by Chris Taylor
The faint sound of sirens drifted up from the street and she breathed a sigh of relief. Realizing she hadn’t notified the rest of the household, she checked for Cassie’s pulse again and then hurried from the room.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Royal North Shore Hospital—present day
Tom packed the last of his things into the small suitcase Brandon had dropped by earlier and zipped it up. Glancing around, he did a quick check of his room to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind. After visiting with Lily, he’d gone back to his ward and had met up with his doctor as she did her rounds. She was pleased with his progress and had given him the all clear. Within an hour, his discharge papers had been completed and he was now waiting for a member of his family to drive him home. A brief knock on the door snagged his attention. He smiled when he spied Chanel.
“Hey, little sister, it’s great to see you and thanks for flying down. I can’t imagine how busy you must be working in the biggest hospital in Brisbane. It was good of you to make the effort.”
She barely lifted her shoulder in the slightest shrug of acknowledgement. Her mouth was tight, like she was doing her best to hold something in. Tom frowned and looked at her a little more closely.
He hadn’t seen her since last Christmas. Her normally impeccable appearance had undergone a vast transformation in the intervening months. Her eyes were red and tinged with fear, her hair and her clothes were disheveled. He opened his mouth to make a joke of the rough night she must have had when he noticed she was on the verge of tears.
Halting beside her, he gave her a light hug, mindful of his stitches. With the pad of his thumb, he wiped away the moisture that had gathered in her eyes and was now spilling down her cheeks.
“Hey, sweetie, there’s no need for tears. The surgery went well. The doctor’s happy. You of all people know that has to be a good thing. In fact, they’re letting me out of here today. Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“T-Tom. I-I…”
Tom’s frown deepened. A shard of concern went through him. “Chanel? Is everything okay?”
Chanel shook her head and drew her breath in on a gasp. “No, Tom. No, it isn’t. I-I… Cassie…”
Fear held Tom immobile. His mouth went dry. “What’s the matter, Chanel? What’s happened to Cassie?”
“She-she… Oh, Tom. She’s been brought in by ambulance. She’s in the ER.”
“For Christ’s sake, what happened to her? Is she hurt?”
Chanel remained mute and he shook her with increasing urgency. “Chanel! Talk to me! What the hell’s happened?”
“She overdosed… On speed and alcohol. I-I found her unconscious in her bedroom not long ago.”
Tom reeled back in shock. “What? Overdosed? You have to be fucking kidding? You can’t be talking about Cassie?”
His sister drew in another deep breath and the action appeared to calm her. When she spoke again, it was in a quiet, controlled tone.
“Tom, you have to listen to me. I’m as shocked as you, but I’m telling you the truth. Right now, your daughter is downstairs fighting for her life. Fortunately, I found her before it was too late, but there’s still no guarantee. They’re pumping her stomach and hoping the toxins haven’t reached her liver. The staff downstairs need to make contact with her next of kin. I told them about your situation. Given that Lily’s barely a day out of her coma, we agreed it would be best to speak to you. I-I wanted to tell you myself.”
Tom shook his head, beyond words. His mind spun furiously. He tried to focus on what Chanel had said, but his brain refused to work.
Cassie, a drug user? It was impossible. And yet, from the look on Chanel’s face, it was true.
“I need to see her,” he said, spinning around and looking for his things.
“Of course, but there’s no point in rushing down there. She’s still being treated by the doctors. You’ll only be sitting in the waiting room.”
“I can’t just sit here doing nothing!” he yelled and immediately felt guilty for his outburst. “I’m sorry, Chanel. That wasn’t fair. I should be thanking you for finding her, not shouting at you. It’s just that—”
“It’s okay, Tom. You’re not the first frightened relative to yell at me. I can handle it.”
Tom smiled grimly. “Still, I’m sorry just the same.”
“Why don’t you go and see Lily? The news about Cassie might be better coming from you.”
Tom ploughed a hand through his hair. “Yes, of course. She’s Cassie’s mother. She has a right to know.”
