Page 151 of Before We're More Than Friends
True to the GPS, we arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. Arielle was out in the front on her phone, pacing aroundwith her other hand in her hair. When she saw me, she hung up and ran over to us.
“Raina!” She wrapped me into a hug, rubbing my back as we finally broke out into sobs. The dam of emotions inside me burst.
When we broke apart, Arielle hugged Dallas. “Thank you so much for driving her,” she said, appreciation shining in her voice.
“Of course.” He rubbed her back, her long hair catching on his fingers. “I’m so sorry about your mom. I really hope she’ll be okay.”
“Me too.” She sniffled before letting out another sob. “She’s all we have.”
I joined their hug, and the three of us sobbed together, our chests heaving as we held on to each other. I hadn’t felt this level of pain since Dad had gotten arrested.
Arielle was right—Mom was all we had left of our family.
“W-We need to go inside,” Arielle said as she broke out of the hug. “Check in.”
We nodded before following her into the hospital, where we checked in and waited where they told us to. Nothing about the hospital was familiar. My friends had been patients here—Caleb when he’d gotten his arm amputated, and Gracelynn when she’d broken her leg last winter, but I hadn’t visited either of them.
I never thought I’d be in this waiting room of impending doom for my mom.
Dallas and Arielle sat on either side of me, holding my hands. I wanted to pass the time and do anything but watch the stupid clock, but I couldn’t. My thoughts were racing with what I could’ve done to prevent this, even though I knew it wasn’t my fault. Arielle and I hadn’t failed our mom like my mind tried to convince me.
But we still failed.
Our efforts meant nothing now.
After an hour and a half of agony, a nurse came out with her clipboard. “Vermont?”
“That’s us,” Arielle said, getting up from her chair.
“You may visit your mother, girls,” the nurse said. “She’s doing better now but is still a little sick. We have to give her some treatments, so make the most of your time.”
“Thank you.” Arielle nodded at me before I got up. I took a moment to take in her appearance, and it was like I was staring back at myself. Cold blue eyes, tan cheeks stained with mascara, bronze waves with loose strands. I could seeourpain all over her, and it shattered my heart to know that hers was shattering too.
I gave Dallas a painful smile before following Arielle and the nurse into the room where Mom was stretched out on a bed, hooked up to several machines. When she saw us, a smile broke out on her pale face, her heart rate spiking. “Girls,” she squeaked.
“Mom,” I said, my chest aching from how sick she looked. Her dark eyes looked dazed, and her breathing was uneven. I couldn’t have imagined what Arielle had seen earlier.
“Why would you do this?” Arielle asked, her eyes glassy again. “I thought you stopped.”
“I did,” Mom said. “I just gave myself a few drinks today.”
“A few would not dothis!”
“It’s best not to yell,” the nurse said, shaking her head of dark hair. “She had an alcohol overdose. She just stopped vomiting twenty minutes ago.” She stepped out of the room. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
“Thank you,” I said before facing Mom again. “Mom.” I reached over to hold her hand. “What happened?”
“I was just missing your dad, princess,” Mom said softly. “Ididn’t mean for this to happen.” She gagged, and I was scared that she was going to throw up on me. I jumped back. “I couldn’t take it. I wanted the pain to go away.”
“Mom.” Tears streamed down Arielle’s cheeks again as she held Mom’s hand. “You can’t do this. You were getting better.”
“I wasn’t.” Mom frowned. “I was just getting better at fighting. But I didn’t stay sober that long—I don’t even know when I broke it. I really tried this time.” She sighed. “I promise that I did. But I couldn’t be strong.”
“Gosh, Mom,” Arielle wailed. “We tried everything to help you. What else can we do? You’re not going to last like this. You’re . . .” She let out a deep sob, one from her chest. “I can’t do this. It’s like repeating Dad but with alcohol instead of money. You both didn’t stop.”
“I did stop,” Mom said, reaching for Arielle’s hand. “And unlike your dad, I didn’t do this to myself on purpose.”
“I know you didn’t.” Arielle pulled her hand away. “But everything is still broken.”
