BLAKE

Chapter 67

Richard, Agatha's husband, finally arrived in town a few days ago. 
She was so happy to see him, she radiated joy.  
But unfortunately, it didn't last long. 
Things didn't turn out well when she asked him to move in with us, telling him that the hospital was looking for a new chief of surgery. She was hoping that they could start a new life here but... It wasn't what Richard wanted and so... He left town almost as soon as he arrived. 

And I feel guilty. 

I know that Agatha has decided to stay because of me, otherwise she would be back in her hometown, with her husband and son. 
But even though she was sad, she didn't let it get the best of her. She is still the nice woman I know, willing to take care of me. 

I kept thinking about Agatha while heading to the trailer park. 
My legs hurt from walking but I needed to see Joane. 
It's been so long since I last saw her... She doesn't answer my calls or my texts anymore and I'm worrying about her. 
I miss her. 

I finally reached her place. 
When I arrived, her door was unlocked and so, I let myself in but... I couldn't have expected what was waiting for me behind that door... 
A scene that I would never forget. 

Joane was there, laying on the wooden floor, in a puddle of cans and junk food wrappers. 
I rushed to her, kneeling beside her. 

"Joane?? Joane can you hear me?" She didn't react and I checked her pulse. It was incredibly low. My eyes landed on her coffee table and widened in shock when I spotted white powder and all sorts of colored pills on the surface. 

Drugs. 

So many drugs. 

"Oh my God." I grabbed my phone with a trembling hand and dialed 911, hoping it wasn't too late. 

Hoping I wasn't too late. 

It only took a few minutes until the ambulance arrived but to me, it seemed endless.
Staying here, kneeling on the cold floor, holding Joane's limp body in my arms, begging her to stay with me, crying out loud, telling her how sorry I am for letting her down.

The first thing I did when we finally reached the hospital was to call Liam. 

"Blake? Where are you?"

"Liam listen to me, it's Joane-"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to talk about her?"

"No, I'm at the hospital, Liam she is in trouble... She..." A loud sob escaped from my mouth and I quickly wiped my tears away. "She overdosed."

"What?!" 

"It's bad Liam..."

"I'm on my way!"

The wait seemed endless as I sat, livid, staring at the white walls of the hospital walls. 
The doors of the elevator on the other side of the hallway opened and Liam appeared, his face was grave and his skin was pale. 

He rushed towards me and I could tell his eyes were red and shinning. 
Had he been crying? 

"How is she?" He asked, his voice laced with sorrow. 

"I have no idea..." 

He sat down next to me and buried his head in his hands, releasing a long and painful sigh. 

"She was dying. There were... Drugs... All around the place."

He did not say anything. 

We both stayed silent while minutes turned into hours. 

Until a nurse finally walked towards us. 

"How is she?" I asked, standing up immediately and Liam did the same. 

"She's gonna be okay." She gave us a reassuring smile. "She just woke up, you'll be able to see her when the doctor is done."

A sigh of relief escaped my lips and I dried my tears. 

"I don't think I should come in." Liam broke the silence. "After everything I've done... She must hate me." 

I was about to contradict him when I spotted Agatha, silently exiting Joane's room.

"Agatha?" I frowed, rushing towards her. 

"Blake?" She was confused to see me here. 

"What were you doing in Joane's room?"

"Wait- You know her?"

"What were you doing here?" I asked again. Agatha is an Ob-Gyn, there was no reason for her to be here. Unless...

"Is she pregnant?" My eyes widened as the words came out of my mouth. 

"I'm sorry Blake but this is not something I can discuss with you..." She gave me an apologetic look. "Do you by any chance know if she's got family in town? She could use some company right now."

"No, there's no one else. We are her family." 

At least we used to be... 

"Alright... You can see her if you want but she needs rest, you can't stay too long."

I entered her room without wasting a minute and I slowly walked towards her. She was laying down, silently staring at me. 

"Hey..." I tried to break the ice. "What... What happened?" I gently took her hand in mind but she instantly removed it from mine. 

"I don't want to talk." She stated coldly. 

"Please... You know you can talk to me..."

"Leave me alone."

"But-"

"Leave my room before I call the security."

I gasped, staring at her, pleading her not to do that but she just looked away, not acknowledging me anymore. 

I took a step back, still watching her carefully but... She wouldn't look at me. So I did as she wanted, I left her room, already feeling the tears coming back. 

*****

"It's all my fault!" We were back at Liam's place and I felt so guilty. I let her down... I should have been here for her."

"Don't say that-" Liam tried to comfort me but this time it wouldn't work. 

"We both know it's the truth. When is the last time I saw her, huh? Oh God..." I sat down on his bed, my head in my hands. 

"Did you know?" I looked up to him, "Did you know she was taking drugs?"

"Yeah I knew. I mean, we were both using drugs but that was a long time ago. We both stopped." He sighed and sat down next to me, "At least that's what I thought."

"I want to know, Liam... What happened between exactly?"