Together (Demi Lovato Adoption)

Chapter Forty-Three

ELLIE'S POV

Empty.

That's all I felt. 

And the only way to forget about the numbness and loneliness slowly infesting my body was to fill my body with the burn of alcohol and to cover my skin with self-inflicted wounds that would only provide temporary relief. With Grace and I not speaking anymore, Demi and I still cold with each other and me shutting out everyone else in the world, I had let everything pile up until I couldn't take it anymore.

There was only one name dancing through my head, and I really didn't remember when I had dialled her number, but Dallas had somehow ended up on the other line at one o'clock in the morning one night, and I was a quarter of a bottle of vodka down.

"Dallas," My voice was scratchy from the alcohol I had downed earlier as I spoke over the phone. "Dallas I need you."

"Ellie? What happened? Are you okay?" Dallas had been clearly asleep as she answered the phone, but at the sound of my pleas, she woke up completely, clearly worried about why I had called her. 

I stayed silent for a moment, unsure of how to answer the question presented to me. Dallas panicked and restated her question, forcing me to answer quickly.

"No." I wasn't about to tell her that I was drunk, but I needed her to know that she needed to come over. "Dallas, I need you. I need you, please."

"Okay Ellie, where are you? Are you at home? Where's your mom?" Dallas's anxiety could be heard through the phone, sending guilt through my veins.

"She's asleep in Sam's room. Dallas I need you." I repeated myself over and over again, my brain function impaired.

"Ellie you need to tell me what happened!"

"I need you, Dally."

"Baby girl I'm coming okay, but you need to tell me what happened. Do I need to call an ambulance? Are you hurt?"

"No. No ambulance. Dallas —"

"Ellie please just tell me what's going on!"

I stayed silent again before answering with a short answer that was enough to send panic through anyone's system.

"I can't do it anymore. I'm sick and tired of being numb. I need help, Dally. I need help."

Dallas fell quiet on the other line before she took a deep breath. "I'll be there in ten Ellie. I need you to go into the hallway and stay there okay?"

"Why Dally?"

"Please? For me? I'm gonna stay on the phone with you, I'm not gonna leave. Tell me everything you're doing until I get to you."

"Okay, for you Dally." I began, standing up and stumbling out of the door with a bottle of peach flavoured vodka in one hand and my phone in the other. "I just ran into the door."

"You okay? You didn't get hurt right?"

"Nooooo, I didn't get hurt. I'm in the hallway now." Each word that came out of my mouth dragged out forever. I could tell that Dallas was growing suspicious, but I pushed my thoughts back into the depths of my brain with another swig of the vodka in my left hand. As it ran down my throat, the taste burned my throat and warmed my stomach, my vision blurring for a second before coming back into focus.

"Ellie, do you know where Wilmer is?" Dallas asked, snapping me out of my daze. "If he's at your house, you've gotta wake him up for me."

"Wilmer — Wilmer's gone. He's been gone for a while."