Save Me

Chapter 23: The Storm of Truth

TRIGGER WARNING

Sophia

Terry and I rushed to the hospital as soon as we got the call from Lucas. I was so scared, but also seething at the paparazzi.

That's so heartless.

Lucas told me he already contacted Blair, Connor, and Marcus. We were the closest ones to hospital. Blair and Connor are driving back from Miami and Marcus is currently held at the office. He's trying to leave, but the stupid bodyguards are trying to keep him there "until it's safe".

We went to the room and Lucas was sitting next to Erika. She was laying on the hospital bed, sleeping, with a breathing mask on her face.

"She had a severe panic attack. Doctor said she went into psychological shock, but she'll be ok. The doctor will be back soon."

"What happened?" Terry asked.

"We were leaving Amy's game but the paps tracked us down. The new information about her dad is a gold mine to them. They got rowdy and grabbed at her, so I...I punched one of them in the face. They didn't like that and mobbed us and it turned into something out of control. Parents, coaches, and more bodyguards showed up but it was already too wild. The police showed up and shot rubber bullets at some of the paps. It wasn't until then that I could see that Erika had blacked out on the floor."

"Oh my gosh," I said, covering my mouth with my hands. A knock on the door echoed through the room. "Come in." A man in a doctor's coat came in, holding a clipboard.

"Oh, hello. Are you a relative or guardian of Ms. Erika Kingsley?" the doctor said to me.

"Yes. I'm Sophia Terrick, her aunt."

"Hello, I'm Doctor Monsanto. I'll be taking care of Erika in her stay here."

"Stay? Why? Will she be here long?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Let's step out." I followed him out of the room and across the hall into an office. He sat down behind his desk and I sat in a chair across from him. After few seconds, Terry came in and sat down next to me.

"I need to talk about Erika's well-being. This is the second serious attack she's had. So much so, she went into shock. Has she been taking her medication?"

"Well, no. She was told that she didn't have to take them anymore. That she didn't need them anymore."

"Well, it doesn't say on her chart. It says she is still taking Prozac Fluoxetine. It also says she should be taking Effexor Venlafaxine."

"Well, she used to take Prozac but she told me that she didn't have to take them anymore. As for Effexor, I wasn't told about that."

"Erika has panic disorder, correct? She was diagnosed back in 2011?"

"Yes and she took Prozac, until she didn't have to take it anymore. I was told in 2013, when she was 14."

"Yes, I understand. However, it doesn't say so in her medical history. She was also given a prescription for Effexor, to treat her major depressive disorder."

That's when I froze.

"Erika....doesn't have depression. She...she just has panic disorder, but she's okay now, she's handling it."

"I'm sorry, but in the fax from her therapist and in her records, Erika was diagnosed with MDD in 2013. It also says that Erika's attendance to therapy was very spotty. How did you not know?"

"I didn't get a call! Anything! Who...who was notified when this diagnosis was made?"

"It says Cassandra Kingsley, her mother, picked up the medication."