When They See Us (Book 1.0)

Chapter Fourteen

A specialist came at around 3:00 p.m. to talk to Macy. We didn't want to take her to a hospital to get treated because they would alert social services that Macy was getting treated for drug addiction. Dad paid a specialist under the table to take care of her.

Mom, Dad, and I are in the home office with uncle Roger and the specialist. My uncle came for support, which I think is really needed right now. They are working out a time frame and plan to help her wean off the drugs properly. I'm sitting in the corner trying to listen but also stay out of the way.

"What are the drugs that she is addicted to, or has tried?" The specialist asks my dad. Dad glances at me as if she doesn't want me to know how horrible things are for her. She takes a deep breath before sitting to respond. Mom approaches her, placing her hand on Dad's shoulder for comfort.

"Um... when I found out a year ago, it was just the sleeping pills, Sonata. Something traumatic happened to her, and she was given medicines to help with her nightmares. But..." she stops and pinches the bridge of her nose before sighing and continuing, "as time progressed, so did the addiction. When she began to fall behind in school, doctors prescribed Adderall to keep her focused. Her doctor told her to take the pill in the morning when she woke up, before lunch, and shortly after, she returned home to finish her homework. She couldn't sleep because the last tablet was still in her system when she went to bed, so she took a sleeping pill. She eventually became addicted to both and became alienated from the other students at school. They began to bully her more, and she felt compelled to escape from it all. Daniel had tried every drug in the book for himself, so he gave her anything he thought she needed to feel better. That eventually led to cocaine use. Roger and I got her into NA meetings once we realized how bad she was getting, but, she had to want to be there herself to get better, and she wasn't there yet." Dad stops talking as we all let the new information sink in.

The specialist jots down a few things in his note before speaking again, "I got her mother's records from the hospital. It shows here that she did meth and heroin." I look frantically between everyone but remain quiet. "Do you think Macy has gone as far as to take those?"

Dad looks at me, questioning. "How would I know?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I don't know, Adelaide. How about you go ask your girlfriend so that we can have a clear understanding of how bad this withdrawal will be?"

"She's not my girlfriend," I mumble, rolling my eyes and looking the other way.

"Dr. Low, how about we go to Macy's room, and see if she'll tell us if she has or not?"

The specialist nods, and we all get up to leave the office. As I follow Dr. Low and Dad up the stairs to the guest room where Macy is staying, Mom and Roger walk to the kitchen to talk some more. My room and hers are connected by a bathroom, while Rayden and Camden's rooms are separate, across the hall, and my parent's bedroom is downstairs.

We get to the door, and they knock. A faint 'come in' is heard behind the door, before we enter the room. Macy is lying on the bed, curled up in a ball. She's gazing out the window away from the door, not wanting to look at us. I hear sniffling, and it breaks my heart, knowing she might be crying.

"Macy, this is Dr. Low. He is here to help with your detox," Dad speaks first. She nods her head and says a low 'hi' to him before whipping her face with her hoodie sleeve.

"Hello, how are you feeling?" Dr. Low asks.

"Fine and dandy." She says sarcastically, and I smile, pleased to see that her humor is still intact.

"Okay, well, I was able to retrieve your mother's hospital records and.." He is cut off quickly.

"Why?" She asks, turning her gaze sharply to him. It's the first time she's taken her eyes off the big window in front of her. "Why do you have her records?"