Tainted

by Kallie Mathers

  “I hope it will be. I’ve found a doctor in New York who specializes in dementia. We leave in the morning, and I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to come with us? I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but rest assured, I’ll make sure Callum can fly out anytime he likes, and I’ll also equip you with a new Mac so you can stay in contact over Skype. I know I can’t do this alone. Yes, my father will be there, but my mom loves you, and I know you’ll be the person she’ll confide in when she needs to get out any frustrations. What do you say?” I ask, my heart pounding with anticipation. Yes, my father, stepmother and brother will be around, but my mom loves and trust Nancy. I need her to say yes.

  “Absolutely. I’ll always be there for both you and your mom. When do we leave?” she asks, seeming upbeat.

  “In a few hours. I’m sorry it’s so last minute, but the only appointment I could get was for tomorrow, or it would have been a fourteen month wait.” That would never happen. Yes, I know it’s a shitty thing to do, to throw a bunch of money at a situation to get my own way, but I would do anything for anyone I care so deeply about.

  “Shit, okay, I’ll grab an Uber and run home to pack and to let Callum know what’s happening.” She panics.

  “Take my car. The keys are in it.” I need to buy her a car. Nancy drops everything for us, and I know she’s been saving for one, but I think it would be a good gesture, to show her just how much we appreciate her, and what she does for us. There aren’t many people on the planet that would drop everything for someone who isn’t a relative.

  “Are you sure? That’s an expensive car. I’m a little nervous,” she looks worried.

  “It’s just a possession. Just a thing that can be replaced. Go for it.” Cars and material possessions can be replaced, they’re just ‘things’. It’s the very least I can do for her especially since she’s making such a huge sacrifice, dropping everything just to come with us.

  “Thank you so much. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Take your time. Don’t rush around, I don’t want you to get distracted and have an accident. Getting hurt, isn’t worth it.”

  She gives me one last smile before she leaves the room.

  ****

  Bir, my assistant showed up at the house just a few minutes after Nancy left, and immediately, I got her to work organising the flights and accommodation for New York.

  As I sit at the counter in the kitchen working on my laptop while Bri, is in my office, I hear the front door open.

  Surprised by how quickly Nancy gathered her belongings and say goodbye to Callum, I call out, “That must have been one hell of a quickky!” I call while chuckling to myself.

  Then, she comes around the corner, and my hairs stand on end, and I spring to my feet.

  “Get the fuck out of here, Chelsea! How the fuck did you get in?” No, this stalker bitch is the last thing I need to be dealing with.

  The firey redhead takes a few steps in my direction and even though there’s a counter between us, I take a few steps back to keep a good distance between us.

  “I had a spare set of keys made,” her devious grin is making me feel on edge.

  “How the fuck did you do that?” Never had I ever given her my keys, not even to open the front door.

  The evil grin only widens. “I used clay to make the imprint and I had it made up,” she shrugs, looking happy with herself.

  This bitch is crazier than I could ever have anticipated. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I need to get her out of my home as soon as humanly possible.

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m here to remind you of the fact that we are amazing together. You need to admit it to yourself. You ‘thinks you love that other girl, but you don’t. we have a connection, one you never shared with what’s-her-face. I’ll bet I’m better in bed too. No one sucks a dick like I do,” she does her best to come across as alluring, but she just looks desperate.

  I wish I had my phone on me. Shit, how the hell am I going to get her out of here? “You’re dead wrong. I love Mia, I will always love Mia. You need to get…”

  Suddenly, I hear a voice booking with anger. “Get out! I’ve called the cops. So you either leave of your own fruition, or you can leave in cuffs,” thank God for Bri.

  Chelsey rolls her eyes. “Whatever. You’re bluffing,” she snickers.

  “Why the hell would I bluff? You really are a dumb whore, aren’t you?” Bir, deadpans.

  “Fuck you!” Chelsey sprints towards Bri, but she manages to grab a knife from the butcher’s block.

