Denial...Pt 2

Have you ever had that out of body experience? Well, I’m having one right now. Standing in time’s continuum; the past, future and present envelope me as if I am lead in one of those sci-fi movies. The scene, me, somehow magically in the middle of the galaxy, close enough to smoke the stars whilst watching both past and future play out.

“Elizabeth, what are you doing here?” Jesse blurts out more harshly than intended.

We stand at four corners of this conversational square, each holding different; emotions, thoughts, suspicions and possible actions. Right there, at the very edge of thought and deed, the only form of accountability, consciousness, which depending on your upbringing is a bias riddled land that colour’s everything!

Oh in case you missed last week’s episode we are (Riley, Jess and I) competing for portions of my Aunt Gail estate. This is part two.

“Well are you going to invite us inside Nate?” Paul asks.

“Yea of course, come in.”

I watch Jesse receive a heart warming hug from Elizabeth, my heart stops. She’s mourning, her heartache I can almost touch. Third galaxy to the right or whatever, a different planet, a different species. WHAT, they don’t care about money where you live! Argh! My mind reminds me of the unconscious Riley sleeping in the main, my attention on Jess. She seems calm but just above this I see panic bubbling. I need to get her alone. Overseeing Aunt Gail house being packed up will take all day, if I can get Jesse and Paul out to the office, this now left situation could still be salvaged, but how?

***

“I remember how much Aunt Gail just loved this painting; she always used to go on and on about supporting up and coming artists of colour”, says Elizabeth.

“Yes I remember the story of how she fought tooth and nail for this one”, responds Paul.

Thank God, Paul picked up the other end of that conversational string. I do not have the patience and I can tell Jess couldn’t care less.

Time passes and I see the question formulating in Paul’s thought waves. It eventually crosses over to deed and the words escape he’s mouth. Where is Riley, it’s almost one in the afternoon. I do not give Jess the opportunity to fumble, my response an inquisitive, yes this is strange, let me get my cell phone and give him a call. This gives me both an exit to check on Riley, take his phone and place on silent.

I know what you are thinking, this seems boarder line psychotic in behaviour, but you would be surprised, what your mind is capable of coming up with if forced too.

I walk in. Riley still laying, he should have woke by now. I reach inside his jean pocket, and pocket his cell phone. A small voice tells me check for a pulse at his neck; press deep, as you were taught in basic first aid. Oh my word there it is; faint, slow pulse, my mind informs me from some distant snippet of information that this is not good, and his life is in danger but I’ve lied myself into a corner, fuck! Riley needs a doctor. What to do? Sun’s down in three hours, it will get dark and we’ll need lights to finish, so no lights, means no finish. This could work.

My cell phone rings me back to earth, it’s Jess.

“Where are you? You leave me alone with ball of emotion Lizzy and I know what you did last minute Paul”, Jesse howls

“We need to get them out of the house, I’m coming down”, Nate says ending the call.

“Nate there you are”, says Paul. “Elizabeth and I are going to get lunch what are you guys in the mood for?”

“Chinese”, Jess screams. “Thanks so much Paul we are starving. Nate and I will continue on here. You guys go ahead.”

Relief washes over me and I almost feel safe until directly behind me I hear a meteor coming right at me...

Paul turns and asks, “Nate you manage to get a hold of Riley? He was such a chatterbox at the restaurant last night and couldn’t wait to finish today?”

The meteor grazes my face planet and I instinctively come up with...no answer accompanied by a shoulder shrug. That’s strange Paul utters and turns to leave.

***

Jess sits on the couch as news of Riley’s condition sinks in, I can tell guilt is starting to eat at logic, a fork in the time path and loosing reason now could end us up in prison. We have limited time before Elizabeth and Paul come back. I grab Jesse by the shoulder and tell her we need to get Riley into the car and to a hospital now. Almost at the brink of tears I tell her this is not her fault something else could be wrong and he should have woken by now as we only gave him three pills. Through tears I see her pull her aura together.

