Helios Renewed (The Helios Chronicles #3)

by Tawa M. Witko

  “It’s not stupid, Connor. It’s actually a very caring thing to offer,” Liam stated.

  “Connor, aren’t you on parole?” Elias asked.

  Connor’s eyes welled with tears again as he realized he probably couldn’t go to New York even if he wanted to. Elias looked at Liam who was watching Connor. Liam then turned to Elias and motioned his head to Connor. He knew that both he and Liam could not leave Jayden.

  “Connor, please come and sit down. Let’s talk this through,” Elias began reassuringly.

  Connor was breathing hard but he did as he was told and sat down again. He tried to control his breathing and then pinched his eyes shut trying to get himself under control.

  “I don’t know how feasible it is to have you go to New York, considering the restrictions you are under, but I do know that Jacqueline contacted Aaron so I would imagine that they will be flying out there as well,” Elias continued.

  “But won’t Madison have to leave for court and such. Surely Aaron and Olivia would want to stay with Andrew. And if my recollection is correct, Madison’s relationship with Jacqueline is not very good. Would Madison want her to go with her?” Liam stated convincingly.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, I know that I, for one, would feel better if there was someone out there that would stand with Madison. Especially after what we know about Senator Bowers,” Liam continued.

  Elias looked between the two of them again. “Let me make some calls.”

  Elias handed Ellie back to Liam and once again left the waiting room. Connor walked over and sat next to Liam. Ellie turned to him and laughed. Connor couldn’t help but smile, as did Liam. She really did have her mother’s spark of light and her father’s calming sense of self. At the moment, it was desperately needed.

  “Do you think that I’ll be able to go to New York?” Connor asked while allowing Ellie to grab his finger.

  “If it’s possible, then El will find a way to make it happen.”

  “I’ve never been to New York,” he stated absently and then looked up at him. “Have you?”

  Liam smiled. “Yes, many times.”

  Connor nodded and looked back at Ellie. He didn’t know if it would happen or not, but he wanted to go. He wanted to be useful. He wanted to help. His life had been a waste of time until he met Andrew and Jayden. He had followed the wrong people, gotten into trouble, even gone to jail. He had basically been written off as a loser. Andrew and Jayden had given him purpose. He couldn’t go back to the way it was.

  20 Hollow Inside

  Madison and Jacqueline waited, and waited, and waited. It had been close to two hours already and Madison was growing impatient, not to mention, concerned at the long delay. The waiting room seats were getting increasingly uncomfortable but not nearly as uncomfortable as the level of nausea that was mounting within her as the minutes continued to tick away. Although she was thankful her mom was by her side, she was glaringly aware that Jacqueline was not the most comforting person to have around. She sincerely wished that Callie could be with her instead. She would understand and make her feel better. Tears began to sting her eyes as she allowed her mind to imagine what Callie must be going through and the fact she couldn’t be there with her to help her through it.

  “Ma’am, I can take you to see Mr. Harrison.”

  “Thank God!” Madison whispered as she sprung from her seat.

  “He’s resting comfortably right now. His vitals are good and he seems to be responding well to medications,” the nurse said as she directed them into a room.

  They stepped inside a very sterile and bland room with a standard hospital bed and a recliner beside it. A glass partition made up the front wall which allowed nurses and doctors to see inside. It wasn’t until Madison forced herself to look at Andrew lying on the bed that her heart shattered. He looked so different. His normally strong and dominant facial features looked sallow and pale. His wild and glorious hair had been shaved in the back to accommodate where they needed to surgically go in and relieve the pressure in his brain. Madison brought her hand to her mouth and exhaled sharply. She turned when she heard her mother speaking.

  “And what exactly do they have him on?” Jacqueline asked with concern.

  “Hold on, ma’am, let me get the doctor for you. He’ll be able to answer any questions you have.”

