broken home ~m.c.~

14

"Brooklyn, I brought you dinner." I took a gulp of vodka straight from the bottle and swallowed a couple pills along with it. "B? You in there?"

I drank the last of the vodka, tossing the bottle to the floor, watching it shatter across the wood. I took a few more pills and braced myself against the kitchen sink, quiet sobs falling from my lips. The door to my apartment was shoved open and Sammy stumbled in, gasping at the state I was in. She rushed over and tried to get the pills out of my hands.

I sobbed, stepping back and keeping the pill bottle in my hands, not wanting her to take them. She set the dinner bag on the counter and grabbed the bottle, trying to get it out of my death grip. She finally got the top off and the pills scattered to the floor.

"No," I cried and sank to the floor. "I wanna die." I sobbed and Sammy pulled her phone out, dialing 911.

"Stay with me, B." She lightly slapped my cheek when I started drifting off. "Don't you dare fall asleep on me, Brooklyn."

"I just wanna die." I whispered and my eyes finally shut.

+Michael+

"Michael, you have to come down to the hospital." I furrowed my eyebrows at what Sammy was saying.

"Woah, slow down. What's going on?" I said, trying to get her to chill out.

"Brooklyn is at the hospital and you were listed as the closest thing as family. I know you two broke up but please come down here." Sammy all but begged and I stood up, putting my shoes on.

"What happened?" I asked, making my way to my car.

"Brooklyn tried to kill herself." I almost stopped in my tracks and the breath left my throat.

"I'll be there in ten."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Is she okay?" I asked as soon as I saw Sammy sitting in the waiting room with the other girls and she nodded.

"Yeah," Sammy sighed. "I tried to call her parents but they don't want anything to do with her. You were the only other person I thought to call."

"No, I'm glad you called me." I said, sitting down next to Annie.

We all sat in silence, except for the sniffles of all the girls, and my mind was racing. Why would she try and kill herself? I knew when we dated she was never 100% okay, but I never thought she would take it this far. I leaned back in the hard chair and ran a hand down my face, taking a deep breath.

I knew that Brooklyn was okay but I couldn't calm down at all. My legs kept shaking and my thoughts would not shut off. Sammy hit my arm after a minute and I looked up to see Brooklyn's doctor leaving a room, making his way towards us. We all stood up and he stopped in front of us, pulling out a file folder that looked oddly big.

"Is she okay?" Sammy asked and I noticed all the girls holding on to each other.

"We had to pump her stomach due to all the medication and alcohol she consumed but Ms. Cade is sleeping now. Do any of you know why she would do this to herself?" He asked and Sammy was the only one who nodded.

"She's been having a really hard time lately. Her brother killed himself a few years ago and it really got to her these past few weeks. I can't think of anything else, though." Sammy explained and I frowned at what she said.

"Can I see her?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"She will be sleeping for the next couple hours but when she wakes up, we have to take precautions and only certain people are allowed to see her. It is my understanding that you are not her boyfriend?" I nodded and the doctor sighed. "If you find it that important to see her, you may, but just for a few minutes."

We all sat back down and I put my head in my hands, just waiting for her to wake up. I tugged at the roots of my hair and I felt a hand on my back, making me look up. Cara had sat down next to me and she gave me a reassuring smile.

"She'll be okay." Cara said quietly, as if she was trying to reassure herself, and I nodded.

"I shouldn't have let her go." My voice broke and I cursed myself in my head.

"Don't blame yourself." Cara said. "Brooklyn never told any of us how she felt. It's none of our faults. None of us knew."

"I lived with her, I should have known that something was up. I could have done something so that she didn't feel like she had to do this." Before I knew it, tears were falling from my eyes.

I buried my face in my hands and choked sobs fell from my lips, making it feel like I couldn't breathe. Cara pulled me into some sort of side hug and it was like the tears wouldn't stop. She rubbed up and down my back and I continuously rubbed my eyes, just wanting to stop crying.

I sobbed and I stood up, beginning to pace the room, not caring that the nurses were giving me weird looks. I shook my hands out and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. Before I knew it, Sammy was in front of me. She reached up and slapped my face, making me stop crying.

"What was that for?" I hiccuped and Sammy stared me down, even though she was half a foot shorter than me.

"My best friend is in a hospital bed because she tried to kill herself. You need to pull yourself together. Sitting here crying is not doing anything to help her and quite frankly, it is fucking annoying to watch you. So get your shit together, sit down, and wait like the rest of us." She said, staring me right in the eye and I gulped at her harsh tone.

"Okay." I mumbled.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I am as upset as you are but you have to keep it together for Brooklyn's sake."