Taking Chances (Official Second Draft)

Chapter 11

We enter the house after the long day. The stone flooring of Matt's living room sends a chill down my spine as I take my shoes off and place my feet onto it. Matt was silent the entire way home, leaving me knowing he doesn't want to press on this subject.

"I'm going to go take a shower." I murmur as I set my bag down.

"What can I do to help you Naiomie?"

"There's nothing that can be done at this point. I just want to shower and go to bed." He walks closer to me and wraps his arms around me.

"I can call my parents, they can come home. This is all too big for us to handle." he starts to grab for his phone.

"No, they are busy. I can handle it."

"I have no doubts in my mind that you can't. I just want to make sure you're okay." I look up to his shiny eyes.

"I am so far from okay, and I haven't been for months." His eyes soften as I release from his hold on me. I slowly walk up the stairs and into the bathroom. Tears slowly falling from my eyes as I turn the shower on. Pulling my hair down from it's now very messy bun. I hear a small tap on the door.

"Nai, i'm going to make some tea." I place my head on the glass shower door, letting out a deep breath.

"Okay, thanks." I mumble. I hear him hover for a moment, but eventually I hear the pads of his feet slowly disappear. I stare at the shower wall, numbness engulfing me. Almost as if the world around me didn't exist. The water running cold broke me out of the dissociative state. I turn off the handles and step out, wrapping my body in a towel. As I open the door to the bathroom the smell of fresh tea fills the house. It's comforting as I walk into the bedroom. I slip on a band shirt of Matt's and some fuzzy pants.

"What do you mean? How could that happen when you are suppose to be watching her at all times" My head snaps to the door as I hear Matt talking to someone. I walk slowly over to the door to hear more. There is a dreadingly long pause. "No I just cannot believe this is happening. How am I supposed to tell her?" I pull the handle on the door knob and start walking downstairs. I see Matt and Officer Hale sitting on the couch.

"Tell me what?" They both turn to me with frightening looks on their faces.

"Nai-" Matt begins to speak but I cut him off.

"Officer Hale, what are you doing here? What the hell is going on" He stands up adjusting his weapon belt and walks over to me.

"Your mom is in the hospital." I stand there in awe for a moment. Trying to process what he just said to me.

"What?" I say coldly.

"She tried to commit suicide" I stare at him, my stomach feeling like its been punched. We both stand in complete silence. "She" he pauses with frustration "..S-she somehow snuck out and jumped off old stone bridge." He rubs his forehead as my eyes widen. I stumble backwards.

"What? How the hell is that possible? My mother was supposed to be watched...." I pause as the room is silent. "Oh my god."

"I need you to go there right now Naiomie, and you need to be prepare yourself.."

|~|

Hours pass by as we sit in the waiting room. Matt brings me coffee, but It just sits beside me. I can't comprehend what is happening. People come in and out of the waiting room. The clock ticks slowly on the wall as the dead of night sits with us. The hospital becomes quieter and quieter with every passing minute. My heart sinks lower and lower with each hour moving by.

"Nai you need to eat something." Matt whispers into my ear. I shake my head no.

"I'll get sick if I do, I can't right now." I shift uncomfortably in the hospital chair. The white lights blind my eyes as I begin to squint.

"Family of Miranda Lee?" I whip my head to the side and stand up quickly. I see a male in blue toned scrubs in the doorway. He is wearing a scrub cap with snowflakes on it.

"Yes, this is her family." I motion between me, Matt, and Hale.

"Please follow me." He says. We grab our things and walk behind him. After what seems like hours of walking we arrive to an isolated floor.

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT is written in bold red letters on the doors.

They swing open as the nurse swipes his badge on the reader. He leads us through them; signs with written warnings line the walls as we walk through the corridor. The floor is quiet, minus the beeping of machines from each glass room we pass. The nurse slows his pace as we approach on a room. A group of doctors and police officers stand outside the room.

"This is the family." The nurse says as we approach. The female doctor who seems to be the lead doctor extends her hand for me to shake. I slowly grasp it.

"Hi, you must be her daughter."

"Naiomie. Naiomie Lee."

"The officers here let us know a little bit of what's going on." She speaks softly but affirmatively.

"W-what.." I swallow hard. " What happened?"

"Your mother suffered a brain bleed when she jumped off the bridge. It seems that the water wasn't high enough to break any type of fall, so when she did jump, she hit her head on the rocks. She is also suffering from a broken leg and her collarbone." My eyes widen. "I tried to correct as much as I could, but the brain bleed was very large, and it caused her brain to swell. She won't be waking up again."

"There's no chance? No chance of her waking up? Not even the slightest?" My heart races with every word.

"I am so sorry Ms. Lee."

"I-I caused this." I turn around to Hale. "This is all my fault. She wouldn't have done this if I didn't leave!" My voice begins to rise.

"None of this is your fault Naiomie! Your mom was sick." Hale steps forward. "You cannot blame this on yourself."

"Sick? She was fine when I went to see her! Un-Until we got into the fight!" The doctors begin to look flustered as they move us into a small, quiet, and empty room. I sit down in the oversize chair that's in the corner.

"Nai" Matt chimes in, "She stayed with him after he hurt you. She fought the deepest and darkest demons the world could throw at her. She was sick whether you saw it or not." My heart plummets to the bottom of my stomach.

"How could she leave me like this? How am I going to tell Lily?" Tears roll down my face. Matt sits down next to me and pulls me into his chest. I feel his tears falling softly on top of my head. The world is beating me down, and at this point i'm about to let it win.

MATT

We eventually moved back to Miranda's room when Naiomie finally calmed down a bit. My phone buzzes for what seems like minutes, my leg bouncing up and down with every ring. I look over to Naiomie sleeping next to her mother, gripping her hand. A tear escapes my eye. I finally grab my phone and see three missed called from my parents. I hesitantly press the 'return call' button and wait. 

"Hi sweetheart, how is everything going? Do they have any news on him?" my mother's voice suddenly fills the phone.

"Please come home." I say softly through the receiver. "Please" I beg.

"Son what's wrong?" My dad's concerned voice chimes in, letting me know that i'm on speaker phone.

"Ms. Lee, she-she's dead."

"What? Matthew what happened!" My mother questions.

"She killed herself. Naiomie is falling apart, and so am I. They haven't found Thomas, and now this..." I softly sob. "It's all too much for us to handle now, please just come home." The phone is silent on the other end, except for some rustling.

"We're on our way home now son. Don't worry, we're coming."