She spent an entire day sleeping, just so that she wouldn't have to face the reality of things. Like the fact that her dad was on his death bed and no one had bothered to tell her. Or the fact that Drake was in love with her and every part of her wanted to be with him but she couldn't bring herself to explain why the abortion was necessary. And let's not forget her album that was coming out soon and she didn't even feel like it represented who she really was.
But the truth of the matter was that reality was knocking at her door and she couldn't ignore it any longer. So she showered until all of her hot water ran out before dressing herself in a pair of athletic leggings, a Minnie mouse sweatshirt that Drake had bought for her, and her favorite pair of Uggs. As soon as she walked outside she regretted her outfit choice but she knew that if she went back inside to change, she would stay holed up in there for another day.
She took the familiar route to her parents' house, humming to herself on the way there because she didn't want to hear whatever was on the radio. There weren't any cars in their driveway, which was weird because where did they have to go? But she figured that they just put them in the garage for once so she got out of her car and jogged up to the front door. She rang the doorbell fifty times and then resorted to knocking on the door for a few minutes but there was still no reply. Maybe they did actually go somewhere and not sit on their lazy asses all day for once.
"Sweetheart, they're not there!" Their neighbor from across the street exclaimed after coming back from walking her ugly little dog that had almost bitten Demi in the leg when she was younger.
"A few days ago there were ambulances and police officers here. It was a complete mess. I called the cops because of the yelling but the ambulance showed up right after that. They haven't been back since," she explained as Demi furrowed her eyebrows because none of it made sense.
"I would check the nearest hospital. You have a nice day sweet pea." And then she walked into her house. Demi pulled out her phone as she walked back to her car to see if she had any missed calls or texts but there was none. If they were at the hospital, why didn't anyone tell her?
Demi had this terrible thing, this terrible habit, where she immediately thought of the worst that could happen in any given situation. It was almost like a coping mechanism because it was like she was prepping herself for the worst to happen. What if there was something wrong with Lola? She had severe peanut allergies and her parents and Dallas really didn't have the best memories. What if Lola got hurt? What if there was something wrong with Maddie or Dallas? What if Eddie's high blood pressure finally took him out? How could they not tell her that they were at the hospital?
Barely locking her doors, Demi sprinted into the hospital and immediately ran up to the receptionist's desk. The blonde woman sitting there popped her gum as she stared Demi down, waiting for her to catch her breath and say something.
"Is there a Lola Lovato in here? Maybe in the pediatric ward?" Demi questioned as she slowly searched Lola's name before shaking her head.
"Okay then what about a Maddie de la Garza?" the woman shook her head again as Demi released a breath of relief.
"Dallas Lovato?"
"There is a Dallas Lovato in the ICU. She was moved there last night from the emergency room," she replied as Demi combed her fingers through her hair. Why the hell was Dallas in the ICU?
"Are you allowed to tell me what she was in there for...like what happened? I'm her sister, Demi Lovato." Demi shifted through her purse for her wallet so she could show her some ID but the lady shook her head.
"Oh no, I know who you are. My daughter is a huge fan. She totally ships you and that R&B singer together. I can't tell you what happened to your sister but the doctors are doing their rounds and her family hasn't come down yet so you should be able to find out," the nurse explained as Demi pursed her lips but nodded anyways. She would offer to sign something for her daughter but she was too anxious to know what had happened to Dallas so she thanked her before jogging towards the elevators. She jammed the button a million times until it finally opened and she pressed the button for the third floor. As soon as the doors opened, she saw Maddie and Lola sitting in the two chairs outside of the room and as soon as Lola saw her, she jumped into her arms and began to cry into her neck.
"Ssshhh, baby, it's okay," Demi cooed, beginning to gently bounce her up and down like she used to do when she was a baby before walking towards Maddie.
"I'm scared Auntie Demi. Mommy hasn't woken up yet," Lola sniffled, squeezing Demi even tighter and curling into her even more, if that was possible, as Demi sat down next to Maddie who looked completely exhausted. She remembered what their neighbor had said about them not going home yet and wondered why no one had taken Maddie or Lola home to get some proper rest.
"What happened?" Demi questioned as Maddie tiredly lifted her head from the wall and let her eyes fall on her older sister.
"She overdosed. They pumped her stomach and cleaned out her system but she hasn't woken up yet and they won't tell me why. She flatlined twice." Maddie couldn't even finish explaining because she started crying, and Demi knew her little sister, once she started crying she couldn't stop. Demi released a deep breath and let Maddie's head rest on her shoulder, for once, being there for her little sister like she never was.
"I'm gonna go talk to mom and dad and then you and Lola are coming home with me, okay?" She would cancel her meetings and her studio sessions. Not only was Dallas in the hospital but she still wasn't sure what was going on with her father. For once, family was coming first.
