Princess {Currently Being Updated}

Chapter 6

I felt something warm touch my heavy eyes. When I tried to open them, they were forced closed again by the intense light that invaded my sense. As I slowly regained my consciousness, I was more aware of the throbbing pain in my head and the nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach. I sat up and cradled my head in my hands. Apparently you can get a headache for sleeping a whole day away.

What I thought had been sunlight was actually a lamp directed straight at my face. I have no idea when it got there, but it was a complete nuisance. I swapped it away and it whirled away to illuminate a random patch of the floor behind the sofa.

I sighed and looked out the window, barely cracked open letting in the cool night air. "Well, there goes my first day of unemployment."

Breathe in.

It actually wasn't that bad. Like I had thought about before, I had a little saved up that could get us by maybe a week and a half. The insurance was good, rent was good, we had food in the fridge, and I hadn't spent my tips so I could still splurge on some pizza.

I could apply for a job within ten days. I'm sure there's a student teacher assistant job averrable somewhere.

Breathe out.

With no job, I could spend some more time with mom. I bet she would like that.

"Mom?" My voice cracked and I almost laughed. I sounded like a frog in the quiet night. "Mom, are you okay?"

I rolled off the couch with the most grace I could muster given the headache and nausea. I see my mom sitting in her usual ball on the chair, legs rolled in and arms hugging everything.

I walked past her and gently brushed her hair back. I opened one of the cabinets and first sought out the advils. We don't have much, except for mom's antidepressants and the such, but I couldn't find anything there, not a single one of the drugs.

"Mom?" I looked to see if I had left them on the counter in a hurry this morning. A small panic started to build up as I realized that since I had slept the day away, I hadn't give mom her medication.

I turn back to my mother, sitting still as stone on her chair, wrapped in her blanket. I noticed the bottles of medication in front of her and I relaxed. She had taken her own medication. That's good. That meant she might be getting a sense of self sufficiency. She was actually getting better. I wrapped my arms around her and held her face close to mine.

"Are you feeling okay, Mom?" The empty medicine bottle caught my attention. The advil was empty. So were the anti-depressants. Everything that we had in the cabinet was sitting in front of her empty.

"No," I pulled away and looked at her face, her eyes were closed and her face was pale.

"Oh my God, Mom!" There were Tums, there were allergy medicines, everything on the table there that spelled out a doom I wasn't ready to face.

"MOM!" I scrambled to my purse and dialed 911. I ran across the hall and frantically pounded Mr. Shepherd's wall. "Mr. Shepherd! Mr. Shepherd! Help! Please help!" I collapsed on my knees and sobbed. "Mom!"

The door sluggishly opened and revealed Mr. Shepherd in his pajamas looking me over as if I had lost my mind. "Bethany Harrow, do you know what time it is?"

"My mom!" I tried to scream but I was already starting to hyperventilate.

Please, God, no. She's all I have left.

Mr. Shepherd looked me over again, getting a better sense of the situation and ran past to me to the open door of my apartment room.

"911 What's your emergency?" I don't remember when I had dialed, but I played a silent prayer at the back of my head.