Last Stop

Chapter thirty five

"Cameron! Open up!" I wake with a start, my neck instantly protesting as I realise I am curled up on the floor where I dropped after my mother left. The reality settles over me with a sullenness as I wipe the snot and tears away from my face. I cried myself to sleep on the floor in the middle of the apartment. The light is fading outside as another bang sounds through the door.

"Cameron!" I start when I recognize the voice, what is Uncle Mark doing here? He sounds almost frantic in panic.  

I shuffle to the door, relief and panic gripping me all at once. Why is he here? did something happen in the hours I was asleep?

He looks worried when I open the door, eyes roaming over me in quick succession. As if searching for injuries. Eyes not missing my own puffy ones. 

"Oh thank goodness!" He pulls me into a hug, despite the fact that I look like shit and probably do not smell great either. "Millie was really worried after the call yesterday, said you did not look well and then you weren't replying to any of our texts or calls. "

"Sorry." I am numb, not truly believing he is here, maybe I am still asleep, dreaming. Why would they care, I messed their lives up and then I left as if ungrateful for everything they did for me.

"Where is your mom?"

I frown and wave my hand outside "Gone, I don't know."

"Cameron?" His worried tones reaches my ears and I see his face swim before my vision as a feeing of lightness fills me, like I am on a spinning teacup. Suddenly the world tilts and then everything goes black.

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I wake up to Mark kneeling next to my face, his warm hands on my cheeks "Cameron wake up!"

I blink at him, unable to tell how I got down on the floor and what he is doing here before the last 24 hours comes rushing back. "When was the last time you ate?"

Ate? I can't even remember the last meal I had. I hadn't been hungry and then I had been busy and I didn't want to eat whatever greasy food my mother was eating. It had been - well- since the first day here. My non-answer -answer seemed to be enough as he helped me sit up and to the couch. He walks into the kitchen, not saying anything about the burnt brownies. I do not even remember turning off the oven. I must have woken up at some point. There are also piles of dishes in the kitchen. I would be embarrassed if my life hadn't once more taken a dive.

A glass of water is shoved into my hands. "I am calling an ambulance."He sounds angry and I cringe, I am useless. I can't even take care of myself anymore. I am weak and stupid. I took care of myself all my life and now I couldn't even manage a full week.

"How did this happen Cameron? You were supposed to call us if anything was wrong."

I started thinking about all the wrong things. Was I supposed to call when I stepped off the plane and I wanted to go back, when I realised I hated our apartment? That it reminded me of all the awful childhood drama? When I hated the crowds? There were so many moments I wanted to pack it in but this small nagging sense of hope filled me, I wanted there to be more, wanted there to be a future where my mother cared if I was eating, if I was healthy and happy and maybe she needed to be happy first for that to happen. I could wait while she discovered how to be happy without drugs. Only she didn't. First chance she got and she took it right back to her own habits. And then the normal wrong, the everyday discomfort with my new life changed over night into a panicked, fearful, hopeless wrong. One I couldn't change and one that I felt freezing my insides.

"It was fine and then when I woke up this morning-"I stop trying to remember the events clearly with the fuzz that seems to fill my brain, "And then brownies and I realised the money was missing and she was singing-"I stopped again shivering as the lyrics haunt my brain. I hate that song.

"I am telling Millie to meet us at the hospital."

"Millie is here?"

"Of course Cameron, you really worried us."

"You didn't have to come all this way, I could have taken care of things." He gives me an annoyed look, one I have never seen him give and sends my stomach into a dive, before pulling out his phone and walking into the other room. Just then the front door slams open and my mother appears. Still in her pj's. She looks a little wild with wide bloodshot eyes and she is shaking a little but.

She waltzes in as if nothing is wrong. "Cameron!" She stops when she notices me sitting on the couch "Good you are here, I was thinking we can go ice skating! I was just talking to Becky and she said the tickets are half price today!"

"He is not going anywhere with you," Mark steps back into the room "He needs to go to the hospital, Honestly Macie, how could you do this to him?"

"You called him?" Mom looks at me accusingly "First you say I stole from you and then you go running to my sister?!"She is yelling, getting more frantic by the second "How could you Cameron, we were doing fine! I was going to forgive you for all this and then you go pull a stunt like this for some false accusations?!"

"Mom you are using again." I speak it for the first time and my words taste like bile in my mouth and lead in my stomach.

"Don't be ridiculous!" She shouts waving her hands at Mark "You need to leave, this is between Cameron and I."

"We are still the legally appointed guardians of Cameron." Marks says sternly "The ambulance is coming to take him to the hospital."

"Hospital? He doesn't need a hospital."

"Macie, he fainted when I arrived and doesn't look like he has eaten in a week."

"Well, the boy is not hungry, what can you do about it?" She waves him away "He was like that as a kid then he would get over it and eat."

Mark is looking more angry by the second.

"I need you to step aside Macie." He says as we hear the sirens coming closer.

"You are not taking him away from me again!" Mom yells running at Mark who manages to grab her arms as she tries to attack him. I stand managing to get to them with little wobble and trying to pull her away from him.

"Mom leave him alone!"

"See you have turned my own son against me!" She seems ready to scratch his face off.

"Be reasonable Macie, this doesn't have to get out of hand, I can call back the clinic and you can resume your in-care treatment, think about Cameron."

"Mom, please." I have none of my usual strength as I try tug her away some more. Failing miserably. 

"I am not going back to that hell hole!" She yells "They will poison me!"

"They help you mom!"  I am crying, the tears falling freely as a knock sounds at the door and two paramedics appear, looking worried at the scene, one speaks quickly in their mike.

"We got called for someone passing out and malnourished?"

"Cameron, go get treated." Mark orders and I hesitate as my mom continues on her attack.

"We have called the authorities."The one paramedic tells Mark as he dodges another attack, I notice my mom has managed to get one good hit and he has a red scratch mark running down his face.

The paramedics drag me to the couch, asking me questions I can't answer. I hear the words 'shock' thrown around as lights are shined and fingers are brushed over my pulse.

Everything passes in a blur, the police come and the paramedics agree to take me to the hospital with Mark for some fluids. I am either crying or staring numbly into the distance. This is all my fault.