Chapter 13

Daniel thanked Crane for the ride and waived goodbye as he watched him pull away. He walked quietly to the door and let himself in. Allison was on the couch asleep. He made his way to the kitchen and got a beer out of the refrigerator then made his way over to the couch and sat down next to her feet. He noticed that she looked a little pale and thought it odd that her purse was laying on the floor, open. She always seemed so guarded about that stupid purse. It had made him wonder what was so private about it's contents. His gaze settled on the round plastic dial with numbers on it. Birth control he thought to himself. Then he saw something totally unfamiliar to him. Two prescription bottles with Allisons' name on it. The bottles were different than what he was used to seeing from their local pharmacy. He picked one up. He didn't recognize the doctor's name. The physician contact number had a Boston area code. The pharmacy had a Boston address. Why didn't he know that Allison was taking medication? He read the usage directions. Take one by mouth daily for depression. He quickly picked up the second bottle. Take one tablet by mouth at bedtime to aid sleep. Sleeping pills and antidepressants? Why wouldn't she tell me she was on medicine? He leaned over to wake Allison. A third bottle rolled off the couch where it had been laying beside her. He recognized the name of this medication. Valium! The directions indicated to take one every eight hours as needed for anxiety. Daniel didn't understand what he was looking at. He'd been around her constantly for the last two and a half weeks and he'd not once seen her taking any medication. Daniel's mind flashed back to the telephone conversation he'd had a few hours earlier with Allison. Fear coursed through Daniel as he began to piece it all together.

"Allison, wake up! Allison!" The girl didn't move. Panic began to rise in Daniel and he grabbed her by both shoulders and began to lightly shake her. He called her name again. "Allison, wake up honey, please wake up!" He pleaded. She still didn't move. He reached out with a shaking hand and grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse. He found it, but he thought it felt faint. He lowered his ear to her heart and at the same time put his hand in front of her mouth. He could hear a heartbeat and he could feel her breath. Thank God! s But Daniel knew something was very wrong and he needed to get help now. He ran over to the phone and called the emergency number. He begged the dispatcher for an ambulance as he quickly gave them the address.

"Please hurry" He pleaded. "I think my friend has overdosed on prescription medication! I can't wake her up. Please, I need help!" Daniel tried to keep his voice calm so that the lady on the phone could understand him. She started asking questions. He didn't have any answers. He was fast becoming hysterical.
"Please sir, I need you to calm down so that I can help you. Can you tell if she's breathing?" the dispatcher asked him calmly.

"Yes, she is but she won't wake up and she's really pale." Daniel tried his best to keep his panic at bay.

"Do you know what she took?" the dispatcher continued.

"I'm not sure. I found some medicine bottles here next to her." He proceeded to read the names of the ones he could pronounce and spelled the names of the one he couldn't.
"Sir, has she been depressed or threatened to harm herself recently?" asked the dispatcher.

"No. I mean, not to me. I didn't know she was taking medicine. Can you please send me some help here?" Daniel begged.

"Sir, stay calm. Help is already in route. The ambulance as well as a deputy sheriff should be there any minute now. She replied.

No sooner than she'd spoken the words, Daniel heard sirens in the distance. He turned back to Allison. "Hold on Ally. I've got you some help, so you just hold on ok, sweetie?" Daniel was crying now.

The door opened. I'm officer Wilson, what's going on here?" a deputy said, entering the room. He looked at the young man kneeling next to the couch and immediately recognized it to be Daniel McFadden. Then he studied the girl and realized it was Jim Frelings daughter, Allison.
"Wilson, Oh God she needs help, man!" Daniel cried out. "Where's the damned ambulance?"

"Calm down Daniel, they will be here in about two minutes. Luckily they were just down the road from here when dispatch called it in." Wilson replied, as he knelt down himself to check Allison's pulse.

"What happened? Did she do it on purpose?" Wilson asked Daniel.

"I dunno. I don't think so. I mean...she didn't take them all. There's still a bunch left in the bottles. I talked to her a few hours ago...wait, she told me...she told me she'd had a beer. I thought she was drunk or something. I didn't know anything about this medicine until I found her here with it a few minutes ago. Oh God, why didn't she say anything?" Daniel cried.

Wilson got busy, checking through her purse. He retrieved all the bottles then looked around the cabin. "We need to make sure this is everything. The paramedics need all of it." Wilson explained as he walked into the bedroom and then the bathroom looking to see if there were any more medication bottles.

The ambulance pulled up then and two paramedics came through the door. They had a gurney and all kinds of equipment and immediately went to work checking Allison over.

Wilson came back out and handed them the three bottles of medication and the birth control. "It looks like this is everything. We think she had some beer too." He walked over to the kitchen and looked in the garbage. "Daniel," He began. "There's two beer cans in the trash. Did you put any cans in here yourself?"

Daniel thought for a minute. "No" he replied, "Wait! I think one is from earlier today. Crane had a beer with me. I think...I think he threw it away before we left." Daniel was trying his best to remember for sure. "Yeah" He continued. "I remember Crane threw one in the trash."

"Ok thanks." Wilson replied then advised the paramedics to tell the doctors that from his investigation, he could only verify that she had consumed one can of beer.

The paramedics had loaded her onto the gurney after starting an IV and hurried out the door to the waiting ambulance. "Can I ride with her?" Daniel asked. "Are you related?" the female paramedic asked.
"Well, no. She doesn't have any family. I'm a friend." Daniel answered her honestly.

"I'm sorry son. I'm afraid it's against our policy." She replied.

"Come on Daniel. I'll give you a ride." Wilson told are taking her to County. Did you want to call your family?" He asked.

"I don't know. Not right now I guess. Just take me to the hospital, please?" Daniel begged.

"Let's go then. Wilson replied.

to be continued...