A WATTPAD FEATURED STORY
❝Love pays no attention to color❞
Jasmine Karesh never thought she'd spend her senior year of high school struggling to accept her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis, a disease that forbids her from forgetting the scho...
For the next few minutes, they sat in silence as Shayan snored away. Her parents let him stay with her around the clock and she was sure that even if they never wanted him for their daughter, he was still the one they trusted the most. He was a brother in her parent's eyes, a platonic knight in shining armor, and he would never be much more than that.
A nurse hurried in, smiling as she checked her patient's vitals. Jasmine had her blood pressure taken, her temperature recorded, and shots injected. She winced when the nurse's cold fingers probed around her skin as another needle enter her vein.
The nurse stepped back and asked, "How are you feeling?"
Jasmine flashed her mother a look and Aishwarya sighed, "I don't think she can talk. Did the doctor say why that might be?"
The nurse shook her head, "I'm afraid that kind of information is not enclosed to me. You can ask Dr. Chandran when she arrives." She offered Jasmine a pitiful smile and took her leave, her parents sitting on her bed with unspoken questions swirling through the air around them.
The doctor arrived in the room barely a minute later and flipped through her clipboard, sporting a tired grimace. Jasmine watched her with awe, imagining a future where that would be her, saving lives throughout the day. The small dream soothed her nerves and led her to brush off the doctor's sullen face as the product of a stressful day.
Her mother watched the doctor with a raised brow. "Something the matter?"
"We did the blood work on your daughter and I'm afraid we'll need to have a conversation," she sighed and flipped through the clipboard. "You have it written that your daughter does not take any kind of prescription drugs and yet, her blood has high levels of Percocet."
Aishwarya raised her voice, "What is that?"
Shayan was startled out of his nap at the sound, mumbling incoherent sentence fragments. His eyes scanned the room and when they landed on Jasmine, awake as ever, he broke into a grin.
"She's finally awake! Aunty, Uncle, she's awake!" he exclaimed.
"We know, Shayan. Why don't you come here?" Her mother patted the spare space on the bed. "I think Jas would love your company."
Jasmine winced again when Aishwarya send her withering glare, grateful for Shayan's presence beside her, especially when he was brave enough to slip his hand into her's.
The doctor continued once her family had settled down, "It's a prescription drug given to those struggling with muscle and joint pain. Small doses of Percocet are rarely a problem since it is harmless, to a point. However, there was so much of it in her system that her dizziness, stomach aches, fainting, and comatose state are side effects an overdose." She let the papers fall back on the clipboard and looked at them with the same pity the nurse had on her face. "I also see that your daughter suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, so I will be sending a Psychiatric Consult later in the day."
Her father looked positively offended. "Why would she need a psychiatrist when this is obviously an error on your part? I know my daughter and she is not a drug addict."
"We would like to see if Jasmine's near overdose was a product of suicidal tendencies. Has she had any triggers recently that would heighten her PTSD symptoms?" she asked.
Jasmine closed her eyes when she saw her parents shake their heads. They knew that she would be unable to face her mental illness when she was already physically ruined. They knew she had struggled with it enough. A tear slipped down her cheek when she heard Shayan clear his throat, feelings of betrayal rumbled through her body like a thunderstorm.
"Jasmine and I went to the cemetery three days ago to visit her Uncle. It was his death anniversary. It was also exactly twelve years since we witnessed the school shooting that killed him." Shayan flashed her a sympathetic stare and continued, "She was complaining of these symptoms the whole day."
The doctor's eyebrows drew together, "I am so sorry, Jasmine. However, I have no choice but to refer you to your psychiatrist immediately after your discharge," she said, clutching the clipboard to her chest. "Get some rest. I'll be checking on you later today."
Dr. Chandran exited the room without another word as if she could tell that a bomb would explode at any moment and the last thing she wanted to be was Jasmine, helplessly caught in the crossfire.
Ops! Esta imagem não segue nossas diretrizes de conteúdo. Para continuar a publicação, tente removê-la ou carregar outra.
Hello, everyone! So, one of my favorite people ever, @kayxcxxo, created a cover for Forgetting Billions! Isn't it beautiful? Thanks so much again, love. You're the best.
Also, how did you guys like this chapter? Have any ideas as to who drugged Jasmine or do you think it was her own doing? The clues are all there in previous chapters, and I actually think some of you are on to S.S. so let me know your theories!
