, but he hadn’t. The guilt was heaping hot coals on his head.

  “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

  Nozz was quiet for a minute, trying to find the right words. “I was stretched out on the couch watching TV. My dad came home from the bar, drunker than usual. Mom was unloading the dishwasher, minding her own business when he started picking on her again, calling her names and telling her she was worthless. Then he shoved her. I...I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

  “So you hit him?”

  “No. Not at first. I started defending my mom like I always do. I was afraid he was going to hit her again…so I got in his face. I wanted him to hit me instead. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later anyway.”

  Brylan gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles were white. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around what he was hearing. “So that’s what happened? You got between him and your mom, so he hit you?”

  Nozz didn’t answer right away and Brylan noticed the quiver of his lip. “I hit him first. I didn’t mean to…but I couldn’t help myself…. He…he….”

  “He what, Nozz?”

  A tear ran down his cheek and he wiped it away with his shirt sleeve before speaking again. “I was screaming at dad to leave mom alone…to pick on me instead…and that’s when Whiskey ran out from under the couch…and Dad spotted him. He picked him up by the tail, just to piss me off…and Whiskey bit him. So he threw him against the wall. He killed him.”

  Brylan laid a hand on Nozz’s shoulder and squeezed. Nozz had always talked about his pet rat the way most people go on and on about their dogs or cats. He loved that thing. “Nozz, I’m so sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say to the poor guy.

  “Yeah. When I ran over to check on him…and saw that he wasn’t moving…that’s when I lost it. I belted Dad good. Right in the damned nose. Broke it. Blood was all over the place. I guess it freaked Mom out because for the very first time, she called 911. I guess Dad realized he was going to be in trouble this time so he decided to get one last punch in for good measure.” Nozz rubbed his jaw and winced.

  “Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?”

  “Nah. I’ll be alright. I’m just glad that that rotten son-of-a-bitch is in jail. For now anyway.”

  “Damn, Nozz. I wish you would have come to me sooner. Maybe I could have helped somehow.”

  “Nah. There’s nothing you could have done.”

  “Maybe. But I would have liked to try. So, what happens now?”

  “Mom said she was pressing charges this time. She’s supposed to be getting a restraining order. She promised me. And I finally called my brother. I told him all about it.”

  “You mean he didn’t know?”

  “No. Dad didn’t start acting this way until he lost his job a couple of years ago. My brother was already out of the house and married by then. I’m going to live with him and his wife right after graduation. He’s going to give me a job. He owns a professional carpet cleaning service.”

  “That’s great, Nozz. Really. Well at least something good came out of all of this. I’m just sorry as hell you had to go through it.”

  “Yeah. Me too.”

  A strained silence settled between them. They just sat on the picnic table and listened to the wind as it whistled through the metal rafters of the covered basketball court. Nozz was the one to break through the quiet. “How’s Stormy doing?”

  Brylan was caught off guard by the abrupt change of topic, one that he really wasn’t up for discussing. “I don’t know. She left sometime last night. Left me a note. But all it said was that she needed to go back home. She didn’t give any details.”

  “That sounds like her. Tough chick. She feels like she has to take on the world all by herself. Doesn’t want people to worry.”

  “Yeah. Sounds like somebody else I know,” he said as he flicked the bill of Nozz’s baseball cap. “You wanna fill me in on what’s going on while I give you a ride home? That is, if you’re ready to go home.”

  “I should probably be there when Mom gets home from the police station. You know…to make sure she’s okay.”

  “A
lright. Let’s go.”

  ****

  Pam’s car was still parked in the driveway when Brylan pulled up to the house. His shoulders sagged in defeat. He really just wasn’t up for whatever Pam had in store for him. His mind was still reeling from the bomb that Nozz just dropped on him.

  Well, make that two.

  First, there was Nozz’s dad and that whole mess, and then about Stormy…and the battle she was facing with her mom being sick. It just didn’t seem fair. To be so young and have to deal with so much bullshit instead of being out with friends and doing the normal things that young people do.