Mrs. Independent

Chapter Thirteen: Leaving

Chapter Thirteen: Leaving

I panicked about what to do with the puppy and the next thing I know, I'm pulling up at my ex best friends house at five something in the morning. The four kids are asleep and Josh is wide awake.
He doesn't question me. He knows I haven't spoken to Ryan in almost seven years.
I carry the puppy and a backpack of her things to the front door on his apartment and start hammering on the door.
I feel like my heart is going to explode in pain but I shove my emotions aside and wait.
A minute or so later, he pulls open the door, blinking in the light.
"Katherine?" He mumbles.
"I need you to watch my dog."
"What?"
"I'm sorry Ryan, we haven't spoken in forever and I'm sorry, but my sister is dying and I need you to watch my dog."
"O-" he cuts off. "Claire's dying?"
I blink away ears and look up at the hall light.
"Alright." He says.
I thrust my dog in his arms along with her things and run out of the building before he's even shut the door.
I get back to the car and I'm already out onto the street before my seatbelt is on.
After twenty more minutes, we arrive at the hospital.
I get the large backpack that I dumped the diaper bag into. It has the kids clothes and things like that.
Josh carries Emma, I carry Bryson, and we make Matthew and Caiden walk. I practically throw the keys at the valet drive who hands me a slip, and then I rush into the emergency room.
The nurse at the desk looks alarmed.
I open my mouth to ask for answers.
"Katherine!"
My head snaps to the side and I see my brother. His wife who is six months pregnant is with him, my grandparents are here, my parents, aunts and uncles, cousins...
I walk over to him.
"Why aren't we allowed in the room?" I ask.
"They won't let us." Mom says.
"Why not?"
"Because her emergency contact is come guy named Grant and they're only talking to him.
Blindly, I hand Bryson to my brother and start looking around the waiting room, studying each individual intently.
The family watches me, probably wondering what I'm doing.
I see a man who is pale in dirty jeans and a raggedy t-shirt, and he's itching his arm.
Without an ounce of hesitation, I walk over to him.
"Hey Grant." I say.
He turns to me.
"Katherine." He says flatly. He looks familiar but I can't place him. Instead, I cut right to the chase.
"How long have you been dating Claire?" I ask.
His eyes narrow and he itches his arm.
"Like, five and a half years."
That's around the time she got out of rehab the first time.
And it all makes sense.
This dick is Claire's Alex.
She's so desperate for love and a family that she doesn't want to cut him loose.
Every time she goes to rehab and gets sober, he gets her to do it again.
After rehab you're fragile and it takes a shitton of strength to stay sober.
This fucking asshole.
I rip my fingers through my hair.
"Do you have Claire's cell phone?"
"Yes."
"Let me have it."
"No."
"Let me have it or I'll not let you not the bathroom." I say flatly.
If he can't go into the bathroom he can't give himself more heroine.
His jaw ticks, and he digs into his pocket and hands me Claire's phone.
"What's her pin?" I ask.
"7664." He grumbles.
Without a word, I turn on my heel and walk back over to my family, sitting down next to my husband.
"How did you know that was him?" Mom asks.
"Because he's scratching his arm."
I unlock Claire's phone and start going through it, checking her text messages.
She's definitely selling. There's not a doubt in my mind.
I go through her messages with Grant and I feel sick. Physically fucking sick.
It's just like me and Alex.
I keep scrolling through her messages, pausing on a recent one.
Grant's Dickhead Cousin Alex
I stare at the contact, my palms sweating. I check the number and see it's Alex's number.
I turn around to look at Grant, and then I remember Alex showing me pictures of his family.
Grant is Alex's cousin.
The blood drains from my face.
"What is it?" Dad asks.
My mind takes me back four years ago.

"You get so fucking angry when I start using again! It's your goddam fault!" Claire screams at me.
"How the fuck is it my fault? Am I the one shoving the heroine into your veins?"
Her nostrils flare in anger and she shoves me backwards into the ice cold pool.

