Spring Hope Rehabilitation Clinic located on twenty acres of rolling foot hills about three miles outside of Winchester Virginia. The property had once been an apple orchard and the driveway leading to the facility was lined with well established apple trees and a haven for white tail deer. The main building was a modern open design, cheerful and bright with two other buildings nearby. There was a park like area with a picnic pavilion, a well planted garden with walkways, benches and a gazebo to one side. The clinic is classified as one of the top rehabilitation hospitals for alcohol and drug abuse treatment on the east coast.
Day three was no better than day one or day two. Annie awakens to blood all over her pillow, sweat pouring from her forehead and chills. She looked over to a rather large woman sitting on a chair reading a magazine. Seeing the blood, Annie screamed out.
"Shit I'm dying - what the hell is going on?" She threw the pillow on the floor as the woman stood up.
"You are okay Ms. Walker, just a nose bleed."
Annie trying to focus on the voice but was having a hard time making out the person talking to her.
"Who the crap are you and why are you hurting me?"
"My name is Connie and I here to help you." Connie had a smooth calming voice but Annie was so paranoid at this point she couldn't comprehend what was happening.
"Why are they running the Daytona 500 in my head - the noise, oh please stop the noise." Annie was holding her hands over her ears and started with the shakes. Her eyes rolled back and tears were streaming down her face. Connie stood by her bed but not touching her as it may trigger an adverse reaction.
A few minutes later, Annie started asking for water. She was so thirsty beyond belief, her mouth felt like the inside of an old dried up smelly gym shoe. Taking a few slips of water, she couldn't hold it down and all came back quickly.
Connie went about cleaning up after Annie, handing her a damp towel to wipe her face but instead, Annie laid the towel across her face for now she was burning up with fever.
Day four, IV's had been started as Annie was dehydrated and still unable to keep anything on her stomach. They had also started her on Librium to calm her raw nerves. She felt like the wall of death had been lifted and her sense of pending doom was gone. There still remained the splitting headache, the chills and cold sweats all at times accompanied with burning fever and the nausea. The shakes would come and go with Annie now being able to communicate sensibly with Connie.
Days five and six was much improved, her body temperature was returning to normal, the shakes were gone. She still had the headache but now it was more like a numb ache if that is how it can be explained.
"Please don't open the blinds yet Connie, my head still hurts."
"Okay Ms. Walker. How about today we get clean up, take a bath and get some decent clothes on you."
"Yeah fine but just don't touch my head. Do they feed you around here? I'm getting hungry."
"That's good news Ms. Walker, we get you some breakfast, anything special you want?"
"Eggs scramble, fresh fruit, toast and coffee. Am I allowed coffee?"
"Of course but it is decaf. I can't tell the difference." Connie was getting the bath water ready for Annie. She had laid out clothes that look like scrubs and a robe, in a pale green color. Patients were not permitted street clothes until close to release time after finishing the critical part of the rehab program.
Day seven, the magical day of no more IV's, Annie was drinking plenty of water and her appetite had gone through the roof and she was craving food, ordering double serving of everything. She still had a slight headache but not enough to stop her from opening the blinds and looking at the beautiful view of rolling hills with mountains in the distance in full autumn colors.
"Good afternoon Ms. Walker, I'm Dr. Shapiro and glad to see you looking so much better." The doctor was a middle age man with graying at the temples and dark rim glasses, a very pleasant face and easy manner about him, definitely non-intimidating.
"Hello." Annie was happy to be able to see the doctor, she was well aware of the reason she was hospitalized and was ready for the next step.
"You came through your detoxification very well."
"Strange, I thought it was pure hell."
"I'm referring to the fact you don't have any medical adverse aftereffects. We are going to start taking you off the Librium over the next two days. Don't want you to become addicted to that drug. Like I said, you are doing very well."
"What is next for me?"
"You and I will open up a line of consultations, we will have a great many chats. We need to find out why you allowed yourself to get into this predicament and how we can overcome the root cause. The first step will be to explore who Anne Walker is, the person."