  The nurse darted out of the room and Madison looked at her mother curiously. Before Jacqueline could voice her fears, a man in his mid-forties walked inside the room. He immediately picked up the chart at the end of the bed and flipped it open. As he did that, Jacqueline strode to the side of the bed and touched one of the bags that were providing Andrew with medication. She inspected it with a frown.

  “My name is Dr. Davidson and I will be overseeing Mr. Harrison’s care while he’s in the intensive care unit. I understand you have some questions?”

  “Yes, we do.” Jacqueline moved the bag slightly which drew the doctor’s eyes to her. “I have a suspicion I know what this is but I want it confirmed.”

  “Mr. Harrison received major head trauma that required surgery to contain. His blood pressure was rising to unhealthy levels due to the pain he was enduring. What you are holding there is morphine. It is being given to him intravenously at fifteen minute intervals to manage his discomfort. His heart rate has now lowered to acceptable levels and he seems responsive to it,” Dr. Davidson stated.

  Madison’s eyes grew wide at the realization of what was happening inside Andrew’s body at the moment. Morphine was an opiate, which meant that the doctors just made Andrew’s body remember... Heroin. In her head, she was screaming at the top of her lungs but in real life she was standing as still as a statue. She didn’t understand how they could put him on something like that without consulting her. Her trance was broken when she heard her mother yelling.

  “Are you insane?” Jacqueline seethed and then looked down at Andrew’s arm, shaking her head. She turned back to the doctor with malice on her face. “Of course, his body is responding to the medication, he’s an addict, you fool, a heroin addict to be exact. If any of you had bothered to check with his fiancée,” she pointed towards Madison, “then you would have known that!”

  Dr. Davidson stared in horror and then immediately called for the nurse. “We will need to taper Mr. Harrison off of the morphine drip,” he then turned to Jacqueline and Madison. “How long has he been clean?”

  “Ten years,” Madison stated, finally finding her voice.

  “Until now,” Jacqueline stated angrily as she crossed her arms.

  The doctor stared at Andrew for a moment and then turned back to Madison. “Heroine is a synthesized version of morphine which limits what we can give him.” He rested the chart against his leg. “There are three different classes of opioids; phenanthrenes, phenylpiperidine, and phenylheptane, all of which trigger the same types of synapses that morphine does. I can try a morphine substitute but I’m afraid his body will still see it as morphine. Which only leaves NSAIDs. We can try him on them but they are generally not as effective in managing moderate to severe pain.”

  Madison stared at him in confusion.

  “NSAIDs are things like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and those types of medications. They are used primarily to treat mild to moderate pain. Unfortunately, what Mr. Harrison is experiencing right now is quite severe and it will likely get worse once the morphine is out of his system.” He turned to Andrew’s bed and sighed. “He’s already taken in a lot of it. We’ve had him on the drip for several hours. We can’t simply stop it either, without severe repercussions.”

  Madison began crying uncontrollably and just as soon as she started, she stopped. She turned to the doctor. At that moment, she couldn’t think straight. All she knew was this man had basically put a needle in Andrew’s arm. As that image flooded her brain, she rushed towards Dr. Davidson. She began flailing her arms at his chest, hitting him as hard as she could as tears flowed from her eyes.

  “Do you realize what
you’ve done!” she screamed as her mother pulled her away from him.

  “I’m sorry,” he began but Madison interrupted him.

  “You’re sorry,” Madison yelled, freeing her arms. “You’ve awoken something that’s been dormant within him for years and you’re sorry. You’ve just...” Madison stopped and turned away.

  She couldn’t look at him any longer as she was afraid she would actually beat the hell out of him. Instead, she faced Andrew. The love she never thought she’d find. Her hands went to the top of her head as she no longer fought the anguish that had been trying to overtake her. She could hear her mother talking in the background but she couldn’t make out what she was saying. Her mind flashed to her father, seeing him lying on the bed, dead from a heroin overdose and Andrew telling her that he would never put her through that. Madison felt the tears as they made a steady path down her cheeks. Her heart hurt, as if someone had pierced it with a spear. As she heard her mom arguing with the doctor, she was very glad that she was here. She may not be the most sensitive person but she would fight for her, fight for Andrew, which was something they both needed.