Chanel nodded, but didn’t reply. Instead, she put her arms around him and hugged him gently.
“I’m going back down to the ER. I’ll call you as soon as I have any news.”
* * *
Lily stared at Tom in shock, unable to believe what he’d told her. Their daughter, their beautiful, talented daughter had overdosed on alcohol and drugs. Even now, she was in the ER, with doctors working over her to save her life. If the news hadn’t come from Tom, she’d never have believed it.
Hell, she still didn’t want to believe it. How could something like this happen to her own daughter and she not be clued in that there was something terribly wrong? She didn’t even know how long it had been going on.
Lily prided herself on having a close relationship with both of her kids, but she hadn’t seen this coming. Oh, she’d noticed Cassie had become a little less like her usual sunny self, but she had no idea it had come to this.
Alcohol…and drugs? The knowledge still stunned her. Working in a school environment Lily had known that kids were exposed to such things, but she was certain that she and Tom had raised both their children to have enough self-confidence that they could avoid the temptation. How could they have failed their daughter when she needed them the most?
The awful truth made her shudder. Whatever was bothering Cassie was serious enough to make her turn to the type of solace that could have dire consequences. The only thing she could be grateful for was that Chanel had discovered Cassie before it was too late. At least, she hoped she had. They were still waiting for news.
As if on cue, Tom’s phone vibrated on the nightstand by her bed. Lily caught his gaze and she was sure the fear and dread that shadowed his eyes was reflected in hers. Tom broke the contact by answering his phone.
“Chanel, how is she?”
He was silent and Lily could only assume he was listening to his sister update him on Cassie’s condition. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists and tried to breathe through her impatience.
The waiting and not knowing was killing her. Staring at Tom, she tried to gauge from his expression whether the news was good or bad, but it was impossible to tell. After what seemed like an eternity, he ended the call.
“What did she say? How’s Cassie?”
“She’s fine. She’s going to be fine.” As if the words were only just beginning to register, Tom’s shoulders slumped and he leaned forward in his chair, with both elbows resting on Lily’s bed, his head in his hands. She knew how he felt. She couldn’t keep the relief from her voice.
“Oh, thank goodness!”
Tom raised his head and managed a weak smile. “Yes. They’re keeping her in overnight for observation, but Chanel says it’s more of a precaution than anything. Thankfully, she’d only taken a couple of tablets. Because her system wasn’t used to coping with the pills and the alcohol, it depressed her nervous system and she fell unconscious. We’re very lucky Chanel found her when she did.”
Lily shook her head, almost beyond words. Tears of relief and gratitude that her daughter had been spared pricked her eyes. She set her jaw, determined to stay strong, but the tears built until there was no holding them back. They leaked down her cheeks and dripped onto her nightgown. Soft, silent tears that were long overdue.
“Hey, babe, don’t cry. She’s going to be all right.” Tom awkwardly patted her arm.
“She was using drugs, Tom and drinking! How could we not know? She’s our daughter, livin
g under our roof. What kind of parents are we to be so out of touch with our kids?”
Tom shook his head, his jaw set at a determined angle. “Don’t do this, Lily. We’re good parents. You know we are. We’ve both been busy and Cassie’s been extremely clever about hiding this from us. I’m not saying we couldn’t do better, but we’re far from neglectful of our kids. We love her and have always tried to do what’s best for her, even after that terrible incident with your stepbrother.”
Lily flinched at the reminder and Tom gave out a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. You know I don’t blame you.”
Lily stared at him for a moment and then turned away. “I need to see her, Tom. I need to know she’s okay. I need to ask her forgiveness. No matter how we try and justify it, we’ve let her down. She needed us and we weren’t there for her. This thing hasn’t happened overnight, or even over the past week. I’ll bet she’s been battling demons for longer than both of us think.”
Tom dragged in a breath and looked up at her. His eyes were bleak. “It pains me to admit it, but I think you’re right. Our baby girl’s been suffering and neither of us knew about it. We’re so lucky Chanel found her in time. Christ, I don’t know what I would have done if it had been too late.”
