Skeletons

Chapter 19

March 3rd, 2005

I've never been hit by a bus but finding out your daughter is being rushed to the hospital because she downed a thing of god knows what pills down her throat like they were tic tacs probably feels pretty similar.

JD was driving me to the hospital they had put her in, it was more of a mental asylum than a children's hospital but I digress. They were keeping her there because they found her a danger to herself as if I was too incompetent to keep my child from self-destructing. JD was saying something but it felt more like he was talking to a brick wall, which honestly would have listened better. All I could think about was that call;

I was sitting in my living room drinking some box wine and watching crappy reality tv reruns when I got a call, I begrudgingly got up to answer. JD was on the other line, "Uh- Veronica?" he stammered, "What?" I said in a rather pissy tone caused by him interrupting my night. "Lydia's passed out on my kitchen floor, there's an empty thing of pills beside her." That was all he had to say before I was in a cab screeching at the driver to go faster, I probably looked insane but I didn't care.

Once I arrived at JD's house I saw him outside his complex rubbing the back of his neck while an ambulance drove off. "What's going on?!" I say not even attempting to hide the panic in my voice. "They are taking her to Saint Andrew's to treat her, she is alive she'll be fine, the medicine wasn't even anything strong, it was some generic headache medication." he laughs. "Oh thank god," I let out a sigh of relief, just then realizing I had been holding my breath. "We should go to the hospital then?" I say. "No," he snaps, "I mean it's flu season so the hospital is overcrowded. They wanted us to wait for them to call." he adds, "Oh-" I nod "Alright if that's what the paramedics said," I start to turn away, "I'm going to head home," he grabs my arm, "No, it's late, you can stay the night at my place." I furrow my eyebrows, "I'd rather just walk home," I say and start to turn again but can't because his hand is still resting on my upper arm.

"Look, Ronnie, we're both scared, I don't think either of us should be alone right now," he says eyes filled with sadness, "Fine," I sigh, "But I am sleeping in Lydia's room" I add. He shakes his head and lets out a small chuckle, "Sure Ronnie,"

His apartment was beautiful, it was new and had a color scheme of mainly white and gray, it was incredibly chic. "Your house is beautiful," I say admiring it. "Heh, thanks Veronica," he says resting his hand on my waist. Normally I would've stopped it, but I wasn't the same person that night plus I drank like two glasses of wine.

Before I knew it we were in his bedroom my hands were in his hair and he was undoing my bra.

"Veronica?" his words took me out of my daze and back to reality where he and I were in the car, "Uh yeah?" I said slightly startled by his being there. "We're here," he said, I noticed then how we were there in the hospital parking lot. "Oh," I grab my bag and practically throw myself out of the car.

JD and I check into the hospital and then wait for the elevator to come, it takes too long so I just book it up the three flights of stairs not caring whether or not JD is behind me, (he isn't, the lazy bum went on the elevator)

I come to a halt when I reach Lydia's room, the number on the room is 356. I stare at it for a while. I take a deep breath and go inside. "Mom?" she says, she's sitting there reading the bell jar which is ironic in more ways than one. "Hey, how are you?" I ask clutching my purse, it feels like she's glass, as if one sudden move will make her shatter. "I'm not diseased you don't have to be across the room," she hisses. "Oh- I know I just thought you'd want space.." she shakes her head. "You know what I want?" I nod, "What?" she smirks, "M&M's there's a vending machine down the hall." I nod "Yeah of course I'll go get those,"

I rush out of the room as JD exits the elevator, "She's in there," I point to room 356. He nods and I turn away down the hall.

_

"Hey Liddy," my dad says long and drawn out as he opens my door, what did your mom say? He says, the mention of my mother even though she was just here makes me queasy. "Uh nothing much, she was acting like I have the plague, she's getting me candy right now," I say trying to sound nonchalant about my mother treating me like I am diseased. "Hmm...fun..." he responds. It goes quiet for a moment. "Do you think she'd kill me? Like does she still have that in her?" I immediately bite my tongue at the idiocy of my question. "Uh- No, no not at all," he says rather half-heartedly. "So what you're saying is she would?" I say tears welling up in my eyes. "

"Listen Lydia, your mother is a dangerous woman but confronting her about it isn't the right thing to do right now, I'm going to convince her to let you move in with me, you'll be safe then." he assures. "How would she ever agree to that?" I let my suspicion override my relief. "Simple, she's in love with me, it won't be hard to do." he says brushing his black chestnut hair out of his face. "You a good actor?" he questions out of the blue. "Uh not really but-" he cuts me off "A good liar then?" I think for a second "I guess so," he nods. "What I need from you is you to pretend to be the perfect happy daughter," he says, "Can you do that?" he adds, "Yes," I say without a moment of hesitation. "Yes I can,"