The Height of Fame

Chapter 18

I stand frozen in place as I watch Lauren go down. Lisa tries her best to catch her but she is entirely dead weight at this point. She hits the ground and for a second we all stand there, not knowing what to do. Then the room erupts into pure chaos. 

"Lauren? Lauren!" Dani screams.

"Someone get Julia," Christina orders. She runs over to Lauren. 

"Call a freaking ambulance!" Lisa shouts. 

Kath goes and yanks the door open, screaming for help while Christina pleads with Lauren. 

"Just stay with me okay? I'm right here Laur. We're all right here. Stay with us. Please." 

I sit next to my little sister and watch helplessly as she starts to struggle to breathe. Her usual calm and even breathing turns into ragged, labored breaths, leaving her gasping for air. Julia, Kevin and James all run into the room one after another. Julia comes straight over and pushes Christina to the couch. 

"All of you, back there." 

I don't move though. Instead, I muster the meanest look I can give when she tries to get me to leave. She decides against it. 

"Let go of me!" Dani shouts. Kevin has wrapped his arms completely around her, encompassing her in a bear hug to keep her away from Lauren. She thrashes against him, trying to punch and kick her way free but it's no use. He's twice her size. 

"What happened?" Julia asks. 

"I found these in her backpack and then she collapsed," I say holding the bottles up. 

"Lauren what did you take? Lauren? Focus on deep breaths. Just breathe. Stay with us," Julia repeats over and over. I watch as James hands her a medical bag and she expertly puts on a blood pressure cuff. 

"Her heart rate is too slow," she says holding two fingers to her pulse. 

"What did she just say? What did she say about her heart?" Christina screams from the back of the room. Kath hugs her tightly, trying to get her to stay back there. James is on the phone now, relaying information into the receiver. 

"How long?" Julia screams at him. 

"Five minutes out." 

"That's not fast enough," Julia mutters. 

I hold Lauren's hand in my death grip, silently begging her to hold on. I find myself praying in my head. Pleading with God, with anyone that is listening, to watch over my baby sister. She's too young. It can't be her time to go. 

"Does anyone know what she took?" James asks. I realize the pill bottles are still in my hand so I give them to him. He immediately wrenches the caps off and pours them onto the floor, reading the serial numbers off to the 911 operator. 

"She needs Narcan," James says.

"Shit," Julia says. She doesn't bother apologizing to us for swearing this time. She shakes Lauren's shoulders, trying to get her attention. 

"Lauren how many? How many did you take?"

Instead of answering, Lauren just laughs. It's an uncontrollable laugh that sends her into a coughing fit, struggling even harder for air. There's no way at all that she understands what's going on at this point.

"Goddammit James! Where the hell is the ambulance?"

"Just got through the gate. They're bringing it in now," he says to her. 

Lauren starts to protest when her brain registers the word ambulance. She hates hospitals with a burning passion and despite her condition, she seems to still be fully aware of that. Her arms try to bat us away but Julia pushes them back down to her sides.