His voice caught on a sob and Lily squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to contain a fresh wave of tears. “Where’s Joe?” she said.
“Chanel said he’s at home, with Mom and Dad. I can only imagine how desperate and confused our son’s feeling.”
A feeling of sadness and hopelessness overwhelmed her and it was all she could do not to cry. It seemed life had dealt one blow after another in quick succession and her mind was spinning. She didn’t know which fire to put out, where to expend her energies. If only she had the energy to deal with all of it…
The sound of the door to her room opening snagged her attention and she lifted her gaze. Tom’ partner, Andy Warwick, filled the doorway. She offered him a weak smile.
“Andy, how are you?”
Andy nodded a greeting and then caught sight of Tom. “I’m glad I caught you. I went up to your room, but they told me you’d left.”
“I’ve been discharged, but I came down here to see Lily. We… We have some trouble with Cassie.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Tom glanced at Lily. She nodded. Andy had known Cassie for almost as long as he’d known Tom. Not only was he a trusted work colleague, he was a close family friend.
“Cassie OD’d on pills last night. She was brought in by ambulance this morning. She’s downstairs, in the ER.”
Andy’s face filled with shock and he shook his head. “Christ, what a mess! That poor kid! How is she?”
“Thankfully, she’s going to be all right. My sister discovered her unconscious this morning and immediately called the ambulance. They’ve managed to reverse the effects of the drugs.”
“Why? How?”
“We haven’t spoken to her, yet,” Lily said sadly. “But we think it has something to do with what happened years ago, with my stepbrother.”
Andy’s expression turned grim. “I’m so sorry, for both of you.”
Tom nodded. “Yeah, but at least she’s going to be okay.”
Andy looked away and Lily saw him draw in a deep breath, as if he was bracing himself against something. A frisson of fear filled her belly with dread, but she forced herself to ask.
“It’s lovely of you to visit, Andy, but is there another reason for your presence?”
Once again, Andy drew in a deep breath and his gaze stayed fixed on the floor. Tom frowned.
“What is it, mate?”
Andy shook his head slowly back and forth. When he looked up at them, pain and sad resignation cast dark shadows across his face. “I wanted to tell you in person.”
Lily’s fear went into overdrive and her fingers turned white on the sheet. Tom’s frown deepened into something more.
“Tell us what?” he asked in a voice that was almost steady.
“It’s about Brady Sutton. He-he’s dead.”
In a voice laced with sadness, Andy relayed the details of Brady’s death. Lily turned to Tom, frozen with shock. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. Brady had killed himself. Brady was dead. Oh, God. Hannah, poor Hannah.
“I-I have to call Hannah. She must be devastated. I can scarcely take it in, how must she be feeling? She’ll need as many friends around her as possible. I have to call her. I have to help.”
Tom reached out to stop her from climbing out of the bed. “Lily, for Christ’s sake, you’re recovering from a bullet wound that tore you up inside. You’re a day out of the ICU. You’re not up to helping anyone, especially with something like this. You should be conserving your energy for getting well.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” she shouted, almost blinded by her tears. “She’s my friend. I have to be there and lend her my support. She’d do the same for me.”
“Of course she would, but honey, please listen to me. You’re lying in a hospital bed. If you were well enough to leave and take back up with your life you’d have been discharged.”
Lily stared at him, her brain in a whirl of confusion and residual shock. First Cassie, now Hannah. She had to go to them and help them in any way she could. She understood Tom’s reluctance to involve herself with Hannah. Her friend would be feeling worse than Lily could ever imagine. She remembered the absolute terror and soul-destroying fear that had ravaged her when Cassie had been kidnapped, but she’d clung to the hope her child would be found. Hannah had no such hope. Nowhere to turn. Nothing to pray for. Lily’s agony for her friend intensified.
