The Devil You Know

Chapter 44: Grandma's Gone

Grandma held on for almost six months after that day, but eventually, she let go, she couldn't handle the pain anymore. The worst part of it was Naomi was alone with her when it happened, she went to visit to drop off some home made food for her while the rest of us stayed back at the house.

When we received the call later that night that she'd passed, Naomi hadn't come home yet. Jade called her constantly, but she just turned her phone off. Joel went looking for her, checked every bar, every park, every liquor store, but he couldn't find her, all we could do was wait. Jade was crying on the couch, not only for grandmas passing but for Naomi, who knows what she was doing, or if she did something stupid.

I held Jade in my arms, holding back my own tears. Joel just sat on the couch beside us, clenched his fists and stared into nothing silently, he was worried sick, and Id anything happened to Naomi, he wouldn't be ok.

The door swung open and Jade stood up quicker than lightning turning to run to the door. In stumbled Naomi, piss drunk and she could barely walk. Joel and j stood up and food at the end of the hallway, shes never been that drunk. She let out a heartbreaking sob and fell into Jades arms who held her on the floor, crying too. Naomi hung onto her for dear life, slurring words and profanities, she was angry and depressed and probably so many other emotions. Jade helped her up and her and Joel took her upstairs to clean her up. I followed, watching as they sat her on the bathroom counter, wiping her face down with water. Joel held her in his arms but she pushed him away roughly, only seconds later she leaned in front of the toilet and threw up violently. Joel held her hair out of her face and rubbed her back while Jade gathered her clothes and started a shower for her. I wanted to say something, I wanted to tell her she'd be ok... But, seeing this, I didn't know if she would be.

They managed to calm her down a little and get her to shower, Jade and I sat in Joel's room with him listening for Naomi, hoping she wouldn't do something dumb. Jade leaned into me and I held her.

"I.. I've never in my life seen her that bad" she mumbled, sniffling.

Joel was staring out the window, he hadn't talked to us much that might, he sat on the other side of Jade and wrapped his arm around both of us as we held each other together.

"She'll be fine" I assured her, kissing her head. I remembered what Joel told me would happen after grandmas death, maybe that's what he was thinking about, he looked at me with empty eyes like he could read my mind. I wondered if Naomi told Jade yet, probably not.

We stayed silent and waited for Naomi to get out, we heard the bathroom door open and Jade walked out, following her into her room. It was just me and Joel now. He looked at me, then around his room, this house felt empty, and cold... It wasn't the same anymore. I looked at the dog tag around his neck, his fathers, Naomi carried the other one around her neck, dog tags came in two, so they split it, keeping apart of him with them forever.

"Are-"

"Yes" he cut me off before I could even finish, he knew what I was asking. "In a few months were gone, if not, Naomi's just gonna get worse with that alcohol"

"I'm so sorry" I whispered, he shook his head, he hurt so bad he couldn't even show emotion. We walked out and went to go check on the girls, we opened the door slightly and saw Naomi falling asleep in jades arms, window open to let the cool air in to calm her down. Jade was humming to her, running her fingers through her dark sea of hair as she cried silently. My heart sank in my chest, they were hurting more than Jade and I could imagine.