BLUEPRINTS || Billie Eilish

Nebulizer

Kai swiped her keycard on the hotel room door, the lock clicked open, and the heavy door swung shut with a loud thud that echoed through the quiet space, startling her momentarily. She stood still for a second, letting out a small breath as the room settled back into silence. The weight of the day had finally caught up with her, her muscles aching from exhaustion, but her mind still buzzing from the performance Billie and Jessica did.

She moved through the dimly lit room, heading straight for the bathroom. Her backpack, slung over one shoulder, felt heavier than it was, and as soon as she reached the sink, she dropped it onto the countertop with a soft thud. Kai unzipped the bag and rummaged for the pack of makeup wipes, her fingers moving mechanically despite the fog of fatigue clouding her mind.

With a tired sigh, she pulled a wipe from the package, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face looked as drained as she felt—dark circles under her eyes, her makeup smudged from the long hours of work. She brought the cool wipe to her skin, lazily dragging it across her face, smearing foundation and eyeliner in a messy sweep. Her eyelids drooped, and for a moment, she felt like she could fall asleep right there, standing in front of the sink.

Her movements slowed as her eyes fluttered shut, the coolness of the wipe offering brief relief. She barely noticed when her phone buzzed in her pocket, the vibration faint against her leg. But then it rang—loud and sudden, jolting her out of her sleepy haze.

Kai fumbled for her phone, pulling it out of her back pocket. The screen lit up with the name 'Mom,' but she knew it was probably Nicky, calling to tell her about his day, his progress, or something exciting happening at the hospital. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she pressed the answer button, raising the phone to her ear.

"Hellooo?" she dragged out playfully, her voice a bit forced but warm nonetheless.

"Kai," her mother's voice came through, shaky and frantic. There was a tremor in her tone that immediately made Kai's stomach drop.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Kai's brow furrowed in concern as she paused in her movements, still clutching the makeup wipe. She could hear the stress in her mother's voice.

"Dear, I'm so sorry... Are you busy right now?" her mom asked, her voice cracking slightly as if she was holding back tears.

Kai's heart raced, her mind now fully alert. "No, no, I'm in my hotel room. What's going on? Where's Nicky?" Her tone sharpened with urgency as she tossed the makeup wipe into the small trash bin by the sink, already fearing the worst.

There was a brief pause, and then her mother's shaky voice continued, "Nicky is refusing his breathing treatment. He's never acted like this before, Kai... He had a horrible outburst. Kicked the nurse... Screamed like I've never heard him scream before."

Kai stood frozen, the words sinking in like a heavy weight. Nicky never had outbursts. He was always calm, collected, even during the toughest parts of his treatment. Hearing that he had lashed out like this was unimaginable. She could hear faint sobs in the background—Nicky's sobs. It broke her heart into a million pieces.

"Put him on the phone," Kai said firmly, trying to keep her voice steady as she left the bathroom and made her way toward the bed. Her heart ached, and all she wanted in that moment was to be by Nicky's side, to hold him and comfort him, to reassure him that everything would be okay. But she couldn't, and that guilt gnawed at her, tightening around her chest.

There was some shuffling on the other end of the line, and then Nicky's small, tearful voice came through, barely above a whisper. "Hello?"

"Hey, buddy," Kai said softly, her voice breaking slightly. She sat down on the edge of the bed, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as she tried to compose herself. "What's going on, huh? Why are you upset?"