Page 670 of Rock Me All Night
35
It's almostmidnight in New York, but I'm wide awake. Two sleeping pills plus one incredibly reclining seat equals few hours of conscious thought.
I text my sister and go in search of coffee. But there's no time for caffeine. She's already here. Waiting.
I go straight to the drop off/pick up area. There she is, in her shiny red car. Madison has always been flashy.
Her face lights up when she sees me. She climbs out of the driver's seat and rushes to pull me into a hug. "I've missed you so much, Jessie. Was your flight okay?"
"For a twelve hour flight." My instincts tell me to push her away, but I don't. I hug her tighter. I'm tired of hating her. I want my best friend back. "It will take a while for me to get over how much it hurt, you betraying my trust like that."
"I understand. I'm sorry. Really, Jessie. I feel awful. I've thought about calling you every night since you left. Couldn't admit it to myself for a while. And then, well, you seemed like you were doing so well. Starting school and… whatever was happening with… I thought maybe he'd come with you if he was your boyfriend. But I understand if you don't want to talk about it. It's not like I deserve to be your shoulder again. Well, I know it's not like I was ever your shoulder. You've always been the strong one."
Yeah, I have. I've always carried everything around on my shoulders, never let anyone help. Until Pete…
Look how well that went.
As much as my heart aches, I'm glad I talked to Pete. Even if he never figures out that he loved me.
It will fucking suck, but it won't take away how light he makes me feel. Made me feel.
I better tell Madison. Between getting dumped and Dad drinking himself into the hospital, I'm going to overflow.
"Let's talk at home," I say. "Will they let us into the hospital?"
Madison puts my suitcase in the backseat. We get into the car.
Her eyes go to the time on the clock. "It's well past visiting hours but there is a nurse who likes me." She checks her reflection and adjusts her top for maximum cleavage.
* * *
Except for the Emergency Room, the hospital is quiet. Madison leads me right to the wing where Dad is recovering. There's a small waiting area but the lights are off.
It's clearly not visiting hours.
The nurse at the station is an older woman.
Madison pouts. "Guess he's off already. Can't hurt to ask her." She moves to the reception desk and offers the nurse a pleading look.
The nurse shakes her head. They speak for a few moments then the nurse calls me over.
"Are you Jessica James?" she asks.
I nod.
Immediately, she starts explaining Dad's condition. He's no longer at risk of alcohol poisoning, but his liver is damaged. Any future drinking is risky, even a glass of wine at dinner.
When she's done with the medical technicalities, she hands me a stack of brochures. "There are excellent treatment programs in the area."
Madison picks the polish off her red nails. "What if he won't go?"
"Then he can drink himself to death alone."
She bites her nail. "Jessie… I can't."
"You can." I nod a thank you to the nurse and walk my sister back to her car. I take her keys, take over driving duty. "It's going to hurt, but you can do it. We can both do it. I hope we don't have to but we can."
* * *
