Revive Me (22 page)

“She’s what?” I rushed out impatiently.

“She’s bleeding everywhere. I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” he answered frantically.

I rapidly jumped out of my bed and flipped the light switch on while holding the phone up with the top of my shoulder. “Did you call 911?” I asked, grabbing a pair of dirty shorts from my floor and hurriedly slipping them over my legs with shaking hands.

“Yeah, they’re on their way.”

“Good job, buddy. I’ll be there in a few, okay?” I threw on the first t-shirt I found and stuck my feet in my tennis shoes without even bothering to look for socks or tying them.

“Okay. I’m really scared, Dawson. She’s not moving or anything.” I slammed my eyes shut, resisting the urge to scream, but staying sane for Derrick’s sake.

I rushed out my front door, nearly losing my footing in the process as rain poured down on me, and fell heavily into the seat of my truck. I sped down the street while shutting the door. I slammed my foot on the gas pedal, not following the speed limit, and gripping my hands against the steering wheel tightly while my windshield wipers squeaked back and forth.

The ambulance was already parked in front of the house when I pulled up. Their red and blue lights flashing through the chilly night lit up the entire block. I jumped out of my truck, ignoring the running engine, and allowed the EMTs to get through the front door before storming up the stairs.

The purple bedroom was crowded with paramedics, firefighters, and medical equipment. Derrick was sitting on the edge of her bed, his head bowed, and he played with his hands in his lap. Her dad, Darryl, was across from him at the front of the room and pacing back and forth as he muttered to himself. I looked around the room for Lorraine, their mom, but she was nowhere in sight.

I took a few steps forward and peeked into the small bathroom while being careful not to get into anyone’s way. I gasped as bile swept it’s way up my throat. I swallowed it down as my heart thudded against my chest. Medics shuffled around the tiny compartment, sometimes bumping into each other, and I caught a glimpse of Tessa’s nude, limp body lying against the white, tile floor. A faint red color that resembled blood was dripping from her hand. I looked to the right and noticed the bathtub filled with crimson colored water.

“Is she dead?” I asked to no one in particular.

I held my breath, waiting for the answer. Darryl continued his pacing, and Derrick stayed silent on the bed. My fear turned into anger, and I kicked my feet against the carpet to hold me back from charging towards her dad. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted him to feel the pain that Tessa had felt when she’d done that to herself. I wanted the guilt to eat at him every single day if I lost her. I pinched the bridge of my nose and managed to keep my cool. I needed to focus on Tessa, not him. I’d save him for later.

“Is she dead?” I asked again.

“She’s still breathing,” a voice called out from the bathroom. “And we’re trying our best to keep it that way.”

I let out a rush of relief. “What the hell happened?” I asked Derrick.

“I don’t know,” he answered, his face pale, and his body slackening.

He’d been the one who’d found her. That pissed me off. He needed to be shielded from this shit. I knew what it felt like growing up with an unstable family and how it haunts you the rest of your life. You may grow up, but you don’t forget about that shit. “I was up late watching TV and realized she hadn’t come down to tell me to get to bed. She always tells me what to do.” He paused and shook his head nervously. “I came in here, but her room was empty. I noticed the bathroom door half open, so I peeked inside.” He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “She was in the bathtub with her eyes shut. There was so much blood. So much blood. I tried calling her name, but she wasn’t moving.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I said, joining his side and puling him in for a hug. I moved my attention to the EMTs. They worked bandages around her skinny wrist and instantly confirmed what I’d already known. She’d tried to kill herself. The girl, who was once so full of life, had tried to end it. She’d looked so forward to every day with a light of radiance shining around her, but each day it dimmed until she finally decided to pull the plug and let it go black.

They strapped her body onto a stretcher and lifted it up into the air. “Everyone step aside,” a medic demanded. They carried her down the stairs as I followed them outside. Thunder rumbled and lightning crackled as they hurriedly put her in the ambulance. Streetlights dimmed and I noticed neighbors standing outside their houses, huddled underneath umbrellas. I grinded my teeth and flipped them off as I got back into my truck. Nosy assholes.

“Please God, let her be okay,” I whispered into the emptiness of my cab as I followed the ambulance and rain streaked my windows. I ran through the red lights, stop signs, and kept at their speed. I cried out, smacking my hands against the cold steering wheel in anger and frustration. I blinked as the tears fell down my cheeks.

I wasn’t a crier. I didn’t cry when my dad got his prison sentence. I was only twelve, but I knew what was going on. There were only two times I could remember crying: Tanner’s funeral and tonight. Tanner’s death crushed me, but if I lost Tessa, it would do more than that. It would completely obliterate me.

The ambulance pulled into the garage, and I swerved into the emergency parking lot. I got out of my truck, stormed through the deserted area while ignoring the hard drops smacking into me, and walked through the doors.

“Can I help you?” an older woman sitting in front a counter at the entrance asked.

“I’m here for they girl they just brought in the ambulance.”

She nodded and began typing her wrinkled fingers against the keyboard. “I don’t have anything yet, hun, but as soon as they know something a nurse will be out here.”

“Thanks.” I turned around and found Derrick and Darryl walking in, dripping wet.

“Have you heard anything?” Darryl asked, joining my side. I stepped away from the counter and took a few steps into the nearly empty room. There were chairs, but only a few taken, with people sitting around reading magazines or watching the small TV perched up in the corner.

