Redemption | A Drake Duology (2016)

19 • Flatline

Aubrey

I walked out of the double doors to the studio as Sydney called for the umpteenth time today. I started not to answer but it was unusual for her to call like this. It must've been important.

"We're supposed to be strangers right now," I answered approaching my car. It was late as hell and I was ready to get home. Since Roman left, I've been focused on doing better. I hadn't picked up a drink in days and I was eating more. Sleeping was still difficult but at least I was able to keep still for a longer period of time. I wanted her to come back to something different. None of our problems were resolved but this was a step in the right direction. I wasn't doing it just for her but for me too.

"Thank god you answered! I didn't know who else to call," She talked quickly. "I couldn't leave her here, she stopped breathing!"

I could barely understand what she was saying but she sounded panicked. "Slow down. What are you talking about?"

"Roman," She calmed down but was still sniffling uncontrollably. "She had a heart attack,"

I stopped all movements and stared out at the road in front of me. "What?"

"This is my fault," She whined. "I should've stayed home," She was rambling on about how bad she felt, meanwhile I tuned her out getting the answers that I needed. She told me what hospital she was at and I ended the call. Before I did anything else I called Bleu. He was on daddy duty today but he made time to meet me up there.

I was completely disoriented the whole ride to the hospital. I don't even know how I made it there in one piece. Bleu was in lobby waiting for me when I got there. Sydney sat next to him. She seemed just as disoriented as I was. She was fidgeting in her seat and rocking back and forth as if she had gotten attacked.

"Heard anything yet?" I asked Bleu.

He shook his head. "She's still in ICU, they aren't letting anyone back until they stabilize her heartbeat,"

I looked over at Sydney who had yet to lift her head from her hands. Before I could fix my lips to say something, Bleu shook his head. "Not in here,"

I walked out of the entry doors as Sydney followed quietly behind me. While we ducked off out of sight to most, I tried to figure out how to approach this without being rude. After all, she made sure that Roman got to the hospital and didn't leave until someone got here. She didn't have to do that.

"What did you do?" I said a little harsher than intended.

"I didn't do anything,"

"So you just magically end up with her right before she has a heart attack?" She nipped at her finger nails and rocked back and forth on balls of her feet. "What the fuck did you do?" I repeated.

"I called her and told her that I wanted to meet face to face and apologize," She sighed. "and apologizing turned into yelling. Yelling turned into anger. I got mad and I told her... She knows everything,"

I groaned rubbing my hands over the top of my head. "Why would you do that?! Do you know what kind of situation you just put me in?!" I began to panic. If nothing else made her decision to leave easy, it would definitely be this.

"It can't be any worse than it already is!" She yelled back. "I just wanted to piss her off, I didn't think she would fall out,"

It took everything in me not to choke the shit out of her. I inhaled deeply and paced around trying to calm down. She was trying her hardest to break me and I didn't know what else to give her; money kept her quiet but obviously that wasn't enough. "Why can't you just stop? What else do you want from me, Syd?"