Wildly Driven

Chapter 54

"Mom!" Monica's shrill voice brought me back to my senses.

I was seeing everything in slow motion and soon I was thrown back to that day when Mira had acted weird and was pointing the dark outside calling her son. I had stood next to Robert, watching the scene unfold with my mouth wide open and even bigger eyes.

Before Mira could collapse like an old autumn leaf, Robert caught her in his arms in reflex. His face was paler than I remembered, like he had committed murder.

Though Monica's voice was shrill and loud, it didn't get much attention from the others. Only a couple of them turned towards us and when they saw a small crowd, they just waved it off as if I had found a new excited fan. They smiled and turned back into their conversation.

Monica's hands shook and I started to wonder if it was the alcohol or the current situation she was in. James and Nick came too. Nick placed his hands on my shoulder as if to tell me that everything was okay, but I was not in a position to acknowledge him. James caught Lily's arm, supporting her who already had tears in her eyes as Dad wheeled himself further.

"Scarlet! Scarlet!" Robert shouted, getting me out of my trance. "Get me a fucking chair!"

I nodded my head and got him what he was asking for. Mira was made to sit in the chair and Monica stood next to it giving Mira the support that she needed.

When I looked at his face, something broke in me for him and I wanted to make it all okay. I shook my head to release some of the nerves I was having. Monica, being the daughter, had curled up next to her mother, sprinkling water on her face to get her up again. Robert and others just stood there watching it.

I knew I had to take control.

"We need to take her to the hospital." I said, getting on my senses. "An ambulance will take an eternity to get here. We need to leave."

Even after hearing my words, none of them made a move to do something about it. I wanted to face-palm myself at their behavior.

"James!" I snapped. He looked at me alarmed. "Take Lily home." I said, she was already crying like she had seen someone dead. "Nick, take Dad home. Dad, I'll get home as soon as I can." I said, looking at him. I knew he was going to tell me otherwise and before he could do so, I began speaking again. "I'll call you. Get home, take your tablets and sleep it off. Robert and I will take care of this."

I hadn't even asked if Robert was helping me, but I knew he wasn't that cruel to back off from this. He was still in shock, watching the mother daughter interaction. His face had an expression of something I hadn't seen before. Was it pain or concern? I couldn't tell.

"Get going!" I shouted, and the boys came in action. "The party's over. Go home."

James and Lily walked together, giving me a nod, silently asking me to take care. Dad held my hand as Nick started wheeling him. "Be safe, honey." He said, before he left.

"Rob," I called, pulling his hand to get his attention. He turned towards me, his expression guarded and his walls high up, not letting me through. It had been very long since I had interacted with that wall. "You do have a car on you, right?" Unable to talk, he just nodded his head, his eyes darting back to the person in question. "I think you should get it. We will bring Mira to the entrance by then." When he stood still, watching, I pushed his shoulders in the opposite direction. "Go!"

On noticing the urgency in my voice, Robert snapped back to reality and went with a small jog to get the car. I saw Monica who was trying very hard not to cry. She was stroking her mother's hair, since she wasn't conscious yet.

"Mon, let's get Mira to the entrance." I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded. Unlike others, she had dealt with these situations and knew what to do. "The entrance is not far away if we go this side. Will you be able to hold her up?"