Take Me Home {Completed}

Chapter Fifty-Eight

UNEDITED

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Chapter Fifty-Eight

"Oh come on, I asked you to give me your best arrest story and that's what you have come up with? You have to have something better than that." Said, Parker, as he and Douglas walked down one of the hospital's halls.

Parker and Douglas never spoke of a destination as they left the smoking area, but Parker had already planned to go back to Nola's room. As for Douglas, he figured he still had a few more minutes to spare and contently followed Parker, to a place Douglas assumed would be Nola's room.

"What about the story I just told you does not classify as a great arrest story? I helped take down Richard Giapod, a well-known mafia leader in the '80s. I was only twenty at the time and-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you told me. You were twenty and a newbie on the police force. Somehow you were given a chance, not offered to newbie's especially on such a large case, to go undercover. By collecting evidence while undercover you were able to take down Giapod . . . b-o-r-i-n-g. Unless you have some crazy stories about being undercover it's honestly a let down of a story, in my opinion.

"I wanted to know," Continued Parker, "about the time you had to break a fight apart between a man, in a wheelchair, and a woman, on a walker. Did you get injured? How bad? Oh, I bet the woman gave you a nice black eye when she hit you in the face with her walker."

Douglas' eyebrows connected in confusion, "I've never broken apart a fight between a man in a wheelchair and a woman with a walker. Let alone has a woman with a walker ever given me a black eye."

Parker gave an overly exaggerated sigh, "You must sleep a lot on the job because it sounds boring."

"No, it's actually a very interesting and rewarding job."

"Says the one that has the most boring job ever." Parker chimed as they reached Nola's room.

Reaching out Parker went to open the door to Nola's room but before he could, the door swung open. "Dr. Weston?" Parker questioned the woman who was trying to shove something in her purse as she walked out of the room, unaware at first of Douglas and Parker.

Halting in her tracks, Jackie looked up and came face to face with the two, who were standing outside of Nola's room. Her face paled, "Oh, hey."

"What are you doing here?" Parker asked as his eyes dropped down to her hand, which was still clutching what Parker noticed was a ziplock bag — half in her purse and the other half exposed.

Douglas looked down at what had caught Parker's eyes. He was about to glance back up at her face when he noticed something familiar inside the baggie. "What are those?" Mr. Harper asked as he grabbed the zip lock bag from Jackie's hands. He inspected the bag of bright yellow pills, which up close resembled the pills Mr. Harper found in his daughter's room.

Turning his attention to Dr. Weston, Douglas noticed the nervous look that was etched across Jackie's face. "I asked you a question. What are these?"

Jackie snatched the bag from Douglas' hand, "they are anxiety medicines. Just because I'm a psychologist, does not mean that I don't have problems of my own." Jackie dropped the bag into her purse, hoping to put the conversation behind them. "I came here to check up on Nola," Dr. Weston turned her attention to Parker. "You must be taking on a lot, with this situation and all." Jackie looked Parker up and down with a smile. "If you ever need someone to talk to," stated Jackie once she locked eyes with Parker, "I have plenty of appointments available for you."

Parker was formulating a reply but Douglas could not let go of what previously went down. "Did you give my daughter those same pills?"

Jackie's eyes flickered over to Mr. Harper as annoyance course through her because he would not let it go. "Yes, I did. She has been through a lot and it's sad to see that you do not trust her. She needs someone to trust her and be there for her."

"I trust my daughter when she gives me reasons to — I'm sorry but finding a baggie of unlabeled pills is not something I can easily trust. Why does she — or you, in fact — not have a bottle with your name and the medication labeled? Why are y'all keeping them in baggies?"

Dr. Weston's heart leaped as she tried to find a way out of the spotlight, "I have no idea why your daughter took them out of her bottle. You should ask her, if it's plaguing your mind that much. However, seriously consider just trusting your daughter, Mr. Harper. She has told me, off the record by the way, of times recently that you have been lashing out at her and accusing her of things she has not done—"

Douglas was utterly confused, "What? I have not been lashing out at her and accusing her of things. Except, of course, last night when I found unmarked pills in her room."

Jackie shrugged her shoulders before throwing her hands up in the air, in a surrendering manner. "I suggest you have a calm talk with you daughter. It seems you two are viewing things differently." Giving a wide smile, Jackie glanced between the two men. "Well, it was nice chatting with you two but I have an appointment I can't be late for." She focused solely on Parker as she said her final words before leaving, "seriously, call my office if you need someone to talk to — free of charge," she winked.

Parker nodded, "Thank you."

Jackie left no room for Douglas to say anything else as she quickly walked away.

"It's been three weeks," Parker said, just as Nurse Heather walked up to him, "and she just now shows up?"

"You talking about that girl?" Nurse Heather nodded her head in the direction of Dr. Weston as she picked up on what Parker had just said.

"Yeah."

"She's been up here several times. Always manages to arrive soon after you leave for the smoking section, though. On top of that, she only stays for a few minutes and leaves before you get back, which is probably why you haven't seen her." Was all Nurse Heather said before going into Nola's room to check her vitals and replace her IV fluids.

"Parker," Douglas said as the wheels began turning in his mind.

"Yeah?"

It took Douglas a minute to reply, "You don't think . . ." His thoughts stopped and he shook his head thinking 'there is no way'.

"What is it?"

Douglas said nothing in response to Parker.

Parker started to feel anxious about what Douglas was thinking and trying to say, "Mr. Harper, what is it?"

Shaking his head, Douglas attempted to pull himself out of the conspiracy theory taking over his mind. However, he was too drawn to the facts unfolding, "I'll be right back." Douglas went to leave but Parker called out to him.

"Wait! Mr. Harper, where are you going?"

Douglas looked over his shoulder at Parker. "I'm going to see if Camille's results have come back."

Parker stood there bewildered for a moment before a feeling of shock took over him, so much so that he felt like taking a step back. After piecing together what Douglas was thinking, Parker did not know exactly what to say. "You're not suggesting that those pills. . ." Parker looked over at Nola's door and felt like for the first time in weeks the answer to Nola's condition was within arms reach. "You don't think Camille and Dr. Weston. . ." Parker gazed back over at Mr. Harper.

Douglas looked down at the tile floor. For the first time since he found the pills in his daughter's room, Douglas hoped that she was the one taking them and they were just anxiety medicines. "I'll be right back," he repeated before heading off to the lab.