  “Helios, please be strong, don’t let it take you again.”

  ~*~

  “Madison,” her mother said touching her shoulder.

  Madison opened her eyes and sat up. “How long was I asleep?”

  “About an hour. I tried to move you but you wouldn’t budge.”

  Madison sighed and immediately looked at Andrew. She checked his heart rate, 110. That was what it was before she went to sleep. She wished she knew what his general resting heart rate was so she would know if she should be concerned. She glanced at the clock and its incessant ticking and actually laughed. It was an odd thing to do, considering the circumstances, but she did it none-the-less. As she stared at the moving second hand, she was reminded of the Dali painting her and Andrew saw at MOMA. They had determined the painting was a reflection of time wasting away. Madison became somber again, hoping that wasn’t the case for her and Andrew. She picked up his hand and stroked it gently. They had lessened the morphine drip over a two-hour period and then completely stopped it almost six hours ago. The change was seen within a few short hours. His blood pressure had risen to a dangerous level but now it seemed to be steady, although, it was still running too high. The doctors had informed her that that was a normal response, stating that his body was stressed and craving the morphine. Heroin had held him hostage for so long and Madison feared it was trying to take ownership of him again. She couldn’t let that happen.

  “Madison,” her mom persisted.

  “Yes,” Madison replied not looking.

  “The nurse said that Andrew’s aunt and uncle are here. Do you want to talk to them or would you rather I do it?”

  Madison looked up. “Aaron and Olivia are here?”

  “Yes.”

  Madison had tears in her eyes as she looked passed her mom and saw Olivia and Aaron talking to the doctor at the nurse’s station. Both looked harried. They were each dressed casually but had that look about them that said they had been on a long flight and would not be deterred from seeing their nephew. Madison rose from her seat and as she did Olivia turned her head. Seeing the desperate look on Olivia’s face caused tears to flow again. Aaron turned as well. He took Olivia’s hand in his and then grabbed the handle of their suitcase in the other as they approached the room.

  “I’m so sorry,” Madison cried as she reached for Olivia.

  Olivia immediately held her tightly. She glanced over Madison’s shoulder and could see Andrew on the bed. The sight frightened her in ways that she was unwilling to give voice to. She needed to get to him but she also needed to settle Madison down. To reassure her that she did not cause this terrible thing to happen. She gently stroked the back of Madison’s hair.

  “Stop, Madison. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  Madison released her and looked between her and Aaron. “When they asked if he had any allergies I told them he didn’t but I couldn’t think straight,” she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head before looking up at them. “I didn’t tell them that he was an addict.” Madison looked down again, shaking her head. “It’s my fault they gave him morphine.”

  Aaron gasped. “They gave him morphine?”

  “Yes.”

  “My God!” Olivia exclaimed and began walking towards the bed. She stopped in front of Jacqueline and offered her a smile. “Are you Jacqueline?”

  “Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Olivia.” Jacqueline reached her hand out. “I’ll take Madison out for some fresh air so you two can have some time with Andrew.”

  Olivia sat in the recliner while Aaron walked over to her, touching her shoulder. He turned his head to Jacqueline. “Thank you.”

  Jacqueline smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  Jacqueline and Madison started walking towards the door but stopped short of exiting. Jacqueline glanced over her shoulder and could see that Aaron was comforting Olivia, who was now crying. As sad as the sight was, it was also filled with warmth and love. Jacqueline cleared her throat.

  “He’s a good man, Aaron.” When Aaron made eye contact with her, she continued, “I’m sure that’s your doing.”

  Aaron smiled and nodded before turning back to Andrew. Madison stared at her mother in shock, who, in turn, rolled her eyes and led her out of the room. They didn’t get very far when Madison stopped in her tracks. She smiled brightly. It was something she didn’t think she could do again after everything that had happened so far.

