Chapter 31

On July 18th, Bree finally convinced herself it was time to go back home. She had cried enough tears and her situation had not changed. It was time to start moving on and getting beyond the heartbreak. She figured things could only get better from that point.

She hugged Nicole and thanked her for everything. “Are you sure you’re ready to go back? You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

Her cellphone sounded, she looked and saw her step-father’s number. That was odd because she only spoke to him in person. She didn’t like him even though she grew up under his roof for several years. They never formed a bond. He was always gone and when he was home, he was out doing what he wanted.

She answered, “Hello? Sam?”

“Hey, it’s me. Um, I have some bad news.”

Bree’s heart sank, “Is Jorian okay?”

“He’s fine. It’s ... your mother.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Nicole listened attentively.

“I came home and found her passed out. She’s in the hospital.”

Bree shook her head, “I don’t understand, is she okay, what happened?”

“I can’t get into anything over the phone. Jorian needs you here. He’s scared.”

“How bad is it?”

“She’s on life support. She may not make it. I’ll see you when you get here.”

The call ended. Bree’s stomach suddenly felt ill. Nicole reached for her hands, “What happened?”

“I have to leave. I have to go to Tampa. My mom is on life support.”

“What?!”

“Can you drive me to the airport?”

“Of course.”

As Bree waited to board a flight to Tampa, she called her younger brother Jorian. He answered solemnly, “Bree. Are you coming home?”

“Yes. I’ll be there soon. What happened?”

“I was at my friend’s house. When I got home, I saw the ambulance taking mom away. It was probably a heart attack.”

“Who said?”

“My dad.”

Bree didn’t believe it. Her mother wasn’t a spring chicken, but she was healthy. She didn’t smoke or drink, “Heart attack?”

“Are you staying at the house?”

“No. I’ll be at a hotel.” Bree didn’t like staying at the house. She and Sam often had differing opinions and Bree hated how he treated her mother.

“I wish I could stay with you. I can’t be in this house.”

“You can. Pick me up from the airport.”

“I can’t. Dad took my car. We’ll be at the hospital when you get here.”

She nodded, “Don’t worry. I’ll get a rental. Everything will be okay.” She didn’t know if that statement was true, but she always did her best to comfort her brother. She practically raised him. She often babysat him and he went everywhere she did.

Three hours passed and Bree was back in Tampa, the area she had lived in since she was in high school. Palm trees, tall Oak trees with Spanish Moss, colorful houses, the smell of salt water, the sun beamed, if only her visit was under different circumstances she thought as she drove the rental vehicle toward the hospital.

As soon as Bree arrived, she met her brother outside. He had grown even taller and was more muscular. “Look at you,” she said just before hugging him.

He stepped back, “I’ll show you up to mom’s room.”

“How is she,” she asked as they headed to the elevator.

Jorian didn’t want to say, but in his mind, he didn’t think she was going to make it. “I don’t know. Dad hasn’t said anything. The doctors just keep saying the same stuff, ‘we’re doing everything we can.’”

They both sighed. They got off the elevator; they saw Sam talking with the doctor, He waved at them, “This is my step-daughter, Breonna.”

She shook the doctor’s hand and asked, “How’s my mom? I heard she had a heart attack.”

The doctor made a face, “Well--”

Sam interjected, “Her heart stopped. I gave CPR until the paramedics arrived and now the doctors are doing all they can.”

“And that means what exactly?”

The doctor looked at her and sighed, “It’s hard to say exactly,” he replied. He wanted to say, but Sam had asked him not to say too much as to excite Bree. He knew if he said the real reason that Bree would have blown up at him and he didn’t feel any of it was his fault. “I have to go make my rounds; I’ll return before the end of my shift.”

Bree stared at the back of his head as he walked away. Sam smiled, “I’m glad you came.”

Bree nodded, “I’m going to go see her.” She walked in and saw her mother hooked up to all sorts of wires and tubes. Jesus, she thought. What could have provoked such an extreme health response? Suddenly, she felt truly ill. The last time she spoke with her mother, it was harsh. What if this is it? She thought. My last interaction with the woman that birthed me was cruel.

She stopped herself from thinking the worst, “Don’t do this Bree, keep your shit together,” she said to herself. Jorian walked in. He saw how his sister held their mother’s hand.

“It doesn’t look good, does it?” he asked with his voice cracking.

Bree put on a brave face and turned to him, “We can’t think that way. We have to think moment to moment.”

He nodded, she hugged him, “Mom’s been through a lot. If anyone can survive this ... she can. Let’s go grab a coffee. I saw a Starbucks close by.

They headed to grab a coffee. They talked for a while to take their mind off things and then headed back. They saw a nurse leaving their mother’s room. The woman stopped at the nurse’s station, they were about to ask how she was, but they heard the nurse, “Mrs. Young, the toxicology report showed her system had high levels of opioids, if only they would have found her sooner—”

“I’m sorry, did you say Mrs. Young had opioids in her system?”

“And who are you?”

“I’m her daughter, we’re her children.”

“Um, I think you should speak with the doctor, look there’s Dr. Rodriguez. Dr. R, these are Mrs. Young’s children. They have questions about her status.”

He nodded, “Sure. I was looking at Dr. Martin’s notes and the paramedics said that she was found in the bathroom unconscious from an overdose.”

Bree and Jorian looked at each other and then the doctor, “We don’t, what—”

“I’m sure Dr. Martin mentioned this.”

“Yeah,” Bree lied to get more information from the new doctor on shift, “He did mention it ... so what’s the plan?”

He rubbed his chin, “Honestly, each patient is different. The sooner we can administer the Naloxone ... the better chance of survival.”

Bree walked off to the room. Jorian followed her. She felt an unnatural rage building inside of her. Her neck was hot. She saw blood. Jorian saw that look.

“I knew something wasn’t right,” said Jorian. She wasn’t happy. She was sad all the time.”