“How did you know she was in an accident?” Deb asked.
“When she was brought in Leah looked up her emergency contact on record with the hospital.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “She figured I’d be a close second I guess.”
“Jake.” Joe whispered, understanding that Leah had called him instead.
Luke nodded and stared at his father for a moment, watching as he looked around the room taking in his surroundings.
“Christ, they should name a wing in this place after us or something.” Joe said, meaning to defuse the tension and eeriness felt in the room. Silence filled the air and Deb took a seat next to her husband. Luke leaned against the wall with one of his shoes planted against the wall, and they waited together.
His parents surprised him. They were obviously uncomfortable sitting there, no doubt flooded with memories of the months they had all spent in and out of this place. Yet there they were pillars of strength sitting there again waiting for word of another one they considered one of their own. Joe took Deb’s hand and squeezed it slightly, a sign of unity.
Seconds turned into minutes and when the clock struck the new hour the door opened. Two doctors shuffled inside along with Leah, who took a step to the side and watched her colleagues. The first doctor lifted the mask off of his face and glanced around the room at the family.
“Are you all here for Cara Sloane?”
“Yes.” Luke said as he pushed off the wall and took a few steps to meet the doctor. “Is she okay?” He asked, his voice rich with despair as he looked between the two doctors.
“She’s stable. We were able to stop the bleeding. She has a concussion. We expect her to recover from the injuries sustained in the accident.” He said and then paused. He looked at the other doctor in the room.
Luke watched the exchange between the two and felt his gut clench. “What aren’t you saying?”
Deb and Joe stood on either side of Luke and looked at the doctors with the same expectant expression as their son.
The second doctor stepped forward. “Due to the nature of why Ms. Sloane was brought in we were required to do a full work up on her. Her toxicology results came back that she had consumed an extreme amount of pain medication. While she was undergoing the surgery, she began to choke on her own vomit, we had to pump her stomach to get all the drugs out of her.”
Luke closed his eyes briefly when he heard his mother gasp beside him.
“The report showed she had oxycodone and morphine in her system. Has she had any medical issues in which she would be prescribed these medications?” The first doctor asked.
“No.” Luke said solemnly.
The doctors knowingly glanced at one another before turning back to the family.
“We’ve inserted I.V. fluids to rehydrate her and she may be in some pain when she initially wakes up. Due to her dependency we would like to refrain from giving her pain medication. But if she is in any real pain we will administer the proper dosage and monitor her pain management while she is here.”
“We will have a social worker come and discuss treatment options with her when she’s coherent.” The other doctor offered.
“Addiction is a powerful disease and one that is an ongoing struggle. If Cara decides to seek treatment for her addiction, she will need a support system. I take it you are her family?”
“Yes, we are.” Joe said firmly. “We’ll do whatever she needs us to.”
“Can we see her?” Deb asked as she brushed away the tears that fell from her eyes.
“She’s still unconscious so only one visitor at a time. I should warn you all though, when she wakes she may be hostile and seeking another fix. She more than likely won’t be receptive to treatment and strung out. If she agrees to treatment her body will be detoxing over the next few days. I caution you it will not be easy to see her like that.”
Luke took a step back feeling as if the words spoken by the doctor smacked him in the face.
He couldn’t make out what his father said to the doctors or what they had said in return, all he could hear was the sound of his brother’s voice.
“Promise me, I need to hear you say it, Luke.”
Luke swallowed. “I promise I’ll take care of Cara, you don’t have to worry about her.” A tear slipped down his cheek as he finished his vow to his little brother.
Jake smiled slightly and closed his eyes. “I could always count on you.”
“Luke?” He heard his mother say as he snapped out of it turning his head to face her.
“I’m sorry, what?” He asked, barely audible.
“I’m going to go in first. Okay?” She asked as she looked up at him concerned.