Maddie didn't reply so Demi stood up with Lola still in her arms. With the death grip that she had on her, Lola wasn't letting go anytime soon. She entered Dallas's room and she wasn't connected to a whole bunch of wires or anything. There was an IV in her right hand, a pulse monitor on her finger, and she had an oxygen mask on. Around her eyes, there were red scratches and she had a faint purple bruise by her hairline.
"Why didn't anyone tell me? I've been back in town for three days...and no one told me about Dallas or Patrick," Demi said, catching Dianna and Eddie's attention, causing them to turn away from Dallas and face her.
"I just...there's no easy way to tell you these things Demi. And you know how you are with us..." Dianna trailed off and looked back at Dallas. Just like Maddie she looked exhausted and she couldn't blame her. Her first born was in the hospital after overdosing and her ex-husband was on his death bed...or already dead.
"Did Patrick die yet?" That didn't come out right but she couldn't exactly take it back.
"His funeral is this weekend. I was gonna come by after we got things situated here but I want you to sing there, Demi. He would really like that." Her lips were pursed again and she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Dallas almost killed herself, whether it was intentional or not, and she just found out that her dad had died. He had died. He had been dying for three months and she didn't even get to see him.
"Just text me with the details." With all the sadness and disappointment and weakness in the room, Demi felt as if she couldn't even cry. She had to be strong. She had to be the one person who wasn't on the verge of a mental breakdown even if this was too much for her.
"I'm gonna take Maddie and Lola with me, so they can shower and eat and sleep and stuff. Uh, I guess we can fly out to the funeral on my jet. I don't know. We can work out the details later." Dianna wasn't responding. She was just staring at Dallas. Demi nodded her head and exited the room, lightly tapping Maddie on her shoulder so that she would follow her out of the hospital. On her way out, she signed the autograph for the receptionist's daughter.
The day had passed with Demi getting clothes and food and anything that would make Maddie and Lola comfortable and before she knew it, it was dark outside and she was trying to get Lola to go to sleep but she kept crying and screaming and trying to cling to Demi even though she needed to go downstairs and get some work done.
"Lola, I have to go finish my work downstairs. I know you're tired baby, you gotta get some sleep," Demi said, stroking her hair as Lola cried into her chest and The Princess and the Frog played for about the fourth time in a row.
"I don't wanna," she cried, clinging onto Demi even more as she released a deep sigh and finally crawled underneath the covers with her. Lola practically crawled on top of her and buried her face deep into her neck, and Demi was about to fall asleep until Maddie tip toed into the room and hopped on the bed with them.
"She's afraid of going to sleep," Maddie said after Lola's breath had evened out and Demi gently laid her down to rest between the two of them.
"What?"
"She's afraid of going to sleep. Dallas um...she slapped Lola really hard. I heard the screaming and stuff upstairs but by the time I got up there, Dallas was passed out and Lola was freaking out. She had asked Dallas to watch a movie with her, after Dallas took the pills and she was waiting for them to ya know...work, but Dallas yelled at her and slapped her so hard that Lola ended up on the ground. That's when I went upstairs," Maddie explained as Demi felt herself began to shake in anger. As soon as Dallas woke up, she was gonna knock her right back out. How dare she be so selfish and try to kill herself right in front of her own daughter? How dare she put her hands on Lola?
"Things have been shaky since mom and Dallas found out that Patrick died. They haven't been the same." Maddie released a deep breath and tugged the covers up to her chin. Demi wasn't gonna sit there and promise her that everything would be okay soon, because it probably wouldn't, so she just began to hum the tune to one of her favorite songs until both girls were soundly asleep and she could slip away.
Finally, she thought as she carefully climbed out of the bed and headed downstairs. Truthfully, she didn't have any work to do. The "work" she had was sorting through a box of Patrick's things that she had found in her parents' attic when she took Lola and Maddie there to get some clothes. She plopped down on the living room floor and pulled the first item out of the box.
It was just a picture, a faded picture with water color marks and probably one of the only pictures that her and her dad had taken together when she was that small. They were in his car and she was sitting on his lap with her hands on the steering wheel. He adored cars. She remembered that. Before things got bad he would always take her and Dallas cruising around the neighborhood without seat belts on. Her mom would always yell at him as soon as they got home, but that didn't stop him.
Demi placed the picture to the side and reached into the box, pulling out a shirt that she instantly recognized. There weren't many things in the box because Dianna had gotten rid of a lot of it but this stayed. It was one of his nascar shirts with the number three on it, his favorite number. When Demi pressed it against her nose it didn't smell like him. It smelled like mildew and cobwebs but that didn't stop her from embracing it and curling into herself as tears gathered in the bottom of her eyelids. Was it hard to pick up the phone and just tell her that her dad was dying? That he had already died and she didn't even get to say goodbye or fully listen to him apologize or truly forgive him for everything that had happened?
Sobs wrecked her body as she cried into his shirt. Every time she took a deep breath and tried to collect herself, her eyes landed on that picture and she just cried even harder. He was dead and he was gone. He had raised her up and then completely tore her down but he was part of the reason that she was here, on this Earth, living and breathing. He had done so much wrong but that was her father. She couldn't help but to cry because he was dead and there was nothing that she could do about it.