“At the very least, I have to call her, Tom. Please, try and understand. We know what it’s like to face the possibility of losing a child—and we got ours back. Twice. I can’t let her go through this alone. I have to at least let her know I’m thinking of her and praying. She’s my friend, Tom. She’s my friend.”
Tom’s jaw clenched and his hands tightened into fists, but eventually he relaxed and nodded. “Okay. I understand. I do. She’s lucky to have you for a friend.”
“She was there for me and I’ll be there for her. It’s as simple as that. Her son didn’t intend to shoot me. I’m not absolving him of what he did, but it doesn’t mean I’m not prepared to help her in her hour of need.”
He nodded, though his expression remained grim. In silence, she turned down the volume on the television and reached for her phone. Scrolling down her contact list, she found Hannah’s number. With a shaky breath and an even more unsteady hand, she made the call.
It rang out for so long, Lily tensed in anticipation of Hannah’s voicemail message cutting in. She was already composing a few words in her head when Hannah answered.
All of a sudden, Lily didn’t have the slightest idea what to say. She was spared making the initial contact when Hannah spoke.
“Lily? Is it you?” Her voice was so full of surprise and wonder, Lily was suddenly all choked up. This woman had just lost her son in the most horrific way and yet she could summon joy to discover her friend had woken from her coma.
“Yes, Hannah,” she gasped. “It’s me.” Despite her best efforts to maintain her composure, tears poured down Lily’s cheeks. She swallowed almost frantically. This wasn’t about her. She wasn’t the one who’d found her son dead.
“Oh, Lily, I’m so pleased you’re okay. I-I hadn’t heard the news that you’d regained consciousness. Are you all right? You’re calling me, so I assume you’re recovering. I—”
“Hannah, I… I just heard the news. I—”
A cry so full of agony and heartbreak cut through Lily’s words. She wanted to block her ears against the desolation, but forced herself to hold the phone up close against her ear. Her fingers turned white from the pressure.
“My baby, my baby. My poor little boy. What have I done? Oh, God, what have I done?”
“Hannah, it w
asn’t your fault. You have to believe that.”
“Of course it was my fault! All of it was my fault. Even the shooting was my fault. He told me it was because of the bullying. It had been going on forever. He’d told me about it and I ignored it, thinking it would go away. I ignored it, Lily, my own son!”
“You couldn’t have known it would turn out this way, that he’d—”
“He told me so! He told me it was the reason he took the gun. I didn’t do anything to protect him, so he was going to protect himself. I failed him, Lily, my own son. I failed him and now he’s dead.”
Her sobs grew louder and more out of control and Lily’s pain intensified. The wounds in her chest and stomach were on fire and her mouth was as dry as wood. She licked her lips and tried to think, to come up with words of comfort, but she came up empty. She swallowed a moan of pain.
Tom stood and came nearer, a dark frown marking his face. She could tell he was upset because he was worried about how her conversation with Hannah was affecting her. It was obvious she was doing it tough.
But not as tough as her friend. Never as tough as that.
“I still can’t believe it, Lily. I still can’t believe it’s true. I keep expecting to see him tearing down the stairs or hear him in the bathroom. I’ve been praying so hard since this happened—the shooting and…everything…and it’s all been for nothing. He’s dead, my little boy is dead.”
The heartbreaking sobs renewed themselves and Lily cried just as hard. She jammed her fist against her mouth in an effort to keep the sobs in. Tom looked like a thundercloud, but there was nothing she could do. She would listen to her friend and be there for as long as it took.
“I remember when that awful thing happened to Cassie and you were beside yourself with fear. We prayed together for God to bring her home safe and sound. And He did. He did. Why, Lily? Why was your child spared, when mine was not? Why? Why? Why?”
The tears continued to pour down Lily’s cheeks and she squeezed her eyes tight against the pain. Hannah didn’t know about Cassie’s latest brush with death, but it didn’t matter. In fact, it was better this way. Nothing could change what had happened to Brady and no matter how much she wished it were different, she had no answers for her friend.