What If

29. Tahlia

Spokane County Medical Center

3:14pm Thursday July 23rd

After the disturbing call I got from Anne, it took a good hour to calm Lydia down. At first she didn't believe what I was saying. She just sat there, extremely stoic and quiet for awhile. Then she got to her feet and started pacing. Once she started pacing, she started babbling incoherently. I couldn't understand what she was saying. I tried to reach her but she was...someplace else. In her mind.

I told her I would take her to the morgue whenever she was ready. There was a chance that it wasn't her mother on that slab. I told her that repeatedly, I told myself that repeatedly. I couldn't accept the possibility that it was her mother. Just when she decides to find answers about who she is, and what secret her mother was hiding, she ends up dead.

She stayed in her room for almost an hour. When she finally emerged, her expression was blank. No emotion, no tears...nothing. The ride to the morgue was also in silence. I wanted to reach for her hand, but I felt like that would just make her more uncomfortable.

When we finally arrived at the morgue, we waited patiently in the lobby until the coroner on duty came and lead us to the back. Lydia stood next to me with her arms wrapped around herself. I looked around at the cold, sterile room. There was a wall with rows and rows of silver drawers with handles. I could only assume they were the bodies of the unfortunate people who lost their lives. The smell of antiseptic mixed with other things made me feel uneasy. Well, more uneasy than I already felt.

"Thank you for coming," the coroner said. "I'm Dr. Rowe. I understand you are trying to locate your mother." The doctor looked down at her clipboard and put her glasses on before she continued. "Her name was Tahlia Leanne Preston? Last known whereabouts were at Schick Shadel Hospital in Seattle almost five years ago. She left before she finished her court ordered stay."

Damn, I thought. Anne really knew her shit.

The doc looked from me to Lydia for confirmation. "Yes," I said when Lydia remained quiet.

"Alright," Dr, Rowe said before she went to the third drawer on the left and hesitated with her hand on the handle. "Please, brace yourself. This may not be easy."

I saw as Lydia tightened her arms around herself and she nodded numbly. The doctor pulled open the tray. The loud click of the tray snapping into place seemed to echo in the walls of the quiet room. We could clearly see the shape of a person under the white sheet.

The doctor grabbed the ends and looked at Lydia. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said in a very low voice.

The doctor lifted the sheet and I heard Lydia's sharp intake of breath. Her eyes were wide and she had a hand covering her mouth. I didn't need to ask her this time if it was her mom. Her reaction was all the confirmation I needed. Lydia took a step forward and reached a shaking hand out to touch her mom's face. She stopped just before she made contact.

Lydia cleared her throat a couple times before she spoke. "How did she die?"

The doctor had a sorrowful look on her face. "Someone found her under a bridge. We believe she was homeless and sleeping there. No ID, no nothing. Based on my exam, she was severely dehydrated, malnourished, and she had copious amounts of cocaine, heroin, and meth in her system when she died. Cause of death appears to be cardiac arrest due to an overdose."