Without an ounce of hesitation, I stand up and dial Alex.
It rings six times before it goes to voicemail.
I keep calling him.
"Who are you calling?" Mom asks.
I just shake my head at her.
On the third call, second ring, it stops.
"What do you want, Claire!?" Alex growls.
"It's not Claire." I snap back.
He pauses.
"Katherine."
"That's right." I say.
"Uh..." he trails off. "Why are you calling me? It's two in the morning."
"Oh, no reason." I say angrily. "How about the fact that my little sister is dating your fucking cousin? How about the fact that she's overdosed on drugs? What the fuck did you do, Alex? Send a fucking minion to get close to me? Are you insane?"
The entire family is staring at me in shock, and I'm thankful that Emma and Bryson are sleeping, Emma on Josh and Bryson on Liam. Caiden is leaning against my Mom asleep, and Matthew is sleeping on my Dad's lap.
"Well, I don't know, maybe it's revenge? You sunk the van bruh, you think I'm gonna let you get away with it?"
"Call him off Alex." I hiss.
"Or what?" He laughs manically. "What are you going to do? Come to Salt Lake with your four kids and your fucking husband? And what? Bake me cookies and ask me to call it off? You know, you disgust me."
"I will destroy you." I say. "I may seem different, but deep down I'm still a crazy bitch. I will ruin you."
He knows I don't make empty threats, and I'm sure he knows I'm rich.
I have more power than he will.
Silence.
"Are you there?" I ask.
"I'm here." He says. "You're with Grant right now?" He asks.
"No, I was with him." I say, lying smoothly. "Is this the reason she's relapsed so many times? What the fuck are you doing to her?"
"Every time she gets out Grant just convinces her to smoke weed to calm down. It's a cycle. It's quite wonderful actually."
Claire told me it was my fault and I didn't listen.
"Tell me what you want." I say flatly.
"Simple. Money. A van. A house. I want a lifetime supply of drugs, and I want you to be my drug dealer."
"Call off Grant." I say.
"Not until you promise, sweetheart."
"I promise." I lie. "Call him off."
"As you wish."
He hangs up and I glare in Grant's direction, watching as he picks up the phone.
"Wassup? Really? No shit. Alright."
Without a single fuck, Grant hangs up and walks out.
I see his phone sitting on the bench he was seated on and I run over there. It's unlocked, so I sign him out of iCloud and sign myself in, erase the evidence, and put the phone back exactly how I found it, going back to the spot I was standing in.
A moment later, he comes back in, throwing his middle finger in my direction.
"Oh, by the way," Grant smiles evilly. "If you don't follow up on your deal within twenty four hours and you try to come to Salt Lake, all twelve or whatever people what want you dead will find you and they'll gut you like a fish."
He blows a kiss in my direction and walks out.
Everyone is dead silent.
"I'm going to Salt Lake."
"Are you fucking crazy?" Josh hisses at me. "No the fuck you're not, you're staying here where you're safe."
"I'm not." I say. "I will not."
"The fuck you won't." Dad stands up.
I can tell they're all willing to physically restrain me.
"Look, it's simple. They're using Claire to get at me and they're going to keep doing it until she's dead. Next they'll use Liam, maybe Josh. Maybe one of my kids. This is my mess. I made it. I need to deal with it. I'm going to Salt Lake and there's not a single thing you guys can do to stop me. If I don't, they're going to cycle through you guys like fucking animals until the only one left alive is me."
"I don't agree with this, Katherine. Not at all."
"I don't either." Mom shakes her head.
"You heard Grant, they're going to kill you." Josh says seriously. "I can't make you stay, but please, don't go."
Everyone is silent, watching me.
"I would rather die than let them harm a hair on any of your heads. If I knew what was going on with Claire, I'd have done this ages ago. I love you all so, so much. I can't be responsible for anybody else getting hurt."
I think about my sister, who may or may not be dead.
And I know there's no going back.
I have to do it.
I give Josh a kiss.
"Don't go." He says.
"I have to."
His eyes search mine for a long time.
"I'm coming with you." He says.
"No. No, absolutely not-"
"I'm coming with you." He repeats. "Two is better than one."
"Somebody has to stay with the kids."
"We will." Mom says.
I look at Josh.
"You have to stay with the kids."
I'm very aware that this is a death sentence. I refuse to drag Josh into it.
And I refuse to leave my children parentless.
"Stay with the kids."
"No." He argues.
"Yes. You're not coming."
And for the first time in the years I've known him, he looks scared.
He hands Emma to my Grandfather and pulls me in for a hug.
I hug him back, and it lasts much longer than I thought.
"Be careful." He whispers. "Don't do anything stupid."
I smile and pat his cheek.
"What's my nickname?"
He sighs.
"Mrs. Independent."
"Exactly. I've got this."

______

Bro I'm scared for Katherine but I'd do the same thing if something from my past was hurting the people I love too
~Sam