“No, not yet,” I answered and watched him flop down into an empty seat. I took the chance to finally take a good look at him. He looked like hell. He needed a good shave, and the scent of alcohol drifted from his breath and hit my nostrils. Nausea swirled in my stomach when I realized he’d been driving with Derrick while he was loaded with liquor. I clenched my fist and glared at him. I’d looked up to this guy for years, and I felt every bit of that respect washing away.

The automatic doors into the emergency room opened, and a young woman walked out wearing blue scrubs with an RN badge connected to her top. She glanced around the room and her eyes focused on us.

“Are you with the girl they just brought in?” she asked, taking the few steps to us.

Darryl nodded at the nurse and rose to his feet, thankfully without stumbling. “I’m her father.”

“She’s in critical condition,” she said. “The lacerations were pretty deep, which caused her to lose a great deal of blood. She’s been stitched up.”

“So what’s going to happen to her?” I asked.

“Things are looking up,” she answered. “We’ve got a great doctor on duty. I just need you to fill out some paperwork for us while you’re waiting. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on her condition.”

“Can we see her?” Derrick asked shyly.

She shook her head. “Not at the moment, but as soon as it’s okay, I’ll let you know.” She gave us a sincere smile before disappearing back through the doors.

“What the hell happened to your face?” Derrick asked, falling down into a chair while Darryl picked up the paperwork from the front desk before sitting down to fill it out.

“I got into a fight,” I answered, sitting next to him.

“Did you win?”

“Not exactly.” I pointed to the fading bruises around my eyes.

“I thought she was dead when I found her,” he said quietly.

I patted his leg. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Do you think she really tried to kill herself?”

“I don’t know.”

“I hope not,” he said, his voice cracking. “I saw her car and tried to talk to her. But she said she wanted to be left alone, so I went downstairs. I knew she was sad. I knew it. I should’ve stayed with her, made her hang out with me, or something.”

I looked over at him with a serious face. “Don’t you dare try to blame yourself for this.” He was the last person that needed to feel condemned for this. I looked over at Darryl. He was on the blame list. He wasn’t the only one, but his name was scribbled near the top. So was mine. I’d told her I was done with her. I should’ve tried harder to get her to talk to me. “What was wrong with her car?”

“It looked like someone keyed it,” Derrick answered.

“Someone keyed her car?” Darryl asked, looking up from the paperwork. “When did this happen?”

“Yesterday or earlier. I’m not sure since it’s early in the morning or late at night.”

“Who did it?” Darryl and I asked at the same time.

Derrick shrugged. “She wouldn’t say.”

“Damnit,” I hissed under my breath. I’d work on figuring that out later, but I had a hunch it was those evil bitches at school. They were another name on that list. I’d heard they were giving her a hard time about that party. I wasn’t sure what it was about, but I’d heard whispers and gossip during class. “Where’s your mom?”

“She stayed in her bedroom. She wouldn’t even come out,” Derrick replied.

They weren’t kidding when they said their parents were out of it.

What felt like eternity had passed as we waited for any news. I’d picked up some magazines, trying to occupy my time, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing. I’d overheard Darryl talking to Lorraine, but she never showed.

We all stood up from our chairs when the doctor came out, wiping his forehead.

“She’s stable,” he said, and I felt my stomach begin to loosen. “She lost some blood and we had to perform a small transfusion. Her vitals are fine, and we’ve stitched up the lacerations, but we are going to admit her for a few days to be sure she doesn’t get an infection and the transfusion was successful. I highly recommend she be admitted into a mental health facility upon release.” Darryl shook his head in acknowledgement. “I’ll have a nurse provide you with some additional information.”

“Okay, thank you doctor,” he said.

“The nurse will take you to see her if you’d like. I suggest you go easy on her for right now. I know you have plenty of questions you’d like to ask, but let her rest and recover.” He fetched a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to Darryl before leaving. “Here’s my card. Give me a call if you need anything.”

“He doesn’t want us to ask questions, but I’d like to know what the hell is going on,” Darryl said when the doctor left. He looked over at me. “Why would she do this? I can’t believe she’d do this to her mother. We’re already dealing with losing Tanner.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Derrick snapped before I had the chance to. “Have you been paying attention to us at all? You know, the ones who are still alive.” Darryl winced at the word alive. “Have you even noticed my sister, your daughter, is falling apart? She’s practically a walking ad for depression.”

His eyebrows scrunched together. “What do you mean?”

“She spends all of her time in her bedroom or hanging out with that pierced lip douchebag.”

“Pierced lip douchebag?” Darryl questioned.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, the nausea pitting deeper into my stomach. They didn’t even know their teenage daughter was staying out all night with random guys.

“If she’s hanging out with bad people, then why aren’t you stopping it, Dawson?” he asked me.

“Why aren’t I stopping it?” I fired back. “Maybe because her parents need to be there to stop it. Maybe because she feels like she’s alone. I’ve tried talking to her. I’ve tried helping her. But I can’t be the only one. It takes more than one person to make her whole. Now it’s time to do your part.”

Darryl’s face burned as sweat began to build up around his hairline. “I’ve been doing my part. Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter, you hear me?”

I held up my hand. “Look, don’t get worked up. We don’t need to be fighting and causing more stress for her. Let’s just be sane around Tessa, but you need to work it out. Next time, Derrick may not find her, or it will be too late.” The thought of her actually succeeding sent chills up my spine and tingles through my chest. I hated even saying those words, but he needed a reality check.

“I’ll always be there for my daughter,” he replied, guilt bleeding through his face.

I shook my head and leaned back into my chair. I wasn’t going to argue with him. I just needed to get to Tessa.