  My instincts kick in, and fortunately, I’m quick on my feet and I grab a hold of Chelsea wrapping my arm around her, pinning her arms to her sides forcing her to drop the knife, before she reaches my assistant who’s yelling obscenities.

  With my arms still wrapped around her, she kicks and carries on. “Let go of me! Let me at the bitch!” Chelsea screams.

  “Hello? Police!” I hear a male voice call and my stomach calms.

  “In here, officers,” I call, keeping Chelsea at bay.

  “You fucking bitch! You ‘did’ call the cops!” She exclaims.

  “I fucking told you I did, you mental case!” Bri yells in return.

  When one male and one female officer enter the room, the moment they see I have Chelsea in my grasp, they race over towards us and they take her from me.

  “Get the fuck off me!”

  “Settle down.” The male officer looks at me, “We’ve got her,” so I let go of the crazy bitch. “Watch out for the knife,” I tell him as I point to the weapon.

  When the knife is bagged up and the statements have been recorded, the officers take the bitch into custody.

  Carter Eleven

  Carter

  The next day, I received a call from the police department telling me a judge had Chelsea committed to a psychiatric ward. According to them, she has serious mental issues and she will be committed for a long stretch of time.

  Later in the day, we headed to the doctor’s office in downtown New York directly from the airport, but when our driver had dropped us off, I had him deliver our bags to the hotel.

  When we arrived, I was surprised how inviting the waiting room felt. It was essentially a living room. It has overstuffed sofas, a wide screen television, a water cooler, lamps and lamp tables. I feel like I’ve entered someone’s home.

  Soon enough, a woman comes walking through a door to the left of us. The blond, middle aged woman, approaches. “Hello, are you here to see Dr Rosenthal?”

  While my mother and Nancy take a seat, I head over to the woman. “Yes, my mother Sara has an appointment.”

  “Oh, yes, we’ve been expecting you. I’ll let the doctor know you’re here,” she smiles.

  “Thank you.” And I go ahead, and I take a seat on the sofa opposite my mom and Nancy.

  As she rocks back and forth, in ace, something my mom does a lot, she asks, “Do you think this doctor can help me?”

  Before Dr. McAlister agreed to release my mom from his

  care, he sat her down and he helped me explain the new diagnosis to her. She was upset, as anyone who is only forty-five years old, would react. She didn’t become violent, just sad and she found it difficult to come to terms with things, but Nancy was the saving grace. She sat down with her and she told my mom she would be there to support her full time for as long as we need her.

  When we explained to her there was a doctor, she could see in New York that might be able to help her, she was all for it. She was then desperate to get going, so that’s what we did, and now, here we are.

  Looking up at the woman that raised me, the woman that has done her best despite the challenges she’s faced, I tell her, “I really hope he can help you, min. that’s why we’re here. I will do everything in my power to make sure you have nothing but the best treatment, and the very best doctors.”

  “Thank you, son. I’m so proud of you.” Her smile lights up the room.

  Once the nurse escorts all thr
ee of us to the spacious, white doctors consulting room, we take a seat, and not two minutes later, a man that looks to be in his mid-thirties, tall, thin with chestnut hair comes strolling into the room, wearing a white doctors coat. The first thing I think is ‘what the fuck? This guy is far too young to be the best of the best.’

  “Hello, I’m Doctor Rosenthal, but I prefer to be called by my Christian name, Terrance.” He approaches us and he shakes our hands one at a time before taking a seat opposite us, rather than behind the desk like most doctors often do.

  “Well, Terrance, I must say it’s nice to finally have a doctor worth looking at,” my mom snickers and I can’t help but roll my eyes.

  “That’s nice of you to say.” He chuckles before turning his attention to me. “I wish to thank you for generous donation to help us find a cure for this terrible illness.” He’s being genuine, this guy cares. He’s not just here for a paycheck, he wants to help people.

  “No problem, we need you to find a cure, not just for us, but for everyone else that suffers from the disease. We had to watch my grandmother on my fathers’ side of the family, suffered with it. It was extremely difficult to watch her go through it.” it broke my damn heart.

