A Day at a Time / G-Eazy

Seventeen

Two weeks pass since Charlie had last spoken to Gerald. Charlotte has been transferred Heartland Hospice Center on the other side of town. Melissa and Charlie make it routine to visit their mother daily, sometimes even twice a day. Charlie is pleased with the facility, every time she visits her mother she is clean and fed with necessities available at all times. The staff has been quick to help and seems to regularly check-in. The sisters were even getting to know some of the nurses on staff quite well.

Charlotte's condition hasn't changed much in the passing two weeks, it remains painful for Charlie and Melissa to see their mother in her current state, unable to speak or care for herself but they stay positive, as to not cause their mother more emotional discomfort.

It's near 8 PM when Charlie checks in at the facility to visit her mother after working a day shift. She stops at the front desk offering Adriene the receptionist a small smile.

"You don't have to sign the book," Adriene comments as Charlie picks up the pen to write her name and check-in time in their guest book.

Charlie looks up at her unsurely, "Are you sure? I don't mind."

Adriene shakes her head and motions to the hallway, "You can just go back. We all know who you are."

In the past two weeks, Charlie has made the hospice center out to be a second home, leaving her essential items in her mother's room, bringing food, and occasion, she had even spent the night. Daniel, her mother's regular nurse Monday-Friday often broke the rules for Charlie, allowing her a makeshift bed and to use the showers as she needed.

Now, she walks down the hallway and rounds the corner to Room 23 where her mother lays upright in bed, appearing to be sleeping peacefully. Her television plays the news softly in the background.

Charlie makes herself comfortable on the armchair and pulls her laptop out of her satchel, planning to finish her notes from earlier in the day. While Charlie is working on her tasks she hadn't gotten to previously, Daniel peeks his head in and knocks gently on the frame of the open door provoking Charlie to glace over.

"Hey," She greets him, closing her laptop and sliding it into her bag.

"I'm just checking in before lights out," Daniel responds while making his way towards Charlotte. "What are you doing here on a Friday night?" He inquires, eyebrow lifted.

Charlie shrugs nonchalantly. "Just checking in," she repeats.

"Are you staying the night?"

"I certainly didn't come here just to drive home," Charlie answers, hoping Daniel will get the idea that she'll need the pull-out bed tonight. A moment later Daniel reenters the room with extra bedding.

Charlie's phone goes off in her pocket, ringing at full volume. Daniel looks over, about to scold her for possibly waking patients. Charlie grimaces at him and mouths 'Sorry, sorry!' as she mutes it immediately. She walks out of the room to take the call while he comments behind her, "Light's off in 15! Be quick and quiet."

"Hello?" Charlie breathes into the phone, greeted by a very loud man at the other end who yells, "Is this Charlie?"

Charlie's eyebrows furrow together and she pulls the phone away from her ear, groaning when she sees Geralds name on the screen. How had she not looked before answering? She walks further down the hall and towards the exit, as to not disturb the patients with her phone call.

"This is Charlie, but you're not Gerald," She responds.

Charlie, good! G keeps calling for you!

"Who is this?" And why are you yelling?

You have to come here. He's fucked up, man!

Charlie sighs and rolls her eye's. She's not surprised that Gerald's partying but she wishes he would've respected her request to give her some time alone.

"Put Gerald on the phone, please."

"Yo, G! I got her, man!" She can hear the other man yelling clearly into the phone, followed by shuffling. There's a pause for a moment, in which it's finally silent before Gerald sighs into the phone on the other end.

"Charlie?" He questions, much calmer than the other man.

"Gerald, I asked you to leave me alone," Charlie hushes into the phone.

"I miss you," Gerald almost whispers before cackling into the phone obnoxiously, "I can't feel my legs!"

"G, please, I can't do this right now," Charlie pleads, looking back towards her mother's room, "Go home, sleep it off."

"I can't go, I don't know where I am," he slurs into the phone, "There's this bitch, keeps following me. I think I fucked her once, I don't remember - who cares, I only want to fuck you. Come here and fuck me."

Charlie slumps down, sliding against the wall until she's sitting. "Where are you? I'll take you home but then I'm leaving," she offers, knowing she'd feel guilty if he didn't have a safe way home.

Gerald pauses for a minute and Charlie actually thinks she lost him before she hears him in the background asking, "Where am I?" a few times. A moment later he speaks into the phone again, "Someone said Madison Ave."

Charlie's blood spikes, she can feel the anger rushing through her whole body, "You mean New York City?" she practically yells back into the phone. "Are you kidding me?" She questions.

Gerald lets out a small childish gasp, "Yee! That's it."

"Are you insane?" She questions sarcastically into the phone. "Find a couch and sleep it off," she demands before ending the call.