"Well that is going to be challenge because I don't even know."
"You and I together will find that person and what makes her tick. Trust me, it will be an interesting journey. Our first appointment is for tomorrow morning." He made a few notes on a small pad, placing it in his pocket and smiled at Annie, "We'll start your road to a full recovery tomorrow. Good day."
Annie looking out the window, knowing she had to go through with the entire process but was somewhat anxious about digging into her subconscious, finding out deep troubles she had suppressed over the years and forgotten.
By the time of their first session, Dr. Shapiro already had a lengthy talk with Eyal and knew that Annie's childhood would probably hold the key to her drinking problem. Unhappy childhood seem to have a way of remerging much later in life and the person not understanding what is causing their uncertainties and anxieties. The process would be slow and at times, very painful for Annie even to the point of wanting to discontinue the program but she would stay. She was determent to regain her life, maybe not like it once was but a life she could be happy with.
Eyal slowly unlocked the door of the apartment, not knowing what he may find. It had been a year since he removed his belongs and was he ready to enter the place he once called home. Cold air hit him as he opened the door, looking down on the floor were several yellow and pink cards - notification from the electric company of service shut down for non-payment. Eyal shoving the notices in his pocket, he would take of that small matter later in the day but first he was there at Dr. Shapiro request to remove all alcohol - remove all temptation.
"Oh my god Annie, what has happen to you this last year." Eyal whispered to himself. The apartment was void of any touches of Annie Walker. The bookshelves that once held Eyal's collection of books still stood empty, the walls were bare of art, no decorations of any type and the drapes were drawn almost shut, only a dim beam of light shown in the living room. Eyal walk to the larger window and open the drapes letting in more light. There in the corner was her easel and drawing supplies with cobwebs and dust, she hadn't picked up a pencil to draw once within the past year. Walking back toward the kitchen, he notices on the coffee table a note, one he had written years before in Paris - 'Happy Birthday E'.
Slowly easing down on the sofa holding the note in his hands, Eyal's heart was broken. There he sat in dimly lit dreary apartment and cried. For the first time since Annie broke off the engagement, Eyal cried, the grief of losing Annie had truly hit him square in the face. He had held out hope over the past year that somehow they could reconcile but now he wasn't sure if it was possible. He had no idea how long he remained on the sofa in a numb state when his phone buzzed.
"Hello." It was a cracking voice Eyal answered with.
"Are you okay? You don't sound very cheerful."
"I'll be alright Christine. I just have an unpleasant task to do and it got to me."
"You want company? I can help with your task."
"You know Christine I think I do. Yeah I do want your company. I'm at my old apartment."
"I'll be there in five minutes." Christine was on her way, she knew Eyal was in need of friendship and support. He was the type of man that could handle anything but something had taken a toll on his stability and she was going to be there for him.
"Hey Israel." as Eyal open the door for Christine.
"Haven't heard that in years, not since we first met. Thanks for coming." Eyal had regained his composure but still sounded sad.
"What can I do." Christine gently touching his face.
"Annie has been admitted to rehab for alcohol abuse. I've been ask to remove all alcohol from her apartment and being here for the first time in a year finally caught up with me."
"Okay Eyal, first things first - let us clean house, we have to look everywhere - I know firsthand as my brother was an alcoholic. Even finding a bottle in the back of the toilet. After that we go and get a nice thick juicy steak and talk. I've got all day."
Christine and Eyal went about pouring bottle after bottles of whiskey, gin, rum, scotch and wine down the drain. Two large shopping bags of empty bottles pitched into the dumpster behind the apartment building along with spoiled food and a few bags of trash. A quick cleaning of the apartment, Eyal and Christine were off to a small restaurant around the corner for steaks. Christine was a good listener and Eyal talked about Annie's drinking problem and only guess at why she broke off the engagement. He had gotten control of his emotions and never opened up to Christine about his torment but Christine knew how deeply he was hurting and was there for him.