  “I don’t wish to scare you, Sara, but I have to agree with your son, it is difficult for family members to watch as their loved ones deteriorate, but I want to assure you that I will do my best to help you and your family through this difficult time. We do have some things we can try to help slow the progression of the disease. They are still in the research stage, and with your permission, I would like to start you on the cocktail of drugs we have been working on. The cocktail is the reason it’s difficult to get appointments with my clinic as there has been much positive feedback. Our job is to take care of you. That is our number one priority.”

  ***

  When the appointment was over, I took both Nancy and my mother over to the hotel and helped them get settled into the suite before heading to the suite next door to see what Chase is up to.

  The moment the door fly’s open, Chase’s smiling face comes into view. “She let me see her,” he beams as he steps aside giving me room to enter.

  “I know, dude, she called me.” Now I’m the one smiling like the fool I am.

  His jaw drops. “You’re fucking with me?”

  As the door closes, I walk over to the sofa and I sit my tired ass down while Chase does the same on the opposite side. “I’m not. She called wanting to see how my mom was doing after she received the news. She was genuinely concerned. But all it did was make me is her more. I love her, I need here but I can’t do shit about it.” What I wouldn’t give it have her walk in the room and into my open arms. The girl will always own my heart.

  “I’m confident she’ll be back to her normal self soon. You’ll see.” If only I could share his enthusiasm.

  Mia

  Well, the day has come. My therapist, Dr McAlister has arranged, against my wishes to have my mother come to the facility for ‘family day’.

  Johanna is the last person on the planet I want to have within my personal space, but fortunately for me, both Chase and DJ were happy to come so I have two people I love on my side. Two people I ‘know’ will have my back if the shit hit the fan.

  Fortunately, the doctor reserved us a private room downstairs. This isn’t the usual procedure. No, I warned the doc I may need to be held back, so I don’t kill the woman.

  It’s now morning, and I can’t help but feel overwhelmed knowing ‘that’ woman will be arriving shortly.

  As I sit on the edge of the bed, thinking back to all the bullshit that woman caused when she walked out on us, I’m startled when I hear a voice from beside me.

  “You okay, girl?” Rain asks as she lowers herself beside me.

  “I don’t want to see my mom. I don’t know what that McAllister was thinking.” This meeting will not end well.

  “Yeah, he’s a pain in the ass like that. He really does only want the best for his patients. And just remember, he’s the expert, he ‘does’ know what he’s doing. You need to trust the process,” Rain tries to assure me as she wraps an arm around me.

  Resting my head on her shoulder, I do my best to let what she said sink in, and after a few moments there’s an announcement made over the loudspeakers. “Visiting hours have begun. If you have people coming to see you, please make your way downstairs. Thank you.”

  Letting go of the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding onto, I stand and when I do, Raine takes my hand in hers, keeping me in place. Looking down at her, I ask, “What is it?”

  With tears in her eyes, she tells me, “Make sure you make the most of your family. I know your mom has done some shitty things, but open your heart, if you can.”

  My heart breaks for her. Raine has no one. Her parents are only around when she’s earning the big bucks. They use her for her money. Hell, they haven’t even been to visit her while she’s been in treatment. I want to tell her to fuck them off, but I can’t do that, I can’t decide for her, but I ‘do’ know that I will be there for her even after I get the chance to leave this place.

  “I’ll try, but I’ll be doing it for you, not me.”

  “It doesn’t work that way. Just promise me you’ll keep an open mind,” she smiles, but it’s a smile filled with sadness.

  “I promise you; I will keep an open mind. I’ll see you once I’ve sat through this BS.” I chuckle, and so does Raine.

  “I’ll be here waiting to hear how it all went.”

  After giving Raine a tight hug, I make my way downstairs where I’m met by both my brother and DJ.

  “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming,” I tell them as I hug them hello.

  “We’ll always be here for you,” Chase assures me.

