Page 14 of My Girl
“Very good, Ms Daniels.”
She moved over to the chairs in the corner, steeling herself for the phone call she was about to make. Putting her phone to her ear, she listened as it rang. When the call connected, she sucked in a fortifying breath.
“Daniels.”
“Hey, Jarrod. You sound a little distracted. Is this a bad time?”
“Hey, sis. I’m in the middle of something, but I’ve always got time for you. What’s up?” Sheridan’s breath snagged, and for a second, she had to fight back tears as the emotional roller coaster of the day hit her. “Sheri-girl?”
She swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“What’s the matter? Everything okay there?”
“Um ... JJ ...”
“Shit. Just spit it out, Sheridan.”
“I’m at the hospital with Gabriel.”
“Hang on.” She heard him speak to someone in the room with him. “Can you give me a minute? I need to take this call – it’s urgent. Close the door? Thanks.” Then he was back. “Tell me.”
Sheridan took a moment to gather herself. She let her head fall back and looked up at the ceiling as if it would give her the strength to get through this conversation. “Something set Gabe off this afternoon. It set off another panic attack and caused him to drop the glass bottle he had in his hand at the time.”
“Okay.”
“When I got him calmed, he felt bad about the mess and decided to clean up. I’m still not sure how he didn’t feel it, but he cut himself. Badly. I couldn’t fix it at home. It needed stitches, so I brought him to the emergency room.”
“I’m not going to like where this is going, am I?” She heard the nerves in her brother’s voice.
“Unlikely.” Sheridan paused, brushing hair out of her eyes. “Just as I finished up with the admin forms, a woman started crying – well, probably more wailing than crying — and Gabe’s PTSD kicked in. He had a complete meltdown in the waiting room. They rushed him in to a doctor, and that’s where he is now. The doctor’s busy stitching him up, and then he wants to talk to me about what to do about his current state of mind.”
“Shit,” her brother repeated. “What’s your thoughts about it? How bad is it? And don’t sugar-coat it.”
Blowing out a breath, Sheridan closed her eyes, bracing. “JJ, he’s in pretty bad mental shape. He’s clearly been hiding it. On top of that, he’s not sleeping well, and it’s compounding the problem. He’s exhausted – mentally and physically. I think this is the start of a breakdown. If he doesn’t get help now, he’s going to break. In spectacular fashion.”
“Jesus, Sheridan.” Seemingly at a loss for what else to say, her brother fell silent. She gave him a moment.
Jarrod and Gabriel had been the best of friends since they were three. When he’d been the only member of his family to survive a home invasion at the age of fourteen, their parents had taken him in. Just as she was about to break the silence, Jarrod spoke.
“Lay it out for me.”
“I’m going to recommend he be admitted to a clinic for counselling. He won’t get past this on his own, and he’s not reaching out for help out of his own.”
“Not what I want to hear, sis. But yeah, I can see it. We both know how stubborn Gabe can be. Truthfully, will he come back from this?”
“With help, absolutely. It’ll take time – there’s stuff that’s buried deep. I don’t think he dealt with it back when Mom and Dad used to take him for the sessions when we were kids. I’m too close to help him, but I have a colleague in mind. She’s brilliant. She’ll get through to him.”
“All right. You organise things on your side, and I’ll manage the press from my side, limit exposure. I’m going to book a ticket home as soon as I can. I’ll let you know when.”
“Don’t worry to book a hotel room. You can stay with me.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. That’s what family’s for.”
“I’ve got to go. I’ve people waiting for me so we can finish this meeting. I’ll let you know about my flight.” Jarrod cleared his throat. “Let’s get him healthy and back to the Gabe we know and love.”
Sheridan heard her brother’s voice crack on the last words. She knew exactly how he felt. She’d never once let it be known that she was in love with Gabriel. That she’d loved him since she’d been sixteen.