Sunglasses were her best friend the day of the funeral. She had plastered her face with makeup because she had woken up in their house in Texas flushed and with dark rings under her eyes, but she didn't feel like the makeup was enough so she had sunglasses on. Prescription sunglasses since her eyes were too irritated for contacts.
Dallas had woken up but she wasn't allowed to leave the hospital. They were gonna film the funeral for her but it would be nothing like actually being there. Demi wished she was there. It would be nice to have someone to lean on, for someone else to be strong for the day even if Dallas probably wouldn't be that person. It was a nice thought though.
The casket was black and Patrick was dressed in a nice suit with his hair combed back and his facial hair shaved. She watched her mom clean him up at the funeral home yesterday, stopping to sob over his body before she continued her "duties." Demi was sure that it was just a form of self torture though.
She zoned in and out as the funeral progressed on, but when the preacher called her name because it was time for her to sing, she snapped out of it and rose, placing a tight lipped smile on her face as she made her way to the piano. She knew that if she talked she would just get choked up and cry so she stayed silent and allowed the music to carry her away. The song was on her album, and she wanted to make it a single but no one else at her label did. So she would sing it for her father. Hopefully, wherever he was, he was listening.
I can hear your laugh
It's ringing through the hallways
I can see your smile
It's what gets me through my hard days
And your words was suppose to get me through my heartache, before my heartbreak
There's an emptiness that only few ever fill
And I somehow missed the meaning of love that is real
And it compliments my scars that will never heal
Maybe I didn't deserve you
Maybe I just couldn't cure you
They told me that I didn't hurt you
Why do I feel like I turned you?
Maybe I don't understand it
Tell me is this how you planned it?
Did you see us so stranded
Maybe I'm to much too manage
And if you weren't gonna guide me
Why bring me into the light?
Must have done something to make you want to run and hide
Why oh why didn't you just live your life?
And every girl needs a father
And damn it I needed you
Instead you duck for cover
And you ran from the truth
And like kids do
You waited around for proof
Maybe I didn't deserve you
Maybe I just couldn't cure you
They told me that I didn't hurt you
Why do I feel like I turned you?
Maybe I don't understand it
Tell me is this how you planned it?
Did you see us so stranded?
Maybe I'm to much too manage
Maybe I didn't deserve you...
The rest of her family was staying in Texas a bit longer, but she decided that she would go back home to LA with Lola because there was nothing in Texas for her. Plus, it was easier to forget that the whole ordeal had even happened when she was back in LA. They went to see Dallas as soon as they got back but Lola had cried so hard that Demi just took her back home without saying much to Dallas. She was still on suicide watch and they were discussing treatment options, which Demi would probably have to pay for.
She was attempting to make breakfast for her and Lola when her phone began to buzz on the counter. It wasn't anybody calling but it was a text message from her best friend that hadn't spoken to her in months.
Jhene👯💖🌞🌺: hey...
Demi: new phone, who dis?
Jhene👯💖🌞🌺: bitch seriously?
Demi: I'm joking! Are you finally done being mad at me?
Jhene👯💖🌞🌺: Trey told me...why didn't you just tell me?
Of course Trey told her. It was like he was trying to right all of his wrongs by fixing all of the relationships that she had broken. She didn't need him cleaning up her mess for her and that was supposed to be their secret. Since she didn't reply right away, Jhene decided to call her and Demi picked up after a few rings.
"Don't make this weird Demi. Why didn't you just tell me?"
"It was just something that happened a while ago...I don't talk about it to anyone, Jhene, and I hadn't been planning to..."
"So you'd rather I hate you than to just tell me the truth?" Jhene honestly sounded hurt, and Demi didn't mean to make it seem like she didn't trust her or anything but it was just something that she hadn't addressed in so long that opening up old wounds didn't seem appealing at all.
"Can we just move on? I miss my best friend," Demi pleaded, because it was the truth. There was no one in the entire world who could replace Jhene.
"Hmm, I'll have to think about it. But it would help if you would come to the club tonight. Omarion is hosting a party tonight at Vixen and no one parties like you do," Jhene cooed as Demi rolled her eyes, about to agree until she remembered that she had Lola with her.
"I have Lola and my family is out of town. Maybe another night?"
"No problem, my mom is watching Nami so Lola can just go with her. You know how my mom is, she loves kids. She'll spoil them rotten. Come on Demi, let's go out tonight and have some fun. You know you could use some," Jhene whined as Demi released a deep breath and groaned.
"Okay...fine I'll go. What time are we leaving?"
"Party starts at nine and you know I like to make an entrance. Come over at seven so we can get ready together," Jhene squealed. Demi agreed before bidding her goodbyes and hanging up. She wasn't exactly in the party mood but she was glad to have her best friend back.