  “I ain’t gonna lie. I’m nervous and I ‘never’ get nervous.” DJ says, and he looks serious. It’s a trait I’m not used to seeing on him.

  “You aren’t alone. I’m scared of how I’ll react at the sight of her. I don’t want this meeting pushing away the progress I’ve made. Hell, I haven’t even seen the woman yet and I want to lose myself in a bottle of booze.” Fuck me, I would kill for some pills. I want to chew on them and have that almost instant relief they deliver.

  Chase pulls me closer to him, wrapping me up in his protective arms. “You don’t need that shit, and as long as you’re sober, I promise you that I will stay sober too,” he whispers.

  Looking up at him, my brow crinkles with confusion. “But you’re not an addict. Why do you need to stay sober?”

  “I want to protect you and help you see that we don’t need booze and pills to get through.”

  “Fuck it. I’ll get sober too. Granted, I haven’t pill popped for fun in a while, but I will give up the booze for you. As an ex addict that sometimes drinks, but not to excess anymore, I know what this process is like. I’m going to back you all the way.” DJ offers and it brings tears to my eyes.

  “Thanks boys. I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

  Just then, the tall, good looking doctor McAllister, approaches. “Thank you for coming,” he says to the boys and they nod in response. Then his attention is on me. “I know you ‘can’ do this. This is a step forward in your recovery. You may not see it, as yet, but facing your mother is something you need to go, and you also need to remember that we’re here for ‘you’ not her. If she doesn’t comply, she will be asked to leave. If you feel you need a break, feel free to tell us.”

  “Can I call one now?” I can try.

  The doctor smiles at me. “Come on, let’s get this started.”

  As we walk into the grand, white room that contains a huge conference table, sitting on the opposite side of the room is my mother, and my anger sparks when I see that the boy toy who escorted her to my father’s funeral is sitting by her side.

  “You’re fucking kidding me!” I yell, and as I do, Chase pulls me into his embrace. “Who and what the fuck is this dickhead doing here? We saw him at Dad
’s funeral, but that’s it. Why, why is this stranger here?”

  “Okay, okay, let’s take a seat and talk through it.” The doctor tries to settle my mood, but it will not work.

  Sitting down, I can’t even bring myself to look at the woman who gave birth to me. The woman who walked out on her family all because she didn’t want to be a mother anymore.

  My stomach is churning with disgust.

  When everyone is seated, I keep my eyes focused on my hand that rests on my knee and it has my brothers cupping it in a show of support.

  “Thank you for all agreeing to be here. I wanted to bring you together to try and somewhat clear the air so Mia can have a clean slate as she prepares to live a sober life. Who would like to start?” he questions, but I sure as shit know I won’t be the one to start this conversation. A conversation I’m not even ready to have.

  “I’ll start,” Jo says. Just the sound of her voice is screeching in my ears.

  “Very good. You have the floor.”

  “I came today to see if I can mend our relationship.”

  “We don’t have a relationship. That’s all on you,” Chase snaps.

  “Well, I can’t harbour all of the blame. Your father…”

  This is the moment I snap. My head shoots up, and my blood boils. “Don’t you dare talk about ‘my’ father. The man that didn’t run out of his children…”

  Now it’s her turn to jump in. “What, I’m tortured for leaving but your fathers a saint? You say he didn’t walk out on you, and no, he didn’t. he took the cowards way out and decided that hanging himself would be a great idea!” she sneers.

  Letting go of my brother’s hand, without realising I’m doing it, I climb up on the table and as I rush to her so I can shake the bitch, I feel arms wrap around my torso. Without having to look, I know that the arms belong to my brother.

  Chase is so much stronger than I could ever be. Well, that and the fact that he towers over me and that I weigh only ninety-eight ponds.

  Within seconds, my feet are back on the ground, but I continue to fight against him. “How dare you! How fucking dare you! What the fuck happened to you? When did you turn into such a hateful bitch?” Screw this cow. Nothing’s going to get resolved today, or ever.