“Okay, let do it”, Jess mumbles

With all our strength we get Riley down into my car parked in the driveway. In the frenzy we don’t close the front door and I yell at Jess to close it. Just as she turns, Paul and Elizabeth pull up. Jess is blocked, they just saw her, and I know I could either wait for them to enter and go to hospital but with the estate at stake and literally being in the midst of the Law, I choose to sneak in through back door. I text Jess to tell her so she doesn’t panic! Leaving her alone would be a big mistake anyways.

I know what you are thinking but I let the window down a bit so air could come though and Riley has a warm jacket. So no judgement from you!

***

We eat; I want to punch everyone’s face! Elizabeth’s constant trip down Aunt Gail memory lane is annoying; I can see her time line from here Lizzy! On earth: BLACK and yonder I can’t see. Argh! I also see your change in timeline Lizzy if you don’t stop shredding tender tears. I remind myself to calm down. Nate you can do this!

Stuff in boxes, holes in foxes, one thing I now know about Aunt Gail is, to shop was her favourite hypnosis. Yes, I know that last word doesn’t rhythm but; Jess has zoned out, Paul and Elizabeth are in a fat conversation about her bright educated future and I am worried Riley has turned into a popsicle in my car, so this is my mind keeping sane. 

***

It’s four thirty and almost completely dark outside, this shit need to end. I disappear no explanation given!

***

AHHHHH screams Elizabeth. “I hate the dark, where is everyone?” 

Cell phone flashlights are turned on. We all find each other in the living room.

“What the hell did you do?”, Jess asks.

“I took a page out of Riley playbook and cut the power to the house”, Nate responds.

“In hope of achieving what”, asks Jesse.

“In the hopes of saving Riley’s life, it’s been a full day he should have woken up by now, something is wrong”, Nate agitatedly whispers.

Just then Paul comes close. I think we should call it a day; we can come back tomorrow and finish. Not sure what's wrong the rest of the street lights are on, Elizabeth has just gone to get something out of the car.

Ahhhhhh, we all hear Elizabeth scream, expecting to see her at Paul's car, instead she has accidentally opened my car’s back door to discover unconscious Riley.

“Oh my God, I thought it was an animal”, Elizabeth steps back.

Paul rushes over and states that Riley must be sleeping, he was very drunk last night. After the third time trying to wake Riley and feeling his pulse Paul surmises that something is wrong, reaching for his phone, Paul dials 911.

Shock silences me, as I allow Paul to take control. I stuff Jesse in the car and we all follow to the hospital. Never in my life have I experienced fear like this. I can see Jess is barely hanging on and tell her, we couldn’t have known alcohol and sleeping pills could have this effect.

***

We sit in the waiting room. It’s been an hour, the doctor comes out to inform us Riley has been placed in a medically induced coma. Blood test shows a mixture of benzodiazepines and alcohol in his blood stream. He’s critical and only time will tell.

Jesse breaks down into a sob, “we didn’t know! I gave him sleeping pills. I didn’t know he had alcohol.” I grab hold of Jess and hug her tight. After she calms down I whisper, that’s enough. You don’t say another word.

A week later Riley is taken off sedation!

If all is well, he should wake up within the hour and we can assess whether any permanent brain damage has occurred.

“He will wake up”, Nate says to Jess.

Four hours later

“It’s taking a little longer, he will wake up”, says Jesse

One day later

“We did nothing wrong, we couldn’t have known”, Nate says to Jess

Two Days later

“He probably has a drinking problem and we exposed it. He will wake up!”, Jess says to Nate.

Two and a half days later.

Silence...

Paul walks up and sits down beside Nate and Jess. Looks them squarely in the eye and asks, "did you drug your cousin to win?"

An alien has just invaded my planet

A frown appears on Nate face, “Sorry WHAT?”

____

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