Laila
"Thanks," my mom said to the doctor as he told me what was wrong with me.
"Laila......" My mom said and I just shook my head to tell her not now.
"Mom I just wanted to apologize about how I've been treating you like shit and about now." I confessed and just as she was about to say something, I leaned over the bed and threw up clear vomit. There's nothing in my stomach to throw up.
"Laila, what's wrong with you?" I heard Alec say in the background as my body started heating up.
"Get the doctor!" I tried to scream but my voice came out hoarse and I passed out.
Alec
The doctor rushed in and checked her eyes with a small flashlight.
"Pass the water," he instructed and Ms. Angela handed it to him. The Dr. then poured a little down her throat and drops onto her face.
"What the fuck!" Laila gasped and jumped up.
"Language!" Her mom warned but Laila didn't answer, instead she stared at me. The doctor got called to another room so he left.
"Why're you here?" She questioned. I looked at her with a stale face.
"Why the hell wouldn't I be here?" I shot back and she shrugged.
"Didn't seem to care about my well being today," she shrugged again and tried to pick up the plastic cup of water but her hands started shaking.
"Ms. Angela, what's wrong with her?" Theo asked as he picked up the cup for her and assisted her drinking.
"It's a problem with her vagus nerve. It connects the digestive system to the brain, and it's job is to manage blood flow to the gut. When food enters the system, the vagus nerve directs blood to the stomach and intestines, pulling it from other body tissues, including the brain. Sometimes, the vagus nerve pulls too much blood from the brain. Some things make it work harder, such as bearing down to have a bowel movement, or vomiting. Conditions that drop blood pressure amplify," She explained, she sounds like a doctor herself.
"It started when I was 13 years old and will continue for the rest of their lives. But over the years it's gotten better, it only happens once in a while now," Laila spoke up after drinking all the water.
"Okay so how do you know or how would I know it's coming?" I asked. I pushed Theo away, making him sit next to a very quiet Tasha and sat next to her bed, holding her hand.
" I'll feel warm or hot then by sudden weakness, like it'll literally be out of nowhere, and then I lose consciousness. From what I've been told, I go limp and end up in a cold sweat. On a rare occasion, with the hyper vagus nerve, stimulating it causes my heart to slow drastically," Laila explained to me. I just stared at her, she's too beautiful and she doesn't realize it.
"I'm sorry about earlier," I whispered to her and she smiled and nodded.
"When can I go home mom?" Laila groaned.
"Soon. They need to prescribe the pills and then we can go,"
"I don't want those pills! You know why! So why do you persuade me to get those things! That's fucking bullshit," I tried to calm her down but she kept going on about "fucking bullshit". Eventually you heard a loud slap and a gasp.
Angela slapped Laila in her face. One thing I do know about Laila is she doesn't like hits in her face.
"You lucky you my momma." She hissed and turned her back to her. "Thanks for coming yall can leave and tell everyone else I said I'm good." She dismissed Theo and I. We said our goodbyes and left the room.
"Why didn't she tell you about it sooner?" Theo asked as we walked back to the car. Everyone else followed behind.
"I don't know. Tasha did you know?" I asked and she nodded.
"I just forgot about it. I didn't pay attention as much because it did gradually go away but like ma' said; it never really goes away."
"Why don't she take the pills?" I asked, I just want her to be healthy and safe.
"That's not my place to say anything about that," Tasha ended the conversation at that. We told everyone what was wrong while driving back to Wellington.
Laila
I don't want the damn pills! My mother should know why by now!
"Take the pills!" She tried to put them in my mouth but I jerked my head to the right.
"You know why I don't want to take them!" I slapped her hand away.
"That's an excuse!"
"Me almost dying is an excuse?! Get the fuck out! Go have fun with your rich man, bitch! For once I don't feel bad that dad cheated on your overbearing ass!" I know what I said was cutting her but I meant to say it. Call me disrespectful but she just said that endangering my life is an excuse.
"You just want to eliminate the problem! I'm the problem, right? Fuck you! Keep Zach and keep Lance! I don't care!" I'm pushing barriers right now but I'm hurt too. No one cares about how I feel, they're so quick to say I'm disrespectful. Yeah, my mom and I have a lot of good moments but times like these make me wish that I would've chosen to life with my dad.
"You're a spoiled, disrespectful, unappreciative and nasty little girl! I've done nothing but care for you and try to protect you! And this is how you repay me??" She tried to come back but she knows nothing. How can she be so oblivious to things that go on in her own house?
When my parents divorced and we were living in Atlanta, my mom started dating this guy. Every once in a while (when Zach went to spend a few days with my dad and Lance stayed in his dorm) she'd have her little boyfriend stay over. He'd drink a little too much after she went to bed and he told her that he was doing some late night work. But the sick bastard would try to touch me at night.
"Protect me! You're apart of the reason I tried to OD!" After I said that she paused. "It wasn't just about Darion and the divorce! It was about Vernon the dammed pharmacist! Your stupid ass boyfriend tried to rape me! And you want me to take those pills that contributed to my over dosing?? Fuck outta here!" I pressed the nurses button repeatedly and started to unplug myself from the machine behind the hospital bed.
"Laila stop!" She tried to hold me down but I pushed her away and jumped off the bed. My legs felt like jello and I couldn't feel my toes but I can't concentrate on that right now.
I started down the hallway. "Can I borrow your phone?" I asked a nurse at the desk and they handed me the office phone. As I dialed Alec's number I realized how cold the AC is and I also realized that my ass is hanging out of the hospital gown.
"Hello?" His deep voice answered.
"It's me! Come get me, please hurry!" I hung up and went back to get my phone. My mom sat on the chair staring at the floor. I never wanted to hurt her, I just don't like when someone tries to make me do something I don't want to do.
I got my phone and left the room. I took the evaluator downstairs. During the few seconds I tied the back of my gown so no one can see my ass.
Fifteen minutes later, Alec pulled up. "Don't wanna talk about it," I sighed as I got into the passenger seat.
He gently took my hand into his and squeezed it. I calmed down; this is where I need to be.
