Page 135 of Raven

Little walks onto the deck and lies on the sunbed beside mine. He smiles. “Hi, Maddy.”

He acts suspiciously quiet. He doesn’t jump into the pool, doesn’t goof around, only lies down and closes his eyes, his tanned body in only board shorts so relaxed.

I leave him for some time and go into the living room, find Callie and talk to her for a bit. Maybe it’s more than a bit, because it’s afternoon, and I feel hungry.

“Did you guys eat?” I ask.

“No. We can order something. Sonny hasn’t had lunch either. Where is he?”

It’s oddly quiet out on the deck, considering everyone is inside, chilling on the couches.

Little is exactly where I left him an hour ago, still sleeping. Weird, because he went to bed on time last night, and it’s only late afternoon.

“Little, sweetie, you shouldn’t be sleeping,” I say as I walk up to him.

He doesn’t respond.

I study his expression. Yep, fast asleep. No, not gonna fly.

I shake him lightly, “Little, wake up.”

At first, I think he’s pretending. But he’s not responding. His face is still, and his mouth is slack.

“Little?” I shake him harder.

Suddenly, his words from a day ago ring in my head. “If something were to happen to me, would you and Rave come together to save me?”

“Little!” I shout to no response, and when I press my two fingers to the pulse on his neck, it’s low, so dangerously low. And it’s irregular. It’s respiratory depression. How?

“Call the hospital!” I shout.

Callie and Ya-Ya dart out onto the deck. Someone is shouting into the phone.

I shake Little again, and his eyes flutter open.

“Oh, thank God. Little, sweetie, how do you feel?”

He is closing his eyes and falling back asleep, but Callie helps me to sit him up.

He rubs his eyes with his fists. “I’m seeeepy,” he murmurs. “I’m… eee’ was…”

He can’t put words together, almost like he’s drunk.

“Did he find someone’s drugs? Pot? Something else?” I look around at everyone crowding us.

“What did you take, Little?” Shaking the kid, I can’t help but notice that he struggles to stay awake.

Ray-Ray runs out of the house onto the pool deck. “Maddy! These!” She’s shaking a pill bottle. “The safety lid wasn’t snapped properly closed. The bottle was on the sink counter. I don’t know how he knew I?—”

“How many?”

“I don’t know. Can’t be that many.”

“We need to get him to the hospital ward. Now!”

Guff is already picking up Little. I yank the bottle out of her hand and look at the label.

Fuck. Sleeping pills. Why???

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