Project: Sunshine

3- Let It Go

...

Inner peace, that's not something that comes easy. People find multiple ways to find inner peace, smoking, smoking of a lot of things. Nova did that, Stella wasn't sure what she was smoking though. Stella wasn't sure what Nova overdosed on. Stella didn't know why Nova overdosed, Stella didn't know anything.

"Your next step would be a rehabilitation center." Stella stared at her sister's figure, laying in the hospital bed, her eyes were open. Thank god, Stella squeezed her sister's hand again. "I'm not sure if you're aware but Angelica Franklin called in a month ago about poison control. Your daughter has overdosed before, the girl didn't have an identification and Angelica was too shaken up to speak. We would have called before."

"Jesus."

"Mom?" Stella looked up to her mother, who was standing beside her. "Are they going to take her away?"

"They should, Stella." Stella's mother put a hand on Stella's cheek, "Your sister is sick, she's an addict." Stella glanced back at Nova, the girl's eyebrows furrowed. Nova was pissed, Stella could tell, but she stayed silent. "She took heroin. That's hardcore stuff, she needs some help to get better."

Nova stayed quiet, or tried to. She wasn't the best at keeping such peace, definitely not with her mother's opinions.

"Who's... Going to pay-" Nova croaked, her voice was hoarse. "For it? We-" Nova started coughing, Stella cringed at how rough Nova's coughs sounded. "Don't have insurance... You won't.. Pay for shit."

"Enough, Nova."

"Ma'am, your daughter has only overdosed twice. If you take away her abilities to do it again, you won't need to send her away." The doctor explained, "Normally insurance will pay for people to go to rehab if they overdose three times and still get more drugs, for minors that is."

"Also- I have a choice... I'm sixteen." Nova spoke through clenched teeth, Stella could also see the girl was in pain, physically. Probably emotionally, with everything.

"Well, I'll get out of your way. You can take your daughter home now that she's well." The doctor went to leave but paused and turned back to Stella's mother. " I would suggest you pay attention to her breathing though."

"I won't let her out of my sight, so I'll know if she's having problems." The woman smiled, the doctor nodded and shuffled out of the room quickly. Stella's mother signed before
turning to Nova.

You act like you want her out of your sight.

"What were you thinking!?"

"Let's... Just go home." Nova muttered as she sat up, clearly not in the mood for whatever lecture their mother was preparing. "You can yell at me... When my head.. Doesn't hurt so much.."

"Your head wouldn't hurt if you didn't take heroin and whatever it was laced with!" Their mother yelled, Nova shook her head, holding back her tongue, which Stella was thankful for. She knew what Nova did was wrong, but she also knew their mother didn't handle things in the healthiest ways either. "Fine. Nova, you and I have to go in for questioning. They just want to know where or who you got the drugs from."

Nova sighed, Stella and her mother helped Nova climb out of the bed. Stella helped Nova go to the bathroom and gave her the clothes she came here in. Stella didn't know how long they'd been at the hospital. Not until she looked outside to see how dark it was

Nova came out of the bathroom fully dressed, Stella stared at her for a moment. Nova's hair was down and slightly tangled. Her eyes looked strained, she had bags under them, there was black smudges near the corners of her eyes. She looked rough, she looked... Dead. Stella looked away when Nova gave her a weird look for staring. Nova waited impatiently for their mother to grab all her stuff, the woman had hid the cigarettes she had in the chair cushions since she wasn't allowed to do that in the hospital. The woman said the smell was Nova, who did smoke cigarettes when she stole them from her mom. Which was rare, Nova didn't like depending on her mother for that stuff.