  “Connor! What are you doing here?” Madison asked incredulously.

  Connor’s normally cheerful expression became quite serious. “I’m going to watch out for you, Madison. I won’t let anyone near you. Andrew would want that.”

  Madison nodded and gave him a hug. She wasn’t sure how he managed to get out here but she was grateful for it. She was also certain that Elias had something to do with it. She didn’t care though because Connor was right. Andrew would want someone to look after her. When she released him, she saw him look at her mom.

  “Connor, this is my mother, Jacqueline. Mom, this is Connor. He’s one of our friends.”

  “You look just like Madison,” Connor blurted out as he shifted his duffle bag up his shoulder so he could shake her hand properly.

  Jacqueline laughed. “Yes, that happens.”

  “Where are you staying? Did you come with Aaron and Olivia?” Madison asked excitedly.

  “Yep. Boy, Elias don’t play. He called Jamal and got things squared away. Booked me on the same flight and then set me up in the same hotel Aaron and Olivia are staying at. We couldn’t get into the Paramount, it was busy but we are at some place not far from it but I don’t really remember the name so I figure I could, ya know, get a blanket or something and sleep on the floor in your room. I don’t have a problem with that 'cause, ya know, the beds in the joint aren’t that comfortable but I didn’t want to cancel the room without asking you first but geez, Elias already shelled out a lot of cash for me to come and I don’t want to waste any of his money if my plan is to not even be there because I don’t want you by yourself. Not at all. Andrew would want me to make sure that no one touched you and I’ll be damned if I let any of them look in your direction. ‘Cause if they do, well, they’ll find out, that’s for sure.”

  Madison glanced at her mom, who had the most peculiar look on her face. She was sure that she had never encountered anyone like Connor before. Madison breathed in deeply and laughed, the second time in the span of only a few minutes. Maybe she was starting to lose her mind, or maybe it was simply the levity that Connor brought with him. All she knew was that it filled her heart with both joy and hope. He had her best interests at heart and it made her feel assured that it would be okay.

  “What?” Connor asked confused.

  “Nothing,” Madison replied and took his hand in hers. “My mom thinks I need to be aired out.”

  They stood just outside the entrance. Th
ere were a lot of people standing around. Madison could see that Conner was trying hard to concentrate. His eyes were darting all over as he held her hand tightly. Finally, Madison tugged on his hand and he looked at her.

  “It’s alright, Connor. They’re not here.”

  He nodded and spotted a bench not far away. The three of them walked to it and Madison and Connor sat down while Jacqueline remained standing. Madison smiled as Connor dropped his bag on the ground next to them. It felt good to be outside. The cool air was refreshing and her heartache was forgotten for just a small amount of time.

  “Are you hungry, Madison?” Connor asked.

  Madison shook her head. She wasn’t the slightest bit hungry. Even if she was, she was doubtful that she could actually hold it down. Her nerves were shot and the thought of food made her even sicker. She let out a deep breath and leaned against him. Jacqueline, seeing that Madison was in good hands, excused herself to check her messages.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Madison stated softly.

  “Me too.”

  “I have court on Monday and I haven’t even talked to an attorney.”

  “Well, Elias was making phone calls but I don’t know if he found someone. Do you want to call him?”

  “I suppose I should. I haven’t been able to think very well and the day is almost done and I doubt that anyone would see me on the weekend.”

  They were quiet for a long while until Connor was compelled to say something. “Madison?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you think Andrew’s going to be okay?”

  “I hope so. The doctors said he could wake at any time.”

  “Are you okay?” Jacqueline asked coming up to the bench.

  Madison looked up at her. She had that antsy look about her. Madison knew this was not something her mother did lightly and it was more than she actually expected of her. Hospitals made her uncomfortable, as did crying. Madison was accustomed to Jacqueline’s style of interacting and, in a way, relished her no nonsense approach to life. She had come through for her in a way that Madison never expected.